Begin your travels in Argentina, where you'll lace your boots and take to the mountains for a 4-day trekking adventure. We explore the glaciated Fitz Roy Range. After warming up with a week on the eastern side of the continental divide, we'll cross the border and enter Chilean Patagonia. From there we'll spend 6 days exploring by foot the remarkable Torres del Paine National Park, trekking and camping at the exclusive EcoCamp. This famed park is home to enormous glaciers, turquoise lakes, and verdant temperate rainforests.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive Buenos Aires. Overnight
Day 2: Fly El Calafate, onward to Chalten.
A morning flight takes you to the lively town of El Calafate. Upon arrival, you'll drive four hours across the rugged landscape toward Chalten. Along the way, a Patagonia guide will share with you insight into region's history, ecology and remarkable geography. This evening, meet your trekking guide for a briefing of the next day's trek.
Day 3: Patagonia Trekking (B,L,D)
Today begins with a transfer to Hosteria El Pilar where you begin your hike along the Rio Electrico. Arrival at the Piedra del Fraile offers you stunning views of the Marconi pass, the best access to the Patagonian continental ice shelf, a flat ice desert of almost 9000 square kilometers. You'll continue to Lago Electrico and the glaciated Pollone River valley. After returning to Hosteria del Pilar, enjoy a hot shower and indulge in a delicious Patagonian dinner, 6 hours hiking.
Day 4: Patagonia trekking (B,L,D)
Trek through sub antarctic forest and pass the small glacier lake named Piedras Blancas that is situated below and filled by waters from a glacier that bears the same name. Your route crosses the Rio Blanco before you begin the toughest part of your trek - a fifty minute climb that zigzags up a 45º slope.
Your efforts are more than rewarded when you arrive at the eerily still glacial Laguna de Los Tres with one of Patagonia's best panoramic vistas. Enjoy lunch and feast on the spectacular views. As you near your campsite on Lake Capri, Mount Fitz Roy looms ahead. 7 hours of hiking.
Day 5: Patagonia trekking (B,L,D)
After breakfast near Lake Capri, you'll start your trek to Camp Torre and pass two lagoons appropriately named Madre and Hija (Mother and Daughter). As you pass through, you'll learn about the history that created this stunning landscape. Keep a look out for Andean condors, Magellenic woodpeckers and other Patagonian wildlife. 5 hours hiking.
Day 6: Torre Glacier- El Calafate (B,L)
After breakfast you'll prepare for one of your most active days, and you'll make your approach towards the Torre Glacier after crossing the Fitz Roy River by rope harness. You'll then put on crampons, and after some instruction, begin to trek across the Torre Glacier (this is designed for people who have never tried ice hiking with crampons).
Enjoy a unique picnic lunch on the glacier, with the 10,259 feet granite pinnacle of Cerro Torre towering above you and the jagged Adela mountain chain rising beyond.
After your glacial adventure, you'll hike through dense southern beech forests as you descend toward the valley of the De las Vueltas River and El Chalten. 7 hours hiking (4 hours on the glacier).
Day 7: Perito Moreno Glacier (B,L)
Today you'll drive into Parque Nacional Los Glaciares for views of the stunning Perito Moreno Glacier. This huge advancing glacier is more than 3 miles wide at its front and over 20 stories high. You'll take a zodiac across Lago Argentino and pass the massive front wall of blue ice.
After landing on a small beach you'll start hiking through the beech forest to the ice pack of the glacier. You'll eat your lunch sitting on the lateral moraine of the glacier, where you can absorb the magnificence of the glacier's anatomy and listen to its thunderous concerto of groaning and cracking ice dropping into the lake below. Tonight, sample some of El Calafate's Patagonian nightlife!
Day 8: Torres Del Paine National Park (B,L,D)
Take the bus to Puerto Natales (5.5 hour bus trip on a comfortable bus) before setting off for your drive to Torres del Paine National Park (two hours in a private vehicle). On the way, stop at an enormous cave that once sheltered a prehistoric sloth, the Milodón. You'll arrive to the EcoCamp, a deluxe tent camp of large igloo-shaped tents built to minimize environmental impact while providing a comfortable setting. You'll find no noisy diesel generators or destructive septic systems. Instead, EcoCamp provides candlelight, feather comforters, composting toilets, and plenty of quiet to enjoy your spectacular surroundings.
