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Visit one of the most impressive advancing glaciers of Patagonia, the world-famous Perito Moreno. Great pre- or post-extension tour to combine with Torres del Paine trips or cruises to Tierra del Fuego, in Chile. Ideal trip for couples or solo travelers!
3 days | 2 nights, from El Calafate, Argentina and ends at Cerro Castillo, Chile or viceversa. | $998 p.p. (app. £611, €696) | Available from October 2009 to April 2010. 
Los Glaciares is a World Heritage Site situated near El Calafate, southern Argentina. At the southern tip of South America, the Andes are almost entirely covered by a huge ice sheet known as the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. This enormous mass of ice has generated nearly 50 outlet glaciers, most of which move and discharge into the Chilean fjörds to the west. The movement of others is eastward, where they terminate in massive lakes in this part of Argentina. One of these lakes is called "Argentino" and into it flows one of the most famous glaciers in Patagonia, the grand Perito Moreno. It is by far the most imposing glacier of the whole park, and is a natural feature of stunning beauty. On this photographic and natural history journey we will explore the forests, steppes, lakes and the glaciers as well as discover the peculiar flora and fauna adapted to this extreme conditions.
Perito Moreno Glacier (3 days | 2 nights) - Trip Code: PAT06 Trip Highlights • Comprehensive tour to explore the Perito Moreno Glacier and the outstanding landscapes of Los Glaciares National Park, southern Argentina. • Interesting array of native flora and dedicated excursions to forest and steppe ecosystems.
• Great birding in Los Glaciares National Park and around 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 Fantástico Sur 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 8 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 can be combined with one of the following tours: • Torres del Paine Explorer (3 and 4 days); photo safari and natural history trip to Patagonia's premier mountain and wildlife destination; • Cruise to the Cape Horn and Tierra del Fuego (5 and 4 days); journey to the fjords, glaciers and history of the southern tip of South America.
Perito Moreno Glacier (3 days | 2 nights) - Trip Code: PAT06 
Day 1 • Arrival to El Calafate, Argentina
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. During the afternoon you will have a short birding walk in company of local bird expert to Laguna Nimes. You will appreciate here the interesting array of species of flora and fauna that can be found near the shore of Argentino Lake, the largest in Argentina. 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*) or Hotel Michelangelo (3*), El Calafate. (D). Day 2 • Perito Moreno Glacier Today we will enjoy of the breathtaking view of the most famous glacier in Patagonia, the majestic Perito Moreno Glacier. 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. The highlight today will be a comprehensive exploration by boat of the various glaciers that discharge its massive icebergs in the Argentino Lake. We expect to see soaring Condors in the area as well as Magellanic Woodpeckers plus other charismatic birds of the Patagonian sub-Antarctic forests. O/N Hotel Kau Yatún (4*), El Calafate. (B,L,D)(G). Day 3 • Drive to Cerro Castillo, Chile to connect with Torres del Paine or Punta Arenas
Early in the morning you will be transferred to Cerro Castillo, in Chile, in order to continue with your explorations of Patagonia. (B). NOTE: The order can be reversed, starting at Puerto Natales or Torres del Paine on Day 1, and ending at El Calafate, Argentina on Day 3.
Codes: B=Breakfast; L=Lunch/Box-lunch; D=Dinner; G=Guide; *=Hotel Category.
Perito Moreno Glacier (3 days | 2 nights) - Trip Code: PAT06 2009 | 2010 Dates: Available from September 2009 through May 2010. Meet/Depart: Daily departures from El Calafate, Argentina. Rates for Custom departures (you choose the date): | Trip Length | 3 days | 2 nights | | Number of people | 1 | 2-4
| Single Suppl.
| Price per person
| $1,779 (app. £1,087, €1,240) | $998 (app. £611, €696) | $80 (app. £49, €56) |
NOTE: The above prices are per person in US Dollars ($), based on double occupancy. All payments are in US Dollars. Rates in GBP (£) and Euros (€) are only for reference. What the trip includes/excludes Single supplement will be added if single accommodations are requested. The trip price includes: All accommodations, meals and guide services as stated in the itinerary, private ground transportation during the tour, 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 register for this tour, complete the Fantástico Sur Expeditions registration form and return it (by fax or email) with a deposit of US$ 350 per person. Full payment of the tour fee is due 90 days prior to tour departure. 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.
Perito Moreno Glacier (3 days | 2 nights) - Trip Code: PAT06 Check out our set of images from recent trips to Perito Moreno Glacier and Los Glaciares.
Perito Moreno Glacier (3 days | 2 nights) - Trip Code: PAT06 Introduction from the book Los Glaciares | Wildlife and Landscapes by Claudia Guerrido and Damian Fernandez (2008), FS Editorial, Chile. 
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.
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