Patagonia Continental Ice Field Expedition

Itinerary
 

Day 1      El Calafate

We welcome you at Calafate airport and transfer to town to check in at your hostel. By 7 pm the group meets in the lobby of the Hostel del Glaciar Pioneros, street Pioneros 251, El Calafate, to meet your guide, discuss details of your program and enjoy your welcome dinner together with your fellow trekkers.

Lodging in a Hostel room with private bathroom.

Meals we provide: Dinner.

Day 2      El Calafate - Perito  Moreno glacier

We dedicate this day to one of the World’s Natural Wonder: the Moreno glacier. This ice field- type glacier flows down from the Patagonian Icefield. Because unusual favourable local conditions, this glacier is the only one in the world that shows a closure and rupture process. The road leads to the very front of the glacier, which will be only meters away from your eyes. A beautiful, short trail, will lead us from the shores of the lake to the upper viewpoints. The roar of the chunks of ice falling inside the glacier or from the glacier into the lake, the frequent collapse of the front 60 mts high seracs into the turquoise water, makes out of this day a very special and unique experience. We will drive 80 km (1 and a half hour) to get and come back from the glacier across the steppe.

Lodging in a Hostel room with private bathroom.

Meals we provide: Breakfast.

Day 3      El Calafate - El Chaltén

Alter breakfast we take our bus for the 220 km drive to El Chaltén, a small and picturesque village at the foot of Fitz Roy & Cerro Torre massif. We make a stop half way to enjoy local pastries and hot coffee. On approach, the views of both Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre massifs and of glacier Viedma and the mountains of the Icefield are spectacular.

In the afternoon, we meet the Expedition guide. He gives us a short speech about the Icefield and details of the program. We provide technical equipment and the guide and assistant will explain how to use it. Finally we prepare our packs for the next day.

Lodging in a Hostel room with shared bathroom.

Meals we provide: Breakfast and dinner.

Day 4      Foot of Marconi glacier

Today we start our trek, driving north and then west for 15 km. Once in River Electrico, we hike up valley, leaving behind after a couple of hours the forest which is replaced by rocks eroded and polished by the surpass of the glacier a fey hundred of years ago. We go around lake Electrico, get good views on Fitz Roy north face and we camp at the foot of Marconi glacier. 5 hours trekking, to gain 300 mts.

Lodging in Expedition Camp

Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Day 5      Paso Marconi

This is a key day, as it is demanding and we depend on the weather conditions. We hike up glacier Marconi up to the Paso (Pass) Marconi (1500 mts above sea level). According to conditions, in some moment of this day we will use our crampons first and our snowshoes later. Hiking up valley, we will first meet the Pier Giorgio glacier valley flowing into the Marconi glacier valley, and then an evident change of steepness lead us to the pass itself. From Paso Marconi, an incredible view of the Paso de los Cinco Glaciares (the Five Glaciers Pass), Vulcano Lautaro, Cerro Gorra Blanca and an Antarctic type landscape. 6 – 7 hours trekking. We climb 800 mts approximately.

Lodging in Expedition Camp

Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

 Day 6      Circo de los Altares

We hike on the icefield southbound towards the Circo de los Altares and the legendary Cerro Torre west face. We walk west of the Marconi range with its typical snow mushrooms topping the summit, with permanent view to the Mariano Moreno range towards west. Very likely we use our snowshoes today. 6 hs trekking, no up hill today.

Lodging in Expedition Camp

Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Day 7      Circo de los Altares

We use this day, weather depending, to visit with only a day pack the Circo de los Altares, to get close-up views of the west faces of Cerro Torre group. These ice covered walls are probably one of the most serious alpine challenges in Patagonia.

Lodging in Expedition Camp

Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Day 8      Laguna de los Esquíes

We continue south towards Laguna de los Esquíes, which is the exit door to the Ice cap. It is located on a lateral moraine of glacier Viedma. If weather is specially awfull, we have the chance of continue 1 and a half more hour to the Paso del Viento hut for protection. Trekking time 7 hs, no up hill.

Lodging in Expedition Camp

Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Day 9      Laguna Toro

From our camp we climb up to Paso del Viento (Wind Pass) at 1550 mts and give a final and spectacular look to the Icefield, the Mariano Moreno range and glacier Viedma. We hike down into the upper river Tunel valley, across scree and alpine meadows rich in alpine flowers. These flowers are the real welcome after days of only rock and ice. We cross the glacier Tunel and after crossing river Tunel across a tyrolean (horizontal fixed rope attached to both sides of the river) we get to our camp at Laguna Toro.

