EL CALAFATE Y EL CHALTÉN AUTO GUIADO (5 DÍAS)

Today you will make your way to the El Calafate bus station where you will take a public bus to El Chaltén, a quaint village next to Los Glaciares National Park located at the foot of the breath-taking Mount Fitz Roy.

On the bus route, you will be driven across isolated dirt roads, through the pampas and along the northern side of Viedma Lake.

At your arrival to the bus station in El Chaltén, enjoying exploring this quaint mountain town by foot as you make your way to your hotel to check-in and prepare for the upcoming days ahead of you!

After a relaxing first night in the eclectic village of Chaltén, you begin your first day’ s trek – a round-trip hike which begins with a short transfer to the trailhead at El Pilar, located 17 km to the north of the town.

The journey itself is enjoyable for the lovely views of the valley, the Río de Las Vueltas, and the constantly present impressive Cordón de Los Cóndores.

After about 20 minutes of hiking, you’ll start to see Mt Fitz Roy from a different angle. You begin walking in a dense forest of lengas, that protect us from the winds coming off the Continental Ice Field.

Right from the start you are able to see lots of different glaciers; Marconi, Eléctrico, Cagliero and in the distance, towards Lago del Desierto, the Vespignani glacier.

The path is easy as it’s quite flat and the climbs are gentle. Arriving at our first viewpoint, Piedras Blancas glacier and a bit later you’ll leave the forest and end up in a clearing where you can admire in all their splendour the peaks of “S”, Saint Exupéry, Poincenot, Fitz Roy, Mermoz and Guillaumet.

From here you continue for a few more minutes until you arrive at Poincenot camp ground, located in beautiful lenga forest inhabited by countless varieties of birds, which will accompany us with their song until you reach the campground Río Blanco.

You then climb 400m in about an hour until you arrive at Laguna de los Tres.

Upon arriving to the highest point on the path, you are rewarded by the majestic views of Fitz Roy and Laguna Los Tres.

After a rest and a bite for lunch, you will start the descent and walk back to El Chaltén.

From your hotel you head off on the Laguna Torre footpath and after a small climb you enter a small beech forest. From here, the path starts to gain height and straighten up alongside the Fitz Roy River until it arrives at a viewpoint of the river canyon and the Margarita waterfall.

You will have amazing views from the valley of the Fitz Roy River and its serpentine course with the backdrop of the unique Mount Solo, the Adela range and the impressive Mount Torre.

After about an hour of walking, you arrive at the Mount Torre viewpoint. Here you will make the most of the magnificent views of Mount Torre, the Adela range and glaciers and have a short break.

You then walk for 2 hours through lenga forests, crossing old glacial moraines and wet plains formed by the previous courses of the river until  arriving to Laguna Torre. In this section there is always the possibility of spotting a wide range of birds, including the Magellanic woodpecker.

At Laguna Torre it is usual to see huge icebergs, ice which has fallen off the Torre glacier face.

It is also the source of the River Fitz Roy. This river may be crossed by using the Tyrolean rope; it’s used by the climbers to access Torre glacier and to get to the base of the mountain they plan to climb.

You will also be able to visit the Agostini campground that used to be a base camp for climbers from all over the world. This walk in springtime is lovely, as you are able to see a large variety of wild flowers endemic to Patagonia.

After a rest and boxed lunch at the lagoon, start the trek back to El Chaltén. After picking up your luggage at the hotel, you must make your way to the bus terminal for your afternoon transfer via public bus.

Early in the morning, your transfer will pick you up from your hotel and take you to the immense Perito Moreno Glacier, a very active glacier on the south arm of Lake Argentino.

The excursion begins in the embarking pier located in Bajo de las Sombras Bay about 6 KM before the glacier viewing balconies – where you embark for 20 minutes navigation across the Rico Arm, enjoying breathtaking views of the glacier’s front walls and icebergs channel.

You disembark on the opposite shore and hike 30 minutes through the forest to a small shelter where specialized mountain guides welcome you.

After checking the last details and completing a safety briefing, groups of up to 20 follow their guides along the lake’s shore towards the edge of the glacier.

Once on the ice, the guides assist each participant fir their crampons and explain the proper techniques of their use.

This two hour ice trek circuit introduces you to the fascinating landscape of the glaciers: streams, small lagoons, gullies, crevasses and plenty of ice formations of the most incredible blues.

You will receive explanations about flora, fauna and general glaciology of the region and also about the particular phenomenon that happens in the Perito Moreno Glacier and eventually produces its rupture.

Enjoy a boxed lunch after a successful hike and later, your group will cross again by boat and returning to the peninsula. Here you will proceed with the group to the balconies to view the magnificent glacier for approximately 1 hour.

After snapping your last photos and enjoying the wonderful sights, you return to spend the night in the town of Calafate.

After a nourishing breakfast reminiscing on 4 wonderful days of beautiful landscapes and adventure, a private transfer will pick you up and drive you to the bus station to take the bus to Puerto Natales.

In the case you have a flight departing from El Calafate Airport, after you check-out from your hotel, you will be dropped off at the airport.