First stop : Buenos Aires , and whilst there are various options  to get to Buenos Aires from London ; we took what seems to be the most economical and quickest route - with Iberia via Madrid. We flew Premium Economy and were impressed . Great service , plenty of room and an easy transit in Madrid.   Whatever cabin though , long overnight flights are tiring  and I nearly hugged the guy at our hotel reception when he handed me the keys to an upgraded room and announced we could head straight to it.  The rest of the day was ours to relax , and see a little of the local area , and work out just how great those Argentinian steaks were! ( zero disappointment there) . 

A full day guided tour of BA was great the next day, so much history and incredible places to discover . Friendly, colourful, and despite what you may hear , we felt super safe  ( obviously we adopted city -style self security with our belongings especially our phones)  From BA we flew to Trelew ( you can also fly to Puerto Madryn) for our stay in Puerto Madryn as a base to visit Peninsula Valdes. Landing over the Patagonian landscape was incredible , and my head was filled with dreams of penguins, guanacos , seals and  of course orcas.  Puerto Madryn is a lovely family friendly seaside town . We both said we could have stayed here longer .. it had such a nice vibe to it. But it was our base to explore the peninsula and so we headed out from here to San Lorenzo Penguin Colony to walk  among these cute, gorgeous creatures . One of the largest breeding grounds of Magellanic Penguins in the world  , there are hundreds of the sweet little guys !  A real immersion into gaucho life with a ranch lunch of Patagonian Lamb and spotting armadillos, guanacos  and Patagonian Mara as well as some magnificent birds like the Caracara amongst the plains. Our final stop was at Punta Norte ,and I was excited to see that the lookout noticeboard boasted that Orcas had been seen only the day before , my life long hunt surely would be over . We sat and waited , watching the newborn seals clumsily tumble in the surf as the mama seals called them into the ocean for their first experience . It was simply adorable , and as I watched them, I found my desire to see an Orca mount the beach with incredible skill and display a phenomenon few witness,  lessened. Maybe this wasn't the time. We all know what the Orca are going there for  and I wasn't ready to  witness lunch. Okay : parked for another time! There are Orcas in other places right ? 

With sadness we left Puerto Madryn and headed to the end of the world. Our hotel in Ushuaia was stunning, overlooking the Beagles Channel , set away from downtown among nature , with an excellent restaurant thrown in , it was difficult to imagine there was  more to experience than this; but there was ! In Tierra Del Fuego National Park we  took the 'Fin Del Mundo'  railway , a fun ride that takes in the snow capped mountains. the rivers and waterfalls, wild horses and a little history. After the train we ventured further into the park and explored the beautiful lakes and incredible backdrops, completely indulged in nature , any bothers we may have had,  were easily forgotten, we were encompassed in peace, and is if this feeling could not be topped , we took an enjoyable boat trip out into the channel  in the afternoon to make friends with the local seals and penguins here .  Our minds were blown  when we encountered several humpback whales breaching and diving in the sunset as we made our way back to shore. It was one of those rare moments when you don't even reach for your phone you just drink it in and savour every second .

It was (all too soon ) time to head away from the beauty of the magical Beagle Channel, pull on our mountain boots  and head north  to the Glacier National Park. Mount FitzRoy in the charming' hiking capital of Argentina' El Chalten was calling us , but first we stayed in El Calafate to take a trip to witness the incredible natural force of nature that is the Perito Moreno Glacier. I honestly have no words that can possibly convey the might and beauty of this glacier ; an early start gave us the chance to witness the sound of the ice break the silence , take in the enormity of it with few crowds and get up close and personal with turning icebergs; truly unimaginable.  I have to mention at this point that the guides  provided throughout our trip  by our partner team in Argentina were invaluable to our experience , Flor - our guide here , an experienced geologist , was so knowledgeable and friendly , she created a truly memorable experience for us.   

Time to hit the mountain trails beneath the wings of the Condors in El Chalten. There are so many trails  here besides the daunting FitzRoy; short  and  mild to long and challenging : if hiking is your thing it is worth really thinking about how much time you want to spend here . You could easily spend a week . We didn't have that and chose some easy trails that allowed us to sink into the majestic surroundings of aqua blue lakes, snow covered mountains , stunning waterfalls and rapids , and of course finishing the days  with a cold beer in the  glorious sunshine at one of the many local bars. 

A return to El Calafate before heading  back to Buenos Aires , enjoy the city for an evening before making our way back to London ( with a cheeky stop in Madrid - well why not ?)  And this trip was now a wonderful , beautiful memory.

Argentina , particularly Patagonia won a piece of our hearts , and we could have stayed a lot longer than just a holiday '- but isn't that the idea ? Leave wanting more ..   I am certainly still left wanting to see an orca in the wild , but I am making my way through 'the list' so maybe next time . At the time of writing , an Orca has just been spotted off the shores of Cornwall, which is typical -  I spend a lot of time there, so you never know .