Gentle Walking Patagonia in Style

Day 1 - Fly London to Buenos Aires

Fly overnight London to Buenos Aires.

Overnight: In flight

Day 2 - Arrive Buenos Aires. Group transfer to hotel. Time at leisure.

You will be met at Buenos Aires airport and driven to your centrally located hotel. The rest of the day is yours to relax after your long flight and maybe head out to explore some of the local area.

Overnight: Casa Sur Art Hotel Or Similar, Buenos Aires

Day 3 - Transfer to domestic airport. Fly to El Calafate. Drive to El Chalten - 4 hours.

From the domestic airport in Buenos Aires you will fly today to El Calafate, and then transfer north to the small trekking town of El Chalten.

The drive from Calafate to Chalten is a good introduction to Patagonia as it takes you across vast barren steppes, where you may see guanacos and rheas. Gradually, and assuming clear weather, the striking peaks of the Fitz Roy massif, the blue waters of Lake Viedma and the mountains beyond will appear. The peaks make an incredible backdrop for the small trekking town of El Chalten which you will reach after approximately three hours.

Your unique accommodation is situated around 15km outside of the town, in splendid isolation with only the stunning views of Mount Fitz Roy to distract you. The accommodation consists of several spacious sleeping domes with private bathrooms, a restaurant dome serving gourmet cuisine, a chill out dome and also a wellness dome where optional massages and treatments are available for the ultimate in relaxation.

Overnight: Patagonia Eco Domes

Day 4 - Fitz Roy Base Camp and Laguna de los Tres walk - 7-8 hours.

A short drive will take you to the starting point for this beautiful and classic walk in Los Glaciares National Park. You will begin by meandering through beech and lenga woods that border the Rio Blanco. Before too long you will reach the first main viewing point (or mirador) where you will enjoy fine views of the Piedras Blancas Glacier. As the landscape opens up before you, your views will become more expansive and dramatic and will include the towering peak of Mount Fitz Roy.

Soon you will reach Poincennot Camp, one of the two campsites where climbers wait out the weather before attempting to climb Fitz Roy or the other peaks in the massif. Close by you can cross the river by a suspension bridge to arrive at the 'White River' Base Camp itself which is only used by climbers. From this point, and if the weather is clear, there is the option to hike to the Mirador de Laguna de los Tres for the most fantastic, close-up views of Fitz Roy, the lagoon at its base and its many glaciers. It makes a wonderful lunch spot. The climb involves around 500m of ascent and takes about an hour.

Returning to the path you walk back across open ground beside high cliffs before descending into the Vueltas River Valley to El Chalten.

Although this walk is fairly long in distance at around 20km, the path is very good and there is little ascent aside from the walk up to Laguna de Los Tres. If you would prefer not to make this additional walk, you have the option to wait at the campsite and enjoy your packed lunch.

Overnight: Patagonia Eco Domes

Day 5 - Cerro Torre Base Camp and Lago Torre walk - 6-7 hours.

Another classic day hike to Lake Torre and Cerro Torre Base camp, where climbers wait for good weather to attempt their difficult ascent of the mountain. The trail starts from El Chalten and follows the Fitz Roy River valley along a good path until reaching the first lookout point where you'll enjoy great views of the Torre-Adelas mountain range and the unmistakable spire of Cerro Torre. You continue along the well-maintained trail, over flat terrain until you reach the de Agostini Base Camp - the temporary home of climbers attempting the daring ascent of Cerro Torre.

A little further along the path takes you to the moraine around Lake Torre which you climb up and over to view the lake itself and the Torre glacier tumbling into it. And, if clouds allow, you will see the thrusting silhouette of Cerro Torre rising directly in front of you flanked by the needle points of Mounts Egger, Standhardt, Bifida and the Cord of Adelas. This is another fantastic place to sit, rest and eat your packed lunch whilst enjoying the stunning views.

Your route back follows the same trail to El Chalten where your vehicle will be waiting to take you back to the Eco Domes.

