An overland adventure trekking journey to experience all the captivating beauty of Patagonia. From Comodoro Rivadavia starts an overland itinerary through the legendary Route 40, a gravel road across the isolated Patagonia steppe, visiting the 10.000 years old Hand-painted Cave on Río Pinturas canyon (Cueva de las Manos), and trekking at Río Oro canyon with fantastic views of Cerro San Lorenzo. Back on the road, heading towards El Chalten, trekking capital of Southern Patagonia, to trek around the base of Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, then visiting the Perito Moreno Glacier in El Calafate. Crossing to Chile to hike in Torres del Paine National Park around Lakes Grey and Pehoe. Again on the road going south to Puerto Natales, crossing the Magellan Strait to Tierra del Fuego and reach Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, to finish with an adventure tour to trek in Tierra del Fuego National Park besides de Beagle Channel. In this full adventure trekking tour you will walk along all the spectacular landscapes of Southern Patagonia. If you want to make it really complete, before the PAC you can take the XPV - Peninsula de Valdes to start with an unforgettable wildlife adventure visiting the marine wildlife natural reserve at Puerto Madryn, Peninsula Valdes, with whales, dolphins, penguins, seals, sea lions and marine elephants. The XPV + PAC is a complete 3 weeks Patagonia trip.

Departures 2016/2017:
    18 days - 17 nights

    Season: October to April

    Begins: Wednesdays

Starts at: Comodoro Rivadavia Airport (CDR). The Meeting Point for the Group on Day 1 is at 2 PM at the Restaurant of the Comodoro Rivadavia Airport.
Ends at: Ushuaia Airport (USH).

Itinerary
Day 1: Comodoro Rivadavia – Los Antiguos
Our journey begins from the town of Comodoro Rivadavia, going 70 Km south to visit the town of Caleta Olivia bordering the San Matias Gulf on the Atlantic Ocean coast. From there we will cross the Patagonia to the West to move away from the sea and towards the Andes mountains to arrive after 350 km of paved road to the town of Los Antiguos, located on the southern shore of Lago Buenos Aires, the second largest lake in America after Titicaca, 2 Km from the border with Chile, with views of the Cordillera de los Andes mountain range. (total approx. 420 km / 260 miles).
Lodging at Inn Double room with private bathroom
Lodge option: Inn Single room with private bathroom
Included meals: dinner (D)

Day 2: Los Antiguos – Cueva de las Manos
After a short visit we leave from Los Antiguos town, famous for its cherry production, towards the south along Route 40 to arrive to the Río Pinturas canyon. We follow the river with our vehicle and then we cross it by foot to reach after a short walk the access to the hand-painted cave "Cueva de las Manos", an impressive place with ancient paintings from 10.000 years ago of human hands and animals made by the first inhabitants of Patagonia. Unlike conventional tours, we will have plenty of time to visit the areas, as we only have to drive 20 km back to our accommodation at the Refugio in the Estancia “Cueva de las Manos” (total approx. 165 km/100 miles).
Lodging at Refuge in the Estancia with shared room and bathroom.
Included meals : breakfast (B), box lunch (BL) and dinner (D)

Day 3: Estancia “Cueva de las Manos” - Lake Pueyrredon
We enjoy the Estancia and by mid morning we continue our trip to the town of Lago Posadas. The Lake Posadas with blue waters and Lake Pueyrredón with green waters, separated by a narrow stripe of land ( 100 m / 328 ft), are probably two of the most beautiful lakes of Southern Patagonia. They lay in a large glacier valley, separating the Highlands of Lake Buenos Aires from Cerro San Lorenzo massif, the highest peak in Patagonia (3706 m / 12159 ft). We use this day to visit this beautiful valley and the surroundings of both lakes. We will see strange and colourful rock formations, wetlands and birds (total approx. 186 km/115 miles).
Lodging at Inn Double room with private bathroom
Lodge option: Inn Single room with private bathroom
Included meals : breakfast (B), box lunch (BL) and dinner (D)

