Expansive Patagonia is truly one of the final frontiers in the New World. A trip to the southern tip of the continent is always a life-changing experience, filled with awe-inspiring vistas, magnificent glaciers, exhilarating adventures, and the generous spirit of those who call Patagonia home.
Day 1: Arrival to Argentina’s Patagonia
Welcome to Patagonia! Upon arrival to El Calafate’s airport (approx. 3 hours flight time from Buenos Aires), your guide and driver will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel in town (approx. 30 minutes). Enjoy the afternoon and evening to settle in and explore El Calafate at your own pace. Look to try any of a number of dishes which include the local Calafate berry as an ingredient. If you do, according to legend, you’re sure to return to Patagonia.
Meals Included: Dinner
Trekking near Laguna de los Tres
Day 2: Parque Nacional Los Glaciares & The Perito Moreno Glacier
This morning you set out on your first excursion, to Parque Nacional los Glaciares and the iconic Perito Moreno Glacier, located about 50 miles (80km) outside of El Calafate. One of only three Patagonian glaciers that are actually advancing (as opposed to retreating), Perito Moreno is one of the most spectacular glaciers in all of the southern ice fields. At approximately 3 miles (5km) wide and stretching 240 ft (74m) tall over the water of Lago Argentino, Perito Moreno is an incredible sight to behold. Brilliant blues, stark whites, and aquamarines contrast with the surrounding green forests and dark gray mountains, making for a fascinating landscape one can only find in Patagonia.
From a set of catwalks and lookouts nearby, you will be able to witness the majesty and mystery of Perito Moreno firsthand as it changes colors throughout the day and, every so often, huge pieces of ice break off the glacier and plunge into the frigid waters of the lake. You’ll hop in a boat for a cruise on Lago Argentino which will bring you even more up-close-and-personal with this natural wonder.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Full Day Excursion Selected by Guest
Enjoy a free day to explore all that Eolo has to offer, including a host of activities within the property such as mountain biking, trekking, and birdwatching. Additional guided excursions outside of the Estancia can also be arranged directly with the hotel at additional cost.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Arrival to El Chalten
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast in the hotel before meeting your driver for your private transfer from El Calafate to El Chalten (approx. 2.5 – 3 hours). Arriving to your hotel in El Chaltén around lunch time, you’ll have plenty of time to settle in, enjoy a meal, and explore all that this trekking town has to offer, including chocolaterías, authentic Patagonian restaurants and, of course, breathtaking scenery. If you are interested, there is even time to take a half day excursion. Let us know your interests, and we will be happy to help you coordinate an afternoon activity ahead of time.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Trekking on Glacier Viedma
Day 5: Full Day Trekking Chalten; Laguna de los Tres
The hike past the Rio Blanco and up to Laguna de los Tres, with the spectacular backdrop of Cerro Fitz Roy, is considered the best full-day hike in El Chalten. Departing from El Chalten on foot in the morning, you’ll first hike about 20 minutes to the Valle de las Vueltas view point, a U-shaped valley which was carved thousands of years ago by the glacial movements in Patagonia. Continuing on, you’ll trek up a gentle ascent to arrive to the lookout to the immense Fitz Roy massif, where you will have an unbeatable view to the stark granite peaks which characterize Los Glaciares National Park. The path flattens out here, and you will walk through beautiful, ancient lenga forests until you reach the campground at the Rio Blanco, the base camp for elite climbers who travel from around the world to conquer these mountains. Following about an hour’s trek over about 400m of ascending terrain, we will arrive to the magnificent Laguna de los Tres. The grandeur of this location is nearly indescribable; you just have to experience it for yourself. Don’t forget your camera!
We’ll stop to rest and enjoy lunch at the shores of the lagoon, marveling at Fitz Roy, the surrounding glaciers, and the tranquility of the spot. After enjoying a leisurely meal and soaking in the majesty of nature, we will begin our descent back to El Chalten.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Box Lunch
Day 6: Full Day Ice Trekking Viedma Glacier
With a surface area of 978 square km, the Viedma Glacier is the largest in Argentina, and the 2nd largest in all of South America. Today’s excursion allows you the unique opportunity to strap on crampons and trek across this enormous ice mass.
Your adventure begins with an 8:00am departure from your hotel, heading to the Harbor Tunnel Bay where you will board a ship and sail across the bay. Along the route, you will enjoy marvelous views of the massifs of Fitz Roy and Cerro Huemel. As the boat turns west around the cape, you will catch your first glance of the breathtaking Viedma Glacier. Arriving around 10:15am, you will arrive to “ice school,” where the guide will distribute the technical equipment you will need on your trek – crampons, ropes, harnesses, carabiners, and a helmet – as well as brief you on important safety measures. You will spend the next two hours exploring the crevasses, ice walls, and tunnels of Viedma.
Following a break for lunch (be sure to pack your own, they are not provided), you will head back to the boat for transfer back to the port at Harbor Tunnel bay and your transport back to the hotel. You will arrive back to El Chalten around 3:00pm, meaning you will have the afternoon and evening free to relax or continue exploring the beauty of El Chalten at your own pace.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Day 7: Morning transfer to El Calafate; Afternoon flight El Calafate – Buenos Aires
Enjoy a hearty breakfast in your hotel before saying goodbye to Patagonia. You will be transferred from your hotel to the airport in El Calafate (approximately a 3-hour journey) in time for your flight to Buenos Aires.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Didn’t get enough of Patagonia? Consider our 4-day extension to Puerto Natales, Chile; then you can really say you’ve seen the best of Patagonia – Argentine and Chilean. Ask your Santiago Adventures Travel Specialist for details.
Trekking in Argentina’s Patagonia
This program is available to begin every day during the months of November thru April.
Price per Person (US$): $3,444.00
*based on a minimum of 2 travelers
*Price valid through August 31st, 2013. Please inquire for new prices.
Trekking near El Chalten
Price Includes:
Not Included:
Eolo Patagonia’s Spirit: Located just outside of the town of El Calafate, Eolo Patagonia’s Spirit is a one-of-a-kind luxury experience in the middle of the windswept pampas. In addition to 17 comfortable rooms, all with amazing views of the Patagonian steppe, Eolo provides warm and attentive service, the best local cuisine, and unbeatable views to lakes, mountains, and glaciers. Its expansive 4,000 hectares allows guests to experience the sheer immensity of Patagonia. As the hotel staff themselves explain, “Eolo is the ideal place to rest, enjoy, discover, taste, or simply…feel.”
Hotel Eolo Patagonia’s Spirit
Los Cerros del Chalten: Located near the trekking mecca of El Chaltén, at the feet of some of Patagonia’s most dramatic peaks, Hotel Los Cerros offers amazing panoramic views of valleys, lakes, and mountains from its large windows. Personalized attention from staff, excellent food, and comfortable accommodations welcome visitors from around the world drawn to the wild beauty and endless adventure of Argentina’s Patagonia.
Hotel Los Cerros del Chalten
