INTRODUCTION

Trip Highlights

• Comprehensive and private tour to explore the 'Perito Moreno' Glacier and the stunning landscapes of 'Los Glaciares' National Park.

• Journey to the surroundings of 'Fitz Roy' Mount, the sacred granite mountain of Patagonia.

• Day visit to 'Estancia Cristina', an spectacular and remote corner of Argentino Lake and the oustanding 'Upsala' Glacier.

• Interesting array of native flora and dedicated excursions to temperate forest and wind-swept steppe ecosystems.

• Great birdwatching opportunities at 'Los Glaciares' National Park and the surroundings of El Calafate.

This program is operated as a custom trip (flexible option which runs on a date you choose giving you more privacy). This is available upon request for individuals or small private groups.

The Difference of Traveling with FS Expeditions: 

• Great accommodation, superb dinning cuisine and memorable picnic lunches.

• Spacious vehicles that ensure a window seat to each trip participant.

• Each of our trips has a maximum of 4 participants.

• The Argentine Transportation Authority has authorized each vehicle and driver we use.

• You will receive a free, signed copy of one of our great natural history books for Patagonia, "Los Glaciares".

• ...plus an useful pre-departure information package.

'Perito Moreno' Glacier & 'El Chalten' can be combined with one or more of the following optional extensions:

• Torres del Paine Explorer (2-5 days) join one of our private photo safaris and natural history trips to Patagonia's premier mountain and wildlife destination,

• Patagonia Photo Safari (8 days, 7 nights) landscape and wildlife photo trip to mythic Patagonia & Tierra del Fuego, led by resident naturalist guides and photographers,

• Cruise to the Cape Horn (4-5 days), follow Darwin's footsteps across the most remote corners of Patagonia on the wake of the 'Beagle'.

DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY

Day 1 • Arrival to El Calafate, Argentina - Transfer to the hotel

After your arrival to El Calafate airport, you will be transferred to Hotel de Campo 'Kau Yatún', which forms part of the huge ranch Estancia '25 de Mayo' and is located right at the entrance of El Calafate. Afterwards, you will have the time to independently explore the town surroundings. Don't forget to taste the berries of Calafate bushes (Berberis microphylla) after which the town was named!

Overnight (O/N) Hotel Kau Yatún (4*), El Calafate (D)(G).

Day 2 • Full day exploring 'Estancia Cristina'

Today we will have the extraordinary opportunity to explore the northernmost part of the 'Argentino' Lake. We will start our day with a transfer to Puerto Bandera in order to take our boat; we will cruise, during the whole morning, the gelid waters of the lake, seeing impressive icebergs and eventually will have fascinating views of Upsala Glacier. We will arrive to Estancia Cristina by noon time and will have the afternoon to explore the surroundings with 4x4 vehicles. We will enjoy of short hikes to some viewpoint where we can see part of the Southern Patagonian Icefield and the imposing Andes.

O/N Hotel Kau Yatún (4*), El Calafate (B,L,D)(G). 

Day 3 • Full dat at 'El Chalten' [Fitz Roy Mount]

We will have an early start in order to explore the northern section of Los Glaciares National Park to see the omnipresent 'Fitz Roy' Mount. This imposing towering granite peak is surrounded by lakes, pristine woodlands and glaciers, all together forming one of the most beautiful scenes in Patagonia. The Mt. Fitz Roy (3,405m / 11,170 ft) is flanked by Mt. Torre (3,102 m / 10,170 ft) and both peaks attract climbers and trekkers from all over the world. We will take some easy trails where we can study and photograph the flora and fauna.

O/N Hotel Kau Yatún (4*), El Calafate (B,L,D)(G).

Day 4 • Perito Moreno Glacier

Today we will enjoy of the breathtaking view of the most famous glacier in Patagonia, the majestic 'Perito Moreno'. You will be captured by cracking noises that never end. This cathedral of ice is surrounded by Magellanic mixed Nothofagus forest with the Lenga (Nothofagus pumilio) and Coihue (N. betuloides) growing so close to the ice that sometimes they seem to touch each other. Astonishing is to find the Canelo (Drymis winteri) and other species from tropical origin like the orchids facing the glacial ice. We expect to see soaring Condors in the area as well as Magellanic Woodpeckers plus other charismatic birds of the Patagonian sub-Antarctic forests.

Overnight (O/N) Hotel Kau Yatún (4*), El Calafate (B,L,D)(G).

Day 5 • End of the trip

The trip ends after breakfast. Transfer to El Calafate airport or your continuing journey into Torres del Paine National Park, located in Chile. (B)

Codes:  B=Breakfast; L=Lunch/Picnic-lunch; D=Dinner; G=Guide; *=Hotel Category.

