No Paine, No Gain | Trekking Across Patagonia, Argentina + Chile
Details
In the southernmost part of South America at the southern section of the Andes Mountains, spread over hundreds of thousands of square kilometres across Argentina and Chile is a region of unimaginable beauty, packed with dramatic rocky mountain peaks reaching for the sky, an abundance of glaciers gliding into turquoise mirror lakes dotted with ice bergs, Andean green forests along steep elevations and deep wide valleys, with awe-inspiring views considered by many the most beautiful in the world!
Welcome to Patagonia!
El Chalten, on the banks of the Rio de las Vueltas in Los Glaciares National Park and at the base of the Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitz Roy spires, is the trekking capital of Argentina! A small community of locals and adventurers, it’s the gateway to numerous trails and treks to the glacial lakes Laguna Torre and Laguna de los Tres and especially to the surrounding mountain peaks of Mt. Fitzroy.
Rising majestically from Laguna de los Tres, the mythical Mt. Fitz Roy’s spectacular sawtooth spires and smooth frost-polished granite can be seen near and far, from snowy mountain passes to lush green plains, all the way to the lake which sits at it’s base. It’s name comes from Captain Fitzroy of the HMS Beagle, which accompanied Charles Darwin up the Rio Santa Cruz in 1834.
Torres del Paine National Park encompasses even more mountains, glaciers, lakes, and rivers in Patagonia with the Cordillera del Paine as the centrepiece in between the Magellanic subpolar forests and the Patagonian Steppes. Paine means “blue” in the native Tehuelche language, which is the right way to view the three granite peaks of the massif. Extending up to 2500 meters and surrounded by countless lakes named for various explorers like Grey, Pehoe, Nordenskiold, and Sarmiento.
Grey Glacier, which once covered all of southern Argentina and Chile 18,000 years ago, now sits neatly within the lake which bears its name. With luminous sides, deep blues, ice folds, and cave slivers, it’s one of the most famous glaciers in Patagonia.
On the edge of the Strait of Magellan is Punta Arenas at the literal bottom of the Americas and the gateway to Antarctica. We’ll finish our Patagonian adventures here and dream of more to come!
Let’s go!!
DAY 0 // Arrival
Arrival to Buenos Aires, overnight.
DAY 1 // HELLO BUENOS AIRES – EL CALAFATE
Quick look at Buenos, afternoon flight to El Calafate and begin journey to El Chalten.
DAY 2 // LAGUNA DE LOS TRES
Good morning, Patagonia! After early breakfast, we hit the trail to Laguna de los Tres. With a steep start and endless viewpoints of the valley of De las Vueltas and Mount Fitz Roy before reaching Poincenot Base Camp to catch our breath over lunch. Cross the Blanco River before ascending the final stretch to Laguna de los Tres where we’ll be greeted with a glacial lagoon and face-first views of Mount Fitz Roy before our well-earned rest in El Chalten.
Trekking: 25km/9hrs
DAY 3 // LAGUNA TORRE
After a strong coffee and a sunrise like no other, we start our march along a relatively flat trail to Laguna Torre and the peaks guiding our way till we reach camp. We’ll stop for lunch, catch a glimpse of the Margarita waterfall, spot a few ice bergs floating in Torre lagoon, and end the day like we started, with the sun lighting up the peaks in bright orange and red!
Trekking: 19km/8hrs
DAY 4 // EL CHALTEN – EL CALAFATE – PERITO MORENO GLACIER
After breakfast we’ll start the drive to El Calafate and Glaciales National Park where we’ll lay our eyes on the majestic Perito Moreno Glacier and land and boat, stopping at several viewpoints to soak in this natural wonder from all angles. At a whopping 30kms, this famous glacier cuts off Lake Argentino with it’s grounded ice tongue forming a natural dam. We’ll take a few short walks around the glacier, from above and below, and have our toast on the “rocks” before resting for the night in our hotel.
DAY 5 // EL CALAFATE – PUERTO NATALES
Leisurely breakfast before we depart for Puerto Natales, the gateway to Torres del Paine and the Patagonian fjords.
Welcome to Chile! We’ll wander the streets of this quaint city and rejuvenate before tomorrow’s trekking.
DAY 6 // TREK TO BASE LAS TORRES
Rise and shine for Torres del Paine! Today we’ll earn our views of turquoise lakes, snowy-white glaciers, gushing rivers, and finally the colossal Torres towers above Lake Torres at the base. Along the Ascencio River, through the Windy Pass and Chileno refuge and a steep ascent on the last leg up to the lake, we’ll reach our destination by late afternoon for what is considered one of the world's most beautiful views! We’ll set up camp and soothe our sore muscles by fireside as the sun sets and stars alight.
Trekking: 23km/10hrs
DAY 7 // LAGO GREY
We’ll take it easy this morning as we hop aboard our boat in search of Glacier Grey on Lago Grey before we take a short trek to Paine Grande to soak in the surrounding views of glaciers, more mountain peaks, and settle in to our panoramic bunk for dinner and rest.
Trekking: 12km/4hrs
DAY 8 // PUNTA ARENAS - SANTIAGO CITY
After breakfast we’ll set sail on the calm waters of Lake Pehoe and onwards to a leisurely trek to Mirador de los Cuernos viewpoint before driving further on to Punta Arenas, or “Sandy Point”, the capital of Chile’s southernmost region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena, the gateway to Antarctica. You’ve never felt more on top of the world until you’ve been to the bottom of the Americas!
DAY 9 // SANTIAGO
Today we catch our morning flight to Santiago and make our evening farewells to Chile, or perhaps continue your journey further to Antarctica or Rapa Nui.
Grade: Moderate to hard, N/A for beginners.
Cost: 10,990 AED excl. international flights (2 domestic flights included), until FEB 10th.
Flights: Based on Emirates connections to Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile, approx. 8,000 AED.
Accommodation and meals: hotels and lodges (double sharing). 1 night in remote, mountain hostel (no camping). Breakfasts included.
See yah in Patagonia x
Trekkup Crew
Whatsapp 050 4848238 / info@trekkup.com
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