Fitzroy and Paine W trek - self-guided
Day 1: Arrival transfer from airport or bus station to Calafate hotel
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 and Perito Moreno glacier.
It is growing in size and now has a choice of restaurants, cafes and some shops selling clothing and souvenirs. There is a small artisan market, some cash machines, banks, post office etc.
Day 2: Day trip to Perito Moreno glacier. Make own way to bus station, evening public bus to Chalten, transfer to hotel
This day is dedicated to observing close-up the spectacular 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 the trip, you return to Calafate and make your own way to the bus station. Here, you board the evening bus (18.30 approx) to Chalten, arriving around 22.00. You are met on arrival, and taken to your hotel.
El Chalten is a small settlement on the floodplain of the Rio de Las Vueltas, with some small shops, restaurants and a micro-brewery! It is set amid the magnificent surroundings of the Fitzroy Range on the edge of Los Glaciares National Park. The park comprises some 2,300 square miles of forested mountains, sheer granitic spires and immense glaciers and lakes. It is one of the great glacial regions of the world. (B)
Day 3: Hotel + packed lunch only, hotel (B,L)
Today, you can choose one of several days walks from Chalten.
We provide you with a boxed lunch so you can spend the day exploring your chosen path. We recommend trekking to the foot of Mount Fitzroy (3,441 metres), Laguna de los Tres.
It’s a good 7-10 hour round trip walk, depending on your trekking speed (total distance: 25km, 15.6 miles)
This spectacular granite peak, named in honour of the captain of the Beagle, the ship Charles Darwin sailed on in the 1830s, reaches two miles into the sky and was first climbed in 1953. It is one of the best viewpoints in the park. Retrace your steps to Chalten (B,L)
Day 4: Hotel + packed lunch only, hotel (B,L)
Today we suggest you walk to Cerro Torre base camp. Cerro Torre (3,128 metres) is a sheer, needle-shaped mountain which was once rated unclimbable and conquered only after Everest.
The walk is straightforward and doesn't require a guide. Again, it’s a good 7-10 hour round trip walk, depending on your trekking speed (total distance: 26km, 16 miles)
In the afternoon you can continue the walk to the old Maestri base camp along a moraine ridge on the northern side of Laguna Torre (source of the Fitzroy river). From here, weather permitting, you will have superb views of Cerro Torre, Aguja Standhardt and Torre Egger. Retrace your steps to Chalten and your hotel (B,L)
Day 5: Free day, evening bus bus to Calafate, make own way to hotel (B)
Morning free to wander before your bus (18.00) approx to Calafate. There are lots of walks in and around Chalten and the National Park, so pick your route before you take the evening bus back to Calafate, or just relax. On arrival, you make your own way to the Calafate hotel that we have booked for you. (B)
Day 6: Public bus to Natales, hotel
Today you make your own way to the station, and take the public bus to Puerto Natales, hotel. This takes 5-7 hours, depending on how long it takes to get through customs.
Puerto Natales is a remote town of 15,000 inhabitants and stands on Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope) Sound at the centre of an intricate network of fjords and snow-capped islands. The gulf is home to a variety of rare bird species, including the black-necked swan.
You make your own way to your hotel, and spend the night here, preparing for the trek into Paine.
Torres del Paine programme
Your days are spent exploring this untouched, remote and pristine wilderness. Our days ahead include stops at Lake Pehoe, the beautiful French Valley and the three soaring granite Towers of Paine that give the park its name as well as a chance to see some of the wildlife that abounds in the park.
We book up the refugios for you in advance. As you work your way around the park, each of these mountain lodges provides you with all your meals, beds and sleeping bags so that you carry only clothes, water, camera etc.
Note: Demand for spaces at the refugios, some of which have very limited availability, is always high and booking in advance is vital, especially in the peak months of December, January and February.
Day 7: Bus into Paine, 12.00 ferry to Paine Grande, Grey Glacier trek, refugio
Waking early, you take the public bus into Paine (2 hours) and get off at Lago Pehoe.
