Patagonia: The Edge of the World — 15 Days

On this journey you have the chance to see well-known places in Patagonia. We trek the well-known routes of Chile and Argentina and see Fitz Roy, Torres del Paine, Ushuaia and the Perito Moreno glacier. During the trip we sleep in comfortable hotels in the towns and in serviced campsites with showers and toilets.

Note that the W trek is part of the O circuit. We visit every viewpoint and walk every kilometre of both routes.

Day 1. Arrival in Puerto Natales.

This small town in southern Chile is an ideal starting point for trekking. Geography has placed it close to the Torres del Paine national park, where you can see mountain scenery of rare beauty, waterfalls, blue lakes and wild animals. Dinner and a briefing. Night in a hotel.

Day 2. Puerto Natales – Torres del Paine – Serón camp.

12 km of trekking with 260 m of ascent. Today we visit the Las Torres towers. The famous towers gave the national park its name, Torres del Paine, “blue towers”, and have long been regarded as its main symbol. The three needle-shaped granite towers, from 2600 to 2850 m high, stand in the north-east of the Paine massif, with a walking trail leading to them. Trekking poles are useful on this route, because reaching the viewpoint means crossing a section of large boulder scree. Night in tents.

Day 3. Serón camp – Dickson camp.

16 km of trekking with 180 m of ascent. The morning starts with the traverse of the slopes of Cerro Paine, which is no easy task: persistent strong winds and a trail of continual ups and downs. We then reach Lake Paine, where we can rest a little and take in the scenery. Night in tents or huts at Dickson camp, which is set in open mountain scenery.

Day 4. Dickson camp – Los Perros camp.

12 km of trekking with 380 m of ascent. We move into the most remote part of the national park: first along Lake Dickson, where you can see pieces of ice break off the glacier and fall into the lake, and then through ancient lenga forest, home to Magellanic woodpeckers. Night in tents at Los Perros camp.

Day 5. Los Perros camp – Gardner pass – Grey camp.

20 km of trekking with 1200 m of ascent. Today is the most demanding day, and we are rewarded with quite extraordinary views from the Gardner pass. After the pass comes a long descent over rocky ground to the El Paso area. On the final part of the route we cross a couple of suspension bridges and then eat and rest at Grey camp. Night in tents or huts.

Day 6. Grey camp – Paine Grande camp.

11 km of trekking with 800 m of ascent. A relaxed walk along Lake Grey and the Paine Grande massif. In good weather we can kayak on the lake along the glacier. We then continue to Lake Pehoé. Night in tents or huts.

Day 7. Paine Grande camp – Francés camp.

In the morning we walk about 9 km to the Italian camp with no gain in height, leave our packs there and walk about 7 km light to two viewpoints with postcard views of the rock summits of Cerro Aleta de Tiburón, the “shark’s fin”, the White Throne and others. We then collect our things and walk the remaining couple of kilometres to Francés camp. Night in tents or huts.

Day 8. Francés camp – Chileno camp.

In the morning we set out on a stage of about 16 km to Chileno camp, to shorten tomorrow morning’s climb. Our route runs alongside scenic lakes, but there is no time to lose: we need to reach camp early, because tomorrow we have to be at the Torres del Paine towers before dawn. Night in tents.

Day 9. Trek to the Torres del Paine viewpoint for sunrise.

A short trek of about 1 to 1.5 hours to the Torres del Paine viewpoint, in the hope that the weather is kind. Be ready to spend around an hour waiting for the colours of the sunrise, so bring plenty of clothing. This is also a place where you can meet the strongest wind of your life, so take particular care. We leave the park and transfer to Puerto Natales. Night in a hotel.

Day 10. Puerto Natales – El Chaltén.

Today we cross into Argentina, to the small mountain village of El Chaltén in Los Glaciares national park, close to the foot of the spires of Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitz Roy. It is also known as the trekking capital of Argentina. Night in a hotel.

Day 11. El Chaltén – Laguna Torre – El Chaltén.

18 km of trekking with 800 m of ascent. We walk to a lake framed by the Torre glaciers, with a view of the spires of Cerro Torre. In the evening we return to the hotel in El Chaltén. Night in a hotel.

Day 12. El Chaltén – Laguna de los Tres – El Chaltén.

The name of the lagoon means “lake of the three”, for the three summits that rise above it: the highest mountain, Fitz Roy, together with Cerro Torre and Cerro Poincenot. In the evening we return to the hotel in El Chaltén. Night in a hotel.

