The Majestic Spires of Argentina and Chile 15D/14N

Arrival El Calafate We welcome you at El Calafate airport and transfer to town to check in at your accommodation. You get the rest of the day to enjoy the town and later you have your welcome dinner. 

After breakfast we take our bus for the 220 km long drive to El Chaltén, a small and picturesque village at the foot of Fitz Roy & Cerro Torre massif. We make a stop half way to enjoy local pastries and hot coffee. 

Once in El Chaltén, we start our trek. We carry in our packs only the necessary items for these 2 nights and 3 days in which we’ll overnight in our Full Camps inside the National Park. What we don’t need is left behind at our office and you will find it back at your accommodation when we arrive back to El Chaltén on day 4. 

We hike up a gentle slope on Fitz Roy trail to gain height over the River de las Vueltas valley up to the first viewpoints over Fitz Roy massif, which we will first spot after a couple of hours walking. From these first viewpoints, another 2 hours of gentle walking across bogs and forests take us to our camp, from where we will enjoy a spectacular view of all the Fitz Roy group spires rising from the surrounding glaciers. 

Mount Fitz Roy, Laguna de los Tres Early in the morning, before the first coffee, we can try to match up the morning light getting pink in Fitz Roy granite walls. You only need this to feel the trip is worthwhile. But, of course, the day offers much more. 

After breakfast, carrying only day personal items such as our parka, gloves, our camera, water bottle and box lunch, we hike along Fitz Roy trail up to Rio Blanco, climber’s basecamp to the east side of the mountain. 

From here a steep 1-hour trail leads us to one of the most spectaculars viewpoints of the National Park: Laguna de los Tres, with its zephyr blue color, lies at the foot of the massif, offering full close-up views of Fitz Roy massif spires and glaciers. Each wall raises something from 600 to 1500 mts above the surrounding glaciers. Fitz Roy, with its 3405 mts above sea level, is considered the “King of Patagonia” and also considered one of the three most beautiful mountains on Earth (together with Alpamayo in Perú and K2 in the Karakoram). 

We hike back to our camp in the late afternoon. 

Today we walk south along Lagoons Madre and Hija Valley and down to Fitz Roy River valley, where we meet Cerro Torre trail. The trail runs along beech forest, bogs and shrubland and leads to Laguna Torre, enclosed by moraines and with Glacier Grande calving in its west side. It is usual to see icebergs pushed by the wind in the coast of the lagoon. The thin and elegant 3128 mts of Cerro Torre group and the Adela range in the background complete this spectacular view. In the afternoon we hike back to El Chalten along Cerro Torre trail. 

This mountain is located immediately south of Cerro Torre valley and offers some of the best views over the different group of mountains, glaciers and lakes that features the area. From the lower terraces to the summit, you can get spectacular views of Fitz Roy, Torre and the spectacular glacier valley in between both.  From the summit the bonus is the sight of Paso del Viento and some of the mountains that stick out from the Patagonian Icefield. According to the group capacity, we choose the lower terraces or try the summit, a long but gentle climb in scree. 

We are back in Chalten by late afternoon. 

This day is at leisure to visit the town or to go on optional excursions around the area. In the late afternoon, we return to El Calafate. 

We dedicate this day to one of the World’s Natural Wonder: the Moreno glacier. This ice field- type glacier flows down from the Patagonian Icefield, a big sheet of ice that with its 22.000 square kilometers is the third largest glacier area in the world, after Antarctica (14 M sq km) and Greenland (1 M sq km). Because unusual favorable local conditions, this glacier is the only one in the world that shows a closure and rupture process. The road leads to the very front of the glacier, which will be only meters away from your eyes. The roar of the chunks of ice falling inside the glacier or from the glacier into the lake, the frequent collapse of the front seracs into the turquoise water, makes out of this day a very special and unique experience. Then we go back to our accommodation in El Calafate. 

Early start for a 6 hs drive to our camp in Paine. We drive across the patagonic steppe, still following by parts the legendary route 40, to get around Sierra de los Baguales, an impressive range in between Calafate and Paine. We cross the Argentinean Chilean border at Cancha Carrera/ Cerro Castillo. 

