Argentina Patagonia Hike Day 1 Calafate - El Chalten Upon arrival Calafate airport you will be collected by bus or you can be collected from downtown Calafate. Regular bus ride to Chalten. The drive is on isolated dirt roads across the pampas and along the northern end of Lago Viedma. Chalten is a tiny outpost beside the National Park at the foot of the impressive Mount Fitzroy. Once we’ve checked in at the hotel, it’s time to get a well-deserved rest, which will be needed for the next couple of days! Day 2 Hike to Laguna Torre (B) We do a full day hike along Cerro Torre Trail to Laguna Torre, an extremely pretty mountain lake with majestic Mount Torre in the background. After breakfast, we walk eastward, following the trail through beech forests and bogs to a pleasant encounter with Fitroy River. We continue advancing and reach Camp Base de Agostini and then do a short hike to Laguna Torre, escorted in the west by Cerro Torre and the Adela range. Icebergs can be seen peacefully floating on Laguna Torre as the wind pushes them to the coast. We stop at different points to take in the magnificent view and enjoy a picnic. Later, we return to Chalten following the same trail. There’s an optional day trip for those wanting to trek on Torre Glacier. Those taking this exciting option get up earlier and do it apart from the main group. Upon returning from the trek, the evening is free to enjoy a delicious dinner at one of Chalten’s cozy restaurants. Day 3 The Challenge: Monte Fitzroy Mountain of Mountains (B) Today’s trek is to Laguna Los Tres with the best available view of Monte Fitzroy - The landmark in Los Glaciares NP! Once again, a big breakfast and lots of enthusiasm is required. We begin our hike by heading towards silent Laguna Capri, passing just beside its northern corner. Then we follow the Fitz Roy Trail up to Rio Blanco, passing Poicenot, the mountaineering camp. Finally, a short but steep trail will take us to Laguna de Los Tres to take in one of the park’s most marvelous natural scenes! The turquoise-blue of the Lagoon is a stunning sight and this is of course magnified by the accompanying view of Fitz Roy’s spires and glaciers. You’ll probably experience a Torres del Paine flashback. If Torres del Paine is the king mountain of Patagonia, Fitz Roy is surely its beautiful queen! It’s a perfect time for a picnic. In such a memorable place the food cannot help but taste better than ever! When everyone’s ready, we’ll hike back to Laguna Capri and continue along the trail back to tiny Chalten. Day 4 El Chalten - Calafate (B) Time to explore the town of Chalten before taking the afternoon bus back to Calafate. following the same road filled with Argentinean pampas that welcomed us some days ago. We’ll arrive in Calafate in the afternoon with plenty of time to rest, walk around town and look for a nice place to have dinner. Day 5 Glacier Perito Moreno (B) Once we finish enjoying an early breakfast we board the minibus and start the drive that’ll take us to Perito Moreno Glacier. After a couple of hours we’ll reach Los Glaciares NP and continue driving to Bajo de las Sombras Bay sector, where we board the boat that’ll sail approximately twenty minutes on Lago Rico reaching the south wall of the glacier. In the other side the guides give us a short talk about the formation of glaciers together with other interesting details about local geology. From this point we do a short walk to the edge of the glacier where we’re given the crampons to be fitted to our shoes. Now we start the ice trekking adventure! Although we feel somehow strange walking with the crampons, it’ll take us just a few minutes to get used to it. As we walk ahead we face terrific views of the glacier and surroundings. Our trek finishes with a little ice bar serving whisky on freshly chopped millenary ice from the glacier, a unique touch. After the walk and having lunch, we continue on to the footbridges with multiple view points of the glacier’s incredible north wall with its mighty cracking walls. Here we’re left free to enjoy the surroundings at our own leisure. After the thrilling encounter with the glacier, we drive back to Calafate. Note: Due to operational insurance issues, the age limit for doing the ice trekking on Perito Moreno Glacier is 65 years old. If a passenger exceeds this age then an alternative excursion to the Glacier will be arranged. Day 6 Depart Calafate (B) Today we finish this memorable trip, Adios Patagonia! After having breakfast, a transfer will take us to the airport or transfer to the bus station to continue across to Chile |
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Dates & Prices Departures: Daily October 2022 - April 2023
Prices Per Person NZ$ Double/Twin $1795 Single Supplement $950 Based on a minimum of 2 participants 2023 rates Oct-Mar 24 subject to change |
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