Trip
Status: Sorry, this trip has been cancelled. Tour price Tour price includes |
"....the great affair is to move...."
– Robert Louis Stevenson
Southern Patagonia, Argentina/Chile
Feb 22 – Mar 5, 2010
Patagonia
is a magnificent, wild, vast area comprising the southern third of Chile
and Argentina. It’s a land of massive glaciers, jagged snow capped
peaks, emerald lakes, dramatic landscapes and unique flora and fauna.
Rarely does one find so much description defying scenery in such a relatively
small area.
On
this first KDavis trip to Patagonia we’ll visit 3 spectacular areas.
Our meeting place will be El Calafate airport, Argentina. We’ll
visit Los Glaciares National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site recognized
for its exceptional natural beauty, and the Perito Moreno Glacier. This
huge advancing glacier is more than 3 miles wide at its front and over
20 stories high. It will most certainly be a highlight of your
Patagonia travels!
Enjoying views of picturesque Lake Viedma and Lake Argentino, we travel
north to the small mountain village of El Chalten. Whether hiking
through the beautiful valleys to Lake Capri or to Lake Torre, we are
always in company of Fitz Roy, the mountain named in honor
of Capt. Robert Fitz Roy of the HMS Beagle. We’ll spend
3 days hiking in this beautiful area of rivers, glacial lakes, and towering
spires.
After returning to El Calafate for a night, the next day we will cross
into Chile to spend 4 days in the epic Torres del Paine National Park,
a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. Torres del Paine is another area
of astounding scenic beauty with weirdly sculpted mountain summits, spires
of pink and white granite, meadows of wildflowers, and iceberg studded
emerald lakes.
Our home for our 4 nights will be Las Torres, a lovely remote lodge nestled
in the very heart of Torres del Paine National Park. There may
be days when you will be tempted to just stay at the lodge rather than
going on a walkabout. Our 4 walks in Torres del Paine will be 5
to 11 miles in length and, weather permitting, we’ll have
stunning views of the famed Cuernos de (Horns of) Paine and Cerro Torre
(the Tower).
Wildflowers that we might encounter include the bright red Notro, the
rare green porcelain orchid, the flamboyant Slipper of the Virgin, the
delicate Palomita dog orchids. We’ll enjoy ancient beech forests
and may also see the native Calafate bushes with their bright red berries.
We may also see Andean condors, guanaco, flamingos, black necked swans,
emus, pumas, Magellanic woodpeckers, Upland geese, Patagonian foxes and
more. Torres del Paine is home to 115 species of birds and more than
25 mammals.
We’ll return to El Calafate for a last night where we’ll
enjoy a farewell dinner together before you begin your journey home the
next day. The dramatic scenery of Patagonia has few
rivals. We hope you’ll join us as we explore some of the
very best parts of this fantastic region. Download
the Day by Day Itinerary (pdf).
Our Itinerary
Monday, February 22 – El Calafate,
Argentina. Meet in the late afternoon at El Calafate airport
for 30 minute ride to the hotel. If time permits we'll take a short
walk around the town environs and a nearby lake. We'll meet for a trip
overview before proceeding to a local restaurant for a welcome dinner.
Lodging: Hotel Kosten Aike
Tuesday, February 23 – El Calafate, Argentina. After
breakfast we'll drive about 1.5 hours into Los Glaciares National Park to experience
the stunning Perito Moreno glaciar. A 45 minute boat ride across Lago Argentino
will allow us to see the massive front wall of blue ice up close. After the
boat ride we'll walk on paths near the face of the glacier where you'll have
the opportunity to see and hear this incredible glacier up close.
Lodging: Hotel Kosten Aike. Dinner is on your own.
Wednesday, February 24 – El Chalten, Argentina. After an early
breakfast we'll travel about 4 hours north across the vast steppe and around
lakes Viedma and Argentino to the small village of El Chalten at the base
of Mount Fitz Roy. After lunch and settling into our hotel we'll visit the
park headquarters for a brief overview of this beautiful area and take a
2-3 hour walk to the Condor Viewpoint. We'll return to our hotel and enjoy
dinner together.
Lodging: Hosteria Senderos
Thursday, February 25 - El Chalten, Argentina. After breakfast
we’ll take a guided walk through a glaciated valley to Laguna (Lake)
Torre for excellent views of the Cerro (Mount) Torre spires as well as the
Torre Glacier. This hike is about 11 miles roundtrip with about 750’ of
elevation gain. Upon returning to our hotel, you’ll be free to explore
the village of El Chalten.
Lodging: Hosteria Senderos. Dinner on your own.
Friday, February 26– El Chalten, Argentina. After breakfast
we’ll walk through a beautiful valley to Laguna (Lake) Capri and then
on to Rio Blanco, enjoying views of stunning Mount Fitz Roy and its glaciers
on the way. This hike is also about 11 miles roundtrip with 1,000’ of
elevation gain. You will have the option to turn back at the mid-point, Laguna
Capri, and follow the well marked trail back to town on your own.
Lodging: Hosteria Senderos.
Saturday, February 27 - El Calafate, Argentina. You’ll have
a free morning to relax or explore El Chalten or take an optional easy 6
mile roundtrip walk to a nearby waterfall (Chorillo del Salto). At 1:00 we’ll
drive back to El Calafate. After checking into our hotel, you’ll be
free to explore the town and enjoy a cup of Argentine tea (mate).
Lodging: Hotel Kosten Aike. Lunch and dinner on your own.
Sunday, February 28 – Torres del Paine, Chile. After an early
breakfast we’ll start the 5 hour scenic drive to our next destination.
We’ll cross the border into Chile and then on to Torres del Paine National
Park, home of the spectacular Cuernos del Paine (Horns of Paine) and the
towering Las Torres (The Towers), glaciers and ice fields, turquoise lakes
and icebergs, beautiful flora and unique fauna. After settling into our rooms
and eating lunch, we’ll take a 2-3 hour walk before returning to the
lodge for dinner together. Our home for our 4 nights in Torres del Paine
will be Las Torres, a lovely lodge located within Torres del Paine National
Park. You will know you are in Patagonia when we are here as this is a fairly
remote location and we are many miles from a town.
Lodging: Las Torres.
Monday, March 1 – Wednesday, March 3 - Torres del Paine, Chile. We’ll
spend 3 days hiking and exploring in Torres del Paine. Exact details of the
hikes are still being worked out but on 2 days we’ll walk 7 to 10 miles
with 1000 to 2000’ elevation gain. The third day we’ll begin
with a drive to Grey Lake and take a 45 minute boat ride across the iceberg
studded lake to the foot of the Grey Glacier. From there we’ll walk
about 5 miles to Pehoe Refuge then end our day with a catamaran crossing
of stunning Pehoe Lake. All meals are included. An open bar is also included
but premium wines and liquors are not.
Lodging: Las Torres.
Thursday, March 4 – El Calafate, Argentina. We’ll board
the van at 10:00 AM for the journey back to El Calafate. After settling into
our hotel you’ll be free to explore or you can take an optional 2 hour
walk. We’ll gather for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.
Lodging: Hotel Kosten Aike.
Friday, March 5 – El Calafate, Argentina. After breakfast,
transport to the El Calafate airport in time for a mid-morning flight to
Buenos Aires. Download
the Day by Day Itinerary (pdf).
Please Note: This schedule is subject to change due to weather or other circumstances
beyond our control
© 2009 - 2010 KDavis Travels
Photographs © Karen Davis / Kristen Wittstock / Las Torres
