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The Southern Patagonian Ice Field is a massive, solid ice cap that extends for over 350 km -from north to south- and over 80 km on its widest point. It’s shared between Argentina and Chile, and even though most of its extension is on the Chilean side, the best and fastest way to reach it is probably from Argentina (El Chalten). The idea for this program is to lead you to this spectacular place, combining different kinds of experiences, such as sleeping and walking on top of the ice. We aim to walk next to the western faces of the Torre and Fitz Roy Mounts. In case you get inspired by this tour and want to see more hiking tours in El Chalten and Patagonia, you can check our Patagonia trekking tours section.
When I did this expedition with my friend -our trekking guide in El Chaltén- Luciano, I got surprised at every step we did. The sunset over the endless “ice” horizon was hypnotizing. It was indeed one of the most spectacular experiences in my whole life, and it will be a pleasure to help you design yours!
Arrival at the airport in El Calafate, and transfer to El Chaltén. El Chaltén is the capital for trekking in Argentina, and it’s located 220 km north-west from El Calafate. Reception in El Chaltén, and preparations for the experience to come! Note: besides the Southern Patagonian Ice Field expedition, El Chaltén hosts all kinds of trails that lead to spectacular views on the Fitz Roy and Torre Mounts – among others. Therefore, if you have enough time, we suggest you to to extend your visit and take advantage to do some of the complementary activities.
Transfer from El Chaltén to the Río Electrico bridge (around 20 km), where we’ll start our hike. Today we’ll walk around 4-5 hours until reaching the place where we’ll camp, near the amazing Glacier Marconi.
The first two hours are very pleasant. Then we pass by the refuge Piedra del Fraile, and continue through a rougher (depending on the weather) trail until reaching the place where we’ll camp.
Meals included: snacks to get energy, hot beverages, lunch, and dinner.
Today is the “key” day*. If the weather allows us, we’ll ascend (probably through Paso Marconi) all the way to the Chilean refuge Sotto Garcia, right in front of the ice cap. You’ll actually walk on top of the ice field to reach it. This refuge (also known as Gorra Blanca) is next to the Gorra Blanca Mount and offers an incredible view of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.
If the sky is open or not so clouded, we’ll have spectacular views of the Fitz Roy, Pier Giorgio, and Gorra Blanca Mounts. Today is probably the longest and most difficult day of walking hours, which will depend on the weather. Overnight in the refuge.
Meals included: breakfast, snacks to get energy, hot beverages, lunch, and dinner.
*Note: we say that today is the key day because is when we cross the Pass. The way that leads us through and across the pass goes through a very unstable area, with lots of changes in the weather. However, we have our spare days as a backup to reduce the chances of not achieving our goal.
Today is a relatively short day. We’ll walk on top of the Southern Patagonian ice field (4-6 hours) until reaching one of the most spectacular scenic points of Los Glaciares National Park: the Circo de Los Altares.
We’ll camp and sleep on the ice.
Meals included: breakfast, snacks to get energy, hot beverages, lunch, and dinner.
Return to the Refuge Sotto García and overnight there.
Meals included: breakfast, snacks to get energy, hot beverages, lunch, and dinner.
Today, we expect to descend through Marconi’s Pass (or another route) to our previous camp at the foot of the Glacier Marconi and sleep there. We expect to have around 6 hours of trek.
Meals included: breakfast, snacks to get energy, hot beverages, lunch, and dinner.
Return to El Chaltén through the Río Eléctrico Valley (around 6 hours trek), same as in the beginning, combining then with the transfer. Overnight in El Chaltén.
Meals included: breakfast, snacks to get energy, hot beverages, lunch.
*** Spare day. In case everything goes well, you can take advantage of this day to do some other excursion or just to relax ***.
Transfer back to El Calafate’s airport. Optional extensions available on request, such as visiting the Glacier Perito Moreno or adding any other destination within Argentina and Chile.
Notes about this expedition:
If you are interested in Patagonia, we invite you to check out our other Patagonia Tours.
We invite you to see our Argentina Tours, where you can experience the true Argentine culture.
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