A classic trip to Patagonia and a must-do for any
adventure traveler. Your chance to enjoy all that Patagonia's
wilderness has to offer. Lodging is in 3 and 4 star lodges and
historic estancias, which offer reduced capacity and personalized
attention. Single accomodations available at extra charge.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Buenos Aires, hotel night in
downtown area.
Day 2: Arrive in Calafate International Airport
and transfer to El Chalten, a small community created in 1985,
and with a population of 200 people. Meals: dinner. Lodging: El
Puma Lodge.
Day 3: Day hike to the Fitz Roy basecamp and
viewpoint. Fitz Roy is the dominant mountain in the area with
sheer granite walls that rise more than 6,000 feet. If weather
permits, we will continue to Los Tres Lagoon, the closest viewpoint
before the mountain itself. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Lodging:
El Puma Lodge.
Day 4: Hike to Laguna Torre and De Agostini
basecamp, from where climbers attempt the needle-like Cerro Torre,
one of the most difficult mountains in the world. We'll get excellent
views of its massif and the glacier that ends in the lagoon. Meals:
breakfast, lunch, dinner. Lodging: El Puma Lodge.
Day 5: Hike to Pliegue Tumbado, one of the best
viewpoints in the whole park. An option for bad-weather days,
is a shorter hike to Lago del Desierto, a beautiful glaciar lake
that was the center of a limits dispute in the mid 90s between
Argentina and Chile. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Lodging:
El Puma Lodge.
Day 6: Transfer to Estancia Helsingfors, located
on the southern shore of Lago Viedma, and 200 km from El Chalten.
Afternoon choice between a Zodiac navigation of the lake, a horseback
ride, or a visit to a neighboring working estancia. Meals: breakfast,
lunch, dinner. Lodging: Estancia Helsignfors.
Day 7: Hike or horseback ride to Laguna Azul,
a lagoon with incredibly deep blue water and a hanging glacier.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Lodging: Estancia Helsignfors.
Day 8: Transfer to El Calafate. This city is
the hub for the area and boasts 7,000 inhabitants. It's on the
southern shores of Argentino Lake, the largest lake in Argentina.
We'll enjoy a rest day with no activities planned for the afternoon.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Lodging: Kau Yatun Lodge.
Day 9: A short drive will take us to the Glacier
Perito Moreno, a United Nations designated World Heritage Site.
We'll embark on a short lake excursion and once we're on the opposite
shore of the lake we'll strap crampons on to hike on the glacier
and explore this amazing world of crevasses and deep blue ice.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Lodging: Kau Yatun Lodge.
Day 10: Transfer across the Chilean border to
Torres del Paine National Park, 200 miles from El Calafate. On
our way to the park, and in the park, we'll be able to contemplate
herds of guanacos and lesser rhea, some of the incredible inhabitants
of Patagonia. We'll be staying at Las Torres Hostal, the exclusive
lodge inside the park. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Lodging:
Las Torres Lodge.
Day 11: Dayhike to the Torres viewpoint, approximately
four hours from the lodge. We'll visit the climbers' basecamp
and the Chilean Hut. This hike provides excellent opportunities
for landscape and fauna photography. Meals: breakfast, lunch,
dinner. Lodging: Las Torres Lodge.
Day 12: There are several short hikes we can
complete this day, to the Cuernos viewpoint, Pehoe and Nordenskjold
Lakes, Salto Grande waterfalls and Grey Lake. It's common to encounter
flocks of flamingos and black neck swans. Meals: breakfast, lunch,
dinner. Lodging: Las Torres Lodge.
Day 13: Transfer to El Calafate to catch our
flight to Buenos Aires. Meals: breakfast, lunch.
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