#311
- FULL PATAGONIA ADVENTURE - 15 DAY TOUR
Adventure Program (Moderate Trek)
Departures:
All Saturdays. Departures from El Calafate and Arrival to Ushuaia
Group Departures.
Season: October to April
Notes: It´s important to make bookings
in advance.
The
FULL PATAGONIA ADVENTURE Tour is oriented to all of them who wish to
visit Patagonia in
a closer and intimate way, being part of a group where they surely will
find new friends.
This Tour doesn't have big demands, neither risky steps and it can be
enjoyed by practically
everybody. It only requires the desire of coming closer to this type of
tourism and like the
balance among the outdoors, the comfort, and the care of the natural areas.
ITINERARY DAY BY DAY:
Day
1 El Calafate Airport - Calafate
We receive you at El Calafate Airport from there you are transferred to
El Calafate City, where
at 7 pm the group meet by first time at the Hostal del Lago Libertador,
at Del Libertador 587,
El Calafate. You meet your guide, and you enjoy a dinner with you adventure
partners while
chatting on the program details for tomorrow
Lodge at Hostel Room with shared bathroom
Alternatives: Inn Room double or single base with private bathroom
Meals Included: Dinner
Day
2 Bus to El Chalten - Capri Lagoon
After breakfast we travel by bus to El Chalten, a little and colorful
town next to Mount Fitz Roy. To arrive to El Chalten we will cross 190
km of gravel road through the Patagonia steppe and we will stop at La
Leona, a picturesque inn to enjoy his homemade cakes. From here, the views
on the Viedma Lake are superb.
When we arrive to the town, carrying only the necessary for this three
days trip, in which we will lodge in a Full Camp. A beautiful trail next
to ¨Las Vueltas¨ river will take us to the first panoramic views
of the Mount Fitz Roy. From now on, we will be approaching to De los Patos
Lagoon and finally we will arrive to our camp next to the Capri Lagoon.
(3 hs approx.)
The Camp has been previously mounted, featuring spacious dome tents, used
in double or single base. Each tent has sleeping bags, inner sheet and
insulating mattresses. The camp has a large dining tent with table, benches,
dishes and kitchenware. The sanitary services are provided with chemical
bathrooms.
Lodging in Full Camp at Capri Lagoon double o single base (rural area)
Meals Included: breakfast, lunch box and dinner.
Day
3 Mount Fitz Roy, De los Tres Lagoon
Early in the morning and carrying only your coat and the photo camera
we overcome the Chorrillo Salt, always with the impressive needles of
the glacier in front of us. The first 2 hours are mainly flat, through
forest and open glade and bog areas, with diverse bird life, lead us to
Fitz Roy base camp. From here it is a 400 meters/1300 ft climb to the
De los Tres lagoon on a steep trail that takes us around one hour and
a half at gentle pace. This walk is one of the highlights in the National
Park Los Glaciares; the views of Cerro Poincenot, Monte Fitz Roy and the
other peaks surrounding these are splendid. We return to Capri Lagoon
Full Camp. (5 hs approx)
Lodging in Full Camp at Capri Lagoon double o single base (rural area)
Meals Included: breakfast, lunch box and dinner.
Day
4 Mount Torre
This morning we hike surrounding Capri Lagoon down by the trail to Madre
e Hija Lagoons through a dense forest following the Fitz Roy River. We
reach the Mount Torre Valley to glacier-fed Laguna Torre where Fitz Roy
river begins. This lagoon contained between moraines, generally piles
floes that come off of the Grande Glacier that falls in its west extreme.
The impressive group of Mount Torre needles with its slender 3128 meters/10262
ft height, frame the landscape.
Lodging in Full Camp at Torre Lagoon double o single base (rural area)
Meals Included: breakfast, lunch box and dinner
Day
5 Torre Glacier and Lagoon - El Chalten
In the morning we walk the area near Torre Lagoon, with nice views of
the Solo Mount and the Adela Glacier.
Optionally, you can choose to do a trek on the Torre Glacier, the Holiday
On Ice Excursion. We put on our crampons (provided) and trek on the glacier's
surface and develop our ice climbing skills (harness and ice axes provided).
We return on the same trail to El Chaltén, where the passenger
will lodge that night.
Lodge at Hostel Room with shared bathroom
Alternatives: Inn Room double or single base with private bathroom
Meals Included: breakfast, lunch box and dinner
Option: Holiday On Ice Excursion
Day
6 El Chalten - El Calafate
In the morning each participant can opt to explore the town of El Chalten
freely, with the possibility of visiting The Climbers Chapel; or the Matzen
family country, one of the pioneering families in the area; the Del Desierto
Lake located 45 Km out of town or to visit the Interpretive Center of
National Parks. Around 5 pm we move toward El Calafate retracing the same
road we did, arriving to El Calafate around 21 hs.
