FITZROY & PAINE

Itinerary

• Flight Inclusive itinerary
• Land Only itinerary

Day 1

Depart London for the overnight flight to Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina.

Day 2

Arrive early in the morning and transfer to a hotel in the centre of the city. Morning to relax and in the afternoon we have a guided tour of the main sights of Buenos Aires (approx 3 hours). Those on land-only arrangements should meet at the hotel in the morning.

Day 3

Fly in the early morning to El Calafate. Join our transport and drive out on to the barren plateau of Patagonia. For most of the journey the road is good and fast; we cross into Chile and, in the afternoon arrive at Puerto Natales.

Day 4 - 6

We spend these two days exploring other parts of the Paine National Park, including a trek up to Lago Grey - in the distance we will see Grey glacier where the 200m thick wall of ice continually sends large blocks of ice, some as large as houses, plunging into the freezing waters. The same day we will hike to Cerro Ferrier lookout, from where we will have the best panoramic view of the park. The other day will be spent hiking up to the Paine Towers base camp and look out, weather permitting, we should be rewarded with some superb views. Camp at Las Torres.

Day 7 - 8

We make an excursion today to one of the most famous geological sights in the world, the Perito Moreno glacier, at the far end of the lake. Perito Moreno is one of the few glaciers that are stable, with seasonal fluctuations in the position of its snout. It calves into Lake Argentino and sometimes the terminus creates a natural damn and part of the lake becomes landlocked. The water level rises until it suddenly breaks the ice damn and bursts. Every so often it is possible to see huge lumps of ice break off and fall into the lake to float away as icebergs. There is an option to take a boat trip and then to trek on the glacier (not included).

Day 9 - 15

From the lake we cross the Rio Tunel, maybe making a tyrolean traverse or maybe wading. We then climb about 700m to the Paso del Viento, quite a demanding route through some extremely wild glacial terrain. From the pass we look down to the Viedma glacier, part of the vast Hielo Sur, the Southern Continental ice cap, and enjoy magnificent views of the Fitzroy and Cerro Torre ranges. We return to camp the same way. Depending on the weather conditions, we hike to Paso del Viento on one day, and the other day is for relaxing at Toro Camp.

Day 16

We head back to El Chalten by descending the valley of the Rio Tunel with one river crossing.

Day 17

Free in El Chalten for relaxation or optional excursions.

Day 18

We transfer to the airport at El Calafate for the flight back to Buenos Aires.

Day 19

We transfer to Buenos Aires Ezeiza airport for the overnight flight back to London. Those on Land-only arrangements will leave us after breakfast.

Day 20

Arrive London.