Transfer IN OUT APT/HTL/APT

Permanent Coordination

Spanish & English Bilingual Guide

El Calafate
Reception and transfer from Calafate Airport to the hotel.

Mini trekking to the Perito Moreno Glacier
Breakfast in the hotel. To undertake this brief hike we need to cross the Rich Lake and then we arrive to the south east coast after a few minutes of navigation, which is in front of the southern wall of the glacier. Here we disembark and we go to the refuge where we are organized in groups. We begin our short 15 minutes walk going around the lake until we arrive to the glacier. Here we prepare our specialized equipment for trekking on ice. We suggest using hiking boots with thick socks, preferably woolen (it is not possible to use rubber boots because they are too slippery.

The track takes less than two hours to walk at a normal rhythm and we can discover a great variety of types and sizes of crevices, sump holes, small lagoons, and 'seracs' that are great blocks of ice divided by fissures caused by internal movements. We learn about the local flora and wildlife of the place and some other features of the glaciers: for example the continuous and incredible advance of the glacier leaving behind giant pieces of ice. We start our return through an Andean Magellan Forest covered in plants and typical trees of the southern Patagonia.

Note: This tour is available nearly all year round except for June and July. The people suitable for this expedition are those between 10 and 65 years old approximately. It all depends upon the physical condition of the person. It is forbidden for pregnant women, people with illnesses related to heart, movement or coordination. We do not recommend this tour for overweight people. Smoking is not allowed throughout the programme.

Cristina Estancia full itinerary
Breakfast in the hotel. We dedicate the day to the Cristina Estancia. We leave in the morning in a boat from the Punta Bandera Port in the direction of the Estancia and on the route we pass great icebergs and the incredible landscape of the western face of the Upsala Glacier before we enter into the Cristina Canal and disembark at the Estancia. We visit the Costumbrista Museum which was the old sheep shearing works and after we make our Patagonian journey by a 4x4 up mountainous tracks until we reach the Continental Ice Camp Site where we begin a short hike over the surface that has been eroded by the glaciers. Later we go until the appearance of the Cañadón de los Fósiles (the waterbed of the fossils) where there is a reservoir of marine fossil remains.

Note: This program is over irregular ground and involves a reasonable amount of effort and is not suitable for children less than 12 years old.

The Route of the sleepy India
Breakfast in the hotel. We depart from the city of El Calafate to go to the Huyliche Estancia, climbing the mountains and arriving at the El Calafate Balcony, a panoramic point from which you can see the city, the Argentino Lake and the reliefs that surround it. Depending on the weather it is possible to observe the El Chaltén massif and the Fitz Roy and Torre Mountains. We continue the journey passing some magnificent views such as the ski run.

After visiting the Labyrinth of Stones, a Cretaceous formation of more than 85 million years, we arrive at the highest terrace at some 1200 metres, a natural viewpoint found behind the India Dormida formation, where we have have some postcard views of the Perito Moreno Glacier, the Pietrobelli Mountain, the Torres del Paine, the Baguales Cordon and the Fitz Roy and Torre Mountains. We carry on seeing rock formations that have been there for centuries due to the erosion of each area in order to form unique landscapes, moreover, we have the privilege to see the giant condors gliding over the highest mountains. We descend by the gully of the Portezuelo Stream to see the River Centinela Valley. We return to the hotel later in the afternoon.

Note: The lunch with steaks, vegetables and a drink is included. This excursion is available between the months of October and May.

El Chaltén - The Desert Lake
Breakfast in the hotel. We leave to go the extreme south of the Desert Lake, wrongly named Laguna del Desierto. We travel for 38 kms by a dirt road that snakes along the Río Vueltas Valley. The landscape that we watch is typical of Andes Patagonia surrounded by mountains, forests, water falls and mirror like waters that combine to present a natural harmony. We can chose between a walk until the Huemul Glacier or a navigation to the icy waters of the lake. The hike is short at only one hour but has a pronounced ascent that requires a reasonable effort. This is a private area and therefore there is an entrance charge. We can also go until Laguna Larga and Diablo but the route takes another four hours. Those who decide not to take the walk can enjoy the navigation of Lago del Desierto where the boat goes from the south to the north of the lake.

