Patagonia Atacama and La Quebrada (RGN)

We welcome you at El Calafate airport and transfer to town, where we check in at our lodge. In the evening we meet our tour leader, details of the program and to share our first dinner with our fellow travellers.

• Lodging at Hosteria or Inn, double or single room with private bathroom / Meals we provide: Dinner

Alter breakfast, we take our bus towards the picturesque village of El Chaltén, at the foot of Fitz Roy. We drive km across the steppe and around lakes Argentino and Viedma. Upon arrival, we go hiking in the Cerro Torre trail, reaching the first viewpoint of the valley, from where the Cerro Torre group and valley is entirely visible. For those willing to walk further, our guide leads you to Laguna Torre, something like 9 km away from town. The trail goes in a glacier origin valley. The lagoon features the Torre glacier calving in the far side, and the Cerro Torre group & spires rising in the background. 3 hs round trip to the first viewpoint. 6 hs round trip to the lagoon.

• Lodging at Hosteria or Inn, double or single room with private bathroom / Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner

Fitz Roy trail climbs gently in the slopes of Cerro Rosado and along the “Chorrillo del Salto” valley, a beautiful mountain stream with rapids and waterfalls. Our destination is Laguna Capri, a beautiful lagoon in the forest with full views on the Fitz Roy spires and glaciers. For keen hikers, the option is to continue to Rio Blanco (basecamp for climbers) and to Laguna de los Tres, end of trail and one of the highlights of the National Park. The sight of the spires and glaciers from here are breathtaking. 2 hs from town to Laguna Capri, 1 more hour to Rio Blanco and 1 hour of steep climb to Laguna de los Tres. We hike back to Chaltén along the same trail.

• Lodging at Hosteria or Inn, double or single room with private bathroom / Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner

This 1500 mts hill, immediately south of Cerro Torre valley, 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. The lower part of the mountain is covered by shrubland and forest.

• Lodging at Hosteria or Inn, double or single room with private bathroom / Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner

Morning at leisure or to go in some optional excursion, as the boat trip & glacier walk in lake and glacier Viedma or the visit to Lago del Desierto.
In late afternoon we take our bus to El Calafate, 220 km away, a 4 hs trip.

• Lodging at Hosteria or Inn, double or single room with private bathroom / Meals we provide: Breakfast

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, and big sheet of ice that with its 22.000 square kilometres is the third largest glacier area in the world, after Antarctica (14 M sq km) and Greenland (1 M sq km). Because unusual favourable 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. A beautiful, short trail, will lead us from the shores of the lake to the upper viewpoints. 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. We will drive 80 km (1 and a half hour) to get and come back from the glacier across the steppe, watching a wide variety of birds.

• Lodging at Hosteria or Inn, double or single room with private bathroom / Meals we provide: Breakfast

We leave early in the morning from El Calafate in our way to Torres del Paine National Park. The road is a typical Patagonian steppe road. There are many chances to see lesser rheas and flamingos during the trip. In about 4 hours we cross into Chile across Cancha Carrera international border point. A couple of hours later we enter Paine, which holds the UNESCO World Heritage status. During this last portion of our drive, the Paine Massif will be visible, weather permitting. We then follow the spectacular interior road of the National Park all the way to our hosteria. We will make all the necessary stops for pictures of the mountains and fauna of the Park, arriving to our hosteria by late afternoon.

• Lodging at Hosteria or Inn, double or single room with private bathroom / Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner

We visit some of the most spectaculars viewpoints of this National Park. In the morning we visit Salto Grande, an impressive waterfall just where river Paine enters lake Pehoe . From there a low difficult trail lead us to the shores of lake Nordenskjöld . From here we see the whole Paine massif from south: French Valley in the centre of the picture, flanked by Paine Grande (3050 mts above sea level) with its impressive hanging glaciers on one side and the Paine Horns, featuring their unique geological formations, on the other side. In the afternoon, we visit the west end of the Park, the lake Grey area. An easy and beautiful walk along its south shore, lead us to a rocky promontory from where we see the glacier calving down in the lake from the Ice Field in the far side of the lake. In the spring and summer the shore is covered by the icebergs pushed by the wind to this side of the lake.
In the late afternoon, we leave the Park and travel to Puerto Natales (2 hs), a picturesque fishermen town in the shores of the Last Hope Sound.

• Lodging at Hosteria or Inn, double or single room with private bathroom / Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch

This morning by 8 we got on board for our boat trip along the “Last Hope” Sound. In our way to glaciers Balmaceda and Serrano, we are going to come inside one of the most remote and virgin areas of Southern Patagonia: the Bernardo O‘ Higgins National Park . During our trip we are going to visit Cerro Balmaceda (south end of the Patagonian Ice Field) the huge glaciers coming down towards the sea and a wide variety of flowers. We make a short walk in the far end of the Sound. We'll be back around 18 hours so we can have enough time to enjoy the city in the evening.

• Lodging at Hosteria or Inn, double or single room with private bathroom / Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch

After breakfast we travel to Punta Arenas. Afternoon at leisure to visit the town.
Lodging at Hosteria or Inn , double or single room with private bathroom.
Meals we provide: Breakfast

• Lodging at Hosteria or Inn, double or single room with private bathroom / Meals we provide: Breakfast

Alter breakfast we’ re transferred to the Punta Arenas Airport from where we take a flight to the airport of Calama. Once there we’ll be transferred to our lodgement.

