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 February 23 - March 9, 2011 Plan your departure from the U.S. for February 22 or earlier Plan your departure from Argentina for March 10 or later   February 28 - March 9, 2011 Plan your departure from the U.S. for February 27 or earlier Plan your departure from Argentina for March 10 or later  Printable version of itinerary More pictures from Patagonia! Patagonia Slide Show  Discover the best mountain hikes in Argentine and Chilean Patagonia! In northern Patagonia's "Lake District" a wonderland of deep forests and cobalt lakes adorn the feet of the craggy peaks of the Andes in Argentina’s Nahuel Huapi National Park. In southern Patagonia the iconic spires of Monte Fitzroy, Cerro Torre and the Torres del Paine massifs pierce the wind-scrubbed skies above the Patagonian icecap. We've assembled a series of hikes that deliver "mountain and view" experiences so you can thrill to some of the planet's most exciting mountain landscapes! Evenings spent in comfortable inns and "hosterias" add a touch of comfort to your experiences in these wild lands at the end of the earth! |
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(All photos by John Osaki except as otherwise credited.) |
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Day 1 Overnight in Bariloche Dinner included Arrive in Buenos Aires, Argentina and connect with flight to Bariloche in the Argentine Lake District. You will be met on arrival in Bariloche and transported to a four-star hotel just outside Bariloche town directly on the shores of the lovely Lago Nahuel Huapi. Settle into your superior room for a comfortable three-night stay! A welcome dinner in the hotel's restaurant awaits you this evening. |
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Day 2 Overnight in Bariloche Breakfast, lunch & dinner included From the settlement of Villa Catedral, hike through lovely southern beech woodlands following the course of the Arroyo van Titter to the curious Refugio Piedritas tucked under the overhang of a large boulder. Continue ascending to the Refugio Frey situated on the shores of the beautiful Laguna Tonchek. The spiky mountain ramparts of the Cerro Catedral form an impressive backdrop to a classically "alpine" landscape! A cable car/chairlift ride to the mountain-top Refugio Lynch is also a possibility this day, weather conditions permitting! |
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  Amancay
brightens the trail to Cerro Lopez. |
Day 3 Overnight in Bariloche Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Follow a lovely trail up the slopes of Cerro Lopez enjoying ever-expanding views over the majestic Lago Nahuel Huapi. From the Refugio Lopez perched on a rocky shelf just above the timberline you'll survey the jagged crest to Cerro Lopez etched against the blue Patagonia sky. Energetic and sure-footed hikers can choose to ascend the rock-strewn route from Refugio Lopez to the summit of Cerro Lopez and the Pico Turista. Panoramic views over the lake-studded parklands of Nahuel Huapi await! Andean condors can sometimes be seen here, and on a clear day, the view westward extends to the symmetrical, snowcapped summit of Volcan Osorno in Chile! |
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Day 4 Overnight in Pampa Linda Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Enjoy the morning at leisure in Bariloche town. In the late morning, travel by vehicle to Pampa Linda at the base of the 11,660 foot tall ice-draped volcano, Monte Tronador. En route, stop for a short "leg-stretcher" walk along the river near Los Rapidos. Settle in at a welcoming hosteria at Pampa Linda, your base for two nights. |
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Day 5 Overnight in Pampa Linda Breakfast, lunch & dinner included From Pampa Linda set off on a hike to the spectacular Castaño Overa Glacier. Gaze up at the glacier's kilometer-wide wall of ice hanging atop the edge of a cliff! Waterfalls thunder down the cliff face below the glacier. Hardy hikers can attempt the more challenging trail to the Otto Meiling Refuge anchored in a rocky, lunar-like landscape between the Castaño Overa and Alerce Glaciers at about 6,560 feet above sea level. Enjoy glorious "close-up" views of Monte Tronador's trio of peaks and a sea of surrounding peaks and valleys. |
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Day 6 Overnight in El Calafate Breakfast & dinner included 10-DAY OPTION BEGINS THIS DAY Enjoy the morning at leisure in Bariloche. Transfer to Bariloche Airport for an afternoon flight to the old wool trading station of El Calafate on the southern shore of the enormous Lago Argentino. Upon arrival in El Calafate, transfer to your hotel. Remainder of afternoon is at your leisure in El Calafate. |
