"Patagonia has left deep roots in my thoughts," wrote Darwin, and he was neither the first nor the last. Endless steppe, beech forests, turquoise lakes at the foot of granite giants, and people who make every stranger welcome around an asado. This departure is built for travellers who like to move on their own steam: public buses between the great places, guided walks on the big days, free days to choose for themselves, and a German-speaking tour leader alongside from the first evening in El Calafate to the last morning in Buenos Aires.
Day 1 · El Calafate, capital of the glaciers
Highlight · A first briefing with the German-speaking tour leader, with Chile ahead.
The group meets its German-speaking tour leader in the afternoon for a first briefing. Tomorrow, Chile.
Night · El Calafate
Day 2 · Torres del Paine, Chile calls
Highlight · Lakes in blue, grey and glittering white, with guanacos, foxes and condors on the steppe.
Drive · 7 h
By public bus across the border into Chile, past one lake after another in a different blue, grey or glittering white, with guanacos, foxes and condors on the steppe. The next four nights are inside the park, in domes or cabins.
Night · Torres del Paine
Day 3 · To the towers
Highlight · The Torres themselves, with the Cuernos in view, in a landscape shaped by the last ice age.
Walk · Base of the Towers · 19 km · 8 h · 850 m up and down
A full day with an English-speaking mountain guide to the highlight of the park, the Torres themselves, with views of the Cuernos and a landscape shaped by the last ice age.
Night · Torres del Paine
Day 4 · Grey lake and glacier
Highlight · Lago Grey and its glacier, in a different sector of the park.
Walk · Lago Grey · 4 km · 1 h 30 · easy
A different sector of the park with the guide: Lago Grey and its glacier.
Night · Torres del Paine
Day 5 · Torres del Paine, and more
Highlight · A boat to the Serrano and Balmaceda glaciers, or a quiet day facing the massif.
A free day, with plenty left to see: a ride across the Patagonian pampa, a boat trip to the Serrano and Balmaceda glaciers in the neighbouring O'Higgins national park, or a quiet day facing the massif.
Night · Torres del Paine
Day 6 · Back across the border
Highlight · The public bus back over the border to El Calafate, in Argentina.
Drive · 7 h
The public bus returns to El Calafate, in Argentina.
Night · El Calafate
Day 7 · El Chaltén and the Andes
Highlight · The petrified forest of La Leona and its dinosaur bones, then the first lookouts of El Chaltén.
Walk · La Leona petrified forest · 8 km
Walk · Los Cóndores and Las Águilas · 5 km · 1 h 30
A shared transfer straight to El Chaltén, Argentina's trekking capital, with an optional stop at the petrified forest of La Leona and its dinosaur bones. In the afternoon, a first walk with the tour leader to the Los Cóndores and Las Águilas lookouts.
Night · El Chaltén
Day 8 · Pliegue Tumbado
Highlight · A lookout chosen for the chance to see the Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre at once.
Walk · Loma del Pliegue Tumbado · 16 km · 6 h · 500 m up and down
With a mountain guide to the Loma del Pliegue Tumbado, a lookout chosen for the chance to see both the Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre at once.
Night · El Chaltén
Day 9 · To the Fitz Roy
Highlight · The Laguna de los Tres, past Laguna Capri, with the Fitz Roy and its needles in view.
Walk · Laguna de los Tres · 24 km · 8–10 h · 700 m up and down
One of the great days of the trip: the walk to the Laguna de los Tres, past Laguna Capri and its beech forest, with the Fitz Roy and its needles in view along the way, weather permitting.
Night · El Chaltén
Day 10 · El Chaltén, more walking
Highlight · The north face of the Fitz Roy from the Loma del Diablo, and a farewell asado.
Walk · Laguna Torre · 16 km · 6 h
A free day. The trails are well marked and many go out on their own; the classic is the Laguna Torre. Another is the Loma del Diablo in the private Los Huemules reserve, for the north face of the Fitz Roy. Lago del Desierto, the Huemul glacier and the Madsen museum are other options. A farewell asado closes the stay.
Night · El Chaltén
Day 11 · The Perito Moreno
Highlight · From the Curva de los Suspiros to the balconies in front of the ice.
Drive · 380 km
Walk · Perito Moreno walkways · 5 km · 3 h
Back to El Calafate by bus, and in the afternoon the Perito Moreno, from the Curva de los Suspiros to the walkways and balconies in front of the ice.
Night · El Calafate
Day 12 · Buenos Aires
Highlight · A first walk through a city where countless cultures live side by side.
A last stroll in El Calafate before the flight north. In Buenos Aires, depending on the arrival time, a first walk with the tour leader through a city where countless cultures live side by side.
Night · Buenos Aires
Day 13 · Buenos Aires, many ways
Highlight · The Tigre delta, a day among gauchos, or a tango class and a night at a milonga.
A free day: the Tigre delta, a day among gauchos on an estancia, a tango class with a specialist and a night at a milonga, or a meal in a local home.
Night · Buenos Aires
Day 14 · Buenos Aires
Highlight · A last morning on foot through the capital with the tour leader, before the goodbyes.
A last morning exploring the capital on foot with the tour leader before the goodbyes.
