Guided Group Tour: Patagonia Essentials

• Transfer El Calafate Airport  to your hotel 
  

Today, Southern Patagonia welcomes you with open arms. El Calafate is a starting point for adventure travelers who desire to unearth the most spellbinding natural wonders of Patagonia, like the Perito Moreno Glacier.

Upon arrival, you will meet the tour leader at the airport and take a transfer to the hotel, where you will have the rest of the day to relax or explore the surroundings.

Before dinner, the tour leader will brief us about the marvelous days to come!

• Welcome Briefing with Cocktail 

Welcome briefing with one cocktail at Mirador del Lago hotel.

• Accommodation at Mirador del Lago 

Mirador del Lago Hotel occupies a charming building facing Lake Argentino, just 300 meters from the city center. It has a lounge with a fireplace and lake views and offers elegant rooms. Rooms are classically decorated and feature cable TV and a minibar. Some of them have panoramic lake views. A buffet breakfast is provided daily, while the bar serves pizzas, omelets and sandwiches. Smoked meats and fish are available at La Bahia restaurant.

• Transfer from El Calafate  to El Chaltén
  

Get ready and depart to the hiker’s village of El Chaltén. Enjoy the desert of Southern Patagonia on the famous Route 40 in this 3-hour trip.

El Chalten is the Argentinean capital of hiking. Located at the foot of the Fitz Roy Mountain, surrounded by glaciers, lakes, rivers, and forests, it is still a hidden gem of our Patagonia.

Prepare to engage in your first hiking experience upon arrival!

• Half-day hike to Laguna Capri

Meet your mountain guide and start the hike from the door of your hotel. During the first hour, the slope is fairly steep until the viewpoint of Rio de las Vueltas valley.

Continue for an hour and a half through a Ñire and Lenga forest until the bifurcation that shows the trail to Laguna Capri. From Capri Lagoon we will have a unique view of the iconic Cerro Fitz Roy.

Enjoy a break lunch admiring the stunning views. Then, return by the same path, and appreciate the views of El Chaltén Town.

¡Time for a well-earned beer!

• Accommodation at Pudu Lodge 

Pudu Lodge is located in El Chaltén, inside Los Glaciares National Park, near the road to Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre Lagoon. It offers a fireplace, hiking excursions in the area and free wifi in common areas. The rooms have extra-large beds, a bathroom and radiant heating . The lodge offers packed lunches.

• Half-day Laguna Torre hike, private service

At the appropriate time, the guide will meet you at your hotel to trek towards Torre Lagoon. The trail starts right from the town itself, with a gentle slope, following the Fitz Roy River. After about 20 minutes, you will be amazed by the Fitz Roy River Canyon and beautiful waterfalls.

The first viewpoint offers a perfect resting spot with views of Cerro Torre, its glaciers, and the Adelas Range. The return trek from here is 3 hours to El Chaltén, ideal for a shorter activity. The hike continues through a picturesque valley to reach De Agostini Base Camp and finally Laguna Torre, offering a magnificent view of the Cerro Torre and surrounding glaciers. After a well deserved rest and lunch, we head back to El Chaltén by the same path.

• Transfer El Chaltén hotel / El Calafate hotel
  

Then, get ready to be transferred from your hotel in El Chaltén to your hotel in El Calafate.

• Welcome to El Calafate!

The town of El Calafate is the starting point for a visit to Los Glaciers national park. Of all the impressive landscapes of our country, this is the one you will remember most. Huge blue icebergs floating on the milky turquoise waters, cracking sounds of huge ice pieces falling in the lake and the Immense Perito Moreno Glacier (UNESCO World Heritage Site) will leave you breathless

• Full-day Perito Moreno Glacier tour & Safari Azul navigation

A transfer will pick you up from your hotel and drive you to Los Glaciares National Park home of the magnificent Perito Moreno Glacier.

Los Glaciares National Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981 when its almost 200 glaciers were discovered. Half of the park is occupied by the Patagonian ice field, the third largest after Antarctica and Greenland.

