The aim of our trip is to show you the Patagonia that tourists do not get to see as well as to take you one of its crowning glories. The trip encompasses the way many locals live, their music, their food and their hospitality. We will experience from a BBQ lunch with a colono family by the beach to a day spent with a very traditional gaucho family at their estancia.
The second part of our trip will take you to a more touristic experience at the Perito Moreno glacier. We have decided to include this as it is a stunning experience well worth it. The southern part of the trip will show the completely different landscape and environment of the southern tip of the Americas.
Bariloche International Airport (Google Map)
El Calafate International Airport (Google Map)
22nd Nov to 05th Dec
Bariloche, Villa la Angostura, El Calafate, El Chalten
SNACKS:
Please bring your own snacks. Nuts, fruits, energy bars and some chocolate make for nice snacks.
LUNCHES & DINNERS:
Five lunches are included.
You will always have time the day before to do some shopping for a light lunch for the following day.
Five dinners are included. Normally, we go into town and have dinner in a group or sometimes people want private time, or may just want to have dinner with their partner. Please do not feel you must participate in all the group dinners if you feel you would like some quiet time.
LUGGAGE:
Please make sure you have luggage that complies with the internal flights and does not exceed the 15kg allowance. As you see, we will be moving by land as well and luggage can become a problem if we have too many and large suitcases. So hand luggage and a 15kg bag is the best option.
BACKPACK:
Please bring a small backpack that can carry your lunch, water and a change of clothes for when needed.
KAYAKING GEAR/STAYING DRY:
We will be given a cag for kayaking, but no drysuit or wetsuit at Villa la Angostura. At the glacier kayaking we will have the full kit with dry suits. Personally, I am packing a pair of waterproof trousers (they don’t have to be expensive or specialist kayaking clothing – rain trousers work fine) and waterproof socks and booties.
WEATHER:
Patagonia is famous for its strong weather. It can go from a sunny day to snow in a few minutes. Prepare yourself with underlayers, good socks and top layers too. Don’t forget a good water & windproof outer layer which includes trousers and a jacket. And a wooly hat.
FLIGHTS:
Please do not book any flights until we tell you to do so. Our meeting point is in Bariloche. There are connecting flights from Buenos Aires. We will pick everyone up from Bariloche airport.
You will need to book an internal flight from Bariloche to El Calafate.
The trip will end in El Calafate. So you will need to book a flight to your next destination or onwards to Buenos Aires and home.
EXTENDING YOUR STAY:
If you decide to go Torres del Paine, it might be worth considering flying back home from Santiago. Otherwise your return journey to reach Buenos Aires will be very long. At the Torres you will find day hikes, 5 & 10 day hikes and kayaking experiences ranging from a few hours to 4 or 5 days.
If you plan to do one of the multi-day hikes at the Park, be aware that these must be booked up well in advance.
*THE ITINERARY CAN CHANGE DUE TO WEATHER OR OTHER ISSUES. WHEREVER POSSIBLE WE WILL AIM TO REPLACE LIKE FOR LIKE.
Arrival to Buenos Aires and onward flight to Bariloche. You will be picked up at Bariloche airport and we will go by van to Villa la Angostura for a welcome dinner and Argentinian red wine. We have two small family run neighbouring guest houses (Alehue) and you can walk from one to the other in a couple of minutes. We have beautiful gardens with mountain and lake views.
7:30 am Breakfast
8:30 am Pick up and transfer to Rio Bonito waterfall hike starting point, Bayo hill.
We will hike to Rio Bonito waterfall and then transfer from there to start our bike ride. During our bike ride we will follow the Rio Bonito river to the lake and explore the Manzano area. At around 1pm we will go for lunch at the Manzano resort restaurant and enjoy the views of the lakes. On the way back to Alehue we will pass Villa la Angostura town, so those wanting to stay there and explore it, can do so.
Free rest of the day. There is an optional visit to Matias who is a local artisan who produces beautifully crafted knives. He makes traditional gaucho knives for asados.
Lunch and dinner not included.
7:30 Breakfast
8:30 am Heading out to Bandurrias point to do our kayak day. We will explore the Nahuel Huapi lake and its islands, coastline and famous buildings. There is plenty of bird life to enjoy. The kayaking is not strenuous and the purpose is to enjoy the environment rather than cover very large distances. We will do around 15km.
Please bring a picnic lunch.
If the weather is not suitable for kayaking on this day, we will swap it with the hike to the Nivinco waterfall.
Lunch and dinner not included. For dinner we can all go to town together. There gorgeous local trouts, meats, pastas and other foods. The ice cream for afters is also lovely.
7:30 am Breakfast
8:30 am Heading out to Bandurrias point with the daypacks and equipment ready for two- day hiking- trip to Dormilon hut.
We will then start on one of the most beautiful experiences of the trip: we will take a motor boat driven by Juan Carlos Martinez who lives on his land on the shores of the beautiful Nahuel Huapi lake to go to his fogon where we will have our lunch. It will be a simple lunch of empanadas, fruits and tortillas. The lake is surrounded by Andean snowed peaks and shaped by many branches.
