South Patagonia

PATAGONIA CROSSING ADVENTURE
18 days/17 nights

The Patagonia Crossing Adventure starts as a road trip along the legendary Route 40, which runs from the north to south of Argentina along the foothills of the Andes. We will travel the southernmost section of the route 40, a gravel road across the Patagonian steppe visiting Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, probably the two most emblematic mountains of Patagonia. We then move to the Perito Moreno Glacier the only one in the world showing closure and rupture process, and then to Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. We eventually drive across the Magellan Strait into Tierra del Fuego to end our tour in the City at the end of the world.
This epic trip offers the very best of Patagonia, plenty of activities, spectacular scenery and camaraderie of fellow travelers. An experience of a lifetime!  

Highlights

•  Los Antiguos
•  Cueva de las Manos
•  Lake Posadas
•  Capri lagoon
•  River Oro Canyon
•  Lake Pueyrredon
•  El Calafate
•  El Chalten
•  Torres del Paine National Park
•  Las Torres, Ascensio River Valley
•  Lake Pehoe boat trip
•  French Valley
•  Puerto Natales
•  Perito Moreno Glacier
•  Lake Argentino
•  Mount Fitz Roy
•  Mount Torre
•  Ushuaia
•  Magellan's Strait
•  Tierra del Fuego National Park
•  Beagle Channel Navigation

Travel Style Adventure

Season: October through April

Beginning Day: Wednesday

Departure: Group

Minimum of passengers: No Minimum.

Difficulty: Low

Trip starts at: Comodoro Rivadavia Airport

Trip ends at: Ushuaia Airport

DAY / ITINERARY

01 Comodoro Rivadavia airport - Los Antiguos

02 Cueva de las Manos

03 River Oro Canyon, Lake Pueyrredon

04 Lake Posadas – El Chalten

05 Laguna Capri

06 Cerro Fitz Roy

07 Cerro Torre

08 Cerro Torre –El Chalten

09 El Chalten - El Calafate

10 Perito Moreno Glacier

11 El Calafate - Torres del Paine

12 Las Torres, Ascensio River Valley

13 Lake Pehoe boat trip French Valley

14 Viewpoints of Grey Glacier

15 Puerto Natales - Río Grande

16 Tierra del Fuego - Tierra Mayor Valley

17 Ushuaia - Tierra del Fuego National Park & Beagle Channel boat trip

18 Ushuaia - Ushuaia airport

LODGING

9 nights at Hostel u Hostería 7 nights at Full Camp 1 nights at a Mountain lodge

Price per person:

PATAGONIA CROSSING ADVENTURE
Hostel	USD 2,273.00
Double INN	USD 2,630.00
Single INN	USD 2,630.00

 

Itinerary

Day 1 Comodoro Rivadavia - Los Antiguos
Our trip begins 2 pm at the restaurant of Comodoro Rivadavia airport, which will be our meeting point. We travel southbound along the Atlantic coast skirting the Gulf San Jorge for 70 km to enter Caleta Olivia , the main oil producing city in Patagonia. From here we turn west to leave the Atlantic behind and start our approach to the Andes. After 350 km of paved road we reach Los Antiguos , on the shores of Lago Buenos Aires, the second largest lake in America after Titicaca. We are 2 km away from the Chilean border.
Lodging at Hosteria or Inn , double room with private bathroom.
Alternative: Single room with private bathroom.
Meals we provide: Dinner  

Day 2 Los Antiguos – Lago Posadas
From Los Antiguos, famous for its cherry production, we travel south along route 40 to get to the Pinturas River Canyon and visit the " Cueva de las Manos" (Cave of the Hands, literally), where ancient paintings dating 10,000 years can be found on its walls. We then travel west to Lago Posadas, small and picturesque town and the gateway to Lakes Posadas and Pueyrredón on the Argentinean side. This day we drive approximately 360 km , 60 of them paved.
Lodging at Hosteria or Inn, double room with private bathroom.Alternative: Single room with private bathroom.
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch, dinner

Day 3  Lago Posadas – Lake Pueyrredón
Lakes Posadas (blue) and Pueyrredón (green), separated by a narrow stripe of land, are probably two of the most beautiful lakes of southern Patagonia. They are situated in a large glacier valley, separating the Highlands of Lake Buenos Aires from Cerro San Lorenzo Massif . We use this day to visit this beautiful valley and the surroundings of both lakes. We will see strange and colorful rock formations, wetlands and birds.
Lodging at Hosteria double room with private bathroom . Alternative: Single room with private bathroom.
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch, dinner.