Upon arrival at the National Park, your guide will show you the different walkway circuits to wander in front of the colossal ice walls of Perito Moreno.

We will start the adventure from the main balcony and then, have some free time to wander freely until the meeting time agreed with our guide.

At Bajo de las Sombras port, embark on a 20-minute sail crossing Lago Rico. Enjoy a 30-minute walk to approach the amazing spectacles of the Southern icy walls.

Continue walking through a greenwood and lakeshore and admire the Perito Moreno Glacier. Hop on the boat again and sail closer to the glacier. Get the most amazing views from the water.

Finally, the boat will leave you on the walkways, the lookout trail to traditionally observe the glacier and all its unpredictable movements. At the end of the day, we’ll drive you back to your hotel in El Calafate.

• Optional Tour – Minitrekking 

Have you ever imagined walking across the surface of a glacier? Well, this is your chance! The Mini Trekking tour will allow you to trek on Perito Moreno Glacier… This is one of our favorite Patagonia outings; we’re sure you won’t regret it.  This is an optional excursion you can add to this day.

• Transfer from El Calafate hotel to your hotel in Puerto Natales
  

Prepare to leave Argentina and be transferred from El Calafate to Puerto Natales in Chilean Patagonia.

It is important to remember that today we are crossing borders. Please make sure you have your passport.

• Full Day Walking Tour

Upon arrival to Puerto Natales, our local guide will introduce us into this picturesque town, at the shores of Señoret Channel and the gate to Torres del Paine National Park. Puerto Natales was officially discovered by European sailor Juan Ladrilleros in 1557. He named the area Última Esperanza (Last Hope) as it was his last chance to find the Strait of Magellan, after exploring the laberintic fiords of the area. But it was not until 1911 when the town was officially founded, with the construction of the port that served to the sheep and wool industry.

Today we will enter into Puerto Natales ́ history, life and culture. We will visit the remodeled waterfront, the main Square, the church, the Historical Museum and the dock of the artisan fishermen.

• Accommodation at Vendaval Hotel

Conveniently located within the principal gastronomic neighborhood in downtown Puerto Natales, 3 blocks away from the waterfront and half another from the main square. 23 rooms are inside the block, which provides not only tranquillity, but also a breath-taking view and fully light-filled spaces. The hotel design revolves around an antique house of brick, typical of the Patagonian architecture, where the breakfast is served. Every room commands a view to quaint brick walls, the Señoret Channel, the mountains and glaciers.

• Full-day Torres del Paine highlights tour
  

We will pick you up from your hotel and head to the amazing Torres del Paine National Park, declared a Biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1978.

Our first stop will be at Grey Lake. If the weather allows it, we will be able to make a pleasant hike along the shores of Lake.

We began the second stage of our visit heading to the Salto Grande sector. Here Salto Grande Waterfalls welcomes us and shows us the trail to our hike to Los Cuernos (the Horns) viewpoint, from where we will get the best views of the complete massif and heart of the park.

Then, visit the Paine waterfall, a beautiful place where we can appreciate the discharge of milky water coming from the glaciers through the Paine River and finally draining into the bosom of Ultima Esperanza.

We continue the journey enjoying various views in our undulating route that brings us to the end of the trip.

Return to your hotel in Puerto Natales by the end of the tour.

• Day at leisure in Puerto Natales
  

Today, enjoy a day at leisure to keep discovering Puerto Natales.
You may go for a walk on the shores of Last Hope Sound, explore the little and picturesque town by bike, or even book an optional tour for today.

• Transfer from Puerto Natales to your hotel in El Calafate
  

Say goodbye to Puerto Natales and Chile, and prepare to be transferred from your hotel to El Calafate.

Rest and enjoy views from your window.

¡And think about the homemade Patagonian dinner that awaits tonight!

• Farewell Dinner at a Restaurant in El Calafate 

Dinner included. Walking distance restaurant.

• Transfer from El Calafate hotel to the airport
  

This is the last day of your trip. We hope to see you soon exploring Patagonia!

At the appropriate time, a transfer will drive you from your hotel to El Calafate airport.