Day 13. El Chaltén – El Calafate – Perito Moreno glacier – El Calafate – Ushuaia.

In the morning we travel to El Calafate, a small resort town in southern Patagonia whose main attraction is the huge Perito Moreno glacier. Perito Moreno holds the third largest reserve of fresh water on Earth. Its tongue is 5 km wide, it covers 250 km² and it rises up to 60 m above the surface of the lake. Perito Moreno draws attention not only for its size but for its distinctive colouring: fresh ice cliffs on its surface play in blue and turquoise. We then fly to Ushuaia, the southernmost city on the planet, on the island of Tierra del Fuego. This harsh land was once home to the Yamana people. Charles Darwin sailed here and recorded his observations. The most dangerous repeat offenders from across Argentina were exiled here. Now travellers come from all over the world to see the end of the world, because beyond it there is only the ice of Antarctica. Local people even have “the end of the world” written in the place-of-birth field of their documents. And this place has plenty to surprise us with: extraordinary natural beauty, unusual museums, refined local cooking and a strikingly beautiful sunrise. Night in a hotel.

Day 14. Beagle Channel and Martillo island.

We take a motorboat along the Beagle Channel to Martillo island, to walk among the penguins and watch them close up, with all the delight of a child. Penguins are endlessly watchable: comical, curious birds that are not in the least afraid of people. On the way back we call in at the maritime museum to learn the history of the settlement of these lands. In the evening there is a celebration dinner to mark the end of a great journey, at which we try the local gaucho cooking: asado, meat roasted on a spit. Night in a hotel.

Day 15. Transfer to Ushuaia airport.

Flight home.

• An experienced trek leader with extensive climbing experience, for groups of 4 participants or more
• Hotel accommodation, except during the trek in Chile in Torres del Paine
• The tent pitch fee in Torres del Paine national park (you need your own tent, or you can hire one in Puerto Natales, or order one in the park strictly in advance)
• A shower on any day of the trek
• All transfers along the programme
• The boat trip to the Perito Moreno glacier
• The flight to Ushuaia
• The boat trip to see the penguins on Martillo island
• The necessary permits and entrance tickets to the national parks
• An emergency first-aid kit

• International flights
• Medical insurance
• Visa and other entry documents where these are required by the participant’s nationality
• Tent hire in Torres del Paine national park for the whole trek, with sleeping bag and mat; tents and sleeping bags are already set up in the camps, so you only need to bring a sleeping bag liner of around 100 g
• Accommodation in the park huts instead of your own tent
• Meals in Torres del Paine national park; all the camps have cooking areas, but you should bring your own stove and gas, and a full-board package of breakfast, packed lunch and dinner for all the trekking days is available
• Kayaking on Lake Grey
• Lunches and dinners in the towns
• Single occupancy
• Personal equipment
• Tips for the team
• Any deviations from the programme

Documents:

• Passport
• Flight tickets
• Medical insurance (there are no helicopters in Patagonia, so helicopter evacuation coverage is not required)

Personal equipment:

• Backpack 30–50 liters
• Sleeping bag with comfort rating −10°C, or a sleeping bag liner if you are renting a sleeping bag
• Sleeping pad
• Trekking poles with baskets
• Tent (in Torres del Paine National Park no more than two people are allowed per tent)

Clothing and footwear:

• Trekking boots, WELL waterproofed in advance with a special treatment
• Sneakers (for cities)
• Waterproof membrane layer – jacket + pants
• Fleece suit
• Thermal underwear (top + bottom)
• Lightweight down jacket with hood (in November and March a mid-weight one is also suitable)
• Warm gloves
• Light gloves
• Bandana or buff (in addition to sun protection in the valleys, can be used to keep your neck or face warm in cold weather)
• Hat
• Warm trekking socks

Miscellaneous:

• Headlamp with battery life of at least 12 hours
• Power bank (not really necessary if you have booked accommodation in cabins)
• Sunglasses
• Rain poncho
• Rain cover for backpack
• Water bottle (highly recommended for hot water) – 1 liter
• Gaiters
• Sunscreen SPF 50
• Lip balm SPF 10–15
• Personal first-aid kit
• Elastic bandage and/or supportive brace
• Toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, shampoo, flip-flops
• Towel
• Toilet paper