South American Adventure - Argentina

VFR Fitz Roy Wild Trails
12 days – 11 nights (Intense trek)

Departures: Saturdays, each 14 days

Season: October to April

Starts at: El Calafate Airport

Ends at: El Calafate Airport

Group Departures

Minimum Group Size: 3 passengers

The VFR – Fitz Roy Wild Trails is a very popular program for those active passengers who enjoy intense trek, but are not interesting in climbing or risky activities and do not need technical skills.
We trek across the northern part of the Los Glaciares National park, around the Fitz Roy area near El Chalten, and as an impressive plus, we trek one day over the Torre Glacier.
We use campsites to stay inside the Los Glaciares National Park, where we transport all the necessary equipment and personal passengers’ luggage.
You should be in good physical condition to trek seven daily hours on average at gentle pace and enjoy campsites.

01	El Calafate Airport – El Calafate

02	El Calafate - El Chalten

03	Piedra del Fraile

04	Rio Blanco, De los Tres Lagoon

05	Madre e Hija Lagoon, Torre Mount

06	Glacier Trek on the Torre Glacier

07	Pliegue Tumbado, Toro Lagoon

08	Paso del Viento

09	Tunel River, El Chalten

10	El Chalten – El Calafate

11	El Calafate – Perito Moreno Glacier

12	El Calafate - El Calafate Airport

ITINERARY

Day 1 El Calafate Airport – El Calafate
We receive you at El Calafate Airport, and transfer to El Calafate town, where at 7 pm the group will have a meeting at Hostel del Glaciar Pionero salon. You will meet our Guide, converse about the details of our trip and enjoy our first dinner together.
Lodge at Hostel Room with private bathroom
Meals Included: dinner

Day 2 El Calafate - El Chalten
After breakfast we will transfer to El Chalten, a little and colorful town next to Mount Fitz Roy. We cross 190 km of gravel road through the patagonia steppe and we stop at La Leona, a picturesque inn to enjoy his homemade cakes. The views on the Viedma Lake are superb. El Chalten is located on the edge of Los Glaciares National Park in the surroundings of the Fitz Roy Mount.
Lodge at Hostel Room with shared bathroom
Meals Included: breakfast

Day 3 Piedra del Fraile
Today we start our trek in the Los Glaciares National Park. A short transfer takes us to the Rio Electrico, where we start our trek through forest to Piedra del Fraile. Leaving our packs here we continue trekking the Rio Electrico Valley for 2 hours and then ascending 1 hour to see the Fitz Roy Mount (3441 metres/11.289 ft) north face and a view of the impressive Marconi Glacier. From there we return to Piedra del Fraile Full Camp.
Lodging in Full Camp at Piedra del Fraile double base (rural area)
Meals Included: breakfast, lunch box and dinner

Day 4 Rio Blanco, De los Tres Lagoon
Today we follow the Rio Blanco valley to the lake of Piedras Blancas where we have an impressive view of the hanging Piedras Blancas Glacier. In the afternoon, having left our packs at camp, we ascend the frontal moraine to De Los Tres Lagoon for a stunning view of Fitz Roy Mount.
Lodging in Full Camp at Capri Lagoon double base (rural area)
Meals Included: breakfast, lunch box and dinner

Day 5 Madre e Hija Lagoon, Torre Mount
This morning we start trekking along the shore of Laguna Madre and Lagoon Hija until reach Bridwell base camp at Torre Mount area. Torre Mount (3128 metres/10.262 ft) with its needle shaped peak is a major challenge for best climbers. We trek along the northern side of Laguna Torre, feeded by the Fitzroy river. From here we get astonishing views of Torre Mount.
Lodging in Full Camp at Bridwell double base (rural area)
Meals Included: breakfast, lunch box and dinner

Day 6 Glacier Trek on the Torre Glacier
Today, weather permitting, we perform an impressive, exceptional activity. You will walk and climb on the legendary Torre Mount Glacier, with its granite walls just behind you. All necessary equipment (rope, harness, crampons, ice-axe) and expert guidance are provided. In order to access the glacier we have to make a Tyrolean crossing of the river. This is done by clipping a little seat onto a fixed rope over the river and pulling yourself, or being pulled, across.
Lodging in Full Camp at Bridwell double base (rural area)
Meals Included: breakfast, lunch box and dinner

Day 7 Pliegue Tumbado, Toro Lagoon
Today we cross the Fitz Roy river using once again the Tyrolean traverse. We trek through the forest, then we climb 700 meters (2300 ft) to the ridge which connects the summits of the Pliegue Tumbado. The landscape of the Fitzroy group and the Rio Tunel Valley is breathtaking.
Lodging in Full Camp at Laguna Toro double base (rural area)
Meals Included: breakfast, lunch box and dinner