Overnight: Patagonia Eco Domes

Day 6 - Lago del Desierto walk - 2-3 hours. Transfer to El Calafate - 4 hours.

A relaxing day today with an excursion to the north of El Chalten to the area around Lago del Desierto. The lakes lies approximately 40km, 1½ hour's drive, north of El Chalten at the northern end of the Vueltas River Valley. Del Desierto Lake sits outside of the Los Glaciares National Park and offers scenic trails through Andean-Patagonian forests. The climate is more humid here than around El Chalten and the views of the lush green woods offers a great contrast to the barren and dry plateaux of eastern Patagonia. Once at the lake there is a relatively short walk through lenga forest to a moraine ridge from where you will have delightful views of the del Huemul lagoon and glacier. Here you can enjoy your lunch before returning to the start of the walk. You will then transfer to El Calafate, a drive of around 4 hours.

On arrival at your hotel in the late afternoon, you will have time to settle in before heading out to dinner in nearby El Calafate, the primary town of the region, and where there are many shops, cafes and bars to enjoy.

Overnight: Hosteria La Estepa Or Similar, El Calafate

Day 7 - Boat to Estancia Cristina via the Upsala Glacier - 3 hours. Afternoon walk.

After a short early morning drive to Puerto Banderas harbour, you board the boat that will take you to Estancia Cristina. The 3 hour cruise takes you past the snout of the Upsala Glacier from which huge chunks of ice calve forming giant icebergs.

Estancia Cristina is located on the most remote arm of Lago Argentino and is only accessible by boat or horse - a ride of around four days from the nearest civilisation. For many years English settlers lived here and it became well-known amongst explorers, climbers and adventurers who used the estancia as a starting or finishing point to venture into the Southern Patagonian Ice Field and the unexplored peaks of the area. Padre Agostini and Eric Shipton are just two of the famous explorers/mountaineers who spent time here. A fascinating small museum contains many artefacts from Cristina's past. Nowadays boats bring tourists for a day visit to the estancia and Upsala Glacier. Some may choose to stay in the well-appointed lodge, but very few have the chance to walk the valleys and trails and explore the pristine natural surroundings that make it such a very special place.

After lunch you will have the option to take a short walk to explore your beautiful surroundings. The walk begins at Cristina's central 'Octagon' and ascends through woods of nires and lenga trees to reach a first viewpoint looking out across the valley floor from Lago Argentino to Lago Pearson. Continuing up, your walk ends at the picturesque los Perros Waterfall before returning to the estancia for afternoon tea.

Overnight: Estancia Cristina

Day 8 - Canadon de los Fosiles walk - 6-7 hours.

A superb day walk that begins with a 10km drive from the Estancia, in a 4WD vehicle, to near the Feruglio ridge. During the ride you will pass several landmarks including the base of the Continental Ice Institute, the 'lengas cemetary' and the Bosque de Loros (Parrot's Forest). En route you will stop at a mirador to take in the magnificent vistas to Laguna Anita, Mount Norte and the valley surrounding the estancia.

Leaving the vehicles behind, you start your walk in an area that once was covered by the Upsala Glacier and the effects of glacial erosion are evident in the polished black and red coloured rock beneath your feet. Walking on for just a short distance you will stop at the Upsala Refuge, the base camp for expeditions venturing onto the ice zone. Continuing, you ascend up and onto the ridge from where you will get the most fantastic panoramic view of the Upsala glacier flowing from the Southern Patagonian Ice Cap into Lake Argentino. The ice cap is the third largest amount of ice in the world and the biggest outside polar latitudes. Reluctantly leaving behind this awe inspiring view you begin your descent into fossil canyon. Many of the rocks in the area show numerous embedded fossils from the past marine ingressions when the Pacific Ocean covered most of Patagonia and some of these sedimentary rocks were formed. All this happened long before the Andes Range existed. Much later the landscape was sculpted by the incredible force of huge ice caps, and what you see today is a tiny memory of the last glaciation.

