ArgentinePatagonia ElChalten Ushuaia
5
Day Itinerary •
Argentina
Five days in Argentine Patagonia gives you the full extraordinary depth of the finest mountain and wilderness landscape in South America, from the remarkable Laguna de los Tres Fitz Roy hike and the extraordinary Laguna Torre below Cerro Torre, to the fine Perito Moreno glacier catwalks and mini trekking, and the remarkable Ushuaia at the end of the world with the extraordinary Beagle Channel navigation and Tierra del Fuego National Park. This extended route covers Argentine Patagonia completely. Fitz Roy and the craft beer village of El Chalten on Days 1 and 2, the extraordinary Perito Moreno glacier catwalks and mini trekking on Day 3, the remarkable Ushuaia flight and Tierra del Fuego National Park and Beagle Channel cruise on Day 4, and the fine Martial Glacier views and End of the World Museum on Day 5.
Best Time To Visit
November to March for trekking and Perito Moreno
Getting There
Fly into El Calafate (FTE), bus to El Chalten
Getting Around
Walking in El Chalten, bus to El Calafate, fly to Ushuaia
Budget Per Day
Approx 100 to 250 USD per person per day
Difficulity
Challenging for trekking days, easy for Ushuaia
DAY 1
EL CHALTEN
MORNING
LAGUNA DE LOS TRES, FITZ ROY BASE
The most extraordinary day hike in Argentina, the remarkable 20km return trail from El Chalten through outstanding lenga beech forest to the turquoise Laguna de los Tres at 1,800 metres, where the extraordinary vertical granite walls of Fitz Roy, Poincenot and Aguja Saint-Exupery rise 3,000 metres directly above. The final steep moraine scramble emerges onto the remarkable rocky lake shore for the finest mountain view in South America. All El Chalten trails are free and require no permits. Register at the park office on arrival.
MIDDAY
LAGUNA SUCIA FROM ABOVE
The extraordinary Laguna Sucia 200 metres below Laguna de los Tres, a remarkable glacial lake of dark colour fed by the Fitz Roy glacier above, in fine contrast to the extraordinary clear turquoise of Laguna de los Tres directly above. The remarkable two-lake view from the connecting ridge, one extraordinary turquoise and one remarkable dark glacial, is the finest geological contrast in the southern Andes.
AFTERNOON
EL CHALTEN VILLAGE AND CRAFT BEER
The extraordinary return walk to El Chalten through the remarkable beech forest in the late afternoon light, arriving at the finest craft beer village in Argentine Patagonia. The remarkable Cerveceria Chaltenia dark lager, the extraordinary Patagonico amber and the fine Artesanal beers produced in the village are the finest craft ales in the Argentine south. The remarkable El Chalten village at dusk with Fitz Roy turning red and gold above is the finest evening in Patagonia.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary secret viewpoint 300 metres beyond Laguna de los Tres on an unmarked path, reached by a final scramble above the main lake shore, gives a higher perspective directly above the extraordinary turquoise lake with Fitz Roy immediately overhead. Almost no hikers make this final scramble. The remarkable direct view up the vertical granite face of Fitz Roy is the finest viewpoint in El Chalten.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: El Chalten hotel Substantial breakfast before the 20km Laguna de los Tres hike. Start by 7am. | Lunch: Packed lunch at Laguna de los Tres The finest picnic location on earth with Fitz Roy directly above the extraordinary turquoise lake. | Dinner: La Tapera, El Chalten The finest restaurant in El Chalten. Extraordinary Patagonian lamb asado and local wild mushrooms.
DAY 2
CERRO TORRE
MORNING
LAGUNA TORRE AND GLACIAR TORRE
The extraordinary 18km return trail to Laguna Torre through remarkable Patagonian forest to the extraordinary ice-choked glacial lake at the base of Cerro Torre. The fine Glaciar Torre calves ice directly into the remarkable lake, creating a floating field of turquoise ice. The vertical needle of Cerro Torre at 3,128 metres above the extraordinary glacier is one of the finest mountain views on earth. The remarkable wind on the exposed mirador above the lake is extraordinary in its force.
MIDDAY
BOSQUE MAGICO AND RIO BLANCO
The extraordinary Bosque Magico at the start of the Laguna Torre trail, a remarkable ancient forest of twisted lenga beech covered in extraordinary grey-green lichens that give the forest an otherworldly atmosphere. The fine Rio Blanco glacier-fed torrent crossing the trail in extraordinary milky turquoise colour and the remarkable condors riding the thermals above the valley are the finest wildlife encounters near El Chalten.
