Trekking Tours in south-america
The Patagonian Experience
The sublime wonders of the wild lands of Patagonia are brought to you on this challenging trekking adventure set amidst the Andes of Chile and Argentina. Superlatives do little justice in describing the soaring granite spires of the Fitzroy group or the peaks of the Torres del Paine. A world of glacial sculpture unfolds to captivate the imagination, at the heart of which resides the spectacular Perito Moreno Glacier. Speckled amongst the mountains and morraines are bejewelled glacial lakes of turquoise and emerald reflecting the snow capped pinacles piercing the skies above.
From the remote frontier town of Rio Gallegos in Argentina we are transported by bus across grassy steps and rolling heath lands to the edge of Los Glaciares National Park. Already the Andes are looming large ahead of us, thrusting two miles into the sky. On the first of our 2 treks we follow the Rio Electrico through forest to the foot of Mount Fitzroy (3441 metres) and a view of the impressive Marconi Glacier, then on to the Fitzroy base camp. This spectacular granite peak, reaches two miles into the sky and was first climbed in 1953.
Our next destination is the Cerro Torre base camp. Cerro Torre (3128 metres) is a sheer, needle-shaped mountain which was once rated unclimbable and conquered only after Everest. The Cerro Torre Glacier is the highlight of day 7.
A trek through dense forest before a climb of 700 metres to the ridge, which connects the summits of the Pliegue Tumbado, offers breathtaking views of the Fitzroy group and the Rio Tunel Valley. You may also get the chance for a strenuous but hugely rewarding one day hike to the Paso del Viento for stunning views over the Patagonian Ice Cap. After trekking back to Chalten, a bus then takes us to Calafate on the shores of Lago Argentino. From here we can spend our time observing the Perito Moreno Glacier- surreally set amongst a labyrinth system of iceburg filled waterways - and listening to the ear-splitting cracking of the ice as it calves into the bay.
The next stage of the adventure takes us across the Chilean border to Puerto Natales and thence to the Torres Del Paine National Park and Cerro Paine Grande. Once again the peaks are accompanied by jewel like glacial lakes, cascading waterfalls, abundant forest and the chance of seeing a Condor soaring away above the panoply of rock, ice and light. Five days are spent here largely on the shores of Lago Pehoe, making day hikes into the surrounding valleys and to Laguna Torre and its glacial encrusted cirque. Finally we recross the border from Chile into Argentina and drive back to Rio Gallegos for the return flight.
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