Our journey into the heart of Los Glaciares National Park in Argentine Patagonia is full of thrills, dazzling views and epic adventure, where you’ll explore the quaint local town of El Calafate, go boating on clear, cold rivers of glacial water and be awed by the park’s spectacular glacial giants, including the indomitable Perito Moreno Glacier.
Today we'll arrive in El Calafate, a small town set at the edge of Los Glaciares National Park amid dramatic scenery and natural beauty. We'll have the whole day free to explore the town and enjoy its attractive restaurants, tango bars and handicraft markets. After a day of fun, we'll settle in for the night.
After an early breakfast, we'll take a bus from our hotel into wild Patagonia. Our destination this morning is the imposing 60 m tall Perito Moreno glacier, a phenomenon which delights photographers and nature lovers alike!
We'll take an hour-long cruise that will take us across Lake Rico. We'll then embark at the “Bajo de las Sombras” bay, about 6 km before the Glacier Balconies. Once we reach the Icebergs Channel, we’ll sail past the Perito Moreno’s dramatic front wall to view and photograph the beauty from a safe distance.
The excursion provides an interesting perspective on what is both a beautiful and very tragic natural phenomenon - the falling of the glacial ice into the lake. A spectacular sight, but a solemn reminder about our changing climate.
After the boat ride, we continue to the lake’s footbridges, where we’ll take a break to soak up our astounding surroundings. Apart from providing an additional interesting perspective on the glacier, these bridges also bring us close enough to hear the powerful cracks in this living mass of ice as it shifts and moves. After this experience, we'll take a transfer back to the hotel for the night.
Today we’ll travel through the park's river channels and continue spotting Argentina’s ethereal glaciers. We’ll depart El Calafate, heading towards Puerto Punta Bandera where we’ll board our catamaran bound for Argentino Lake. Here, our boat journey through Argentine Patagonia’s winding river channels begins. The first glacier we’ll see today is the powerful Upsala glacier, visible from the Upsala canal at a 10-15 km distance depending on the arrangement the glaciers take today (remember, they are moving entities).
After taking in Upsala Glacier, our catamaran continues through the Spegazzini Channel en route to Spegazzini Glacier. Following this, we’ll continue back through the river channels to Puerto Punta Bandera and transfer to El Calafate.
This morning, we'll end our adventure in El Calafate, saying goodbye and continuing on to our following journeys through Argentina or Chile. After having breakfast, a transfer will take us to the airport.
Departures every day on request from May to August.
This trip does not demand physical activity other than walking a maximum of two consecutive hours over flat terrain, considering as many stops as necessary to fit with the rhythm of the group.
The Patagonian Andes are very exposed to winds that circle the Antarctic landmass. In addition, the strong marine influence and the effect of the Southern Patagonia Icefield make the weather hard to predict. Winter’s temperature range is between -2ºC/28ºF and 6ºC/43ºF. June, July, and August are the wettest months in Torres del Paine and sub-zero temperatures are common.
Nevertheless, the winds are relatively mild in winter. Just as quickly as the weather turns nasty, it can become lovely and sunny. So come prepared for all types of weather!
We reserve the right to change the order of the days in any itinerary at the discretion of the trip guide and based on operational considerations. The trip guide can modify, change or eliminate part of the itinerary based on safety/weather considerations.
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Updated October 4th, 2022
Dear Traveler,
We are very happy to announce that there are currently no travel restrictions in Chile.
Together with the above mentioned, it is mandatory to comply with the following requirements:
In case you have any questions, we will be happy to help you!
Best,
The Team at Cascada Expediciones & EcoCamp Patagonia