MAP

DATES & PRICING

Rates for Custom Departures (you choose the date):

Available from September 2011 through April 2012. Daily departures from El Calafate, Argentina. Ask for private transfers to Torres del Paine or Puerto Natales, in Chile.

NOTES:

 - The above prices are per person in US Dollars (US$), based on double occupancy. All payments are in US Dollars.

- Trips are guaranteed to depart with a minimum of 2 participants.

- Single supplement will be added if single accommodations are requested.

What the trip includes/excludes

The trip price includes: All accommodations, meals and guide services as stated in the itinerary, private ground transportation during the tour, transfers from/to El Calafate airport (2), boat trip to Estancia Cristina, and park entrance fees.

The trip price excludes: Domestic flights, tipping, travel insurance, excess baggage charges, drinks, à la carte dishes, laundry, telephone calls and anything else of a purely personal nature.

Tour Registration:

To book this tour, please complete our online registration form. We will process your booking form and will send you (within 24 hours) a note with space confirmation and a deposit invoice with payment instructions. The deposit amount is $500 per person. Full payment of the tour fee is due 90 days prior to tour departure.

NOTE: Inquires received on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays will be replied during the following working day.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Cancellation Policy:

Notice of cancellation can only be accepted IN WRITING from the person who signed the booking form and takes effect on the day such noticed is received by us.

Refunds are made according to the following schedule:

If cancellation is made 120 days or more before departure date, the deposit less US$ 200 is refundable.

If cancellation is made between 120 and 60 days before departure, the deposit is not refundable, but any payments covering the balance of the fee will be refunded.

If cancellation is made fewer than 60 days before departure date, no refund is available.

This policy and fee schedule also applies to pre-trip and post trip extensions, as well as any transfers from one tour to another. We strongly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation insurance to protect yourself.

LODGES

Hotel Kau Yatun, El Calafate, Patagonia, Argentina

PHOTOS

Check out our photo gallery with images from recent trips to Perito Moreno Glacier and 'El Chalten'

FACTS

Introduction from the book 'Los Glaciares, Wildlife and Landscapes' by Claudia Guerrido and Damian Fernandez, FS Editorial, Chile (2008).   

Los Glaciares National Park is one of the most important protected areas in Patagonia. It covers approximately 1.8 million acres and is located between latitudes 49º15’ and 50º50’S. The landscape significance of the region, together with a diverse ecosystem mosaic, encouraged the Argentinean government to declare it a National Park in 1937. In 1981, the UNESCO strengthened its international community awareness, including it in the “Natural World Heritage Sites.”

It is one of the most attractive natural parks of Argentina. The name “Los Glaciares” speaks to its principal attraction. Extraordinary frozen tongues open into profound valleys descending from the huge 5,000 sq. miles South Patagonian Ice Field, calving in great emerald-colored lakes.

The first explorers arrived to this remote region at the end of the 19th century. The initial reports reveal the impact and surprise caused by the dramatic landscapes of glaciers and forests. 

Los Glaciares Nacional Park invites us to a rejuvenating experience, encountering a nature that transports us to the origin of Earth and humanity. We begin to understand that everything is change, and in transformation we find equilibrium.

The most diverse natural sceneries co-inhabit among the principal features in the park. In the northern part of the park lies the imposing massif of El Chaltén or “Smoking mountain” in the tongue of the local indigenous Aonikenk, who saw the clouds as smoke. This massif is a granite formation with vertical walls, originated in the Late Tertiary and recently sculpted by the devastating erosive strength of the ice.

In the central and southern part of the park, extraordinary ice masses invade the landscape. They are temperate glaciers because they develop at surprisingly low latitude and close to sea level. Astonishingly, vegetation colonize free places left by glaciers, almost leaning on the glacier tongues, offering a diverse and colorful contrast throughout the seasons.

Weather shows extreme temperature conditions depending on the season and the altitude, while rain creates a sharp humidity gradient set by the constant westerly winds: from over 10,000 mm per year to less than 200 mm in just 60 miles of distance. These conditions are mirrored in vegetation, from evergreen forest to spiny shrubs in the steppe.Wildlife inhabits forests and wetlands. Birds are the most numerous, with almost one hundred species. Among mammals, the Puma – the great feline of the region– and the Huemul — a scarcely seen deer — are notable for their size. Among the most curious and easily seen are foxes, skunks and the charismatic armadillos. On top of the ice an amazing inhabitant waits for us: the Andiperla willinki, an insect capable of living in this environment.