Torres del Paine and Ushuaia Guided Trekking

Welcome to South America! You will be met at the El Calafate airport and taken to town for check-in at your accommodation. The rest of the day is at your leisure for exploring the El Calafate.

Embark on a scenic journey across the Patagonian steppes! You’ll see portions of the historic Route 40 (Ruta 40) as you skirt the peaks of Sierra de los Baguales to make your way to Torres del Paine National Park.

You’ll cross the Argentinian/Chilean border near Cancha Carrera and begin the last phase of the trip into the National Park. On the approach to the park, you’ll get a chance to glimpse some famous mountains: Paine Grande, the Horns, Admiral Nieto, and the Towers. Upon entering the park proper you’ll go for a short 1-2 hour jaunt to whet your appetite for the upcoming hiking adventure and to familiarize yourself with the local landscape, flora, and fauna. After you’re finished exploring, hop back in the bus for a quick trip to fully-serviced your campsite.

Today your Torres del Paine and Ushuaia tour will start with an uphill warmup hike to reach the valley carved by the Ascencio River. Once inside the narrow valley, you’ll follow a gentle downhill slope to Refugio Chileno Lodge. Continuing on from there, you’ll trek by the riverside enjoying the sights as it runs through a beech forest. A final push will bring you up the ridge and to the Towers Viewpoint where you’ll have a commanding view of a glacier-formed lagoon pierced by three massive towers rising 1000 meters from the glacier. It’s a sight sure to steal your breath away, if you have any left from the hike!

A brief, hour-long drive will bring you to Port Pudeto where you’ll find a catamarán ready to ferry you across Lake Pehoe and into French Valley. Once you reach the shore, you’ll have a moment to drop any unneeded items at your tent before continuing on your guided hiking adventure beginning on the French Valley trail. As the trail progresses, you’ll follow the edge of the south slopes of the Paine Grand and skirt around Lake Skottsberg. You’ll climb and descend as the trail wends along until you reach the hanging bridge spanning the French River. From there you’ll experience the jaw-dropping view of Paine Grande’s south-east face as the peak rises 2700 meters into the sky. Turning now to the east, take a moment to admire the Horns sending their striped, craggy bulk into the clouds. We’ll continue from there on to Italian Camp and stop for lunch and photos from the several viewpoints before returning to camp for the night.

Lake Grey trail leads from Pehoe valley across ridges to reach Grey valley. This magnificent valley flows down 60 km from the Patagonian Icefield, featuring the huge glacier calving down in the grey colour lake. Our trail skirts the lake, going up and down the westerns slopes of Paine Grande, offering some of the most impressive sights of the Park. From the trail we can see the south end of the lake where the blue icebergs gather, the mountains rising far in the distance above glaciers Grey and Tyndall. We come back along the same trail, crossing bogs, shrublands and forest. Once again at Paine Grande Refuge we take the boat to cross lake Pehoe back and then we go to our accommodation in Puerto Natales, a picturesque fishermen town located in the shores of the Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope) fiord.

Long drive today, though quite worthwhile. After breakfast we continue south to reach the legendary Magellan Strait, which we will keep on sight up to Primera Angostura, where we board the Ferry in which we will cross the Strait. This Pass, discovered by Hernando de Magallanes in 1520, was the natural and logical way to all vessels until de Panama Channel was open at the beginning of the XXth century. You will find yourselves wondering how those brave men dare to sail those waters in such fragile caravels!!!
Once in Tierra del Fuego (literally, Land of Fire, due to the fires seen by the first white sailors in the coast, done by the local Indians to cook and heat) we enter back Argentina through Paso San Sebastián. Once we arrive in Ushuaia, a transfer will take us to our hotel.

You will enjoy this entire day by your own, to choose the optional activity that better fit your desires.

After breakfast we walk to the Ushuaia Tourist Pier for a full day of activities: we will navigate the Beagle Channel to the iconic Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, we will see Los Lobos Island and Los Patos Island, we will visit the Acatushun Museum in the pioneering Estancia Harberton and we will have the unforgettable opportunity to walk among penguins on Isla Martillo.

You’ll have the morning to further explore Ushuaia and take in the sights and history of the place. In the afternoon you’ll be taken to the Ushuaia airport for your flight home.