Day 4  Lago Posadas – El Chalten
After breakfast we get on the bus for the final sprint to El Chalten, some 550 km south. On our way, you will observe that different birds and flowers give life to this desert-type landscape. We have lunch in a Patagonian style stop-over place. The final 100 km westbound features Lake and Glacier Viedma and Fitz Roy massif and the spires of Cerro Torre group. Arrival to Chalten is scheduled around 7 pm.
Lodging in a hostel room with shared bathroom. Alternative: Hosteria or Inn, double or single room with private bathroom.
Meals we provide: Breakfast and dinner.

Day 5  Laguna Capri
We start our 4 day trek from El Chaltén by noon in order to join our fellow travelers arriving from Calafate this morning. We carry in our packs only the necessary items for the 3 nights and 4 days during which we'll spend the nights in our Full Camps inside the National Park.
We hike up a gentle slope on Fitz Roy trail to gain elevation over the River de las Vueltas valley up to the first viewpoints over Fitz Roy massif. Our hike to Laguna Capri will take us no more than two and a half hours, on a clear and easy trail. Once in our Laguna Capri Full Camp , we will leave our belongings in our tents and we will enjoy an afternoon walk to the sightseeing points around the lagoon. Full Camps are pitched up early in the season, so we find the camp ready upon arrival. It offers comfortable, 3 people igloo type tents for each 2 passengers, with mattresses and sleeping bags. An inside cotton sheet is provided as inner lining for the sleeping bag. The camp also features a spacious dining tent, a kitchen tent, tables, benches or chairs and a full set of table service and kitchenware. The sanitary services are latrine-type.
Lodging at Laguna Capri Full Camp in double or single tent (rural area)
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch, dinner.  

Day 6  Cerro Fitz Roy, Laguna de los Tres
Early in the morning, before the first coffee, we can try to catch the morning light pink hues on Fitz Roy granite walls. The breathtaking light show is all you may need to feel that this trip is worth your while. But of course the day offers much more.
After breakfast, carrying only day personal items such as our parka, gloves, camera, water bottle and boxed lunch, we will hike along Fitz Roy trail up to Rio Blanco, climbers' base camp ton the east side of the mountain. From here a steep trail leads us to one of the most spectacular viewpoints of the national park, the turquoise blue colored Laguna de los Tres, offering full close up views of Fitz Roy massif spires and glaciers. Each wall rises anywhere from 600 to 1500 meters above the surrounding glaciers. Mount Fitz Roy, rising 3405 meters above sea level, is considered the "King of Patagonia" and also considered one of the three most beautiful mountains on Earth (together with Alpamayo in Perú and K2 in the Karakoram). We hike back to Laguna Capri in the late afternoon. Walking time is 5 to 6 hrs.
Lodging at Laguna Capri Full Camp in double or single tent (rural area)
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch, dinner.

Day 7  Cerro Torre
Today we make it around Laguna Capri to get to the valley of the Lagoons Madre and Hija and down to Fitz Roy river valley, where we meet Cerro Torre trail and we get to Cerro Torre Full Camp. The trail runs along beech forest, bogs and shrub land. From the camp, a short hike takes us to Laguna Torre, enclosed by moraines and with the Glacier Grande carving its west side. It is not unusual to see icebergs pushed by the wind onto the shore of the lagoon. The thin and elegant Cerro Torre group some 3128 meter high spire and the Adela range in the background complete this spectacular view. Walking time 3 to 4 hours.
Lodging at Cerro Torre Full Camp in double or single tent (rural area)
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch, dinner.  