Lodge at Hostel Room with shared bathroom
Alternatives:
Inn Room double or single base with private bathroom
Meals Included: breakfast
Day
7 El Calafate - Perito Moreno Glacier
After breakfast we depart by bus to the Magallanes peninsula, where is
located the entrance of The Glaciers National Park. Its centerpiece is
the Perito Moreno Glacier, which, because of unusually favorable local
conditions, is one of the world's few advancing glaciers. Huge icebergs
from the glacier wall collapse into the De los Tempanos Channel. The roar
of the gigantic ice rocks falling and crashing into the waters of the
channel is a unique experience.
Our bus will lead us just in front of the Glacier, allowing us to walk
the gangplanks to view the Glacier from different viewpoints.
Then we go down to the lakeside to board a ship that carries us very near
the Glacier ice walls. We return to El Calafate using a different route
that we used to arrive.
Lodge at Hostel Room with shared bathroom
Alternatives: Inn Room double or single base with private bathroom
Meals Included: breakfast
Day
8 El Calafate - Torres del Paine
We depart early in the morning (around 7 am) from El Calafate to Torres
del Paine through a spectacular landscape of the Patagonia steppe. Choiques
and flamingos are very common in this area. Almost 4 hours from starting
our journey, we will be at the border crossing between Chile and Argentina
called ¨Paso Cancha Carrera¨. We continue until reach the Torres
del Paine National Park. UNESCO gave to this park the World Heritage status,
due to its unique wildlife and magnificent scenery. We arrive to our camp
at Camping Pehoe Full Camp after 6 hours of travel.
Afternoon, we will visit several panoramic viewpoints of the Nordenskjöld
Lake and the "Cuernos del Paine" (Paine Horns), to finally arrive
to the Camping Pehoe Full Camp. Duration of the journey: 6 hs approx.
Lodging in Full Camp Camping Pehoe double or single base (area with sanitarium
services)
Included meals: breakfast and dinner.
Day
9 Las Torres - Ascensio River Valley
We dedicate this day to one of the most spectacular and classical trekking
in the park: the Torres Trail. We transfer after breakfast by bus to the
trail start at Las Torres area. We cross a suspended bridge and remount
the slopes of the Almirante Nieto Mount, bordering the Ascencio River.
After one hour ascending we go into the Valley, and reach Chileno Refuge.
From there the trail leads us through the forest, in the middle of unforgettable
landscapes, to Las Torres base camp. There the climbers wait good weather
conditions to climb Las Torres. We trek one hour more to reach the Las
Torres Viewpoint, an amazing natural amphitheater at the bottom of the
vertical granite towers that reach 2800 meters height. We return by the
same way. It's a total 7-hour trek.
Lodging in Full Camp Camping Pehoe double or single base (area with sanitarium
services)
Included meals: breakfast, lunch box and dinner.
Day
10 Pehoe Lake Navigation, Del Frances Valley
Early in the morning we cross sailing 45 minutes the Pehoe Lake embarking
at puerto Pudeto and arriving at the Pehoe Refuge area. We walk from there
until get the Del Frances Valley. It's a beautiful mountain valley descending
from the middle of the massif toward the Nordenskjold Lake. Flanked by
The Horns to the east and by the impressive Paine Grande (3050 meters/10006
ft) to the west. We ascend the valley until the upper viewpoints located
in a natural amphitheater surrounded by some of needles and walls most
wonderful of the massif: Cuernos, Espada, Mascara, Hoja, Aleta de Tiburon,
Catedral, and Paine Grande. The forest and the suspended glaciers that
cause continuous ice and snow fallings, give us a unique scenery to this
walk. We descend the same trail and turn west rounding Skottberg Lake
until arrive to our Camp for this night at Pehoe Refuge area. It's a total
7-hour trek.
Lodging in Full Camp Pehoe Refuge area double or single base (area with
sanitarium services)
Day
11 Grey Glacier Viewpoints
Another unforgettable day dedicated to the Grey Glacier, impressive Glacier
300 square kilometers of surface (115 square miles), 25 kilometers long
(16 miles). It overflows from the Continental Ice Field falling into Grey
Lake. The Glacier produce enormous amount of blue icebergs that sail over
the lake pushed by the wind toward the south, given the characteristic
feature to this lake.