The colourful rock, deep water pools and scattered fossils make for a fascinating and absorbing walk and before you know it you will have reached the valley floor and the end of your hike. You then return to the Estancia for afternoon tea.

Overnight: Estancia Cristina

Day 9 - Walk to Mount Carnero, 650m/2,133ft - 4-5 hours.

Today's walk starts from Estancia Cristina and follows a trail heading southeast that was used in days gone by as a cattle trail. The trail is rocky underfoot but has good views of Lago Argentino throughout. As you ascend, the Cristina Channel, Estancia Cristina and the entire valley below, comes gradually into view. Your path takes you through a forest of lenga trees and past waterfalls formed from the ice melt off the mountain, until, eventually, you reach your final destination - Mount Carnero. From here you will enjoy magnificent, panoramic vistas of the Southern Andean mountain range, the Southern Patagonian Ice Field and the Mariano Moreno mountains.

Your trail back to the estancia follows a different route which goes around the Cristina Channel.

Back at Cristina, you will have time to relax after your walk and perhaps visit the museum to browse through the many fascinating artefacts it holds.

Overnight: Estancia Cristina

Day 10 - Morning walk. Transfer by boat back to El Calafate.

You will have time this morning for a further walk and exploration at Cristina if you like. Or you can simply relax and and enjoy your wonderful surroundings before boarding the boat back to Puerto Banderas Harbour,

Returning to Puerto Banderas you will then transfer back to your hotel. Later, you will travel in to Calafate for your evening meal.

Overnight: Hosteria La Estepa Or Similar, El Calafate

Day 11 - Full day at Perito Moreno Glacier with 'Nautical Safari' and time at the viewing galleries/trails.

Leaving El Calafate after breakfast, you will drive to the Perito Moreno Glacier - a journey of 80km taking around an hour. You will initially pass Lake Argentino with its Redonda Bay. The bay is home to a variety of birds including black-neck swans, flamingoes, vapor ducks, coot and cauquen (sheldgeese). During the first half of your drive you travel through the Patagonian Steppe then enter the National Park where you will see several varieties of trees and vegetation mostly made up of the “notofagus” family (ñires, guindos and lengas), seldom cinnamon trees, and flowers of different colors. Among the flowers the “notro” stands out because of its intense red color that corresponds to the Patagonian Andean Forest.

You arrive at the “Curva de los Suspiros” ('Curve of Sighs'), named because it is the first panoramic viewpoint of the Perito Moreno Glacier. You will stop briefly here to take photos before moving on to Bajo las Sombras Port. Here you will board a boat for your 'Nautical Safari' - a one hour long cruise through the southern arm of the iceberg channel that will give excellent views along the dramatic 60ft high front wall of the Perito Moreno Galcier wall. This will enable you to get a real sense of the sheer scale and power of this impressive natural wonder as the glacier calves slabs of ice into the waters in front of you. But don’t worry, your boat captain will keep you at a safe distance.

Back to the port, you next head to the footbridges, viewing galleries and walking trails around the glacier, that allow you to enjoy spectacular close-up views of the glacier. After some free time for walking and a lunch stop, you make your way back to El Calafate.

Overnight: Hosteria La Estepa Or Similar, El Calafate

Day 12 - Fly to Buenos Aires. Transfer to hotel.

Depending on the time of your flight, you may have time in El Calafate for some last minute souvenir shopping and lunch in a local restaurant, before being transferred to the airport for your flight to Buenos Aires. On arrival in Buenos Aires you will be transferred to your hotel. In the evening there will be a final, farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

If you wish to extend your time in Buenos Aires to explore this cosmopolitan and lively Latin capital, we are happy to arrange additional nights.

Overnight: Casa Sur Art Hotel Or Similar, Buenos Aires

Day 13 - Group transfer to airport. Fly to London.

Today you will be transferred to the international airport for your overnight flight to London.

Overnight: In flight

Day 14 - Arrive London.