Itinerary

Day 1, The Patagonic Adventure Starts…

Torres del Paine NP, Chile

 

The trip starts in Punta Arenas city during the morning either at your hotel or at the airport. From Punta Arenas we drive to EcoCamp Patagonia located in world famous Torres del Paine National Park. During summer the sun sets around 11 pm, so as you drive in you will have plenty of light to admire the Patagonian steppe with its guanacos and snow-peaked mountain horizon. Before arriving though, there are a couple stops. One is at Puerto Natales, a small but lively town on the shores of Seno Ultima Esperanza - “Last Hope Sound”. You are invited to check out the town and enjoy a hearty lunch with delicious local food. The other stop is at Cueva de Milodon, a massive prehistoric cave where the remains of a giant ground sloth were discovered in the 1890’s. The surrounding area is very scenic with plenty of wild birds to be seen. The day ends with an overnight at the EcoCamp Suite Domes in Las Torres.

 

 

Day 2, In the realms of Glacier Grey
Torres del Paine NP, Chile


We drive across the park with views of Paine Grande and its snowy peaks, as well as of Los Cuernos – the famous mountain with black granite horn-like spires. Walking along the shores of stunning Lake Pehoe, you visit the furious Salto Grande falls which pour the waters of Lake Nordenskjold over Pehoe. The walk continues over the gentle Nordenskjold trail until reaching its picture-perfect lookout point. Later, back at Lake Pehoe, a vehicle takes you on a drive south to a beach along the shores of glacial Lake Grey. After relaxing with a box-lunch by the lake, you embark on a boat ride across icy water to the towering blue-colored walls of Glacier Grey. This is an incredible sight! After visiting the glacier, you are driven back to EcoCamp for dinner and an overnight stay.

 

 

Day 3, Exploring the Eastern Lakes
Torres del Paine NP, Chile


We hike to the Laguna Azul lookout point where we have a gorgeous view of both the lagoon and granite towers. We continue along the eastern side of Lago Sarmiento to the calcium formations on the lake’s shores where guanacos are often seen. Later we trek to Paso Las Corneas with spectacular views of Rio Paine, Lake Pehoe and the massif of Paine. Depending on the group, we can also hike to the Toro lookout point that offers more soul-candy scenery - Lago Toro and the pampa, or steppe! Upon returning to the Ecocamp, a farewell dinner is celebrated. This is sadly our last night in Torres del Paine, we take notes and talk with our friends, relax, feel the strong Patagonic wind while watching the heavens above, all these days in the Park will be profound memories when we return home.

 

 

Day 4, Entering in the Argentinean Patagonia

Los Glaciares NP, Argentina

 

We wake up and after enjoying a delicious breakfast we board the van and start driving to Cerro Castillo international border crossing. When we have completed the immigration process we enter Argentina and continue to Calafate, a small town set on the edge of Los Glaciares NP amidst dramatic scenery and natural beauty. In this town we meet our local coordinator and receive a brief about our trip in the Argentine side. Once we have stretch the legs and rest a bit we board another van that will take us on a 3 hour drive to Chalten, The drive is on isolated dirt roads across the pampas and along the northern end of Lago Viedma. We’ll do a short stop in La Leona for tea time. This cozy house is full of stories and tips of Patagonia; they say even Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid stayed in this place for some days when they escaped from the law after robbing the Banco Tarapacá in Rio Gallegos city. Afterwards we continue to Chaltén town, a tiny outpost beside the Glacier National Park at the foot of impressive Mount Fitzroy. We arrive at Hostería Los Cerros with time to get a well-deserved rest either in our room or at any of the nice areas of this beautiful hostería.