Once on land we walk to the Centinela Viewpoint that is only 12 minutes and is accompanied by some fantastic views. Lago del Desierto is located in a valley that stretches 15 kms between the Andes Mountain Range, close to the O'Higgins Lake, and the Fitz Roy Mountain. The mountain chains that enclose the valley are the Occidental Massif which is made up of the Marconi chain and the Occidental Massif amongst others. The Río Las Vueltas starts from this lake and flows through the Azul Lake before finishing in the Viedma Lake.

Trekking to the Capri lagoon
Breakfast in the hotel. The trekking to Laguna Capri offers a unique relaxing view for the eyes and it is ideal for those who do not have the time to take a whole day walking, like going to the Laguna de Los Tres or Laguna Torre. Our main objective is to arrive to the first viewpoint of the Fitz Roy Mountain. We begin from the town of El Chaltén, it is an easy trekking although the slope is pronounced for a stretch of about 2 hours, rising some 350 metres. The first part is the same as Los Tres track until we arrive at a natural rocky viewpoint where we can turn off to the south until the camping site. At the viewpoint we will have a privileged view of the Torre Mountain and its surrounding ice needles such as Poincenot, Saint Exupéry, Mermoz and Guillaumet. We stop just a few minutes before entering the Capri Camping Site in order to see the Laguna Capri. We return by the same trail to our lodgings in the town.

El Chaltén - El Calafate - Puerto Natales
Breakfast in the hotel. Depart to Puerto Natales to arrive at the Torres del Paine National Park. Free afternoon to rest or to stroll around the city of Puerto Natales.

Puerto Natales - Parque Nacional Torres del Paine
Breakfast at the hotel. We will leave the city of Puerto Natales to go to the north to 24 km so we can visit the Milodon´s Cave which is on our way to the main place: the Torres del Paine National Park. There are 3 caves and a group of rocks that are known as the Devil´s Chair which were discovered at the end of the XIX century and it is the place where the remains of a huge herbivore mammal were found at the end of the Pleistocene. The most important cave is 30 metres high with a 75 metres front and 195 metres deep. Its origin it´s due to the erosive effect of the mud which comes from the Puerto Natales basin when the ice blocks gone in the quaternary age. We will get to the Milodon´s Cave, an anthropologist treasure which is considered as the place where the first men of the Patagonia lived. We will continue our tour to get into the Torres del Paine National Park that covers an area of 240.000 he.

While we get closer to the park we will see a mixture of lakes, glacier lagoons, hills and splendid vegetation. Inside the Torres del Paine National Park we will be able to visit the Nordenskjold Lake which emerald waters get to the mountain´s base which at the same time it fuels the Salto Grande that origins a very peaceful lake like the Pehoé lake. We will start a trekking very near the Pingo River through a path that crosses the river, then we go through a sand area that limits the lake´s bank which are surrounded by ice in the coast of the lake and a unic scene as the Grey Glacier next to many hills, woods and the Paine mountain chain. Then we will return to Puerto Natales.

Puerto Natales - Punta Arenas
Breakfast at the hotel. We leave from Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas. Punta Arenas was the first significantly populated town in Southern Patagonia. It was established on December 18, 1948. Soon it became the most important cultural, industrial, commercial and stock center in the region. We will visit the Salesian museum Maggiorino Borgatello, where we can find an important collection of Magellan wildlife specimens, folklore relics and crafts made by Tierra del Fuego native people such as yamanas, selk'nam and kaweskar aborigenes.

Way to Ushuaia by El Porvenir
Breakfast in the hotel. We set off very early to the Tres Puentes terminal, 5 kilometers away from the downtown of the city of Punta Arenas to take the ferryboat that takes us to the Bahía Chilota terminal, on Tierra del Fuego Island, next to El Porvenir. Depending on the day of the week it may set sail in the afternoon. The Porvenir city is the capital of Tierra del Fuego on the Chilean side, in the west of the island and separated from Punta Arenas by the Magellan Strait. From there we take a bus to Ushuaia, arriving at night. The crossing of the Magellan Strait is on its own an adventure worth doing.