Day 4: Lago Posadas – El Chalten
After breakfast we depart in our bus to El Chalten. We travel a long road where we will be able to appreciate the different birds and fauna of Patagonia that will give life to the dessert-type landscape. We stop to have lunch at a typical Patagonia saloon close to Cardiel Lake. The final 100 km westbound features lake and glacier Viedma and the spires of Fitz Roy massif and Cerro Torre group. We estimate to arrive at El Chalten around 7 PM. (total approx. 550 Km / 341 miles)
Lodging at Hostel shared room & bathroom
Lodge option: Inn Double or Single Room with private bathroom
Included meals : breakfast (B) and dinner (D)

Day 5: El Chalten - Capri Lagoon - Poincenot
We start our four days trekking from El Chalten around noon when we join our fellow travelers coming from El Calafate. Leaving part of our belongings secure at Chalten, we carry only the necessary for these two nights where we will lodge at the campsites inside Los Glaciares National Park. We hike up a beautiful trail next to ¨Las Vueltas¨ river that will take us to the first panoramic views of the Mount Fitz Roy. From now on, we will be approaching to De los Patos Lagoon and then next to the Capri Lagoon. In approx. one more hour finally we will arrive to our camp at Poincenot. (3-4 hs approx.) The Camp has been previously mounted, featuring spacious 3 people dome tents, used in double or single base. Each tent has sleeping bags, inner sheet and insulating mattresses. The camp has a large dining tent with table, benches, dishes and kitchenware. The sanitary services are provided with chemical bathrooms or latrine type. We leave our belongings in our tent and we enjoy an afternoon walk to the sightseeing points around the lagoon.
Lodging at Poincenot Full Camp double or single tent (rural area - without showers).
Included meals: breakfast (B), box lunch (BL) and dinner (D)

Day 6: Mount Fitz Roy - De Los Tres Lagoon
Trekking. Early in the morning and carrying only your coat and the photo camera we can try to match up the morning sunlight getting pink in Fitz Roy granite walls. You only need this to feel the trip is worthwhile. After breakfast, carrying only day personal items such as our polar & wind jacket, gloves, our camera, water bottle and the box lunch we provide, we overcome the "Chorrillo del Salto", always with the impressive needles of the glacier in front of us. The first 2 hours are mainly flat, through forest and open areas along Fitz Roy trail up to Rio Blanco, with diverse bird life, until reaching Fitz Roy base, climbers basecamp on the east side of the mountain. From here it is a 400 m/1300 ft climb to the De los Tres lagoon on a steep trail that takes us around one hour and a half at gentle pace. This walk is one of the highlights in Los Glaciares National Park: Laguna de los Tres, with its zephyr blue colour, lays at the foot of the Fitz Roy massif, offering the views of Mts. Poincenot, Fitz Roy and the other peaks surrounding them are splendid, their needles rise up vertically in front of us approx. 1500 m over the glaciers. Mt. Fitz Roy, with its 3405 mts 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 return to Poincenot in late afternoon. Walking time 5 - 6 Hs.
Lodging at Poincenot Full Camp double or single tent (rural area - without showers).
Included meals: breakfast (B), box lunch (BL) and dinner (D)

Day 7: Mount Torre - El Chalten
Trekking. Today we start one hour walking to the Lagoons Madre and Hija Valley and down to Fitz Roy river valley, where we meet Cerro Torre trail. The trail runs along beech forest, bogs and shrubland. From the camp, a short hike takes us to Laguna Torre, enclosed by morraines and with the Glacier Grande calving in its west side. It is usual to see icebergs pushed by the wind in the coast of the lagoon. The thin and elegant 3128 mts of Cerro Torre group and the Adela range in the background complete this spectacular view. In the evening we hike back to El Chalten along Cerro Torre trail. Walking time 3-4 Hs. to Cerro Torre plus 3-4 Hs. back to Chalten
Lodging at Hostel shared room & bathroom
Lodge option: Inn Double or Single Room with private bathroom
Included meals: breakfast (B) and box lunch (BL)