From here, you catch the 12.00 Catamaran across the Lake (45 minutes). When you disembark, you are now in the famous Paine National Park. Check in at Paine Grande refugio, and then head off to see the enormous Grey Glacier, one of the most beautiful in Southern Patagonia.
There are several viewpoints of the glacier as you trek along the eastern shore of Lago Grey. It’s a good 4-5 hour walk to get right to the face of the glacier (9.8km, 6 miles), and the same time to get back to the refugio. The evenings are long in Patagonia, especially December-February, so there is plenty of time to walk there and back in daylight hours.
You spend the night at Paine Grande, which has dorms, and a large dining hall with enormous windowns. From here you can enjoy your dinner as the sun sets over Paine Grande, a stunning scene. (B,L,D)
Day 8: Trek to the French Valley, refugio
This valley is the most beautiful in the park.
After a couple of hours of walking along the western shore of Lago Skottsberg, you cross the Rio de Frances and turn northwards up the French Valley.
You pass Campo Italiano and Britanico as you climb slowly up the valley for 2-3 more hours. The glaciers hanging from the mountains frequently calve and avalanche, a spectacular and, because of the distance between you and the ice, safe sight!
The southern beech trees start to thin out and you enter an amphitheatre of granite walls and spires. Your arrival will no doubt be accompanied by the screech of the austral parakeets that live here, lending a surreal feeling to this beautiful arena.
Keep looking forwards at the stunning peaks ahead of you, and resist the temptation to turn around. Then, when you turn around, a fantastic view of the valley and the lakes that surround Paine come into view and give you a great feel for the topography of the park.
You head back down the valley to continue tracing the outline of the Paine W, and, after passing through Campo Italiano, you turn east to Los Cuernos refugio, your lodging for the night (20km, 12.3miles) (B,L,D)
Day 9: Lago Nordenskjold, Chileno refugio
Today you trek along Lake Nordenskjold, named after the Swedish geologist whose studies formed an important contribution to world glacial geology.
There are lots of short ups and down today, as befits a lakeside walk. This is an easier day than the previous two as the total distance covered is much shorter (12.6km, 7.8miles). There are some shallow river crossings, which may require you to get your feet wet, or which you can just walk through if the water levels are low enough.
After leaving the shores of the lake, you turn northwards and it’s a gentle climb to Refugio Chileno. (B,L,D)
Day 10: Towers of Paine, Las Torres refugio
We recommend staying at El Chileno because then you can climb to the base of the Torres (Towers) before dawn. From here, weather permitting, you can watch the sunrise at this fantastic location. The three Towers dominate the view, standing dominantly over a turquoise glacial lake, which looks tempting for a dip, but is not for the faint hearted as it’s incredibly cold.
It takes about two hours to walk from Chileno to the base of the Towers, with the final 45 minutes over moraine and boulders. It’s very easy scrambling, and well worth the effort.
After spending time at the Towers, you retrace your steps and spend a final night at refugio Las Torres. Today’s walk takes about 6-7 hours, and covers 13.4km, 8.3 miles. (B,L,D)
Day 11: Trips ends
Today you leave the park by public bus to Natales, and the trip ends on arrival in Natales. (B).
There are a number of onward options available, all of which we can book at extra cost:
1 – public bus to Puerto Natales (2 hours) and stay in a hotel;
2 – public bus to Puerto Natales, and then another bus to Punta Arenas (3 hours) to catch a flight; or
3 – transfer to Cerro Castillo border to catch public bus back to Calafate (6 hours).
Included: Buses, meals, catamarans, transfers, refugios, park entry fees, hotels, sleeping bags and linen in refugios as listed
Not included: Guide (available on request), meals not listed, tips, insurance, flights (we can look for these for you), alcoholic or soft drinks, snacks, personal items, extra services after leaving the park on day 11.
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