You will notice many words during your visit that don’t sound Spanish. Both in Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia, the largest native group is Mapuche and the words you will hear are from their language. They named places, lakes and flora and we continue to use their words. It is a real mix of Spanish and Mapuche language. Mapuche is also known as Mapudungun.
After lunch, we will get ready for the hike up the hill towards the Dormilon Hut where we will spend the night. We will take breaks during our 3 hour uphill trek. Please bring a small back pack with everything you need and don’t forget your sleeping bag liner. The evening and night might be cold, so a sweater, jacket and hat might be good things to have.
We will walk up a trail of Patagonian forest, and as we climb, we will see how the different species of trees change depending on their environmental conditions. There are many birds to spot and the views from the higher parts of the path are breathtaking.
At the hut we will have dinner and drink nice Argentinian wine around the wood fired stove. Please note the hut has one big open room where we will sleep all together, there is no electricity and facilities are rustic. Around 11pm, we plan an optional easy night walk to watch the stars. The southern skies are very different from the ones in the northern hemisphere and you will see the southern cross.
8:30 am Breakfast
After breakfast we will come down from the hut hiking to Martinez beach for lunch. We will have lunch with Juan Carlos Martinez and his family. The beach is inside Juan Carlos’ land, so he will prepare a welcome lunch for us. This will give us the opportunity to interact with a local family and see how some Patagonian families live.
BBQ with local freshwater trout or/and beef as well as BBQ’d vegetables.
After lunch we will head out and cross the lake back to Bandurrias point to go to our accommodation.
Dinner not included.
7:45 am Breakfast
We will go by van to Ñivinco waterfall which is one of the outstanding beauty spots in the area. We will hike about a bit over one hour to the waterfall and on arrival we will break for rest, photos and snacks.
At midday, we will continue exploring the lakes. We will then have lunch at Falkner beach. We will have a picnic lunch with some local foods. We will be back at the hotel around 4 to 5pm.
07:45 am Breakfast
We will head out to Estancia Rio Minero which is an iconic Gaucho Hacienda. The road trip will take around two hours. We will make stops in key beauty spots to look at the beautiful Patagonian rivers and landscapes. Dario, a local guide, will join us and talk about flora, fauna, history and will explain how this impressive landscape was formed. Prepare to see the basaltic hearts of many long gone volcanoes standing high as columns in this ancient landscape.
At the Estancia, the family will be waiting for us with a typical Argetinian asado (vegetarian food will also be available). After lunch we will get on our horses for a ride. Florencia, one of the younger generation, will walk us around the farm and tell us about their work and lifestyle in this 35.000 hectares estancia.
The family will prepare dinner for us and serve it in the dining room by the huge fireplace. We will stay at their guest house by the river for that night. Please note that we will be sleeping all together.
6 am Breakfast
6:30 am Pick up to drive to our next Estancia in the outskirts of Bariloche and our rafting day.
We will have a full rafting day down the Manso river. We will go all the way to the frontier with Chile, navigating rapids among the beautiful Patagonian forests.
Lunch will be prepared for you and served in a dry and warm environment. You will have a menu to choose from. At the end of this experience, we will stay at the hacienda for a hot shower and dinner.
Lunch & dinner not included.
8:00 breakfast
Pick up at 9am to go to Bariloche airport. Flight to El Calafate – the Gateway to southern Patagonia.
Transfer to the hotel. After dropping our cases, you will go for a walk around the town and have dinner together.
Do not forget to prepare your packed lunch for the following day.
Lunch & dinner not included.
6:00 am Breakfast
7:00 am Pick up at the hotel for the Ice trekking
We will spend the day exploring the mighty Perito Moreno glacier. We will have a boat ride, a short hike, and an ice trek. We will also visit what is called the balconies which are walkways around the temperate forest and the glacier. Perito Moreno is the largest glacier in South America and the only one that is still growing. It is one of the crowning glories of Patagonia.
Free rest of the day.
Lunch and dinner not included.
7:00 am Breakfast
08:10 am Pick up at the hotel. Don’t forget to bring a packed lunch.
On this day we will return to the park and do a morning kayaking experience on the glacier lake. After a break for lunch in the park, we will be picked up by our van and return to the hotel to pick up our luggage. We will then drive to El Chalten through an outstanding scenery. We will arrive at our hotel at El Chaltén. Prepare to see huanacos, condors and rheas.
El Chalten has a special vibe and is fully dedicated to cater to climbers and hikers. There are a few bars and restaurants with a fun atmosphere.
Early morning breakfast at the hotel.
We will do a trek in El Chalten. We will decide on the hike as a group as there are some that are longer and steeper and others easier and less demanding. This place has iconic Patagonian landscapes with rugged mountains, masives and steppes.
Lunch & Dinner not included.
This is a free morning to enjoy the many activities of El Chalten. You will be able to do another hike, visit stunning waterfalls, wander among a petrified forest and dinosaur bones, visit another glacier, go horseback riding or watch the condors. Return to El Calafate for the last night.
Lunch & Dinner not included.
Departure day.
Breakfast at the hotel. Please note that you can fly from El Calafate to Buenos Aires and then onwards home. Some of our participants extend their adventure by taking a bus to Puerto Natales in Chile and doing more hiking or kayaking at the Torres del Paine park. The bus journey is about 5 hours.