Day 8: El Chalten - Loma del Pliegue Tumbado
This mountain, 1500 mts tall, is located immediately south of Cerro Torre valley and offers some of the best views over the different group of mountains, glaciers and lakes that features the area. From the lower terraces to the summit, you can get spectacular views of Fitz Roy, Torre and the spectacular glacier valley in between both. From the summit the bonus is the sight of Paso del Viento and some of the mountains that stick out from the Patagonian Icefield. According to the group capacity, we choose the lower terraces or try the summit, a long but gentle climb in scree. The lower part of the mountain is covered by shrubland and forest. We are back in Chalten by late afternoon.
Lodging at Hostel shared room & bathroom
Lodge option: Inn Double or Single Room with private bathroom
Included meals: breakfast (B), box lunch (BL) and dinner (D)

Day 9: El Chalten - El Calafate
Free day. We recommend the Optional excursions offered in the town, such as Viedma Ice trek. Trekking on glacier, using crampons. This activity is physical demanding, but allow us to enjoy a trek on ice and a boat trip in Viedma Lake. Also, you can discover the town or other optional excursions with less physical effort. You can choose to explore the picturesque village of El Chalten, with the possibility of visiting The Climbers Chapel; or the estancia Madsen, home of one of the pioneering families in the area; or the Interpretive Center of National Parks. Or you can take optional excursions taking a bus to visit the area of Del Desierto Lake for a short hiking, that in spite of its name it's a beautiful beech forest surrounded lake, with hanging glaciers in its west side and it's located 45 Km out of town. Other options could be kayaking on Las Vueltas river or sailing on Viedma Lake. Around 5 PM we take the bus to El Calafate, the gateway to the huge glaciers inside the National Park, arriving there around 9 PM. Driving distance: 220 km.
Lodging at Hostel shared room & bathroom
Lodge option: Inn Double or Single Room with private bathroom
Included meals: breakfast (B)

Day 10: El Calafate - Perito Moreno Glacier
We dedicate this day to one of the World’s Natural Wonders: the Perito Moreno glacier. After breakfast we travel by bus, on a road that allows us to go through the folds left on the steppe by the glaciers, to the Magallanes peninsula where the southern entrance of Los Glaciares National Park is located. Its major attraction is the Perito Moreno Glacier which, because of unusually favorable local conditions, is one of the world’s few advancing glaciers. This ice field-type glacier flows down from the Patagonia Icefield, a big ice surface that with its 22.000 square kilometres is the third largest glacier area in the world, after Antarctica (14 M sq km) and Greenland (1 M sq km). The Perito Moreno Glacier is the only one in the world that shows a closure and rupture process. Huge icebergs from the glacier wall collapse into the De los Tempanos Channel. The roar of the gigantic ice rocks falling and crashing into the waters of the channel is a unique experience. Our bus will lead us just in front of the Glacier, allowing us to walk and view the Glacier from different viewpoints. We return to El Calafate using a different route. We will drive 80 km (1 and a half hour) to get and then again to come back from the glacier across the steppe, watching a wide variety of birds.
Lodging at Hostel shared room & bathroom
Lodge option: Inn Double or Single Room with private bathroom
Included meals: breakfast (B)

Day 11: El Calafate - Torres del Paine National Park
We depart early in the morning (around 7 AM) from El Calafate to Torres del Paine for a 6 Hs drive through a spectacular landscape of the Patagonia steppe, following by parts the legendary Route 40, to get around Sierra de los Baguales, an impressive range in between Calafate and Paine. Choiques and flamingos are very common in this area. Almost 4 hours from starting our journey, we will be at the border crossing between Chile and Argentina called Paso Cancha Carrera - Cerro Castillo. We continue until we reach the Torres del Paine National Park. UNESCO gave to this park the World Heritage status, due to its unique wildlife and magnificent scenery. During our entrance to the Torres del Paine National Park, we start to see the different mountains that feature the area: Paine Grande, the Horns, Admiral Nieto and the Towers. We enter the Park by Porteria Sarmiento. A rich wildlife: guanacos, lesser rheas, condors and all types of wetland and buzzard birds, will be available for our eyes and cameras. We will stop at viewpoints for short 1 to 2 Hs. walks, to get familiar with the landscape, to finally reach our camp at the foot of Paine massif, after 6 hs of travel.
Lodging at Las Torres Full Camp double or single tent (with bathrooms/showers).
Included meals: breakfast (B), box lunch (BL) and dinner (D)

