Patagonia & Argentina

Buenos Aires is one of the largest cities of Latin America, a major world port, and Argentina’s commercial and social center. Heavily industrialized, he city is one of the world’s leading exporters of processed foods. It was founded in 1536, abandoned, then resettled in 1580, and was the first Latin American city to revolt (1810) against Spanish rule.

Officially independent in 1816, it became the capital of a united Argentina in 1862. It grew into an urban colossus in the late 19th century, when railroads into the agriculturally abundant pampa to the west began to supplement the great inland river transportation system that linked the city with Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil, and immigration from Europe increased. Famous landmarks include the 19th century cathedral, the opera house, and the many beautiful municipal parks.

Montevideo is on of South America’s major ports, and Uruguay’s only large city, with nearly half its population. It is a specious beautiful city with amazing architecture and spectacular beaches.

Puerto Montt is the gateway to Chile’s Lake District, an Alpine region noted for its crisp air and breathtaking mountain scenery. Gaze at the pristine beauty of towering Mount Osomo; view the rushing falls and rapids of Petrohue; or enjoy a calm interlude at lake Todos Los Santos.

From here, planes fly to the White Continent: Antarctica. Spectacularly situated at Chile’s southern end, La Cruz Hill affords commanding views of the Straits of Magellan. There is a Patagonian Museum to see, the City Museum run by Salesian Friars, a cemetery graced with cypress groves and ornate mausoleums and, naturally, penguins.

The Strait of Magellan is a channel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, separating the southern tip of the South American mainland from the island of Tierra del Fuego. The strait was discovered by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1520.

As Chile’s chief port, Valparaiso is a major industrial center and the terminus of a trans-Andean railroad. Its setting is a natural amphitheater. The business district, crowded onto a narrow waterfront terrace, is connected by cable railways to residential areas on the surrounding slopes. Founded in 1536, Valparaiso grew rapidly in the late 19th century.