After the border crossing, we start our final sprint to Paine National Park, World Heritage by the UNESCO (United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization).  Approaching the Park, we start to see the different mountains that feature the area: Paine Grande, the Horns, Admiral Nieto and the Towers. 

Once we entered the Park, we go for a short 1 to 2 hs walk to get familiar with the landscape, the wind and the rich wildlife: guanacos, lesser rheas, condors and all types of wetland and buzzard birds will be available for our eyes and cameras. Also lots of flowers. 

Back in the bus, we reach our camp at the foot of Paine massif. 

Early in the morning we start walking towards the bridge over the Ascensio river, head trail for the world-famous Paine towers. We "warm up" hiking a steep one-hour slope, to get inside the valley itself, a narrow "V" shape alpine valley coming from inside the Paine massif. 

A gentle downhill leads us to Refugio Chileno, a cozy and comfortable mountain lodge, which can be a good turnaround point for those not willing to make a full day hike. We then walk in a gentle slope along the river side and inside beech forest. A final climb on moraine take us to the Towers viewpoint: a glacier origin lagoon and the three towers rising vertically 1000 mts from the glacier. The lack of breath will be either because the climb and the sight!!!!

 We go back to our camp on the same way we came. Walking time: 7 to 8 hs. 

Early in the morning a 1 h drive takes us to Port Pudeto to board the catamarán that crosses lake Pehoe twice a day. Once at the far side of the lake, we leave unnecessary items in our tents and we set out to the French Valley trail. The trail skirts Paine Grande south slopes and lake Skottberg, to take us after 2 hs and a half of continuous ups and downs, to the hanging bridge upon the French River.  This breathtaking location is at the foot of both the 2700 mts south east face of Paine Grande (to the west) and the Horns, with its characteristic black sedimentary topping, to the east. We continue walking 1 h further by Italian camp to reach breathtaking viewpoints over the area. 

After lunch and photos we retrace our steps back to Paine Grande Full Camp. Walking time: 5 to 6 hs. 

Lake Grey trail leads from Pehoe valley across ridges to reach Grey valley. This magnificent valley flows down 60 km from the Patagonian Icefield, featuring the huge glacier calving down in the grey colour lake. Our trail skirts the lake, going up and down the westerns slopes of Paine Grande, offering some of the most impressive sights of the Park. 

From the trail we can see the south end of the lake where the blue icebergs gather, the mountains rising far in the distance above glaciers Grey and Tyndall. We come back along the same trail, crossing bogs, shrublands and forest. 

Once again at Paine Grande Refuge we take the boat to cross lake Pehoe back and then we go to our accommodation in Puerto Natales, a picturesque fishermen town located in the shores of the Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope) fiord. 

Long drive today, though quite worthwhile. After breakfast we continue south to reach the legendary Magellan Strait, which we will keep on sight up to Primera Angostura, where we board the Ferry in which we will cross the Strait.

This Pass, discovered by Hernando de Magallanes in 1520, was the natural and logical way to all vessels until de Panama Channel was open at the beginning of the XXth century. 

You will find yourselves wondering how brave men dare to sail those waters in such fragile caravels!!! Once in Tierra del Fuego (literally, Land of Fire, due to the fires seen by the first white sailors in the coast, done by the local Indians to cook and heat) we enter back Argentina through Paso San Sebastián. 

Once we arrive in Ushuaia, a transfer will take us to our hotel. 

You will enjoy this entire day by your own, to choose the optional activity that better fit your desires. 

After breakfast we walk to the Ushuaia Tourist Pier for a full day of activities: we will navigate the Beagle Channel to the iconic Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, we will see Los Lobos Island and Los Patos Island, we will visit the Acatushun Museum in the pioneering Estancia Harberton and we will have the unforgettable opportunity to walk among penguins on Isla Martillo. 

Morning at your own to visit the town, which is located in the north coast of the Beagle channel. The town features interesting museums and its typical architecture. 

In the afternoon we are transferred to Ushuaia airport to take our flight to Buenos Aires. Our services end at the airport.