Patagonia Travel Tour 268

1. Arrival in Buenos Aires. || -34.816305367368194, -58.537317883413266

2. Flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. || -54.80358548291782, -68.30384348542952

Ushuaia is a resort town in Argentina. It's located on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, the southernmost tip of South America, nicknamed the “End of the World.” The windswept town, perched on a steep hill, is surrounded by the Martial Mountains and the Beagle Channel. It's the gateway to Antarctica cruises and tours to nearby Isla Yécapasela, known as “Penguin Island” for its penguin colonies.

3. Transfer to hotel

4. Hotel check in

5. Free time

6. Night in Ushuaia

1. Breakfast at hotel. || -54.837896843809474, -68.36657679425103

2. Beagle Channel Navigation: Sea Lions and Penguin Island. || -54.83071314532056, -68.31293571990369

We start the navigation from the touristic pier of the city to the southeast. Navigation in Ushuaia bay, we will have the city in front of us, seeing the prison, the factories zone and parallel to the coast we start leaving the city behind us to get into the quietness and freshness of Beagle Channel. With Oliva and CincoHermanos hills around us, we pass through “Estancia Túnel”. Later on, we will stop in the Bird Islands where there are imperial cormorants, “roqueros”, albatross and petrels. We can take pictures from the catamaran deck, just in front of them. Going on with our way, we reach the Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, which indicates the navigators the arrival to Ushuaia bay. There, we can appreciate colonies of imperial and “roqueros” cormorants and we also listen to the history of the sinking of SS Monte Cervantes, in 1930s. We go on navigating towards east, enjoying the wonderful landscapes in Beagle Channel and the mountains surrounding them, we see Almanza Pier in the Argentinian coast and Naval Base Puerto Williams on the Chilean coast, and then we get to Martillo (Hammer) Island where we have the opportunity to see a colony of Magellan penguins and some Papua penguins. The service is subject to climate conditions. The tour can be altered partial or totally due to mechanical, operative and/or meteorological problems.

3. Night in Ushuaia

1. 9:30 AM- 11:30 AM - End of the World Train to Tierra del Fuego. || -54.832924162614205, -68.42292421753177

After forty years without functioning, in 1994 End of the World Train took again part of the old route that made the prisoners train , which left from the prison of Ushuaia, located in the center of the city, towards the slope of the Susana Mountain with the objective of obtaining materials (wood and stone) for the construction of the same one. The train station is located only eight km from the city of Ushuaia, and our guides and guards will invite you to relive the last seven km of the journey. On board the train you can listen to the history of the prisoners who came daily to cut wood to this area, and enjoy magnificent landscapes, composed of the zigzagging Pipo River, the Macarena waterfall, the tree cemetery and the majestic lenga forest. In this way you will visit an inaccessible part of the Tierra del Fuego National Park, where you will be able to enjoy this experience aboard a vintage railroad, with its steam locomotives and elegant cars that have large windows and an individual audio system, which offers the possibility of listening to history in 7 different languages, in order not only to appreciate the nature that surrounds you, but also to know a very important part of the history of Ushuaia.

2. 11:30 AM - 5:30 PM - Tierra del Fuego Trekking

3. Visit National Park Tierra del Fuego. || -54.837896843809474, -68.36657679425103 

Trekking and canoeing full day. This is an excursion for persons who like trekking in easy ways and with little physical demand; and navigate with inflatable canoes across the rivers and lagoons in the National Park Tierra del Fuego, up to the coast of Beagle Channel. (It is not recommended for persons with little mobility) Starting the trip in each hotel, we take the national route Nº 3 to the west. We get to the National Park Tierra del Fuego and go to the starting point, the “coast trail”.
This trail, which takes 3 and a half hours walking, is without doubt, the most beautiful in the National Park, where we can appreciate plentiful and varied types of vegetation (high deciduous beeches, lengas; low deciduous beeches, ñires; and evergreen beeches, coihues; orchids, cinnamon trees, notros). Going on with the outing, we arrive to Acigami o Roca Lake, where we will enjoy the picnic, which includes an appetizer with cheese variety, salami, crips, eggs and soup, plus, a “sandwich primavera” (variety of vegetables), dessert and drinks are also included.
After lunch, we are ready for the canoes. The National Park Tierra del Fuego and its green rivers and lagoons are, doubtlessly, one of the most beautiful landscapes to go through with our safe canoes. We leave at 3 PM approximately Acigami o Roca lake and, previous a technical explanation, we start rowing towards Lapataia river, of quiet and clear waters, by the green lagoon and Ovando river, up to get to Lapataia bay. In this first part (an hour and a half approximately) we can see different bird species, incredible landscapes from the water and enjoy the silence; o the sounds coming from the forest. Up to Lapataia less physical effort is required; then we will do a stop and a coffee break of 45’ approximately, in a very wild place where the old aboriginal Yamanas used. After some drinks, we come back to Ushuaia with the sunset at the back.

