Discover Patagonia itinerary
Day 1 - El Calafate airport to El Calafate
We meet you at El Calafate Airport and from there you are transferred to El Calafate (20 mins). Meet up with the rest of your group and the guide for a briefing meeting, dinner included. Hotel. (D)
El Calafate is a small town of some four thousand inhabitants. El Calafate was for several decades a tiny staging post for the wagons transporting wool between remote estancias (sheep stations) and the coast. It lies near the shore of the vast, turquoise lake Argentino and is today a gateway to the natural wonders of the Los Glaciares national park.
Day 2 -El Calafate – El Chaltén
After breakfast we travel by bus to El Chalten, a small remote mountain town close to the Fitzroy peaks. We travel along 190 km of gravel road through the Patagonia steppe with a short stop at La Leona, a picturesque inn.
Upon arrival, we go hiking on the Cerro Torre trail. From the first viewpoint of the valley (3 hours), we can see the Cerro Torre range and the entire Torre valley. For those wanting to walk further, we head to Laguna Torre - about 9 km away from town (6 hours roundtrip) – along the trail winding through a glacially-formed valley.
The lagoon features the Torre glacier calving in on the far side, and the Cerro Torre range of peaks and spires rising up in the background. (B, L, D)
Day 3 – Fitzroy Trail – Laguna Capri
The Fitzroy trail climbs gently along the slopes of Cerro Rosado and along the “Chorrillo del Salto” valley, a beautiful mountain stream with many rapids and waterfalls. Our destination is Laguna Capri (2 hours), a beautiful lagoon in the forest with full views on the Fitz Roy spires and glaciers.
For keen hikers, there is the option is to continue to Rio Blanco (a base camp for climbers) and to Laguna de los Tres, the end of trail and one of the highlights of the National Park. The sight of the spires and glaciers of Fitzroy from here are breathtaking. It is 2 hours from town to Laguna Capri, one more hour to Rio Blanco and then another hour of steep ascent to Laguna de los Tres. We then hike back to Chaltén along the same trail. Note: Hotel. (B, L, D)
Day 4 – Loma del Pliegue Tombado
This hill, at 1,500 metres high, is immediately south of Cerro Torre valley and, offers some of the best views over the different group of mountains, glaciers and lakes that define the area.
From the lower terraces to the summit, you get spectacular views of Fitroy, Torre and the spectacular glacier valley in between them both. From the summit the bonus is the sight of Paso del Viento (windy pass) and some of the mountains that drive out from the Patagonian Icefield. According to the group’s desires, we can trek the lower reaches or try the summit, a long but gentle climb in scree. (B, L, D)
Day 5 – El Chalten – El Calafate
Morning at leisure to rest or to take an additional walk. We recommend a leisurely option to visit Estancia Madsen (home of the first white settler of the valley), glacier Viedma or Lago del Desierto. In the afternoon we take a bus back to El Calafate where we transfer to the hotel. (B)
Day 6 - Perito Moreno glacier
Vast in scale (over four miles wide and 60 metres high at its face!), this almost surreal spectacle is set amid a labyrinthine system of iceberg-filled waterways, and backed by deciduous beech forests and snow peaks. Spectacular even by the standards of the Los Glaciares National Park, this glacier also represents an anomaly: The Perito Moreno, unlike the other glaciers of the region, is still growing. Periodically (every so many years) its advancing edge reaches the near shore, cutting off and damming up the Brazo Sur ice-berg channel. When this occurs, the steadily-building water pressure forces a breach in the ice and eventually a huge volume of water bursts forth and surges through to Lake Argentino. A feature of the glacier is the frequent, ear-splitting calving of ice-bergs.
After breakfast we depart by bus to the Magallanes peninsula, the entrance of The Glaciers national park. Its centrepiece is the Perito Moreno Glacier, which, because of unusually favourable local conditions, is one of the world’s few advancing glaciers. We go down to the lakeside to board a boat (optional) that takes us on a spectacular short cruise along the front of the glacier. We return to El Calafate. (B)
Day 7 – El Calafate – Torres del Paine
We depart early in the morning (around 7 am) and drive from El Calafate to Torres del Paine through the spectacular landscape of the Patagonia steppe. Choiques (rhea), condors and flamingos are very common in this area. Almost 4 hours later, we arrive at the border crossing between Chile and Argentina called Paso Cancha Carrera. We continue until we reach the Torres del Paine National Park (by 4 pm). UNESCO has awarded the park World Heritage status because of its unique wildlife and magnificent scenery. (B, L, D)
Day 8 – Torres del Paine – Puerto Natales
After breakfast, we cross a suspension bridge and head up the slopes of the Almirante Nieto mountain, alongside the gushing Ascencio River. After one hour of climbing the trail flattens out, and we reach the Chileno Refuge. From there the trail leads us through the forest, through beautiful old southern beech forests, to Refugio Chileno – this can be the turnaround point.
We trek for another hour and then it’s a final hour up rocky morraine - a bit of a scramble in places - and reach the Las Torres viewpoint, an amazing natural amphitheatre at the bottom of the vertical granite towers. We return the same way. It’s a 4 hour round trip to Refugio Chileno, 8 hour round trip to the Towers viewpoint.
In the evening, we head off to our accommodation in Puerto Natales, a picturesque fishermen town located on the shores of the Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope) fiord. (B, L)
Day 9 – Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers
It’s an early breakfast because by 8 am we'll already be on our cruise boat sailing up Last Hope Sound. On our way to the glaciers Balmaceda and Serrano, we'll see ice waterfalls, beautiful landscapes and a wide variety of the animals of the area.
On arrival and by foot, we take a look around this part of the Bernardo O’Higgins National Park – this is one of the most fascinating parts of the Chilean south. This is quite a long day because of the amount of travelling, but we'll be back in Natales in time to enjoy the city at night. (B)
Day 10 – Puerto Natales - Calafate
We start our trip back to El Calafate, arriving mid-afternoon. You have the rest of the evening free to enjoy the town’s markets and restaurants. (B)
Day 11 – El Calafate airport
After breakfast we take you to El Calafate airport for your flight onward or home. (B)
Discover all the highlights of Patagonia’s national parks with our 15 day Patagonia Adventure or, for trekking enthusiasts, our Wilds of Patagonia trip.
Argentina also hosts the mighty Iguazu Falls. Check our group and tailor made options. And you can always contact the office with questions or for advice.
Included
Bilingual Spanish-English guides, Perito Moreno Glacier excursion (boat trip extra GBP 8), Transfers as listed: El Calafate airport - El Calafate – El Chalten – El Calafate – Paine – Natales – Calafate – airport, 10 breakfasts (B), 5 lunch boxes (L) and 5 dinners (D), as detailed above, 10 nights at hotles/hosterias/lodges with private bathroom. Single supplement applicable.
Not included
Entrance tickets to National Parks (allow USD 40 in total), medical and life insurance, domestic or international air flight tickets (we can book these) and airport fees and taxes, personal items and tips, meals not listed above
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