Patagonia Hiking & Iguazu Falls

Buenos Aires is a city for walkers. Whether you wish to learn about its engrossing history or just soak up the atmosphere, there is a walking tour here to match your interests. 
 
Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, a Southern Explorations guide will meet you and take you to your hotel.  From your hotel, your guide will accompany you by taxi to reach the neighborhood of your choice and then show you the highlights. Safe, flat, and fascinating, these neighborhoods, travelled on foot, will make a memorable component to your Argentina tour. 
 
Spend the rest of the day at your leisure, enjoying the many sights and sounds of this sophisticated metropolis.

Patagonia tours are never complete without a journey to the ends of the earth. Today you will be transferred to the domestic airport to fly to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, located on the Isla Grande of La Tierra del Fuego. After getting settled at the hotel, enjoy a free evening to enjoy the fine seafood cuisine of Ushuaia. (B)

You will be picked up at your hotel in the morning for a day of Patagonia hiking and canoeing in beautiful Tierra del Fuego National Park. On arrival in the park, you’ll hike 3.5 hours through a beech forest to a scenic viewpoint overlooking some of the region’s top sights: Lake Roca, Lagunas Verde and Negra, Rivers Ovando and Lapataia and Lapataia Bay. The forest is inhabited by Magellanic woodpeckers, the largest woodpecker in South America, Austral parakeets, black-chested buzzard eagles and Andean Condors. You’ll enjoy lunch in the camping area of Lake Roca before starting this afternoon’s Argentina paddling excursion. In an inflatable canoe, you’ll paddle the crystal clear, quiet waters of the Ovando River which flows into scenic Laguna Verde, containing some of the park’s most picturesque views. Today’s trip ends in Lapataia Bay, a destination that attracts many sea birds including sea petrels, albatross and steamer ducks, among others. Here at the end of the world, you’ll disembark and be driven back to your Ushuaia hotel for a free evening. (B,L)

Depending on the flight schedule you’ll have time for some on your own sightseeing in Ushuaia, with a visit to the fascinating End of the World Museum or the Presidium, before your transfer to the airport for your flight to El Calafate for your next adventure. When you arrive in El Calafate, you'll travel to El Chalten, a small remote town at the foot of Mt. Fitz Roy, and be taken to your hotel with dramatic views of the mammoth granite walls of the mountain and other important peaks. Time allowing, opt for a short hike near the town of El Chalten. Overnight in your comfy mountain lodge. (B)

After breakfast, you will start a full day of hiking a Patagonian classic: Mt. Torre, famous for its beauty but also for its climbing difficulty. This is the pinnacle of trekking Patagonia. Every year, countless expeditions attempt to reach the summit, but only a few succeed. After a half hour of hiking, you reach the viewpoint of the Fitz Roy River and Margarita waterfall. Continue for another 30 minutes until you reach the Mirador del Cerro Torre, a lookout facing the Cerro Torre and Adelas ranges. From this point, the trail descends into the valley. The trail ends on the shores of Laguna Torre, offering a stunning view of Mt. Torre surrounded by the Egger and Standhard spires and the Adelas range as a backdrop together with the glacier Torre. You will have time to enjoy the view, eat lunch, and rest before returning on the same trail to the town of El Chalten. (B, L)
Hiking Details: 11-12 miles / Elevation gain: 1,000-1200 ft /Average time: 7 hours

Today's segment of trekking Patagonia includes a full-day hike to the Laguna Capri base camp (Fitz Roy base camp). The hike towards Fitz Roy features spectacular views of the massif. The peak was sacred and venerated by local Tehuelche groups who believed the mists enshrouding it were volcanic ash, calling it Chalten (God of Smoke). You will begin hiking south from El Pilar, passing Laguna Piedras Blancas on the way to Laguna de los Tres, at the base of Mt. Fitz Roy. Three glaciers drain into this emerald lagoon with majestic Mt. Fitz Roy towering above. Stop en route for lunch and then resume the hike to Laguna Capri, where the image of Mt. Fitz Roy is reflected. You'll enjoy spectacular views of the sweeping Patagonian steppe and Fitz Roy, highlights of any Patagonia tour. After a full day of hiking, return to your hotel for a good meal and night's sleep. (B, L)
Hiking Details: 13-14 miles / Elevation gain 2200-2300ft / Average time: 9 hours

After breakfast, you'll have time for more Patagonia hiking including a short trek from town to view Mt. Torre. In the afternoon, a private van will transfer you to El Calafate where you'll have the rest of the day and evening to tour this charming city on your own. Overnight at a local hotel. (B)

Optional Self-Guided Tour: Glacier Museum (Approximate Fees: Museum - $20 (80 Argentine Pesos); Roundtrip bus - $6 (25 Argentine Pesos) For those interested in learning about the formation and recession of glaciers during their Patagonia tours, a visit to the Glaciarium is a must. This one-of-a-kind ice museum is located six miles outside El Calafate. To get there, every hour on the hour, buses leave from the center of town. After exploring the history of the Patagonian ice fields, you may cap off this memorable experience with a drink at the museum’s Glacio Bar. The entire bar including the drink cups, tables and chairs are made entirely of ice.

After breakfast, you will be picked up from your El Calafate hotel. An hour long bus ride takes you to the Bajo de las Sombras port on the shore of Lake Argentino. From there, you will board a comfortable boat for a 20 minute navigation across the lake. The cruise offers incredible views of the Perito Moreno glacier with its massive front wall of blue ice and surrounding field of icebergs. Following a beach landing, you’ll stop at a small shelter where the trekkers will be divided into groups of less than twenty. A short walk along an ancient beech forest takes you to the edge of the glacier, a prime location for photographing this spectacular natural wonder. You will be fitted with crampons and receive a safety briefing from your guides before beginning an unforgettable two hour trek on the glacier, with time for photos and a lunch break. This moderate trek will take you past small streams, lagoons, crevasses, and other ice formations as you explore the fascinating landscape of the Perito Moreno glacier. After completing the trek, you will embark on the boat for the return trip across the lake. A short bus ride brings you to an elaborate boardwalk system located across the lake from the glacier. From here you will be able to view and photograph the glacier from many angles, and possibly witness icebergs calving thunderously into the lake. In the late afternoon, you will return to your hotel for another comfortable night's rest.** (B,L)

**The upper age limit for the mini-trek portion of this trip is 65, regardless of fitness level.  Click here for the alternative tours available.**

You will be picked up at your El Calafate hotel and taken to the airport to fly north to Puerto Iguazú, via Buenos Aires. Upon arrival, you will be met by your guide and driver for the short trip to the park followed by check-in at the Melia Iguazu Hotel. Iguazú National Park is located at the northern tip of the Argentine province of Misiones, bordering Brazil. The park extends over 220,000 acres and protects a subtropical rainforest of great biological diversity that the two countries share. Among the area’s 2,100 identified plant species are pindo palms, 50-ft canes, arborescent ferns, orchids and large epiphytes such as the huge Caraguata bromeliads. The Iguazu Falls are not just one cascade but a series of 275 beautiful cataracts extending some two miles. You’ll have the rest of the day on your own to unwind, explore the surroundings and enjoy a relaxing dinner at the hotel. (B)

You'll enjoy breakfast at the hotel before returning to Iguazú Airport for a return flight to Buenos Aires. You’ll be transfer to the Buenos Aires International Airport for your flight home, ending your vacation of Patagonia tours. We offer many tour extensions if your schedule allows you to remain here. (B)