BEST OF PATAGONIA – 13 Days

In the morning, we’ll drive you to Glaciers National Park to take the 6 hour long Perito Moreno Glacier tour. Get prepared to play with the giants!

Glaciers National Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1981 and home to 200 glaciers approximately . Half of this park is occupied by the campo de hielo patagónico (Patagonian ice field), the largest ice field after Antarctica. You will travel 40 km (about 25 miles) from El Calafate to the park, enjoying the views of the Patagonian steppe. Once inside the park you will take the walkways to explore the different viewpoints, and you’ll feel really close to the Perito Moreno Glacier. If you’re lucky, you may get to see a piece of ice break off and fall from the glacier wall to sink forever into the lake.

During about one hour, a bilingual guide will provide you with all the information you might want to know, you will also learn about things you might have never thought about! After this visit you will take a boat ride that will take you close enough to fully appreciate the 80 meter (262 feet) high ice walls of Perito Moreno! You’ll never feel closer to this gigantic and impressive natural masterpiece.   

Say Hueque tips

Have you ever imagined walking over the the back of a glacier? Well, if your answer is no, why don’t you take a look to the Mini Trekking on the Perito Moreno Glacier…We’re sure you won’t regret it.    

During the morning you will take a public bus to start your 3 hour-long trip to El Chaltén. You’ll travel along the famous Route 40, surrounded by the Patagonian steppe, pass through La Leona River, which connects Lake Argentino and Lake Viedma and  La Leona Road house, where famous thieves Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid hid out for a month.

After discovering other rough gems of this particular landscape, you’ll reach El Chaltén, the top rated hiking destination in Argentina. This charming little village sits at the foot of Fitz Roy Mountain,  it’s surrounded by glaciers, lakes, rivers and forests. It’s also the starting point for most hiking trails. A paradise to take leisurely strolls amidst the sun.

Enjoy your first afternoon of leisure in Patagonia by relaxing in the local brewery or explore the surrounding areas—Maybe take a stroll around a little waterfall…

Say Hueque Tips

Take a look at our favorite hikes in our Chaltén Travel Guide, here we offer the best advice on how to vist the area.

Enjoy an early walk around town or a short hike during the morning: you can walk to El Chorrillo del Salto, 3-4 hours away from the village, to visit some nice viewpoints, specially the one called Condors Viewpoint.

Bear in mind that in the afternoon you will board your bus back to El Calafate, (you need to be back in time).The 3 hour long drive will be a good opportunity to rest, relax and enjoy the passing landscapes at your window.

Once you arrive at El Calafate, the bus will leave you at your hotel. This is  your last evening in town, your last chance to try the tender and exquisite Patagonian Lamb or a heavenly tasting Calafate ice-cream. In Calafate, food options are varied: from veggie delicacies, to the best demonstration of international cuisine. You can choose between a fancy restaurant, or a traditional local tavern to spend an unforgettable time.

Today we’ll pick you up really early in the morning (at 7 am!) to drive you to the sector Las Torres and take you to Cerro Paine Ranch, the jumping-off point of our hike, where you’ll have an informative talk about this high difficulty and amazing outing.

We’ll take the road heading to the Valley and after 10 minutes walking, we’ll get to an old pendant bridge which crosses the river Ascencio. You’ll see a fork 150 meters ahead- take a left at the fork to get to the Base Towers!

Following a winding and green slope, and after an hour you’ll pass by Chilean Campsite on the opposite bank of the river. We’ll continue walking for 45 minutes until reaching Almirante Nieto Hill. Your next stop: the mirador (viewpoint) and the foothill of the moraine!

We’ll continue hiking for an hour and the path will become steeper and steeper as you approach the most amazing view of the three towers: Central, Monzino and Dagostini. Prepare to see some condor nests and the great Peineta Hill!

Time to rest and eat (box lunch included): this is the victory for courageous hikers! You’ll have a moment to enjoy your box lunch with this amazing backdrop before returning via the same road to the starting fork where your driver will be waiting to take you back to Puerto Natales.

In the early morning, you will make your way to the bus station to embark on a full day bus trip to Ushuaia. Take into account (as in day 7) that you’ll be crossing borders so keep our previous advice in mind.

This is a 12 hour long trip, crossing the Patagonian steppe: yellow and green grasslands, Chilean gauchos riding into the wild, grazing unworried sheep will rolle on the square landscape of your window, until you reach the ferry crossing. It will take around 45 minutes to cross the mythical Strait of Magellan before hitting the road again to cross the border and finally entering to Tierra del Fuego Island in Argentine lands.

As the end-of-the world famous city approaches, grazing sheep will turn into wild guanacos and horses, snow capped mountains and evergreen woods will arise at the vicinity of Ushuaia. Once you get the “Southernmost City in the World” passport stamp, you’ll realize this intrepid journey through Patagonian remote roads was absolutely worth it.

Upon arrival in Ushuaia, you will make your way to your hotel (taxis to and from the bus station should cost less than 10 dollars). Ushuaia is a small town, really easy to get around on foot. The Yamanas, its first inhabitants, called it Ushuaia which means “protected bay” in their language. Ushuaia was officially incorporated into the Republic of Argentina in 1884, and it soon became a penal colony, in order to establish a permanent Argentine settlement.

Take the afternoon to explore the town, learn of the region’s history at the Prisoner’s Museum or visit the Galleria of Fueguian History (its restaurant is also very nice!). Please, don’t forget the local gastronomy! Ushuaia is the perfect place to try the best seafood in Argentina.

Say Hueque tips

You’ve got farther than ever in the globe…there two words you shouldn’t forget: Blake Hake and King Crab. Our Ushuaia Travel Guide will unveil the mystery.

In 1833 Charles Darwin sailed the Beagle Channel and discover something great. Today is your turn: become another explorer of this channel, primitively named Onashaga Channel since the Onas where its first sailers. You’ll make your way to the tourist pier (at downtown) to embark on a 3 hour long  boat trip  along the famous Channel (there’s a port tax of around 1-2 dollars you’ll have to pay).

You will gain panoramas of Ushuaia Bay, where the city lies proudly crowned by the Martial Glacier. Unearth the diverse marine wildlife, such as cormorants (flying birds, closely related to penguins) and fur seals which frolic its time away on Alicia Island. Argentina standing at your left and Chili at your right, you’ll sail this natural border till reach the iconic end-of-the-world lighthouse, the ancient guard of the bay.

On your way back, you’ll stop at Bridges Island to walk a wildlife interpretative path, lear about Yaman’s history (the native inhabitants) and see the largest shelly deposits of the region. During the trip, you can enjoy a delicious hot chocolate with cookies or try the mate (strong green tea), the favorite Argentine drink. Once we get back to the port, you can make your way back to your hotel or stop by a local café or brewery to try the amber cream craft beer with a traditional Patagonian appetizer.

Say Hueque tips

Have you ever walk among penguins? If not, Ushuaia is your chance to fulfil that wanderlust dream…you can switch the Beagle Navigation to take the Magellanic Penguin Rookery tour on Martillo Island (from October to April at an additional cost) or add one day in Ushuaia to make both. At Martillo Island you will also see a very rare type of penguin only found in Antarctica: the yellow-crested penguin.