Day 9: Los Cuernos Pass (B,L,D)
Look out for Andean condors as you begin a relaxed hike along the shores of Lake Nordenskjold this morning. Your path follows the Paso Los Cuernos trail under the Paine massif west towards the Refugio Los Cuernos. Your day is spent hiking between the turquoise lake to the south and the imposing mountains and vertical rock walls to the north and below the Cuernos (horns) of black slate that sit atop the grey granite of the massif. The views are magnificient from the refugio, nestled in the center of this landscape and protected from the Patagonian wind. The refugio provides clean dormitory style accommodations where you can swap stories with travelers from around the world.
Day 10: French Valley (B,L,D)
Waking to a brisk Patagonia morning, you'll prepare for one of your fullest hiking days. Your first trail takes you from Lago Nordenskjold to Camp Italiano and ascends Mirador del Frances. Your route follows undulating terrain of rich grasslands, sparse forest and the torrents off Frances River. Upon reaching the lookout point, you are treated to magnificent views of Frances Glacier and the lakes below. You'll descend in the afternoon to the charming Refugio Pehoe on the shores of Lake Pehoe.
Day 11: Grey Glacier (B,L,D)
You'll begin today's hike through dense forests to Mirador Grey. Here you're rewarded with views of the towering walls of Grey Glacier and floating icebergs below. This huge glacier represents the end of the Southern ice field. Depending on conditions, you might continue another few hours to the very walls of the glacier. Your pathway leads you through a rainforest very different from the equatorial Amazon and more akin to the Pacific Northwest's ecosystem. Along the way you'll spot some of the 115 species of birds and learn a bit about this unique southern forest. In the afternoon, you'll embark on the ferry and set off across the Lago Grey. Passing amongst icebergs of fantastic colors and shapes. From the decks of the boat, you can appreciate the vastness of the glacier. Occasionally there are times when such large chunks have fallen from the Glacier that it becomes impossible to navigate the ferry too close. You will disembark on the banks of Lago Grey and transfer back to the EcoCamp where dinner and drinks are waiting for you.
Day 12-13: Torres Del Paine Excursions (2B,2L,2D)
On either day depending on the best weather conditions you'll hike to the foot of the gigantic spires of El Paine (8 hours roundtrip). Weather permitting, you'll witness the most famous sight of the Torres del Paine - the three granite monoliths reaching 9,400 feet- a testament to the massive glacial forces that carved them out of the earth. The other day is saved to walk to the Mirador Laguna Azul and then to the eastern side of Sarmiento Lake, a good spot to observe guanaco. Later you'll hike the Paso Las Cornizas with a view of the Paine River, Pehoe Lake, and the Paine massif. Back at EcoCamp, enjoy a farewell dinner to celebrate the experiences of the past week and say your goodbyes to your wonderful hosts.
Days 14: Punta Arenas (B)
Early this morning, you'll transfer to Punta Arenas for the late afternoon flight to Santiago (must be a flight departing after 4:00 pm from Punta Arenas; recommended flight departs at 5:15 pm). With a few more days, you can add extensions to the Atacama Desert, Isla Chiloe, a cruise around Tierra del Fuego to Argentina, or rafting in the Lakes District to continue your Patagonia travel adventures.
Accommodations: 3 nights comfortable hotels, 2 nights mountain lodge, 4 nights safari camp, 2 nights camping, 2 nights backcountry refugios
Food Includes: All meals as indicated (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner); most of our hotels offer free continental breakfast.
Transportation: 2 local flights, buses, ferries, your own feet!
An active Patagonia tour filled with massive glaciers, jagged mountains, glacier lakes, and wonderful wildlife. Hiking each day is moderate and travelers should be fit.
Start Dates 2008: Oct 13, Nov 10, Nov 17, Nov 24, Dec 8, Dec 22, Dec 29
Start Dates 2009: Jan 12, Jan 26, Feb 9, Feb 23, Mar 23
Custom dates are available upon request!
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Single Supplement: US $405
Note: Flights Buenos Aires-El Calafate and Punta Arenas-Santiago are not included. Flight rates vary - please estimate an additional US$480-610 (flight cost subject to change).
Personal Budgeting: Allow US$100 for meals not included, US$130 Chile visa reciprocity fee, US$60 for optional excursions, $17 entrance fee to the Parque Nacional los Glaciares
Pre & Post Tour Accommodations: Buenos Aires: Share US$75, Single $150. Santiago: Share US$60, Single US$100 Punta Arenas: Share US$45, Single US$70
Prices are based on a 3% cash discount
Also see tour packages in:
South America
Argentina
Chile
Hiking & Trekking
Glacier Tours
Email it to a friend:
Click here to email this vacation to a friend
|
