Welcome to the remote vasteness that is Patagonia! Upon arrival at El Calafate airport you will be met by our staff and transferred directly to the quaint mountain town of El Chalten. We travel through the typical landscape of the Patagonian steppe to El Chaltén. This 3-hour journey reveals extensive grasslands, but also views of the Argentino and Viedma lakes and the Fitz Roy mountain range. Keep a sharp eye out and see if you can spot any of the wildlife that inhabits this area- wild Guanaco, Condors, and even Emus abound in this open expanse. Once you arrive in El Chaltén, you will be dropped off at your hotel to relax. We recommend taking a stroll around the town, which didn’t even exist before 1985! Tonight we have our guide briefing.

We leave El Chalten for a short 30 minutes transfer to Los Huemules nature reserve. After we register our hike at the Visitor’s Center, we start our climb towards the Loma del Diablo (1790m). Depending on the weather and the group pace, we may ascend through the forest to the beautiful viewpoint located just above the tree-line at 3450ft or hike along the Laguna Diablo trail. Initially, the trail climbs through a forest of Lenga and Ñire and offers glimpses of the different glaciers and peaks in the area. Once we pass 2750ft, the terrain becomes quite steep and the vegetation reduces in height, revealing mountains in every direction.

Early in the morning we depart the refugio, desceding to the Huemules reserve’s entrance, here our vehicle will be waiting for us to travel 10 miles along the scenic Río de las Vueltas route to its source at the Lago del Desierto (Desert Lake). Once we arrive, we board a catamaran for the 30-minute journey around the lake which offers a panoramic view over the entire length of the lake. From here we are dropped off for a return hike, winding our way along the lake shore.

From El Chaltén we head off on the Laguna Torre footpath, entering the forest shortly after a small inital climb. The Cerro Torre trail brings us close to one of the most beautiful mountains in the area, and one of the most challenging for climbers around the world! We won’t be climbing, of course, but you will gain an appreciation of the skill required and difficulty involved for those who do attempt it.

The hike has several beautiful viewpoints along the way. We will reach the first of these, Margarita Waterfall, after 30 minutes of a steady uphill trek. From here, we have our first complete views of the chains of mountains. Here we will make the most of the magnificent views of Mount Torre, the Adela range and glaciers. After a short break, we have another few hours of walking to Laguna Torre. In this section there is always the possibility of spotting a wide range of birds, including the Magellanic woodpecker. Our final push comes as the trail leads us up a large glacial moraine to one of the best views near El Chaltén: an uninterrupted view of the Torres mountain chain across the impressive Lake Torre. We will have our lunch here, taking in the views of Cerro Torre (the highest peak), Cerro Egger, Cerro Standhart (the mountains on either side), and the Aldeas mountains in the background.

One of our favorites: a fairly challenging trek with the reward of a one-of-a-kind 360° view. This spot offers an unconventional view of the Torre and Fitz Roy massifs, the Patagonian steppe and the vast Lake Viedma. We depart on foot today via a footpath that heads towards Laguna Toro. Having walked for about an hour in ascent and crossed over small streams and through some Lenga forests, we arrive at an exposed area with a picture postcard view of Mount Fitz Roy, Torre and Huemul.
We continue across the meadows, locally called “Pampa de las Carretas”, eventually passing through the woods. On leaving the forest, we cross an alpine terrain, where delicate flowers growing in such an arid area won’t fail to surprise. In this section it is quite possible to find the remains of marine fossils such as ammonites and belemnites which are about 100 million years old.
The final push comes as we ascend a rocky cone up a rather steep set of switchbacks, combined with a few spots where we'll have to briefly scramble over some larger rocks. Ultimately we end at our final destination, indeed a well-earned, breathtaking viewpoint at nearly 5,000ft.

Today begins with a short transfer to the start of the trail into the National Park. From there, we hike along a beautiful trail through the lenga forest, following the Río Blanco (White River) towards the Poincenot campsite. Along the way, we will stop to learn a little about the flora and fauna that is characteristic of the Patagonian Andean forest and also visit the beautiful Piedras Blancas (White Rocks) viewpoint. Here we will see the Piedras Blancas glacier and its associated glacial features, including the erratic boulders and lateral moraines left behind as the glacier retreated over the last few decades.

We will have many different views of the Fitz Roy mountain chain as we make our way towards our objective for the day - the magnificent Laguna de Los Tres. This unforgettable location has the best view of Cerro Fitz Roy - and one of the most impressive vistas in all of Patagonia. We will have plenty of time to take in this unforgettable view before descending to El Chalten.

Content with our hiking endeavors in the outback of Patagonia, we head to Estancia La Estela. This property is located on the shore of Viedma Lake, at the source of La leona River with one of the most spectacular landscape and scenery of southern Patagonia: Viedma glacier and lake, and the Andes Mountains range with its mythical Torre and Fitz Roy Peaks.

After the previous days' exertions, our stay at the estancia is meant to be a relaxing delve into the world of Patagonia's ranching culture. We have the opportunity to tour the vast landscape on horseback or choose to take the day to yourself. Either way, you will feel enveloped in the richness of this life on the land.

Today we encounter a wonderful hidden gem on our way back to El Calafate. We will start the tour with a short transfer to the entrance of Parador La Leona, arriving at Cerro Los Hornos at Estancia Santa Teresita. Upon arriving at the petrified forest we will face a massive depression of land where we encounter petrified tree trunks and fossils. Hiking through this 80-100 million year old site is like no other landscape you've encountered. Indeed, this small region feels like something out of space, with incredible rock formations throughout. If we are lucky, we might also find a few dinosaur bone fossils, which are beyond amazing.

This morning we travel around 50 miles on a paved road with wonderful views of lakes, streams and snow-capped mountains towards the Perito Moreno Glacier. We will enjoy our first view of this enormous glacier from a brief stop at the Curva de Los Suspiros (Curve of Sighs), and then complete the journey to the visitors center. Here we explore as many of the walkways as possible, as each gives a different perspective on the glacier. But also remember to just sit, listen to the ice cracking, and watch as small pieces fall from the face of the glacier. Perhaps you’ll be lucky enough to see a large calving event!

Next, we board a ship to cross Lago Rico on a 20-minute ride to the opposite shore. From here we enjoy a 1.5-2hr walk around the side of the glacier, always with a view of the southern side, enjoying different and intense shades of the astounding blue ice. We return to our starting point for our boat ride back across the glacier lake. Upon arriving to the port, our vehicle will take you towards the walkways where you’ll have time to enjoy an incredible panoramic view before returning to El Calafate for one final night before departure.

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