Patagonia Walking Tour

Patagonia is a vast region - the size of France and Spain combined - and one can spend many hours traveling between the areas best suited for walking. We have created an itinerary that intentionally maximises time spent on the trail and minimises time spent in a bus. However, we encourage you to explore more of the region while you are here with our specially tailored pre and post-trip extensions: Buenos Aires City Stay, Torres del Paine National Park in Chile and an Estancia Stay.

Meet and Greet individually at El Calafate Airport (several daily flights from Buenos Aires) and transfer to El Calafate and the Hotel Kau Yatun. The afternoon is free to explore the town and its many shops. Introductory Talk and Welcome Dinner in the hotel (or local restaurant).
 

After breakfast, we head out of town on the famous Route 40, which runs the length of Argentina. We stop for coffee and a large slice of the renowned Lemon Pie at La Leona, an isolated inn once the refuge of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Our destination is visible from miles away as the fabulous panorama of snow –capped mountains, sheep and cattle ranges beckons. On arrival in El Chalten, a frontier town founded only in 1985 to protect the border with Chile, we pause for a short talk at the National Park Information Bureau and take a short walk before lunching in town. An afternoon forest and riverside walk brings us to our lodging, the Hosteria El Pilar, a simple, remote, homely inn beside a glacial torrent in the shadow of the famous Mount FitzRoy.
 

Walking from our hotel, we follow the river and climb with ever-wider views of Mount Fitz Roy and its glacier - a thrilling long day’s hike to the accompaniment of rushing waters and, occasionally, absolute silence; we may see condors flying above us. We picnic in a flat, natural arena of stunning views in all directions and end our walk with a celebratory beer or ice-cream in El Chalten.
 

Today our walk starts near the shores of Lago del Desierto where we traverse a suspension bridge and walk around the lake through forests for a view of the hanging glacier at Laguna Huemul. We cross the border with Chile on foot and enjoy a picnic lunch before taking a boat ride back across Lago del Desierto. (Note: Today's hike is weather-dependent, in case of bad weather we will have a longer ride on the boat and take a shorter walking route.)
 

After breakfast, we walk from El Chalten for views of the Glacier Cerro Torre and its lake.  We have lunch in El Chalten and head back to El Calafate and out into the open countryside beyond.  We leave the van and walk to our stunning hotel in La Anita Valley, with views to Lago Argentino on one side, Mount Frias on another and, in the distance, the snow-capped Andes and the Torres del Paine peaks over the border in Chile. This is a unique location, awe-inspiring, almost overwhelming in its magnificence and emptiness.  After taking some time to freshen up, we visit the Glacier Museum and stop in its unique Ice Bar for apperitifs before returning to our hotel for supper.

 

Today we explore and exult in the majesty, the silence and the solitude of the lodge’s surroundings, hiking in the Anita Valley, along the river and to the heights of Mount Frias with unforgettable views and the chance to see local wildlife from flamingos in the valley to guanacos and hares in the hills the whole day long. Picnic lunch in the wild and Afternoon Tea in the hotel.
 

Today is a highlight of our stay in Patagonia as we take in the outstanding Perito Moreno Glaceier.  First, we walk the length of the pasarelas (catwalks) to marvel at vistas of this amazing force of nature.Then we board a boat at Puerto Banderas to get up close to the fantastic glacier. We sail to almost touching distance of this gigantic wall of ice, some 30m high and 5 kms long; we may see great chunks of the ice break away with a crack and a roar that stun the senses, causing waves to rock the boat.  We continue to La Usina for lunch in a uniquely Patagonian riverside setting. In the afternoon, we have a lakeside walk to a bird sanctuary.

After breakfast, we drive to the Los Glaciares National Park and hike along the southern shores of Lago Roca in utterly unspoilt countryside of incomparable beauty. We see prehistoric paintings made by the ancient Tehuelche people. We reach the estancia of Nibepo Aike, a typical pioneer ranch of the early twentieth century. Settled by Croatian immigrants, whose family still run the outfit, the main products are beef and sheep. Following lunch in the main dining room of the family home, we will meet gauchos and see a demonstration of sheep-shearing by hand.  We have the option to take a horseback ride or hike in the afternoon.  We return to our hotel for Afternoon Tea and in the evening end our Patagonian journey with a typical Argentinian barbecue (asado) supper.
 

Individual transfers, according to flight, to El Calafate airport.

We highly recommend three possible trip extensions which we have researched, and which fit well on either end of your Wayfarers itinerary. 

1.) Buenos Aires City Stay (3 nights) - including airport transfers, private guided city tour, tango show, boutique hotel accommodations in the fashionable Palermo District.
Classic Room: US$ 1075 per person Double Occupancy
US$ 1860 per person Single Occupancy

Superior Room: US$ 1175 per person Double Occupancy
US$ 2125 per person Single Occupancy

De Luxe Room: US$ 1275 per person Double Occupancy
US$ 2315 per person Single Occupancy

2.) Torres del Paine, Chile (3-5 nights) - all inclusive program at the luxurious Patagonia Camp with hikes every day in the Torres del Paine Park, transfers to and from either El Calafate, Argentina or Puntas Arenas, Chile.
From US$ 1725 per person Double Occupancy
US$ 2245 per person Single Occupancy

3.) Estancia Cina Cina(2/3 nights) - located 70 km/ 43 miles from Buenos Aires and five blocks from the center of the sleepy colonial town of San Antonio de Areco, the home of gaucho writer Ricardo Güiraldes.

From US$ 745 per person Double Occupancy