Day 8 Paso del Viento
Today we trek toward the Paso del Viento (Pass of the Wind, 1550 meters/5085 ft) with the fabulous Continental Ice Field view and the Mariano Moreno ridge inside it. We depart from the Toro Lagoon, and getting views of the Tunel Glacier and the river with the same name. It’s a demanding, but hugely rewarding trekking day. We trek 6-7 hours approx until return to the forest where we camp.
Lodging in Full Camp at Laguna Toro double base (rural area)
Meals Included: breakfast, lunch box and dinner

Day 9 Tunel River, El Chalten
We return trekking down to El Chalten, hiking on the Tunel River east shore. We descend through forest, enjoying the panorama. We arrive to El Chalten at evening.
Lodge at Hostel Room with shared bathroom
Meals Included: breakfast and lunch box

Day 10 El Chalten – El Calafate
We stay freely this day at El Chalten, resting and enjoying the small town, until travel by bus from El Calafate around 5 pm. It’s a 4 hour bus transfer and we arrive to have our dinner and to lodge at our hostel.
Lodge at Hostel Room with private bathroom
Meals Included: breakfast

Day 11 El Calafate – Perito Moreno Glacier
After breakfast we depart by bus to the Magallanes peninsula, where is located the entrance of The Glaciers National Park. Its centerpiece is the Perito Moreno Glacier, which, because of unusually favorable local conditions, is one of the world’s few advancing glaciers. Huge icebergs from the glacier wall collapse into the De los Tempanos Channel. The roar of the gigantic ice rocks falling and crashing into the waters of the channel is a unique experience.
Our bus will lead us just in front of the Glacier, allowing us to walk the gangplanks to view the Glacier from different viewpoints.
Then we go down to the lakeside to board a ship that carries us very near the Glacier ice walls. We return to El Calafate using a different route that we used to arrive.
Lodge at Hostel Room with private bathroom
Meals Included: breakfast

SERVICE DETAILS

Included Services

Bilingual Spanish-English guides during all the program’s activities.
Mountain Guides during the trekking activities.
Transfer El Calafate Airport – El Chalten –El Calafate – El Calafate Airport.
Perito Moreno Glacier Excursion including Navigation.
11 breakfasts, 7 lunch boxes and 7 dinners, as detailed in the chart below.

DAYS	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11
Hostel Room with private bathroom
Hostel Room with shared bathroom
Full Camp

In El Calafate we lodge using hostel rooms, between double and quadruple base, sharing the room with same sex passengers, all of them belonging to our groups.
At El Chalten we use similar hostels but with shared bathrooms.
When camping we sleep in double base big tents.
When camping there aren’t showers. We warm and use the lagoon and river water to clean ourselves. We use a bathroom tent.
Full Camp is a camp previously mounted with wide igloo type tents we use in double or single base. Inside it each passenger has high mountain sleeping bags, individual sheets and insulating mattresses. The Full Camp counts with dining room tents, table, benches and complete kitchen with a cook in charge.

Cartage Service. Carrying equipment and luggage.
We provide the Cartage Service carrying the passengers personal luggage and sleeping bags. The passengers carry a daily light pack (raincoat, box lunch, water, sunglasses, camera). We carry 15 kg of luggage for each passenger, in the same way as the equipment is transported.

DAYS	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12
Breakfast
Lunch Box
Dinner

Is this tour for me?
To get the most out of this tour you should be in good physical condition.
We have classified this trek as intense. Previous technical skills on trekking are not necessary, because this program is not technically difficult. We trek approximately six to nine hours on same days, at gentle pace, with intermediate stops. The treks involve several ascents and descents (some long and steep). Previous experience of walking and camping in remote areas would be beneficial, because we use extensively camp sites.

Altitude
We do not go above 1500 meters/4920 ft. In fact it’s one of the strong points of this trip, you can trek wonderful mountains trails without have to reach high altitude. Nevertheless, the strong winds which periodically affect Patagonia during the summer months can make walking much more strenuous.

Services Not Included

Entrance ticket to Los Glaciares National Park
Medical and Life Insurance
Tips
Air flight tickets and Airport fees and taxes
Services not detailed in the program

South American Adventure - Argentina

VFR Fitz Roy Wild Trails 12 days – 11 nights (Intense trek)

VFR Fitz Roy Wild Trails
12 days – 11 nights (Intense trek)