4. Lake Roca (Easy Hike) (Tierra del Fuego). || -54.799230876915395, -68.63303315562223

The lake also known as Lago Roca straddles the borders of Chile and Argentina. Fantastic views of the mountains on both sides. A good place to chill out.

5. Night in Ushuaia

1. Breakfast at hotel

2. Flight from Ushuaia to Calafate. || -54.80358548291782, -68.3024701944437

3. Arrival in Calafate. || -50.33835867909746, -72.26400550280485

4. Transfer from Calafate to Chalten. || -49.33122889709432, -72.88661306277123

5. Free time

6. Night in Chalten

1. Breakfast at the hotel. || -49.33145250275803, -72.88672026309867

2. Hiking Chalten - Laguna de los Tres (8 - 9 Hours). || -49.28029656049025, -72.98596720664582

Find further hiking details here. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/argentina/santa-cruz/laguna-de-los-tres-via-sendero-al-fitz-roy

3. Night in Chalten

1. Breakfast at the hotel. || -49.331396569641925, -72.88676318579785

2. Free day 

3. Recommended Hike: Hiking Chalten - Laguna Torre (7 - 8 Hours). || -49.324317366176984, -72.99830051973112

Find further hike details here. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/argentina/santa-cruz/laguna-torre-desde-el-chalten

4. Night in Chalten

1. 7:30 AM - 8:00 AM - Breakfast at the hotel. || -49.331396569641925, -72.88676318579785

2. 8:00 AM - 11:15 AM - Transfer from Chalten to Calafate. || -50.33943563446551, -72.27373508308571

3. Free day

4. Night in Calafate

1. Breakfast at the hotel

2. Hiking Perito Moreno Glacier. || -50.48724190243153, -73.0500443228253

The excursion begins in the embarking pier located in “Bajo de las Sombras” port, about 6 km before the glacier Balconies- where you embark for a 20 minutes navigation across the Rico Arm, enjoying breathtaking views of the Perito Moreno glacier’s front wall.

You disembark on the opposite shore, where specialized bilingual mountain guides welcome you and lead you to a small shelter. After checking the last details, groups of not more than 20, follow their guides along the lake’s shore towards the edge of the glacier. Once on the ice the guides put each participant a pair of crampons on, and explain how to use them.

The two hours circuit that follows introduces you to the fascinating landscape of the glaciers: streams, small lagoons, gullies, cravasses and plenty of ice formations of the most incredible blues. The trekking is moderate. The ice surface over which you walk is irregular, but firm and safe. You will receive explanations about flora, fauna and general glaciology of the region and also about the particular phenomenon that happens in the Perito Moreno Glacier and eventually produces its rupture.
After the walk, a stroll through the forest brings you back to the shelter.
WHAT TO BRING
• Outfit: Sport shoes or trekking boots. Rubber and apres ski boots, as well as high heel shoes are not allowed. Comfortable sport wear, long trousers, warm sweater or pile, water or windproof jacket, sun glasses, sun block, gloves.
• Lunch: Passengers must bring their lunch boxes.
IMPORTANT
• Restrictions: due to the degree of effort and difficulty that this excursion presents, is NOT allowed for; pregnant women, people with overweight, some type of disability, or health problems.
• Age: Between 10 and 70 years old.
• All these services are provided daily. The complete tour with transportation from El Calafate takes around 10 hours.
•
• Land transportation from El Calafate to the National Park (80 km) is included . It includes an hour visit to the glacier balconies
• Duration: 8 hours. 8am

3. Night in Calafate

1. Breakfast at the hotel. || -50.336548595792905, -72.26380481808971

2. Free day

3. 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM - Optional Glacier Tour 

This is a full-day tour, and we will navigate Lago Argentino, having the possibility to know different glaciers.

We go to Punta Bandera port, which is 47 km away from El Calafate city and we start the navigation in the Brazo Norte of Lago Argentino. After going through Boca del Diablo, we arrive at Upsala Canal and we will have an incredible view of the homonymous Glacier and the option to sail between the big ice floes that come off it.

Going on with the navigation, we go into Spegazzini Canal, where we can appreciate the beauty of the Glacier that has the same name. Besides, we will have the opportunity to see Seco, Heim Sur and Peineta Glaciers.

After this, we prepare to disembark in Spegazzini base and we begin a trekking in a forest for about 300 mts to the refuge. This path is accessible and during the walk we will stop in different stations and viewpoints so we can have views of the Bahía de Los Glaciares. In the refuge we can have lunch, visit the shop or just look at the incredible landscape.

Persons who like walking can choose to do the mountain path. This is a trekking of medium difficulty, in the middle of the forest, with natural viewpoints, full of great views and they finish in the embarkation point.

The itinerary can be modified due to weather or security conditions and also by the captain’s decision.

Duration: 10 hours
Departure: Boarding: 09:00 AM
                     Arrival: 04:30 PM

4. Night in Calafate

1. Flight from Calafate to Buenos Aires. || -50.33726303332882, -72.26469214829775

2. Buenos Aires to USA. || -34.8163229838307, -58.53730715457744

`1. Arrival in USA. || 40.791174372242395, -111.97682002546146