Patagonia Highlights
Admire Perito Moreno Glacier in El Calafate, Stand below Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre in El Chalten, Visit Puerto Natales in Chile, Explore Torres del Paine National Park, and Hike the W trek.
Program Los Glaciares & Torres del Paine National Parks
13 days
The first six days of this program are self guided. You will arrival in El Calafate, Argentina spend some time in the city and visit Perito Moreno. During Day Three you will travel 220 km (136.7 miles) north, passing through the pampas and crossing rivers that will bring you to stunning Lake Viedma. Later you will arrive at the small town of El Chalten, a cozy place that has become famous for being the capital of trekking in Argentina and even more famous for Mount Fitz Roy.
The last seven days of the program are guided. We will trek “The W”. It is one of the most popular treks in the world. During this trip you visit the main attractions of Torres del Paine National Park. You will have the opportunity to see granite formations imposing on sedimentary rocks, ancient enormous glaciers, and diverse flora and fauna at every hilltop.
Day 1: Arrive in El Calafate
Upon arrival a tour leader will be waiting for you to help you settle in. They will meet with you for dinner and help you get acquainted with any last details before you start your six day excursion.
Day 2: Perito Moreno Glacier
Very early you will leave in bus towards Glacier Perito Moreno Lookout. Arriving at the lookout you will be able to orient yourself in front of icebergs that fall into Lago Argenito of the Southern Ice Field. You will take a short cruise on Braso Rico, a portion of Lago Argentino. Later return to the city and spend the night.
Day 3: El Chalten
You will have an early morning again, leaving around 7:00am. The trip is short, just three hours, but you need to prepare for your next few days of hiking. After arriving you will go to a briefing about Los Glaciares National Park to hear some history and interesting facts about the park. Later you will make sure you have everything set and get to sleep early to be prepared for the next few days of hiking.
Day 4: Cerro Torre Lookout
You will walk from your hostel to a path that borders Fitz Roy River. The path leads you along plains, valleys and slightly uneven walkways; traveling through forests of Lengas to finally approach the moraine where you will find the Lagoon Torre and an impressive view of Cerro Torre. After this you will return to El Chalten on the same path and stay the night in a hostel. **
Day 5: Fitz Roy Lookout
Again you will leave the hostel and cross the town to enter the southern entrance of the park. You will take the path that leads towards the Chalten lookout, better known as Fitz Roy, a mountain that has also given its name to the location. You will arrive at camp Poicenot to rest and continue onto a very uneven path taking you to the Laguna de Los Tres lookout, the lookout of Fitz Roy Mount. You will return on the same path to town and stay the night in your hostel.**
Day 6: El Calafate
Today you will take a bus back to El Calafate in the morning. You will arrive in time to relax, explore the city and get a good night’s rest in your hostel
Day 7: Puerto Natales
Early in the morning you will take another bus to Puerto Natales. You will meet with you guide here and finish up any last minute preparations before leaving the next morning.
Day 8: Puerto Natales -Camp Chileno
We will leave Puerto Natales heading towards Torres del Paine National Park. After we arrive in the park we will casually walk up a mountain that provides us with an incredible view of Lake Nordenskjold and the Asencio Valley. We will spend the night in Camp Chileno.
Day 9: Torres Lookout - Camp Cuernos
Early in the morning we will leave Refugio Chileno. We will hike 1 hour through a dense Lenga forest. After leaving the forest, we will approach a moraine and climb to admire the sunrise on the Torres; after a rest we will continue on 4 hours towards Camp Cuernos located at the waves of Lake Nordenskjold and the foot of the impressive Cuernos of Paine.
Day 10: French Valley - Camp Paine Grande
Shortly after breakfast we will start our hike towards Camp Italian. After two hours of walking we will leave our backpack at the camp and continue on to the French Valley lookout where we can enjoy an amazing view of Lake Nordenskjold, Skottberg and Pehoe behind us and the shocking French Glacier just ahead. After leaving the lookout we will return to gather our backpacks and continue to Camp Paine Grande.
Day 11: Camp Grey
After breakfast we will leave on a footpath that will take us through strong winds to an unforgettable view of one of the arms of the Southern Ice Field called Glacier Grey. The walk is a short 4 hours leaving most of the day to relax
Day 12: Navigation for Lake - Puerto Natales
After five days trekking on one of the most famous paths through Patagonia, the W takes us to the embarkation of Grey II that will pass us in front of the Glacier Grey. After two hours on the boat, we will arrive at Grey Hotel to take a transfer back to Puerto Natales.
Day 13: Puerto Natales – El Calafate
We will take a bus today to return to El Calafate. You will arrive in El Calafate at approximately 14:00
Day 1-6 (Los Glaciares) includes:
- All Transportation in public buses
- All Navigations listen in the program
- All Lodging during the 6 days.
Day 1-6 (Los Glaciares) does not include:
- Lunch or dinner
- Entrance Fees to National Parks
- A trekking guide
- Airline tickets
- Travel Insurance
- Personal trekking gear
During Day 1-6 you will be with the arranged travel group. We will be arranging your accommodations, bus tickets, excursion to Perito Moreno, and someone to meet with you and give you some tips in El Calafate before you start off on your own. You will have to pay for all your food, your park entrances (around $15 USD per person), and your plane ticket here and souvenirs. You won´t have anyone to help you carry gear during these first 6 days.
Day 7-13 (Torres del Paine) includes:
- All Transportation in public buses
- All Navigations listen in the program
- All Lodging during the 7 days.
- Three meals a day
- Entrance Fees to National Parks
- A trekking guide
Day 7-13 does not include:
- Airline tickets
- Travel Insurance
- Personal trekking gear
- Drinks during lunch and dinner
During day 7-13 you will pay for your drinks, your plane ticket here, your souvenirs and nothing else. Your guide will also carry the food for the trip, you will have to carry your trail food, and the guide will carry shared camping gear (doesn´t include your sleeping bag or pad).
**During days 4 & 5 you have the option to camp instead of staying in a hostel. You can provide your own camping gear, or if you like you can rent the equipment from us.
The price of the trip will lower $100.00