For those who are short on time but big on adventure, take advantage of our Patagonia Express tour to visit the main sites of Perito Moreno Glacier, Los Glaciares National Park, and Torres del Paine in nine days. Hike in gorgeous landscapes and jagged glaciated ranges as you exploring vast expanses on this Patagonia tour.
Highlights
Explore Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the largest glaciers in South America
Hike to impressive views of the Fitz Roy Massif
Encounter Patagonian wildlife, including the rare Andean Condor
Optional sailing, horseback riding, & hiking excursions on Torres Del Paine
Requires high-intensity physical efforts that push the limits of one's fitness. May include tours with multiple days in a row of strenuous physical activity or single requiring more than 7 hours of activity. Recommended for travelers maintaining a demanding fitness level.
Arrive to El Calafate on the flight of your choice today where a transfer will take you to your centrally-located hotel. Meet a guide for an orientation and get ready for a great adventure!
Day 2: Perito Moreno Glacier - Drive to El Chalten
Today you drive into Parque Nacional Los Glaciares for views of the stunning Perito Moreno Glacier. This huge advancing glacier is more than 3 miles wide at its front and over 20 stories high - a highlight of your Patagonia travels! You'll take a boat across Lago Argentino and pass the massive front wall of blue ice, all the while watching for icebergs. After landing on a small beach you'll start hiking through the beech forest to the icepack of the glacier and have the opportunity to walk on the glacier with crampons (This Glacier trek has a minimum age of 12 and a maximum age of 65. Alternate excursions are available for those under 12 or over 65 years of age.). You'll eat your lunch sitting on the lateral moraine of the glacier, where you can absorb the magnificence of the glacier's anatomy and listen to its thunderous concerto of groaning and cracking ice dropping into the lake below.
From here you will transfer back to El Calafate for your four hour transfer to El Chalten this evening.
Get ready for a full day hike in the Fitz Roy Range with your second guide, someone locally licensed for hikes in this region. Hike to the viewpoint for one of the most impressive views of the Fitz Roy Massif. Options are the Piedras Blancas Viewpoint, which is 7-10 km each way for an easier hike. Most groups opt for the more challenging hike to Laguna de los Tres, 12km each way. Climb for about 1 hour to your first lookout of Cerro Fitz Roy. Next hike an additional 2 hours to the Rio Blanco campsite. From here continue for another hour up to Laguna de los Tres, where you are rewarded with spectacular views of Cerro Fitz Roy, Laguna Sucia, and Viedma Glacier. Enjoy lunch before heading back to El Chalten. 7-9 hrs of hiking covering 14-24 km.
Enjoy another full day of hiking up to Laguna Torre today. Ascend from the De las Vueltas River Valley through dense southern beech forests, and enjoy views of the jagged Mount Torre-Adela range in the distance. You'll continue climbing gradually until you reach Laguna Torre, where you'll be rewarded by a stunning vista: majestic Mount Torre, flanked by the Adela mountains, high peaks, and glaciers spilling blue-white towards the lagoon. Eat lunch by the shores of the lagoon before hiking back to El Chalten for the evening. 6 hrs hiking covering 11 miles (17 km).
Today you will transfer back to your hotel in El Calafate. The rest of the day is free for you to take an optional tour in the area, or to wander the shops in El Calafate. A local museum, El Glaciarium, offers great exhibits and insight into the environmental impacts involved with the formation and depletion of glaciars.
Load up in your vehicle for the 6 hour drive towards the Chilean border and into Torres del Paine National Park. Cross over the border in 4 x4 vehicle and drive the rest of the way on the bumpy road into the park. En route stop for short hikes to get the best views of park highlights. Arrive to the Park Headquarters where you switch vehicles and shuttle to your hotel. Settle in to your comfortable lodge, Hotel del Paine.
Tackle the famous Torres del Paine today if the weather is favorable. These three granite towers are the most famous attraction of the park, reaching 9,400 ft high and were carved out by glacial forces years ago. The moderate to challenging hike takes about 7-9 hours round-trip, depending on the group pace, and offers a good challenge for well trodden hikers.
Day 8: Free day Torres del Paine - Return El Calafate
This morning is free for you to take in an optional excursion. You can sail the lake to get a view of Grey Glacier, arrange to go horseback riding, or go hiking to another nearby location. Check with hotel staff about pricing and booking tours locally. Later today you make the 6 hour transfer by private drive and bus back to El Calafate where you overnight.
Day 9: Return Home
1 Breakfast
Continue on to your next destination, or return to Buenos Aires to connect with your international flight home.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
Notes
Select a Date
On December 26 departure, includes special holiday dinner on December 31
Initial deposit is $500, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 70 days (10 weeks) prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
This was our first trip to South America and we were a little nervous. But Adventure Life made things so easy! All our questions were answered before we left, and our guide, Vidal, was amazing! He gave us enough space to explore without rushing us along. He also knew where the best picture taking opportunities were, which was great.
Lindsay Gompf
TrustScore 4.8 | 176 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 176 reviews on
9 hours ago
Adventure Life is always an excellent choice when planning complicated, extreme, or exotic vacations or expeditions. They provide friendly professional services and advice and are enthusiastic and encouraging in helping us to prepare and thoroughly enjoy our trip. They handle all the details which greatly reduces the stress of planning a difficult trip. I'm very impressed with Adventure Life and definitely recommend them to friends and family.
Scott Trochim
2 days ago
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
4 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
5 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.