Day 12: Las Torres - Ascensio river Valley
We dedicate this day to one of the most spectacular and classical trekking in the park: the Torres Trail. Early in the morning we start walking towards the bridge over the Ascensio river, headtrail for the world famous Paine towers. We "warm up" hiking a steep one hour slope, ascending the slopes of the Almirante Nieto Mount, bordering the Ascencio river. to get inside the valley itself, a narrow "V" shape alpine valley coming from inside the Paine massif. A gentle downhill leads us to Chileno Refuge, a cozy and comfortable mountain lodge, which can be a good turnaround point for those not willing to make a full day hike. But we don't recommend it as the best is yet to come. From there the trail leads us through the beech forest walking in a gentle slope along the river side, in the middle of unforgettable landscapes, to Las Torres base camp. There the climbers wait good weather conditions to climb Las Torres. We take a final climb through the boulders of the morraine, it's one hour to reach the Las Torres Viewpoint: an amazing natural amphitheater at the bottom of the vertical granite towers with a glacier-fed lagoon and the three towers rising vertically 1000 mts from the glacier and reaching 2800 meters height above sea level. The lack of breath will be both because the climb and the sight. We go back to our camp on the same way we came. Walking time: 7 to 8 Hs.
Lodging at Las Torres Full Camp in double or single tent (with bathrooms/showers).
Included meals: breakfast (B), box lunch (BL) and dinner (D)

Day 13: Pehoe Lake crossing Navigation - Del Frances Valley
Early in the morning a 1 h drive takes us to Port Pudeto to board the catamarán that crosses lake Pehoe twice a day. We cross sailing 45 minutes the Pehoe Lake and arrive at the Pehoe Refuge area in the far side of the lake. We leave unnecessary items in our tents and walk from there until reaching Del Frances (French) Valley. It’s a beautiful mountain valley descending from the middle of the massif towards the Nordenskjold Lake. Flanked by The Horns to the east and by the impressive Paine Grande (3050 meters /10006 ft) to the west. The trail skirts Paine Grande south slopes and lake Skottberg, to take us after 2 hs and a half of continuous ups and downs, to the hanging bridge upon the French River. This breathtaking location is at the foot of both the 2700 mts south east face of Paine Grande (to the west) and the Horns, with its characteristic black sedimentary topping, to the east. We continue ascending the valley walking 1 hour further by Italian camp until we reach the upper viewpoints located in a natural amphitheater surrounded by some of the most wonderful needles and walls of the massif: Cuernos, Espada (Sword), Mascara (Mask), Hoja (Blade), Aleta de Tiburon (Shark Fin), Catedral (Cathedral), Fortaleza (Fortress) and Paine Grande. The forest and the suspended glaciers that cause continuous ice and snow fallings, give us a unique scenery to this walk. We descend the same trail and turn west rounding Skottberg Lake until we arrive to our Camp for this night at Pehoe Refuge area. Walking time for those who reach the upper viewpoints: 8 to 9 hs. For those reaching the lower viewpoints: 5 to 6 hs.
Lodging at Refugio Pehoe Full Camp in double or single tent (with bathrooms/showers).
Included meals: breakfast (B), box lunch (BL) and dinner (D)

Day 14: Grey Glacier Viewpoints
Another unforgettable day dedicated to the Grey Glacier, impressive glacier with 300 square kilometers of surface (115 square miles) and 25 kilometers long (16 miles). It overflows from the Patagonia Ice Field falling into Grey Lake. The Glacier produces enormous amount of blue icebergs that sail over the lake pushed by the wind towards the south, given the characteristic feature to this lake. Lake Grey trail leads from Pehoe Valley across ridges to reach Grey valley. The trail skirts the lake, going up and down the westerns slopes of Paine Grande, offering some of the most impressive sights of the Park, leading us to a wonderful viewpoint where we can appreciate the whole lake, the glacier and the mountains that emerge from the west of the Ice Field. 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. Two more hours walking and we arrive to another viewpoint just in front of the Glacier. All the trek is done between Andean bushes and lengas forest, at the shadow of the ice blocks that drape the Mount Paine Grande. We come back along the same trail, crossing bogs, shrublands and forest. At the end of the day we sail back again the Pehoe Lake to the south shore and then we go to our accommodation in Puerto Natales, a picturesque fishermen town located in the shores of the Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope) fjord. We walk this day about 8 Hs. To the half way viewpoints, round way from our camp, 4 to 5 Hs.
Lodging at Hostel shared room & bathroom
Lodge option: Inn Double or Single Room with private bathroom.
Included meals: breakfast (B) and box lunch (BL)