Note: Generally crossing the Magellan Strait between Punta Arenas and El Porvenir takes approximately 3 hours, depending on the day of the sailing. The ship goes 20 maritime miles. On Mondays this service is not available. The time of setting sail and returning depends on the tide conditions, the climate and the maritime traffic. Usually, it sets sail in the morning but sometimes it does it in the afternoon.

Classic Navigation on the Beagle Channel to visit the Martillo Island and the Harberton Estancia
Breakfast in the hotel. We begin our crossing setting off from the dock of the Ushuaia Port heading to the Beagle Channel via the Paso Chico. We arrive in the Isla de los Pájaros (Bird Island) and the Isla de los Lobos Marinos (Sea Lion Island) where we enjoy the presence of marine birds such as the Cook Seagulls or the Fuegino Albatros and we are impressed by the sea lion colonies. On the Eclaireurs Light House we see cormorants. As we continue with our route we leave behind Port Almanza on the left and the Chilean military base of Port Williams on the right before we reach the Martillo Island and disembark to watch the Magellan Penguins, and in some cases, the Papúa Penguins.

We continue to the Harberton Estancia where we land to visit its facilities such as its surroundings, the sheep shearing and woodworking sheds and we can spend some time in the Marine Bird and Mammal Museum that owns the most important collection of South America (this is not included in the program but it can be booked apart). We return to Ushuaia crossing the valleys, rivers and mountains, while we enjoy the geography of the end of the world that also includes peat bogs and the work of the beavers. These landscapes are very particular due to the trees that are pushed because of the strong and constant Patagonian winds and they are called 'flag bushes' due to their shape. Before we get to Ushuaia we enter the Garibaldi Pass in order to have a unique view of the Escondido and Fagnano Lakes. If we have some free time we can go and see a breeding and training place for the Siberian dogs that are used to pull snow sleighs in the skiing season.

Off Road 4x4 Adventure to the Fagnano and Escondido Lakes
Breakfast at the Hotel. We begin our adventure to the Fueguino Lakes: Fagnano and Escondido. We go to the centre of the Grand Island of Tierra del Fuego where we can see the transition between the Andes Mountain Chain and the end of the rugged Patagonian Plains. We spend some time in the Alto del Valle Ski Centre to see the breeding and training of the Siberian sleigh dogs. We then continue to the north to cross the Andes Mountain Chain by the Luis Garibaldi Pass with its unique views of the Fagnano and Escondido Lakes, the track connects the River Negro and the Estancias of the Island with Ushuaia. This mountain pass is the highest place that reaches until 460 metres high.

We get closer to the Escondido Lake where we stop to have our box lunch before we start our off road experience. The Escondido Lake, also called the Escondido Lagoon is surrounded by a forest full of coihues, pines and lengas. It is possible to see what the beavers are doing with the trees: they roll them so that they can use to build their dams which produces floods in the forest. We enter to the forest by the tracks made by the woodcutters, which are covered in mud, the trucks soon look as though they have been painted. Suddenly, the scene changes as we leave behind the forest and arrive at the Fagnano Lake and then we continue until the camp site to eat before return to Ushuaia.

Tierra del Fuego National Park and the Redonda Island
After breakfast we take the road to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. This Park was founded in 1960 and from that moment it represents the most southern part of the Andean Patagonian forest. It is located in the South East of Tierra del Fuego and on the international border with Chile. We first visit the Lago Roca and then we continue to the River Lapataia so we stop in the homonym Bay to see the beaver nests and the peat bogs. Finally we enter to the Ensenada Bay to embark in Port Guarani, which is called the Pier of the End of the World, and we begin the crossing to the Redonda Island. This Island is in front of the Ensenada Bay and belongs to the Tierra del Fuego Province, the Antarctic and South Atlantic Islands. We disembark on the Island and walk by the well signed paths. At night fall we will have dinner in the Refuge so then we can go directly to bed after a long day. We wake up on the Island and then we take the zodiac boats that allows us to return to Ushuaia in an hour.

Note: It is required a minimum of four passengers for this combined program which takes two days. It normally starts at six in the afternoon and returns at 11am the following day.