The trail leads us to a wonderful viewpoint where we can appreciate the
whole lake, the glacier and the mountains that emerge from the west of
the Ice Field.
Two more
hours walking and we arrive to another viewpoint just in front of the
Glacier.
All the trek is develop between Andean bush and lengas forest, at the
shadow of the ice blocks that drape the Paine Grande Mount. We walk this
day about 7 hours. At the end of the day we sail again the Pehoe Lake
to the south shore to return to our Full Camp at Camping Pehoe area.
Lodging in Full Camp at Camping Pehoe area double base (area with sanitarium
services)
Included meals: breakfast, lunch box and dinner.
Day
12 Torres del Paine - Puerto Natales - Ottway Penguin Colony- Punta Arenas
We drive away Torres del Paine after breakfast, to Puerto Natales, when
we arrive after 90 km/55 miles . There we have time to lunch freely and
walk by this little town and its port. At 3 pm we continue traveling south
to visit the Ottway Colony of Magellanic penguins. Finally we arrive to
Punta Arenas around 8pm
Lodge at Hostel Room with shared bathroom
Alternatives: Inn Room double or single base with private bathroom
Meals Included: breakfast
Day
13 Punta Arenas - Rio Grande - Tierra Mayor Valley
From Punta Arenas we depart early to First Narrow, to sail the Strait
of Magellan by Ferry. On the other side another bus will be waiting for
us to continue south into the Tierra del Fuego Island. After lunch at
Rio Grande we continue to visit Fagnano Lake, and driving a mountain path
in the De Los Andes Cordillera we arrive to our Mountain Refuge, located
in the Tierra mayor Valley, around 6pm
After get there we visit a close zone full of castors. We could appreciate
the hue changes the castors are producing to this area.
Lodge at Mountain Refuge with shared room and shared bathroom
Included meals: breakfast and dinner.
Day
14 Ushuaia - Tierra del Fuego National Park -Beagle Channel Navigation
In the morning we trip to the Tierra del Fuego National Park, in the island
corner that limit Argentina and Chile, where the Andes Cordillera goes
under the sea, characteristic an spectacular landscape of this island.
After having our Box Lunch we navigate the Beagle Channel. The Beagle
Channel, in the south shore of the Tierra del Fuego Island, forms part
of the border between Argentina and Chile. In addition to spectacular
scenery, we should see many species of marine mammals and birds. We enjoy
our last dinner in the most Austral City in the World.
Lodge at Hostel Room with shared bathroom
Alternatives: Inn Room double or single base with private bathroom
Included meals: breakfast lunch box and dinner.
Day
15 Ushuaia City - Ushuaia Airport
After breakfast we start a 3 hour low demanding trek by the "World's
End Edge" of the Martial glacier, a spectacular trekking that pass
over the edge rounding Ushuaia City and the Beagle Channel. You will get
the panoramic views of the city of Ushuaia and its surroundings, the Beagle
Channel, and the Chilean islands of Navarino. (3 hs approx).
We return to Ushuaia when we have free time to get around the city, situated
on the north shore of the Beagle Channel.
Afternoon we transfer to the Ushuaia Airport where finish our services.
Included meals: breakfast
SERVICE DETAILS
Included
Services
Bilingual
Spanish-English guides during all the program's activities.
Mountain Guides during the trekking activities.
Perito Moreno Glacier Excursion including Navigation.
Pehoe Lake Navigation.
Beagle Channel Navigation.
Transfer El Calafate Airport - El Calafate - El Chalten - El Calafate
- Torres del Paine - Puerto Natales - Punta
Arenas - Rio Grande - Ushuaia- Ushuaia Airport.
14 breakfasts, 10 lunch boxes and 11 dinners, as detailed in the chart
below.
Base Accommodation (PAT 00) at Hostel Room or Alternative Accommodation
(PAT 01 or PAT 02) at Inn double or single base, according to the following
chart.
The Full Patagonia Adventure tour is offered in three different ways to
lodge.
Meeting
Point
The Meeting Point for the Group on Day 1 is at 7 pm at the Hostal del
Lago Libertador, Del Libertador 587, El Calafate. This Meeting Point can
be modified and will be confirmed when confirming the booking for the
passenger.
Services
Not Included Entrance
ticket to Los Glaciares National Park
Entrance ticket to Torres del Paine National Park
Entrance ticket to Tierra del Fuego National Park
Medical and Life Insurance
Tips
Air flight tickets and Airport fees and taxes
Optional Excursion Holiday On Ice
Services not detailed in the program