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 The
Glaciar Perito Moreno |
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Day 7 Overnight in El Chalten Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Spend the morning visiting the many viewpoints at the snout of the magnificent Glaciar Perito Moreno (Perito Moreno Glacier), a twenty-mile-long river of ice draining the Southern Patagonian Icefield (Hielo Sur). The Perito Moreno Glacier empties perpendicularly into a narrow, fjord-like arm of Lago Argentino called the Brazo Rico (or the Canal de los Tempanos). The glacier’s three mile wide terminal face is composed of walls of fractured blue ice that rise almost two hundred feet from the surface of the lake. Because the Perito Moreno Glacier enters the Brazo Rico at a right angle, it is able, periodically, to surge across this narrow arm of the lake sealing off the upper portion of the Brazo Rico from the main body of the lake. The waters in the blocked-off arm can backup against the dam of ice to a level one hundred feet above that of the main part of the lake. When the glacier is no longer able to hold back the weight of the impounded waters, the ice dam collapses in a magnificent spectacle that occurs every several years. Later, travel by vehicle to the Fitzroy Sector of Los Glaciares National Park. Spend the evening in a comfortable lodge in the village of El Chalten whose unpaved streets lend it the air of a frontier town. |
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 Approaching
Cerro Torre and the Cordon Adela along the Rio Fitzroy. |
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 View from
Mirador Maestri. |
Day 8 Overnight in El Chalten Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Hike along the Cerro Torre trail following the course of the Rio Fitzroy into the heart of Los Glaciares National Park. The trail passes through open scrublands and scattered stands of lenga and ñirre, both varieties of the southern beech (Nothofagus sp) before arriving at the "Cerro Torre Lookout" from where you'll enjoy a impressive view of the slender granite spire of the Cerro Torre. If you desire, you can continue further to reach the shores of the glacial lake called Laguna Torre. The view of ice-encrusted Cerro Torre rising above the Glaciar Torre and the waters of the lake is stunning. If there's time, energetic hikers can follow the glacial moraine that impounds Laguna Torre to the Mirador Maestri for even more close-up views of Cerro Torre and the icefalls that descend the serrated mountain wall known as the Cordón Adela. Return to El Chalten for the evening. |
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 Monte
Fitzroy from Laguna de los Tres. |
Day 9 Overnight in El Chalten Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Today, enjoy a hike to lovely Laguna Capri. The view of Monte Fitzroy rising above the serene waters of Laguna Capri is outstanding, and a Patagonian classic! A number of hillocks surrounding the lake offer other vantage point. For a longer and more strenuous outing, hike along the Rio Blanco enjoying the sights (and sounds) of the Piedras Blancas Glacier spilling into its namesake lake. From near the Campamento Poincenot, a steep trail ascends to the Laguna de los Tres. You may well feel that the view of the Fitzroy massif from the shores of this emerald-colored lake is alone "worth the journey" to Patagonia! After enjoying the views, return to El Chalten via the Laguna Capri. |
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Day 10 Overnight at El Chalten Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Hike to the Loma del Pliegue Tumbado, a broad ridge south of the Rio Fitzroy. The views from atop the Loma del Pliegue Tumbado are frequently considered some of the finest in the region! This hike will take you through a variety of environments including Patagonian steppe, lenga forests and the marshlands known as mallín. From the open ridgetop, the 360 degree views can be overwhelming! You'll be surrounded by a panorama of soaring peaks, glaciers spilling into immense turquoise lakes and the vast Patagonian steppe stretching away to the east. Overnight at a lodge in El Chalten. |
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Day 11 Overnight at Torres de Paine National Park, Chile Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Today, travel across the Patagonian steppes to the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. Overnight in a very comfortable lodge (hosteria) on an old estancia within the national park. |