 

 

Day 5, A Beautiful Hike to Laguna Torre

Los Glaciares NP, Argentina

 

Today we will do a full day hike along Cerro Torre Trail to Laguna Torre, an extremely pretty mountain lake with majestic Mount Torre in the background. After breakfast, we walk eastward, following the trail through beech forests and bogs to a pleasant encounter with Fitroy River. We continue advancing and reach Camp Base de Agostini and then do a short hike to Laguna Torre, escorted in the west by Cerro Torre and the Adela range. Icebergs can be seen peacefully floating on Laguna Torre as the wind pushes them to the coast. We stop at different points to take in the magnificent view and enjoy a picnic. Later, we return to Chalten following the same trail. Upon returning from the hike, the evening is free for you to enjoy a delicious dinner. We overnight in Hostería Los Cerros.

 

 

Day 6, Monte Fitzroy, Mountain of Mountains

Los Glaciares NP, Argentina

 

Today’s hike is along Rio Blanco; we will follow its path until reaching a place with one of the best available views of Monte Fitzroy - the landmark in Los Glaciares NP. Once again, a delicious breakfast and lots of enthusiasm is required. Initially we drive to El Pilar, next to Río Blanco 11 miles north of El Chaltén. The trail follows Río Blanco, passes Piedras Blancas Glacier and continues up to Rio Blanco base camp. Piedras Blancas is a hanging glacier that descends from the base of Mount Fitz Roy. Once we reach the best viewpoints you will probably experience a Torres del Paine flashback. If Torres del Paine is the king mountain of Patagonia, Fitz Roy is surely the beautiful queen! Time for a picnic. In such a memorable place the food can not help but taste better than ever! When everyone is ready, we will come back through another trail heading to Laguna Capri, which will finally takes us back to tiny Chalten. We return with time to recover and enjoy our last night in this beautiful park. Overnight at Hostería Los Cerros.

 

 

Day 7, Last Memories in Chalten, Glacier Perito Moreno on the way!

Los Glaciares NP, Argentina

 

After breakfast we sadly prepare our luggage and start our way back to Calafate. We board the van and start driving, following the same road filled with Argentinean pampas that welcomed us some days ago. We will arrive in Calafate around noon. We will have time to do the check-in at our hotel, left our luggage and prepare for our final excursion to Perito Moreno Glacier, the cherry of the pie. Unlike the regular tours, upon arriving to the sight, we will not go straight to the regular panoramic views. Instead, we’ll first marvel at the splendor of the glacier’s less frequented north face. We’ll both watch and hear giant chunks of ice plummet into the waters of Lake Argentino. As we face Moreno Glacier amidst a nature walk, our guide will answer all questions about the area. We will then continue on to the footbridges and take a break so that you can enjoy the surroundings at your own leisure. We will also have the opportunity to so a short nautical safari to observe this magnificent glacier from a close perspective. After the thrilling encounter with the Perito Moreno, we drive back to Calafate. This is our final night. It’s time to review our personal notes, socialize and enjoy a tasteful farewell dinner with an excellent local folklore show and then back to sleep.

 

 

Day 8, Adios!

Calafate, Argentina

 

Today we finish this memorable trip, Adios Patagonia! After having breakfast, a transfer will take us to the airport and we are free to continue traveling on our own or taking another extension with Cascada.

 

 

If you are taking the optional extension to finish in Punta Arenas:

 

 

Day 8, Heading to Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas, Chile

 

Once we are ready an early transfer will take us to the Calafate bus terminal. There we board the public bus going to Puerto Natales, arriving in this town around midday. A Cascada representative will wait for us and will take us to the office for refreshing ourselves and help us looking for a nice restaurant in town. When we feel at ease we go boarding the next public bus going to Punta Arenas city, where another Cascada representative will wait for us to arrange the transfer to the hotel. The evening is free and we have dinner on our own. We will definitely look for some of the local delicious dishes like Centolla (King Crab) or asado de cordero (lamb BBQ). We go back to the hotel to enjoy our last night in Patagonia.

 

 

Day 9, Adios!

Punta Arenas, Chile

 
Today we finish this memorable trip, Adios Patagonia! After having breakfast, a transfer will take us to the airport and we are free to continue traveling on our own or taking another extension with Cascada.

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