AFTERNOON
DRIVE TO EL CALAFATE AND PERITO MORENO
The extraordinary 3-hour drive across the remarkable Patagonian steppe from El Chalten to El Calafate, passing through the fine flat grassland dotted with extraordinary guanaco herds, remarkable rheas and the outstanding Lago Viedma alongside the road. Then the extraordinary Glaciar Perito Moreno, the most accessible glacier in the world, where the remarkable 5km-wide, 60-metre-tall wall of blue ice advances into the extraordinary Brazo Rico arm of Lago Argentino at 2 metres per day.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Condor viewpoint on the ridge above the Laguna Torre trail, reached by a side path 10 minutes above the main mirador, gives a bird's-eye view directly down into the extraordinary ice field of Glaciar Torre. Andean condors are regularly spotted riding the thermals above the extraordinary cirque. The finest hidden viewpoint in El Chalten.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: El Chalten hotel Good breakfast before the Laguna Torre trail. | Lunch: Packed lunch by the glacier The finest lunch beside the extraordinary floating ice of Laguna Torre. | Dinner: El Calafate restaurant Outstanding Patagonian dinner in El Calafate. Fine Patagonian lamb and extraordinary local Malbec.
DAY 3
PERITO MORENO
MORNING
PERITO MORENO GLACIER CATWALKS
The extraordinary Glaciar Perito Moreno catwalks, the finest glacier experience in South America, where the remarkable 2.5km series of elevated walkways approach the extraordinary blue ice face at multiple levels from above and beside. The outstanding calving events, when enormous blocks of extraordinary blue ice crash from the 60-metre face into the remarkable Lago Argentino below with a thunderous explosion, are the finest natural spectacle in Argentine Patagonia. The remarkable ice-blue colour of the glacier face is unlike any other in the world. Entry approx 6,000 ARS. 45 min drive
MIDDAY
MINI TREKKING ON THE GLACIER
The extraordinary mini trekking experience on the surface of Glaciar Perito Moreno with crampons, the finest glacier walking accessible to non-technical visitors in South America. The remarkable blue ice formations, the extraordinary moulins, the fine crevasses and the outstanding ice caves visible from the glacier surface create the most extraordinary close-range glacier experience in Patagonia. Tours approx 50 USD, includes catamaran transfer to the glacier. 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
DEPARTURE FROM EL CALAFATE
The extraordinary final afternoon in El Calafate with the remarkable Lago Argentino and the fine Andes visible from the town waterfront. The outstanding Glaciarium glacier museum on the hill above the town tells the remarkable story of the extraordinary Patagonian Ice Field, the third largest freshwater reserve on earth. Entry approx 3,000 ARS. The fine farewell to the most extraordinary ice landscape in South America.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Lago Roca in the Glaciares National Park south of El Calafate, a remarkable turquoise lake fed by the fine Condor and Frías rivers at the southern edge of the Patagonian Ice Field, is entirely free of tourists and one of the finest fishing and wildlife locations in Argentine Patagonia. The remarkable fly fishing for rainbow and brown trout and the extraordinary condor population nesting on the cliffs above are the finest hidden experiences near El Calafate.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: El Calafate hotel Substantial breakfast before the Perito Moreno catwalks. | Lunch: Glacier area restaurant Simple lunch at the extraordinary Perito Moreno visitor area before the mini trekking. | Dinner: Casimiro Biguá, El Calafate The finest restaurant in El Calafate. Extraordinary Patagonian lamb and fine local Malbec.