Day 8  Lagoon & Glacier Torre – El Chalten
In the morning we visit Laguna Torre again to reach the old Maestro base camp, located on a high side up along the north moraine of the lagoon. For keen hikers, we offer an optional excursion, the so called “Holiday on Ice”: early start, crampons and harnesses, a Tyrolean (horizontal fixed rope attached to both sides of a river) to cross Fitz Roy river , and we visit Glacier Grande , where we will visit crevices, ice caves and we'll practice ice climbing under the guidance of the experienced mountain guides.
Late in the afternoon we walk back to Chaltén along Fitz Roy river valley. Total estimated time of the standard day: 4 to 5 hrs. If you go on the “ Holiday on Ice” trek, it is 7 hours plus the trail back to Chalten which is two and a half hours more.
Lodging in a Hostel room with shared bathroom.Alternative: Hosteria or Inn , double or single room with private bathroom.
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.
Optional excursion: Holiday on Ice  

Day 9  El Chalten – El Calafate
Morning at your own to visit the picturesque village or to make optional excursions such as Lago del Desierto . In spite of its name, it is a beautiful lake, surrounded by a beech forest, with hanging glaciers on its west side. By 5 pm we take a bus to our next destination , El Calafate , gateway for the glaciers area of the Park. Arrival time is scheduled for 9 pm. Driving distance: 220 km
Lodging in a Hostel room with shared bathroom.Alternative: Hosteria, double or single room with private bathroom.
Meals we provide: Breakfast.  

Day 10  El Calafate – Perito Moreno Glacier
We dedicate this day to one of the World's Natural Wonders: the Moreno Glacier. This ice field- type glacier flows down from the Patagonian Ice Field, which with its 22.000 square kilometers is the third largest glacier area in the world, after Antarctica ( 14 M sq km) and Greenland ( 1 M sq km). Because unusual favorable local conditions, this glacier is the only one in the world that shows a closure and rupture process. The road leads to the very front of the glacier, which will be only meters away from your eyes. A beautiful short trail will lead us from the shores of the lake to the upper viewpoints. The roar of the chunks of ice falling inside the glacier or from the glacier into the lake, the frequent collapse of the front seracs into the turquoise water, makes this day a very special and unique experience. We will drive 80 km (1 and a half hour) to get to and come back from the glacier across the steppe, watching a wide variety of birds.
Lodging in a Hostel double or triple room with private bathroom. Meals we provide: Breakfast.  

Day 11 El Calafate – Torres del Paine National Park
Early start for a 6 am drive to our camp in Paine. We drive across the steppe, still following in some parts the legendary route 40 to get around Sierra de los Baguales, an impressive range between Calafate and Paine. We cross the Argentinean - Chilean border at Cancha Carrera/ Cerro Castillo. After the border crossing, we start our final sprint to Paine National Park, declared World Heritage by the UNESCO (United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization). Approaching the Park, we start to see the different mountains that characterize the area: Paine Grande, the Horns, Admiral Nieto and the Towers. We enter the Park by Porteria Sarmiento. A rich wildlife abounds here: guanacos, lesser rheas, condors and all types of wetland and buzzard birds will be available for our eyes and cameras. We'll stop in the Lake Nordenskjöld and in Salto Grande viewpoints for short walks. In the afternoon we continue to visit the westernmost side of the National Park, Lake Grey area, where a short and easy hike along the south shore of the lake allows us to enjoy the blue icebergs which after breaking off the glacier in the northern side of the lake are pushed by the wind to this side.
Lake Pehoe Full Camp keeps the style of Laguna Capri and Cerro Torre Full Camps, but adds the first class facilities such as good and clean bathrooms and hot water showers, water and electricity in each camping site.
Lodging at Camping Pehoe Full Camp in double or single tent (area with sanitary services)
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch, dinner.  

Day 12 Paine Towers – Ascensio River Valley
We drive to get to Estancia Cerro Paine, trailhead for the world famous Paine towers. We "warm up" hiking a steep slope for one hour to get inside the Ascensio river valley, a narrow “V” shape alpine valley coming from inside the Paine massif. A gentle downhill leads us to Refugio Chileno , a cozy and comfortable mountain lodge, which can be a good turnaround point for those not willing to make a full day hike. We then walk up a gentle slope along the river side and inside beech forest. A final climb on moraine take us to the Towers viewpoint: a lagoon of glacier origin and the three towers rising vertically 1000 meters from the glacier. The lack of breath you might experience will be either because of the climb or because of the sight!!!! We go back to our camp the same way we came up. Walking time: 7 to 8 hours
Lodging at Camping Pehoe Full Camp in double or single tent (area with sanitary services)
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch, dinner.

