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Patagonia Icefield Trekking
offered by supplier M09950 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 12
day(s)
Group Size: 1
- 4
people
Destination(s):
Argentina
Chile
Specialty Categories:
Hiking & Trekking
Season: October - March
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: Yes
Minimum Per Person Price: 2230 US Dollar (USD)
Maximum Per Person Price: 3820 US Dollar (USD)
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This trip will challenge your concept of adventure travel. Join our experienced group of certified mountain guides into the white expanses of a primal landscape, and rest assured that every single aspect of your expedition is planned. The Patagonia Icefield is a large continental ice mass (also called "the third pole"). Its mountain ranges are so close to the Pacific Ocean that the maritime influences produce an incredible amount of snowfall that in turn feeds icefield plateaus and Patagonia's legendary glaciers.
Our trip takes us on a breathtaking circumnavigation of the Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre Massifs, two world-renowned landmarks. We'll begin in El Chalten, a small community gateway to the icefield. There we'll review our gear and talk about safety measures during our expedition. From there, we're bound to terra incognita.
First we'll travel through southern beech dwarf forests, continuing on to the glacier terminal moraines and onto the icefield itself via Marconi Pass. Our next days will be charged with intensity. The subtle change from the green forest to the multicolor lichen and moss on the moraines are a prelude to the majesty of a barren land of ice, snow and granite that lay on the western side of the massifs: a place most tourists don't see.
Once we're on the icefield we'll set up camp on the Cirque of the Altars. Here the west faces of most of these mountains serve as backdrop for one of the most beautiful mountain landscapes in the world. The last leg of our circumnavigation takes us east, up to Paso Del Viento (Windy Pass). Despite its name, the top of this pass offers excellent views of several mountain chains that pop out of the ice plateau. Our last camp before civilization will be at Toro Lagoon, an incredibly beautiful glacial lake.
Since inclement weather is not uncommon, we've built three extra days into the trip schedule. If the weather cooperates, these extra days will be spent resting in El Chalten, taking day hikes and meeting locals. And of course, we'll be eating an asado, the famous Patagonian lamb bbq as a final celebration.
Your Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in Buenos Aires. (Hotel night arranged for your convenience.)
Day 2: Reception at El Calafate Airport and transfer to El Chalten, driving through the Patagonian steppe and toward the cordillera. We'll pass the glacier-fed Argentino and Viedma Lakes, and perhaps see some elegant guanacos, choiques (lesser rheas) and condors on the road to El Chalten. We'll pass this gateway town and travel another 10 miles to El Pilar, a comfortable lodge with scenic views of Cerro Fitz Roy.
(B), (L), (D)
Day 3: We'll check our gear in the morning, and then hike to Piedra del Fraile, a charming mountain cabin in the forest.
(B), (L), (D)
Day 4: Weather permitting, we'll continue to Lago Electrico, and hike up to Paso Marconi through the Marconi Glacier. This will be the most strenuous part of the trek, but on a clear day the views of Fitz Roy, Piergiorgio and Pollone are astonishing! We'll camp at the top of Paso Marconi.
(B), (L), (D)
Day 5: Now that we're on the icefield, we'll continue heading south on snowshoes until we reach Circo de los Altares, a resting spot with unique western views of Cerros Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre and many satellite peaks. We'll build a tent shelter with shovels, and spend time melting snow for drinking water and dinner.
(B), (L), (D)
Day 6: It may be possible to spend an extra day at the cirque to rest, explore, and enjoy the views, otherwise this day is reserved in case of bad weather.
(B), (L), (D)
Day 7: We'll continue hiking across the icefield until we reach the lateral moraine that provides access to Paso del Viento, our exit from the icefield. We'll camp at Ferrari's bivouac, named after Casimiro Ferrari, the first climber to climb Cerro Torre's daunting west face.
(B), (L), (D)
Day 8: We'll climb up Paso del Viento (Windy Pass). From here we'll enjoy amazing views of the icefield, the Viedma Glacier and the Mariano Moreno range. We'll continue hiking down through Tunel Valley, which includes a Tyrolean crossing over the narrows of Rio Tunel. We'll finish this impressive day back in the forest, at Laguna Toro campground.
(B), (L), (D)
Day 9: From here it's back to El Chalten via an easy valley trail with views of both Fitz Roy and Torre from the Pliegue Tumbado ridge.
(B), (L), (D)
Day 10: We reserve these two extra days in case of bad weather conditions at the beginning of the trip. (We need a reasonably good weather-day to go up Marconi Pass.)
(B), (L), (D)
Day 11: We reserve these two extra days in case of bad weather conditions at the beginning of the trip. (We need a reasonably good weather-day to go up Marconi Pass.)
(B), (L), (D)
Day 12: Transfer back to El Calafate to catch a flight to Buenos Aires.
(B)
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
South America
Argentina
Chile
Outdoor: Land Rambler
Hiking & Trekking
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