eetraveller

Hi Turtles06 (and Shawnino)

Thanks for your kind concern and words of caution :) I've looked through the bunch of airline websites again since then and may have found an alternative flight - so I'd at least arrive during the day and may even be able to take the same transfer as the one Lindblad has arranged for the US travellers on the recommended flight from Miami. It means I'll have a mini sightseeing tour of London en route to Buenos Aires :cool: Off to plan for *that* tour now... Thanks again!

It sounds from your post and some comments above that you are thinking about flying from halfway around the globe, apparently with several connecting flights or at least layovers, but not planning to arrive in BA until the evening before the charter leaves for Ushuaia? If that's correct, wow, that would be way outside my comfort zone; many possibilities for delay. Since you haven't booked your flights yet, why not plan to arrive 24 hours earlier? (Or a couple of days early, and enjoy BA?)

Hi drewdie, can't wait to *get* on my trip! We'll have to compare how many similar sights the Dec and Feb travellers would see this time around but based on the detailed Turtles06 trip diary from a couple years back, it would appear we're going to have a fairly good time!

I am booked on the Feb.7,2016 trip. Can't wait to hear about your trip!

Hi Shawnino, you're right - my assumption is that things would go relatively smoothly flight-wise and that the overnight buffer (2045-0600) would be sufficient to iron out any minor kinks in air/land transportation. I have yet to book my flight so who knows... maybe I'll end up on a route that has fewer connections (but more cramped legs) and getting in a bit earlier, or if the flights on Dec 18 are full, then I'll have to get in Dec 17. :)

Thanks for the additional info about the BA aeroports, something to think about if the connections somehow don't work out!

I'm a bit of a Nervous Nelly and I'll say that up front. Now that I've said that...

 

Given your routing, I'd want to get in 24 hours earlier. If you hit any significant delay at all, you might be out of luck.

 

Something else to keep in mind is that if it wound up being touch-and-go to make the Charter flight in the morning because your inbound flight is late, it's worth confirming with Lindblad from which aeroport they're heading down to Ushuaia.

 

The Charter seems to depart BA not from the international aeroport but from the smaller, 12-gate municipal aeroport. So you're either looking at an aeroport switch (a good 50 minutes, likely more), or, since the tour spends a few hours in Ushuaia before boarding the ship, if you were super short on time you'd need to bounce down to Ushuaia from the international aeroport on your own.

Thanks hrprof, I had read that the Sheraton rooms would have a falls view and the Lindblad guide would have additional access that I suppose anyone wandering around on their own or even signed up with other guides would not. Of course, there's a premium attached to all this and glad to hear from you that it was worth the money. I wonder how large a group this would be from my Dec 18 "batch" of travellers!

Go with Lindblad! We've been there twice - once as an excursion during an Oceania cruise around SA - the second following a cruise on Explorer down the East coast of SA. We did not go there in conjunction with our Antarctic trips.

 

With Lindblad It was a 2 night extension at the hotel with a falls view - a great guide with a number of walks and the boat ride under the falls - also crossed the line into Brazil for a nature walk. Definitely worth the money and time.

On a separate note, I've booked myself on the Iguazu Falls extension - would appreciate it if anyone else who's done it too could share on whether it was worth it to go with Lindblad or to go it on your own?

Thanks!

Thanks Shawnino and Hi Random00/Joan

I'll be coming by Singapore-London-Madrid-Buenos Aires. Unfortunately all arrivals on British Airways/Iberia into Buenos Aires are 2045H so I'll have to make do. I'm hoping coming in at night would mean less traffic(?) and I'll just check in for a good shower and nap before joining the rest for the morning charter. If there isn't anyone to brief me when I get in, then I'd hope to at least have an information pack in my room so I'd know when we're all leaving the hotel...!

I'll check the remise option; I've read that's the cost-effective way to get in.

Cheers!

Hi all, I'm booked on this expedition too. I'm wondering if there are any others travelling from outside the US and what their flight and transfer arrangements are - the information provided by Lindblad is US-centric and not too helpful.

I'm making my own arrangements as I'll only be getting in at 2045H instead of in the morning (so my Day One is going to be a "Night One" and I'll not be able to join the scheduled day tour of Buenos Aires). I'm also starting to do research into transportation options for night time transfer from the airport to the hotel.

Anyone stayed at the Sofitel before? I found out that we'll not be staying at the Brick Hotel for this expedition.

Appreciate any input, thanks in advance!