Travels > Patagonia & Glaciers > Full Patagonia Adventure

Trekking and Hiking in Patagonia

Torres del Paine, Fitz Roy, El Calafate, Perito Moreno, El Chalten, Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia.

PAT - Patagonia Full Adventure (15 days - 14 nights)

The PAT – Full Patagonia Adventure program starts at El Calafate and goes all the way down to Ushuaia, visiting Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, maybe the two most emblematic mountains of Patagonia, Perito Moreno Glacier (the only one in the world that shows a closure and rupture process), Torres del Paine National Park in Chile and eventually across the Magellan Strait into Tierra del Fuego to finish our tour in the “city of the end of the world”.

This is not a standard tour, but a Hiking Patagonia Adventure, that offers you the very best of it and allows you to experience and sieze it in an active way, enjoying the company of fellow travellers.

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Trekking Patagonia in pictures

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Itinerary

	El Calafate. Arrival to El Calafate, and the rest of the day off to enjoy at leisure.
	El Chalten - Laguna Capri. A bus takes us to El Chalten, a village at the foot of Cerro Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, from where a four days trek begins. During this trek we will be hiking by the Fitz Roy, Laguna Capri, Río de Las Vueltas and many other attractions and spending the nights inside Los Glaciares National Park in full featured camps.
	Cerro Fitz Roy. We will enjoy the first lights of the morning turning pink over the granite walls of Fitz Roy, then a hike to visit Laguna de Los Tres which is one of the most amazing viewpoints of the National Park with its zephyr blue waters and close views to the Fitz Roy's massif spires and glaciers rising up to 1500 mts.
	Cerro Torre. Beyond Laguna Capri, we get to the valley of Lagunas Madre e Hija and the Fitz Roy river valley, and then reach Cerro Torre’s campground. A short hike takes us to Laguna Torre and its glacier, Glaciar Grande. In this site we can usually witness wandering icebergs framed by the 3128 mts of Cerro Torre and the Adela range, making for an incredible view.
	Cerro Torre - El Calafate. We approach Laguna Capri once again in our way to the old Maestri camp, here we can take an optional excursion named "Holiday on Ice": cramps, harnesses, a Tyrolean (horizontal fixed rope attached to both sides of a river)… and off we go to cross over the Fitz Roy river... Later, at Glacier Grande, we will visit the ice caves and perform some ice climbing assisted by experienced mountain guides.
	El Chalten - El Calafate. Morning at your own to visit the picturesque village or to make optional excursions. In the afternoon, we take our bus to our next destination, El Calafate, gateway for the glaciers area of the Park. Driving distance: 220 km.
	El Calafate - Perito Moreno Glacier. A day dedicated to one of the World's Natural Wonders: the Perito Moreno Glacier. This world renowned attraction flowing down from the Patagonian Ice Field has 22.000 km2, is the third largest glacier area in the world and the only one that shows a closure and rupture process. The view, the roar of the ice blocks falling inside the glacier or into the lake, the shuddering turquoise waters, all happening just a few meters away from us, make it a truly unique and incredible experience.
	El Calafate - Torres del Paine National Park. A drive across the steppe to the camp in Paine National Park, crossing the border from Argentina to Chile. As we approach the Park several of the many mountains featuring the area garnish the trip: Paine Grande, The Horns, Admiral Nieto and Torres del Paine. Once at the park the rich palette of wildlife can be captured by our eyes and cameras as we head to the Lake Nordenskjöld and Salto Grande viewpoints. During the day we will take some short and easy treks along the shores of Lake Grey watching the wind-driven icebergs. Finally, at Lake Pehoe, the awaiting full camp has all the facilities for a good rest.
	Trekking in Torres del Paine - Ascensio River Valley. A drive to Estancia Cerro Paine and a steep walk to the Ascensio River valley, from where we begin hiking Paine in a trail leading us through Refugio Chileno, a mountain shelter to take a break or make a turnaround for those not inclined to make a full day of hiking. As we resume our trek along the river and the beech forest, we reach the Torres del Paine viewpoint, with its three towers rising 1000 mts above the glacier.
	Lake Pehoe boat trip - French Valley. A quick drive to Port Pudeto to board the ship crossing Lake Pehoe, once we are on the other side we set out towards the French Valley trail, which skirts Paine Grande and Lake Skottberg and finally leads us to the hanging bridge above French River. This breathtaking scenery is at the foot of the 2700 mts high eastern face of Paine Grande and The Horns. Keen hikers can visit the upper viewpoints of the valley to gaze at the sight of the whole group of spires.
	Viewpoints of Grey Glacier. Lake Grey's trail leads us from Pehoe Valley to Grey Valley, which flows down around 60 km from the Patagonian Ice Field itself, featuring the huge Grey Glacier invading the lake on its north side. Our trekking skirts the lake up and down the Paine Grande slopes across some of the most astounding sights of the Park with wandering fallen icebergs, distant rising mountains, and the Grey and Tyndall glaciers. By noon we cross the lake once again and move to our accommodations in Puerto Natales at the shores of the Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope) fiord.
	Puerto Natales - Río Grande. We take a long but worthwhile drive as we head to the legendary Estrecho de Magallanes (Magellan Strait). At Primera Angostura we will come aboard a Ferry to cross the strait, and as we do, we will certainly wonder how did the sailors in the XVI to XIX centuries dare to sail such a tempestuous passage in their fragile vessels! Once we reach Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire) we enter back to Argentine soil through Paso San Sebastián and arrive a couple of hours later to Estancia Las Hijas with its set-up camp field, a dinning lounge, services and showers.
	Tierra del Fuego - Tierra Mayor Valley. In the morning we learn about the ranch activities and how dogs deal with the sheep. By mid morning we continue south to Tierra Mayor valley, where we’ll spend the rest of the day in a mountain refuge. After lunch, we can make optional activities in the area or just enjoy the refuge.
	Ushuaia - Tierra del Fuego National Park & Beagle Channel boat trip. A quick 30 min. drive takes us to Ushuaia, (the southernmost city of the world!) from where we continue to Tierra del Fuego National Park, located at the south west corner of the Argentinean side of the island, bordering Chile. There we will find the range of mountains coming down to the sea during our short hike in the area, and during the afternoon we will take a boat trip to the Beagle Channel allowing us to see the different species of birds and mammals living in this remote corner of the Earth
	Ushuaia - Ushuaia airport. Morning off to visit the town, which is located in the north coast of the Beagle channel; the town features interesting museums and a representative architecture. In the afternoon we are transferred to Ushuaia’s airport to take our flight to Buenos Aires. Services end at the airport.
	Please note that this is a condensed version of the Itinerary, a printed friendly and more detailed one can be downloaded here. (.pdf file)

Travel Styles	Adventure
Season:	October thru April
Beginning day:	Saturdays
Departure:	Group
Minimun of pax	No Minimum.
Difficulty:	Low difficulty
Trip starts at:	El Calafate airport
Trip ends at:	Ushuaia airport