• Lodging at Hosteria or Inn, double or single room with private bathroom / Meals we provide: Breakfast

The morning will be free for us to recover from the long journey. In the afternoon we’ll take a trek to the Valle de la Luna; located at 17 km from San Pedro in the area of the Cordillera de la Sal, it has an especial appeal for its amazing resemblance to the lunar surface.

• Lodging at Hosteria double or single / Meals we provide: Breakfast

This day we will visit the Miscanti y Miñique lagoons; with its wonderful colors are located over 4000 meters over the level of the sea. On our way to them, we stop at a Toconao, an old town made complete of stone, where the art craft is also well known. Another highlight of this is the ‘ Salar de Atacama’ which is over 100 km of extension. . We will also appreciate some of the birds and fauna that has manage to survive in one the most desertic places of the earth. All this will require from us around 6 hours. Our lodging will be around 90 Km from San Pedro de Atacama.

• Lodging at Hosteria double or single / Meals we provide: Breakfast

This day starts quite early in the morning. We will depart before dawn (4 AM) in order to go to the TATIO volcano, located 4500 meters over the level of the sea. First thing we’ll do once we arrive is to go to the geothermal field located in the mountain range of Los Andes. Early in the morning this place has an amazing steamy activity because of the high temperatures that are coming up from the craters. The boiling water, the huge columns on steam and the water that runs underneath the surface makes of this, and unforgettable experience.
We will have breakfast here, and then we’ll take a walk and those who want to might take a bath in the warm water near the geysers. (That’s why we recommend you to bring along besides warm clothing, a swimming suit, towel, sun block)

• Lodging at Hosteria double or single / Meals we provide: Breakfast

Early in the morning we say goodbye to San Pedro de Atacama and by bus we go back to Argentina crossing the mountain range of Los Andes. Thru el Paso de Jama we will be able to appreciate the “Salinas Grandes”; then descending over the path of the Lipan, we’ll make a stop at the town of Pumamarca and its famous Mount of the ‘Los Siete Colores’. Later we arrive to our lodge at the painteresque town of Tilcara.

• Lodging at Hosteria double or single / Meals we provide: Breakfast

We’ll have the morning free to discover the town and its unique things such us: la plaza grande, la plaza chica, the town church - and the Pucará de Tilcara. In the afternoon we’ll do a small trek to the devil’s throat, walking along the old Kollas paths and watching the amazing view. After 3 or 4 hours we finally go back to Tilcara.

• Lodging at Hosteria double or single / Meals we provide: Breakfast

Early in the morning we take a local bus and go to a small town located right in between the mountains, Iruya. From it we can have a special view since its right on the end of the valley. After enjoying the town we spend the night at Humahuaca.

• Lodging at Hosteria double or single / Meals we provide: Breakfast & box lunch.

Alter breakfast by bus we leave Humahuaca and alter 10 km we arrive to the small town of Uquía. Once there we visit the church of “San Francisco de Paula” with its altar laminated in gold by the Jesuits in 1691 - year in which it was built - and adorned with the pictures of the brought arcabuceros angels brought from Cuzco. Then we do a small trek to the la Quebrada de las Señoritas o Yacoraite. The intense red color makes of it a shocking place; also because it’s known for its paleontological deposit where have been rest fossil of the last great mammals that inhabited the Earth, like milodontes and gigantic perezosos. Back in Uquía we visit a place where vicuñas are raised and an old hydraulic mill. At the end of the day we go back to Humahuaca.

• Lodging at Hosteria double or single / Meals we provide: Breakfast & box lunch.

We leave Humahuaca and we cross “Peña Blanca”, east border of the Quebrada of Humahuaca. Here we begin our adventure of “colorful towns and quebradas”. After a few kilometers we meet the first towns. The overwhelming plains of the Cocataca Valley reminds us of one of the main Inca agricultural sites. During the morning we walk this valley and take our lunch once in town. During the afternoon we go hiking for 2 and a half hours to watch the ancient paintings on rocks on Cerro Negro. From here we enjoy spectaculars view over the valley. After getting back in our vehicle we cross by sifferent towns such as Valiaso and Pucara to climb the Serrania of Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara Hills) reaching 4200 mts above sea level. We end up the day at the viewpoint in Cerro Horconal, with beautiful views over the Abra (huge prairie) de Zenta. We take a typical northwest tea time and get back to our hotel by 7 pm.

• Lodging at Hosteria double or single / Meals we provide: Breakfast & box lunch.

We depart in our mini bus for Humahuaca to the Quebrada de Sapagua, where we’ll take a walk around the area. For there we continue to the small community of the Hornaditas, where we will be able to share the life experience of the natural inhabitant of the area, who open the door of their homes. Finally we go back to the city of Salta.

• Lodging at Hosteria double or single / Meals we provide: Breakfast & box lunch.

After breakfast we are transferred to the airport or bus Terminal where our tours ends
Meals we provide: Breakfast