Spring in Argentina: new lodges, whales from the beach and the High Andes of La Rioja
There is a moment every spring when the south of Argentina wakes up. The whales return to the gulfs, the days stretch long over the glaciers, and the roads of Patagonia fill again with travellers who come for the landscape and leave with stories.
We have always believed the landscape is never the excuse. It's the pioneers, the legends and the people you meet along the way that turn a trip into a journey. So this season we bring you three new reasons to linger in Santa Cruz, notes from Península Valdés, a short road into La Rioja's high-altitude desert, Patagonia's quieter side, four hotels we love, and one festival worth building a whole trip around.
Three new reasons to stay longer in Patagonia
Luz Divina Lodge, where remoteness is the luxury
Legend has it that the La Leona River owes its name to the explorer Francisco "Perito" Moreno, who was attacked by a puma on its banks in 1877. Today, on those same banks, halfway between El Calafate and El Chaltén, one family's love for Patagonia has become Luz Divina Lodge, opening in November 2026.
There are just 8 rooms, a restaurant and two lounges. Outside there is only the steppe, the wind and a horizon that never seems to end. Guests set off on self-guided walks across the plains and along the river, as far as the Petrified Forest, and return to a silence that is hard to find anywhere else.
Minitrekking on the Perito Moreno Glacier, now from age 12 to 60
The glacier carries the name of that same explorer, and walking on it feels like stepping onto something alive: deep blue crevasses, the crunch of crampons on ancient ice, and now and then the thunder of a wall collapsing into the lake. Until now, only travellers aged 18 to 55 could make that walk. From this season the age range opens to 12 to 60, so a teenager can stand on the ice beside a parent. The day begins with a boat crossing of the lake and continues with a guided trek among the ice formations.
New in El Chaltén: Cagliero Mountain Hut opens on 1 November
El Chaltén was shaped by people who learned to live with the wind. The new Cagliero Mountain Hut, run by Refugio de Glaciares, invites guests to share a little of that life. It's a night far from the village, reached on foot with a guide: an 8 km walk (about 5.5 hours round trip, 250 m of climbing) through native lenga forest to the still waters of Laguna Rosa and the Cagliero East Glacier. There's no mobile signal, just the mountains, a warm dinner with a glass of wine, and the kind of quiet the first settlers knew.
The hut: up to 16 guests in 4 shared rooms, every room with its own en-suite bathroom.
Included: 1 night, breakfast and dinner, transfers from the El Chaltén bus terminal, private reserve access and guided hikes.
Just back from Península Valdés
Some places you visit. Others make you stand still. Our co-founder Daniel travelled to Península Valdés with his family, and the southern right whales were everywhere. From the beach, barely 50 metres from the shore, they watched mothers teaching their calves to dive: slow, patient lessons, repeated again and again in the calm water of the gulf. Further along the coast, a male orca appeared, his tall fin cutting the surface as he searched for sea lions.
Conservationists who watch over this coast explained how hard the last few years have been for the sea lion colonies since avian flu arrived. Some believe it could take more than 70 years for the population to recover. It changes the way you look at every animal on the beach.
A stage that changes with the seasons
Southern right whales: June to mid-December, peaking September to November, seen from the beach at El Doradillo and on small boats from Puerto Pirámides.
Orcas: Punta Norte is one of the few places on earth where orcas strand themselves to hunt sea lion pups, best from February to April.
Southern elephant seals: breeding at Caleta Valdés and Punta Delgada from August to November.
Magellanic penguins: September to April, at Estancia San Lorenzo.
On land and at sea: guanacos, maras, lesser rheas, grey foxes and dusky dolphins.
The pilot and the Little Prince
Between 1929 and 1931, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry flew the airmail routes over Patagonia. Looking down on the Golfo San José, he saw Isla de los Pájaros, a small island whose outline is said to have inspired the very first drawing in The Little Prince: the "hat" that is really a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. From the viewpoint on the isthmus you can still see it today.
Good to know: Valdés is vast, with long drives on gravel roads, exposed cliffs and strong winds, so it suits nature lovers and families with older children best. We recommend at least 3 nights.
Short on time? The High Andes of La Rioja
High in the Andes of La Rioja, locals call one slope La Pintura de Dios, "God's painting", and once you see its colours the name needs no explanation. From a base among the vineyards of Villa Unión at Tres Cruces Lodge, a 4x4 day climbs to around 4,300 m into the Laguna Brava reserve, to a high Andean lagoon where flamingos feed in the thin, clear air. The red canyon walls of Talampaya and the high-altitude vineyards of Chilecito complete the journey: the Andes, the desert and wine country in one short trip.
Where to travel next: Patagonia's quieter side
The Tehuelche called Fitz Roy Chaltén, "the smoking mountain", for the clouds that cling to its summit. About three hours north of El Calafate, El Chaltén offers trails that start in town and lead to Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, with no queues and no coaches. For comfort to match, Explora's 20-room lodge sits in the Eléctrico Valley, facing the Marconi Glacier.
Our recommendation: 2 nights in El Calafate for the glacier, then 3 in El Chaltén, one of them at the Cagliero hut.
Hotels we love
Moreno Camp, Perito Moreno Glacier: glamping domes facing the glacier, long after the day visitors have gone.
Casa Lepage Art Hotel, Buenos Aires: an art hotel in a historic building in the heart of old Buenos Aires.
Cavas Wine Lodge, Mendoza: private villas among the vines of Luján de Cuyo, with rooftop terraces facing the Andes.
Llao Llao Resort, Bariloche: Alejandro Bustillo's landmark between Lakes Nahuel Huapi and Moreno.
Spin the globe: Carnival in the Quebrada de Humahuaca
Every February, the villages of the Quebrada de Humahuaca dig up the devil. The Pujllay, the mischievous spirit of Carnival, is unearthed from the ground where he was buried the year before, and for days this UNESCO World Heritage valley sings and dances to coplas and comparsas until he is buried again. In 2027, Carnival falls on 8–9 February, and Tilcara and Purmamarca have few boutique rooms, so plan early.
Thinking about Argentina? As a certified B Corp with our own team on the ground, we design every journey around you. Get in touch and tell us what you'd like to experience.