DAY 4
USHUAIA
MORNING
FLY TO USHUAIA, THE END OF THE WORLD
flight The extraordinary flight from El Calafate to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world at 54 degrees south, over the remarkable Beagle Channel and the extraordinary Fuegian Andes of Tierra del Fuego. The fine approach to Ushuaia airport with the remarkable Martial Glacier above and the extraordinary Beagle Channel below is the finest airport approach in South America. 30 min drive
MIDDAY
TIERRA DEL FUEGO NATIONAL PARK
The extraordinary Tierra del Fuego National Park at the end of the Pan-American Highway, the remarkable southernmost national park in the Americas where the fine Pan-American Highway terminates at the extraordinary Bahia Lapataia. The remarkable beech forest, the outstanding beaver-modified wetlands, the fine Darwin's fox and the extraordinary Andean condors over the Fuegian mountains create the finest national park in Argentine Tierra del Fuego. Entry approx 3,000 ARS. 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
BEAGLE CHANNEL NAVIGATION AND CAPE HORN VIEWS
The extraordinary Beagle Channel catamaran cruise from Ushuaia, navigating the remarkable waterway discovered by the fine HMS Beagle's 1832 expedition through the extraordinary sub-Antarctic islands. The outstanding sea lion colonies on the remarkable Isla de los Lobos, the fine imperial cormorant rookeries and the extraordinary Les Eclaireurs lighthouse are the finest wildlife and navigation sights on the Beagle Channel. Tours approx 35 USD.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Cape Horn archipelago 200km south of Ushuaia, the most southern point in South America and one of the most notoriously dangerous stretches of ocean on earth, is accessible by charter cruise from Ushuaia in good summer weather. The remarkable Drake Passage beyond Cape Horn connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in an extraordinary and terrifying stretch of sub-Antarctic sea.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: El Calafate hotel before flight Good breakfast before the Ushuaia flight. | Lunch: Tierra del Fuego park Simple provisions in the extraordinary national park at the end of the Pan-American Highway. | Dinner: Kaupe Restaurant, Ushuaia The finest restaurant in Ushuaia. Extraordinary sub-Antarctic king crab and fine Tierra del Fuego lamb.
DAY 5
END OF THE WORLD
MORNING
MARTIAL GLACIER AND USHUAIA VIEWS
The extraordinary Martial Glacier above Ushuaia at 1,050 metres, accessible by a fine chairlift and 45-minute walk, giving the most extraordinary elevated view of the Beagle Channel, the fine city of Ushuaia and the remarkable Chilean mountains across the channel simultaneously. The remarkable sub-Antarctic vegetation, the outstanding Lenga beech at the treeline and the extraordinary silence of the Fuegian mountains above the city are the finest morning experience in Ushuaia. 30 min drive
MIDDAY
END OF THE WORLD MUSEUM AND MARITIME MUSEUM
The extraordinary End of the World Museum in Ushuaia's old prison, the remarkable Presidio that housed the most dangerous criminals in Argentina from 1896 to 1947 at the extraordinary southern tip of the continent. The fine prison cells, the remarkable Train at the End of the World narrow-gauge railway through the national park and the outstanding maritime museum with the extraordinary stories of the Beagle voyages are the finest cultural experiences in Ushuaia. Entry approx 1,500 ARS. 2 hours flight
AFTERNOON
RETURN TO BUENOS AIRES OR ONWARD
RETURN TO BUENOS AIRES OR ONWARD Flight The extraordinary final flight north from Ushuaia over the remarkable Fuegian Andes and the fine Patagonian steppe, with the outstanding farewell view of the Beagle Channel and the extraordinary southernmost city on earth receding below. The remarkable flight north along the Argentine Patagonia coast gives the finest aerial farewell to the most extraordinary landscape on earth.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Train at the End of the World narrow-gauge railway running through the Tierra del Fuego National Park to the remarkable Lapataia bay at the end of the Pan-American Highway, once used to transport prisoners and timber from the extraordinary Ushuaia prison, is the finest train journey in Argentine Patagonia. Return from Ushuaia station to the park and back. Approx 25 USD. The finest heritage railway experience at the end of the earth.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Ushuaia hotel Good breakfast before the Martial Glacier chairlift. | Lunch: Ushuaia town restaurant Outstanding fresh centolla king crab at a fine Ushuaia port restaurant. The extraordinary sub-Antarctic specialty. | Dinner: Buenos Aires or flight dinner Fine dinner on return or in transit.
Where To Stay
El Chalten Hosteria El Pilar or Aguas Arriba Lodge. Approx 80 to 300 USD per night. El Calafate Hotel Alto Calafate or Los Alamos. Approx 80 to 250 USD per night. Ushuaia Los Cauquenes Resort or Hotel Albatros. Beagle Channel views. Approx 100 to 300 USD.
Top Tips
1. Book El Chalten accommodation months ahead. January and February fill completely.
2. The Laguna de los Tres hike starts before 7am. Clear mornings give the finest Fitz Roy views.
3. Book mini trekking on Perito Moreno through Hielo y Aventura well ahead. Sells out in peak season.
4. The El Calafate to Ushuaia flight books out. Reserve Aerolineas Argentinas before arriving in Patagonia.
5. The Beagle Channel cruise is weather dependent. Book on arrival in Ushuaia for the finest conditions.
6. Always carry windproof and waterproof gear throughout Argentine Patagonia. Weather is extraordinary and extreme.
Total Budget
85 to 535 USD/day