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Day 12 Overnight at Torres de Paine National Park, Chile Breakfast, lunch & dinner included From the door of the lodge, depart on a hike to the renowned Torres del Paine Lookout. This is unquestionably the most spectacular hike in the national park. Ascend the narrow valley of the Rio Ascencio framed by the peaks of Cerro Paine and Cerro Almirante Nieto. The route passes through heath meadows and dwarf lenga forests before reaching the Campamento Torres (used by climbers as a base camp). The route steepens and threads it way through boulders and to reach the Torres del Paine Lookout. Enjoy the stupendous and "never-to-be-forgotten" view of the Torres del Paine, three massive granite towers that ring a glacier-carved, lake-filled cirque. The tallest tower, the Torre de Agostini, rises to a height of 9,350 feet. |
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 Valle del
Frances from Campamento Italiano. |
Day 13 Overnight at Torres de Paine, Chile Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Travel by vehicle to the Pudeto boat dock on Lago Pehoe. Motor across the lake to its western tip from where today's hikes begin. Heading north and west, a trail leads past the small Laguna los Patos and continues to a vantage point high above aptly named Lago Grey. From this viewpoint, enjoy sweeping views over this ten-mile-long lake, speckled with luminous blue icebergs calved from the Grey Glacier that descends into the lake from the Patagonian icecap. Or, you can choose a more strenuous hike into the Francés Valley which separates the Cuernos del Paine from the massive peak of Cerro Paine Grande. This route skirts the western shore of Lago Skottsberg under the hanging glaciers of Cerro Paine Grande before heading south into the Francés Valley proper. The route crosses a boulder-strewn moraine before arriving at a natural viewpoint. Directly across the valley is the hanging Francés Glacier which periodically sends chunks of ice crashing into the valley. To the east, the craggy summits of the Cuernos del Paine ("Horns of Paine") rise in splendor while down-valley views extend all the way to the enormous Lago del Toro on the southern perimeter of Torres del Paine Park. Retrace your steps to the boat dock, ferry across the lake, and check into a simple, but spectaculary-sited hosteria on the shores of windswept Lago Pehoe. |
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Day 14 Overnight at Torres de Paine, Chile Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Given the vagaries of Patagonian weather, we've planned this extra day in Torres del Paine National Park. More stunning viewpoints, colorful lakes and thundering waterfalls await! A hike to view wildlife (guanacos and condors) and petroglyphs is also a possibility today. |
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Day 15 Overnight at El Calafate Breakfast, lunch & dinner included Depart Torres del Paine National Park this morning to travel by vehicle back to El Calafate. Settle into your hotel and enjoy a farewell dinner this evening. |
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 Icon of
Patagonia! Monte Fitzroy from the Rio Blanco trail. |
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Other Details
about this Trip
Trip Dates: February 23 - March 9, 2011 Price: $5,695 (12-16 participants); $5,995 (7-11 participants)] Single Room for entire trip: $1,250. Single accommodations are subject to availability and may be limited. Meeting Point: Bariloche, Argentina (connect through Buenos Aires, Argentina) Departure Point: El Calafate, Argentina (flights to the U.S. connect in Buenos Aires, Argentina) Accommodations: Fifteen nights in small hotels/inns; all rooms with private bath. Fifteen breakfasts, thirteen lunches, and fifteen dinners are included. Trip Dates: February 28 - March 9, 2011 Price: $4,695 (12-16 participants); $4,895 (7-11 participants)] Single Room for entire trip: $860. Single accommodations are subject to availability and may be limited.) Meeting Point: El Calafate, Argentina (connect through Buenos Aires, Argentina) Departure Point: El Calafate, Argentina (flights to the U.S. connect in Buenos Aires, Argentina) Accommodations: Ten nights in small hotels/inns; all rooms with private bath. Ten breakfasts, nine lunches, and ten dinners are included.
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© Mountain
Hiking Holidays, Inc. |
Author David Ebershoff writes about the resurgence of
Buenos Aires in the wake of its disastrous 2001 financial collapse. Read
more about the Argentine capital's "profound and thrilling makeover" in "Buenos Aires in Bloom" in the
February 2007 issue of Conde Nast Traveler magazine.