Lodging in Expedition Camp

Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Day 10    El Chaltén

This day features the end of our traverse, we walk on the river Tunel valley, wading a couple of streams. We climb up and down Pliegue Tumbado, gentle slope to spend our last energies, and our final downhill inside the forest lead us to the River de las Vueltas valley and to El Chaltén. From the watershed between the 2 valleys we have still spectacular views of Cerro Fitz Roy, Torre, Grande, Huemul and Paso del Viento. 6 hs trekking.

Lodging in a Hostel room with shared bathroom.

Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Days 11, 12    Spare days

Spare days to use in case of bad weather conditions.

Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Day 13    El Calafate airport

Alter breakfast we transfer to El Calafate airport where our services end.

Meals we provide: Breakfast.

Included

Mountain guide (Spanish – English).

12 nights lodging as in the itinerary.

Tents.

Camping and cooking equipment.

Crampons, snowshoes, harnesses to complete your personal equipment.

Perito Moreno glacier excursion.

All transfers El Calafate airport – El Calafate – El Chaltén – El Calafate  airport.

We combine private and regular buses for our transfers.

12 breakfasts, 9 box lunch and 11 dinners as detailed below.

Lodging

The EHC – Continental Ice field Expedition is offered in the following type of accommodation.

We pitch up the Expedition Camp upon arrival to our camping site. Includes tents and all the necessary equipment to cook and serve meals but no dinning nor kitchen tent is provided. Meals are served outside or in your tents, according to weather conditions.

In this type of camps you bring and use your own sleeping bag and mattress, which you carry as part of your personal equipment.

In El Calafate we lodge in hostel rooms with private bathrooms. This means that you take a bed and you share the room with fellow travellers of your same gender and your same group.

In El Chaltén we take a bed in hostel rooms, but with shared bathrooms. This mean the bathroom is outside your bed room, being available different bathrooms for both men and women. You share the room with other guests of the Hostel of your same gender.

Meals

Porters service

We will carry all the general equipment for the Expedition, (tents, food, gas, ropes, sleds, snow shovels, first aid kit).

In our Expeditions the passenger carries its own personal equipment (backpack, spare cloth, sleeping bag and mattress, personal items) and also carries the personal technical equipment provided by Camino Abierto as crampons, snowshoes, harnesses and the box lunch for that day. This is necessary not only to spread the weight but also to have it handy when you need it.

The luggage that you do not take with you in the trek stays at El Chaltén in our office.

When this Expedition is hired as a private group under your own brand name, out of our regular departures, we offer you the possibility of hiring porters to carry up to a maximum of 8 kg per pax.

Not included

National Parks fees

Medical and life insurance

Drinks

Tips

Air tickets and airport taxes

Services not detailed in the program

Notes

We hold the right of changing the itinerary or to cancel any of the activities when any natural cause (or any other cause of any type) justifies it in order to look after the group safety.

Spare days are included in case that bad weather conditions prevent us from accomplishing our itinerary in the key days of the traverse.

Meeting Point

The Meeting Point for the Group on Day 1 is at 7 pm at the lobby of the Hostel del Glaciar Pioneros, street Pioneros 251, El Calafate. This Meeting Point can be modified and will be confirmed upon booking confirmation of the passenger.

¿Is this Tour for me?

To take the best out of this tour you should be in good physical condition. We grade this trek as very demanding. It is not necessary to have former experience in the use of crampons or snowshoes, but is advisable that you have at least once walked on snow or ice. The group walks an average of 6 to 7 hs a day, some days may be more, at a moderate and steady pace with the necessary stops. The trek includes some long and steady climbs, up to 800 mts in key days, some of them steep enough to be demanding. Outdoors and camping experience in the wilderness is also advisable.

List of suggested personal equipment:

Backpack of 80 to 90 lts

Mountain plastic double boots

Sleeping bag, down or synthetic, for -20ºC

Sleeping mattress

Thermal underwear

Cotton t-shirt

Trekking pants

Fleece

Goretex parka

Goretex overpants.

Gaiters

Gloves

An extra pair of thin thermal gloves

Thermal socks, a couple of pairs, thin and thick

Trekking poles

Balaclava

Sun glasses with UV protection

Sun screen (UV radiation is very strong)

Flask or plastic water bottle

Tape

Hygiene items

Lamp

Personal medication

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