Day 13  Lake Pehoe crossing – French Valley
Early in the morning a short drive takes us to Port Pudeto to board the catamaran which crosses Lake Pehoe twice a day. We carry only the necessary belongings to stay two days and one night away from our Camping Pehoe Full Camp , where the rest of our luggage will stay. Once in the far side of the lake, we leave unnecessary items in our tents and we set out to the French Valley trail . The trail skirts Paine Grande south slopes and Lake Skottberg , to take us after two and a half hours of continuous ups and downs, to the hanging bridge over the French River. This breathtaking location is at the foot of both the 2700 meters southeast face of Paine Grande (to the west) and the Horns, with its characteristic black sedimentary topping, to the east. Keen hikers can go on and reach the upper viewpoints of the valley, from where you see the whole group of spires that feature the high valley: Hoja (Blade), Máscara (Mask), Espada (Sword), Catedral (Cathedral), Aleta de Tiburón (Shark Fin) and the magnificent Fortaleza (The Fortress).
Walking time for those who reach the upper viewpoints is 8 to 9 hours. For those reaching the lower viewpoints it is 5 to 6.
We retrace our steps back to Refugio Pehoe Full Camp.
Lodging at Refugio Pehoe Full Camp in double or single tent (area with sanitary services)
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch, dinner.

Day 14  Glaciar Grey viewpoints – Puerto Natales
Lake Grey trail leads from Pehoe Valley across ridges to reach Grey Valley. This magnificent valley flows down some 60 km from the Patagonian Ice field, featuring the huge glacier calving down into the grey color lake. Our trail skirts the lake, going up and down the western slopes of Paine Grande, offering some of the most impressive sights of the Park. From the high sections of the trail, many different viewpoints allow us to see the south end of the lake where the blue icebergs gather, the mountains rising far in the distance above glaciers Grey and Tyndall, and of course Lake and Glacier Grey. The trail reaches a close up point to the front of the glacier. We come back along the same trail, crossing bogs, shrub lands and forest. In the evening we take the boat to cross Lake Pehoe back and then we go to our accommodation in Puerto Natales , a picturesque fishermen town located on the shores of the Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope) fiord.
Lodging in a Hostel room with shared bathroom.
Alternative: Hosteria or Inn, double or single room with private bathroom. Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch.

Day 15  Puerto Natales – Río Grande
Long drive today, though quite beautiful. We continue south to reach the legendary Magellan Strait, which we will keep in sight up to Primera Angostura, where we board the ferry on which we will cross the strait. This passage, discovered by Hernando de Magallanes in 1520, was the natural and logical way for all the vessels until de Panama Channel was opened at the beginning of the 20th century. You will find yourself wondering how those brave men dare to sail those waters in such fragile ships!
Once in Tierra del Fuego which means literally, Land of Fire, we enter back to Argentina through Paso San Sebastian. It takes a couple more hours to reach Estancia Las Hijas, where our Full Camp will be waiting for us, as well as a lamb cooked in the classical Patagonian barbecue style. A dinning saloon, toilettes and showers are available tonight. Lodging at Full Camp in double or single tent (area with sanitary services)
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch, dinner.

Day 16 Río Grande - Tierra Mayor Valley
In the morning we learn about the ranch activities and how dogs deal with the sheep. By mid morning we continue south to Solar del Bosque, a small and cozy mountain refuge located in the Tierra Mayor Valley, where we will spend the rest of the day. After lunch, those who wish can visit Laguna Esmeralda on their own, a beautiful lagoon with Glacier Ojos del Albino in the background (a quite easy trail). On the way back to our lodge we cross terrain that has been modified by the beavers, which were introduced to the area from Canada by the middle of the last century.
Lodging in Mountain Lodge with shared bedrooms and bathrooms
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch, dinner.  

Day 17 Ushuaia – Tierra del Fuego National Park – Beagle Channel boat trip
We leave behind the valley and a half an hour drive takes us to Ushuaia, the southernmost city of the World. We leave our luggage in our hostel or hotel (we will not check in, as it is still early in the morning) and continue to Tierra del Fuego National Park. This National Park is in the southwest corner of the Argentinean side of the Island, thus on the border with Chile. The main attraction of the Park and the whole Island actually are the mountains coming down to the sea. We make a short hike in this area. In the afternoon, a boat trip in the Beagle channel allows us to see the different species of sea birds and mammals that live in this corner of the Earth.
Lodging in a Hostel room with shared bathroom.
Alternative: Hosteria or Inn, double or single room with private bathroom. Meals we provide: Breakfast and box lunch

Day 18 Ushuaia – Ushuaia Airport
Morning at your own to visit the town, which is located on the north coast of the Beagle Channel. Then town features interesting museums and its typical architecture. In the afternoon we are transferred to Ushuaia airport to take our flight to Buenos Aire . Our services end at the airport.  

