VAT - Patagonia Wild Trails

(ID 6)

Day 1 El Calafate airport – 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.

Lodging: Lodge

Provided meals: Dinner

(ID 96)

Day 2 El Calafate – El Chaltén

After breakfast we take our bus for the 220 km 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 Chaltén, we have the afternoon at leisure to explore the village.

Lodging: Lodge

Provided meals: Breakfast

(ID 97)

Day 3 Electric Valley and Pollone River

We star our trek with a long day walk.
We drive North for 18 km on the gravel route which goes up the valley of River de las Vueltas until we get to Rio Electrico.
Our goal today is to visit the Río Eléctrico valley up to the Pollone river, to get unusual and spectacular views of Fitz Roy massif north faces. This valley is also the access to the Patagonian Ice field. The walk takes us through an ancient southern beech forest and then across moraines, with some up and downs but little gain of altitude. After lunch we retrace our steps back to head trail. We then take the trail that leads up the River Blanco valley and to Fitz Roy basecamp.
We will walk today between 9 and 10 hs.

Lodging: Full Camp

Provided meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch, Dinner

(ID 98)

Day 4 Laguna de los Tres

After breakfast, 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 h trail leads us to one of the most spectaculars viewpoints of the National Park: Laguna de los Tres, with its zephyr blue colour, lays at the foot of the massif, offering full close up views of Fitz Roy massif spires and glaciers. Each wall rises 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.

Lodging: Full Camp

Provided meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch

(ID 22)

Day 5 Cerro Torre – El Chalten

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.

Lodging: Lodge

Provided meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch

(ID 99)

Day 6 El Chalten – Loma del Pliegue Tumbado

This mountain, 1500 mts tall, 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 summit, you can get spectacular views of Fitz Roy, Torre and the spectacular glacier valley in between both. Also you get unusual sights of Paso del Viento and some of the mountains that stick out from the Patagonian Icefield. The lower part of the mountain is covered by shrubland and forest. The access to the summit is a long but gentle climb in scree. In the afternoon we return to El Chalten and we then drive back to El Calafate.

Lodging: Lodge

Provided meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch

(ID 11)

Day 7 El Calafate – Perito Moreno Glacier

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.

Lodging: Lodge

Provided meals: Breakfast

(ID 12)

Day 8 El Calafate - Torres del Paine National Park

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.

Lodging: Full Camp

Provided meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch, Dinner

Full Camps are pitched up early in the season, so we find the camp ready upon arrival. It offers comfortable igloo type tents for 1 or 2 passengers, with insulation mat and sleeping bags. The camp also features a spacious dinning tent, a kitchen tent, tables, benches or chairs and a full set of table service and kitchenware (area with sanitary services).

This day's walk may vary for logistical reasons.

(ID 100)

Day 9 Paine Towers – Ascensio River Valley

Early in the morning we start walking towards the bridge over the Ascensio river, headtrail 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. 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.

Lodging: Full Camp

Provided meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch, Dinner

(ID 101)

Day 10 Las Torres – Refuge Los Cuernos

Today we start a 2 days traverse from Las Torres to Lake Pehoe, with one night at Refugio Los Cuernos, The so called “Nordenskjöld lake traverse” or “Traverse of the Horns”. The walk goes along lake Nordenskjöld and at the foot of Admiral Nieto and the Horns. We stay in Refugio Los Cuernos this night.

Lodging: Bed in refuge

Provided meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch, Dinner

(ID 102)

Day 11 French Valley

After an early start, we continue our traverse up to the Italian Camp, gate to the French valley, with splendid views of the south east Himalayan style face of Paine Grande and the Horns. We hike up valley to the upper viewpoints (British camp), at the entrance of a unique cirque surrounded by granite spires that feature the high valley: Hoja (Blade), Máscara (Mask), Espada (Sword), Catedral (Cathedral), Aleta de Tiburón (Shark Fin) and the magnificent Fortaleza (The Fortress). Back to Italian camp, we head to lake Skkotberg and finally to lake Pehoe, where our camp is located.

Lodging: Bed in refuge

Provided meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch, Dinner

Keep in mind that this night can be in Refuge or Camp

(ID 103)

Day 12 Grey Glacier

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 color 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 high sections of the trail, many different viewpoints allow us to see the south end of the lake where the blue icebergs gather, the mountains rising far in the distance above glaciers Grey and Tyndall, and of course lake and glacier Grey. After a couple of hours we reach a spectacular viewpoint high above the lake, with views over the Lake and Glacier Grey and the surrounding glaciers and mountains. We continue our trail that leads into the more humid area of the Park and we arrive to our refuge after noon.

Lodging: Bed in refuge

Provided meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch, Dinner

Optional Excursion Recommended: Ice Trekking in Grey Glacier
This is a demanding though spectacular activity that takes about 5 hs from the refuge. We sail to the glacier and then we walk on it. It quite depends on weather conditions. People not willing to buy it, can choose either to walk to the viewpoints in frot of the glacier or to hike up to the spectacular viewpoints in the area of Los Guardas camp.

(ID 104)

Day 13 Boat Trip Lake Pehoe – Puerto Natales

After breakfast we start our way back to Lake Pehoe, a hike with several ups and downs and a excelent viewpoint to the lake and glacier Grey. At noon, 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.

Lodging: Lodge

Provided meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch

(ID 105)

Day 14 Puerto Natales – El Calafate

We leave early in the morning our hotel and get back to the border to re-enter Argentina and drive back to El Calafate. Upon arrival to El Calafate you will be met by our local representative and transferred to you accommodation. The rest of the day is at your own to visit town.

Lodging: Lodge

Provided meals: Breakfast

(ID 5)

Day 15 El Calafate - El Calafate airport

After breakfast we take our transfer to El Calafate airport.

Lodging: None

Provided meals: Breakfast