Day 15: Puerto Natales - Rio Grande
Long drive today, though quite worthwhile. We leave Puerto Natales down south to reach the southernmost part of the continent, the legendary Magellan Strait, which we will keep on sight up to Primera Angostura, where we board the Ferry in which we will cross the Strait. This Pass, discovered to the europeans by Hernando de Magallanes in 1520 (actually it was discovered by the first America inhabitants 10000 years before), was the natural and logical way to all vessels until de Panama Channel was open at the beginning of the 20th century. You will find yourselves wondering how those brave men dare to sail those waters in such fragile caravels. Once in Tierra del Fuego (literally, Land of Fire, due to the fires seen in the coast by the first european sailors, done by the local people to cook and heat) we enter back Argentina through Paso San Sebastián. 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 (with bathrooms/showers).
Included meals: breakfast (B), box lunch (BL) and dinner (D)

Day 16: Rio Grande - Tierra el Fuego National Park
In the morning we learn about the ranch activities and how dogs deal with the sheep. By mid morning we continue south to visit Lago Fagnano in the middle of Andes Mountains, following to our last destination: Ushuaia, the southernmost city of the World. In the afternoon we continue to Tierra del Fuego National Park. This National Park is in the south west corner of the argentinean side of the Island, thus in 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.
Lodging at Hostel shared room & bathroom.
Lodge option: Inn Double or Single Room with private bathroom
Included meals: breakfast (B) and box lunch (BL)

Day 17: Ushuaia – Beagle Channel Boat trip
After breakfast we transfer to the touristic pier and get on board to our boat trip in the legendary Beagle Channel. We visit Alicia Island where we will watch a colony of Sea Lions, the Island of Birds where we can see Cormorants and the Light House Les Eclaireurs built by 1919. In addition to the great scenery, we should see many species of marine mammals and birds. We get back to the port while we watch the Darwin range to the West and the Andes above Ushuaia. The Beagle Channel, in the south shore of the Tierra del Fuego Island, forms part of the border between Argentina and Chile. The afternoon is at leisure and you can take Optional Excursions. In the evening we enjoy our last dinner in the southernmost city in the World.
Lodging at Hostel shared room & bathroom
Lodge option: Inn Double or Single Room with private bathroom
Included meals: breakfast (B)
Optional excursion (recommended): Estancia Harberton with Penguin colony. (This excursion is not included in the program).

Day 18: Ushuaia City – Ushuaia Airport (USH)
Morning at your own to visit the town, which is located in the north coast of the Beagle channel. The town features interesting museums and its typical architecture. In the afternoon we are transferred to Ushuaia Airport. End of the Adventure Trip.
Included meals: breakfast (B)

Price (u$d):

Lodging type	Departure Month
	[ Oct - Feb - Mar - Apr ]	[ Nov - Dec - Jan ]
Hostel, shared	3863	4075
Inn Double	4219	4432
Inn Single	5075	5288

Included services: Bilingual tour leader during all the trip, trekking/mountain guide while on trek, cook, buses (combined private & regular), 10 nights hostel or inn, 1 night Estancia w/shared dorms & bathrooms and 6 nights full camping (igloo tents double base with sleeping bags, interior sheets and insulating mattresses, dinner tents with table, benches and kitchenware, cooking tent), 17 breakfast (B), 12 box lunch (BL) and 12 dinners (D), all transfers in Patagonia and trekking activities. Transfer Comodoro Rivadavia Airport – El Chalten with private transportation, Perito Moreno Glacier Excursion, Pehoe Lake Navigation (in & out), Beagle Channel Boat trip. More information

Not included services: international and domestic flights, airport taxes, transfers in Buenos Aires, nights in Buenos Aires, drinks, foods not detailed, tickets entrance to 4 National Parks (5/10 u$d ea.), medical covering, tips, optional excursions Viedma Lake, Lago Argentino Navigation and Estancia Haberton, port tax, services not detailed in the program. More information