Services details

Included

•  All Transfers between hotels and airport/bus station

•  17 Night Accommodation

•  13 boxed lunches

•  13 dinners

•  Breakfasts

•  Described tours

•  Bilingual tour leader during all the activities

•  Mountain guides while on trek

•  Moreno Glacier excursion

•  Lake Pehoe boat trips (in and out).

•  Beagle channel boat trip.

•  All transfers Comodoro Rivadavia airport – Los Antiguos – Lago Posadas - El Chalten – El Calafate – Torres del Paine – Puerto Natales - Río Grande – Ushuaia – Ushuaia Airport.

•  During the trip we combine private and regular buses.

•  Lodging as shown below.

Not included  

•  Domestic and international flights

•  Medical, life or Travel insurance**

•  Tips

•  Entrance fee to Cueva de las Manos.

•  Entrance fees to National Parks.

•  Drinks and beverages (all foods are without alcoholic or non alcoholic drinks).

•  Port tax at Ushuaia.

•  Optional excursions.

•  Services not shown or detailed in the program.

Additional notes

*IMPORTANT  

**We strongly recommend that you buy travel insurance. Please contact us for more information or click on our travel insurance link.

Notes

•  The tour operator holds the right to change the itinerary or cancel any of the activities when any natural cause (or any other cause of any type) justifies it in order to look after the groups' safety.

•  Weather in Patagonia is unpredictable. Not very cold, but it is usually windy. To dress in layers is the best advice.

•  Regular departures from October to April ( 1 or 2 a week)

•  High season supplement from Nov 1, 2008 to Jan 31, 2009.-

Meeting Point

The Meeting Point for the Group on Day 1 is at 2 pm at the Restaurant of the Comodoro Rivadavia Airport . This Meeting Point can be modified and will be confirmed upon booking confirmation of the passenger

Accommodation

Double or Single Room with Private Bathroom
These alternative lodges are shown in the following chart, in double base or single base during all the trip but one night (at Solar del Bosque, in which this option is not available)
They differ from the previous ones where passengers stay in Hotels, Hosterias or Inns in double room with private bathroom (not in a Hostel) and the single room option is available.
When you choose single base, you have single base accommodations at the Full Camp tents too

NIGHTS

01

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17

(PAC 01) Hosteria double room with private bathroom.

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Full Camp double base (rural area)

X

X

X

Full Camp double base (area with sanitary services)

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Mountain Refuge with shared room and bathroom

X

(PAC 02) Single Base option available

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Base Accommodation (PAC – 00 ) Hostel Room

The Base Offer ( Patagonia crossing) lodge is shown in the following chart.

NIGHTS	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
(PAC 00) Hosteria double room with private bathroom.	X	X	X
Hostel room with shared bathroom				X				X	X	X				X			X
Full Camp double base (rural area)					X	X	X
Full Camp double base (area with sanitary services)											X	X	X		X
Mountain Refuge with shared room and bathroom																X

Meals
Meals included in the trip are shown in the following chart.

DAYS

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05

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Breakfast

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Box Lunch

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Dinner

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

 

List of suggested personal equipment

• Backpack, 50 liters or so
• Sleeping bag down or synthetic for -10º C (18 deg F)
• Sleeping mattress
• Trekking shoes or boots
• Thermal underwear
• Trekking pants
• Fleece
• Breathable parka and over pants
• Parka and over pants
• Gaiters
• Gloves
• Thermal socks
• The necessary spare cloth
• Wool hat
• Sun hat
• Sun glasses
• Sun screen (UV is very strong during the southern spring, from September through December)
• Personal items
• Lamp
• Trekking poles (recommended, if you are used to them)
• Personal medication
• Personal documents to cross the border between Argentina and Chile

We have plenty of itineraries for hiking & adventure in Patagonia and other destinations in Argentina / Chile. Contact us for more information if you think that this one is not fitting your interest.

Prices are per person based in a double room accommodation and are subject to change without any notice.Please be advise that hotel category rating in Argentina & South America frequently does not correspond to the star rating in the US especially when it comes to 3* & 4* hotels. Eureka Travel is not responsible for such discrepancy.

Eureka Travel strongly recommends travel insurance for your trips. Check the prices and book it in our webpage.

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