Hikes and Fly Fishing in Patagonia

Sleep in this morning and relax at your hotel.

Enjoy a private airport transfer in Buenos Aires with a professional driver and English speaking Guide.

Fly from Buenos Aires domestic airport to El Calafate. Please note that flights are subject to changes based on availability. The flight duration is approximately 3 hours and 11 minutes.

Enjoy a private airport transfer with your very own vehicle, driver and English speaking guide.

One of the best things to do in El Calafate, today you will go on a navigation in front of the Southern wall of the amazing Perito Moreno Glacier, tour through the captivating forest and do the minitrekking over the glacier!

You will be picked up at your hotel and taken to the Bajo de las Sombras quay (port), where you board the ship for the 20-minute ride to cross the arm Rico of Lake Argentino. The ship arrives at a cottage where guides will divide all passengers into groups made up of around 10 people. Each group is assigned two guides, one walks at the front an another at the back.

Together wih your group and guides, you will begin a 20-minute walk towards the glacier that begins on the lake’s shore and once you arrive at the edge of the ice, you wil be provided with crampons and instructions about how you should use them on the ice. The trek over the Glacier lasts about 1 hour and a half during which you will be able to see the crevasses, seracs, drains and small lakes. The walk is slow, as you walk over an uneven but firm and safe ice surface. Guides will give short talks about the flora, fauna and general glaciology facts of the region and also some information about the unique phenomenon that takes place at the Perito Moreno Glacier and eventually produces its breaking-off. When the walk ends, you will return to the cottage walking through the lush magallanic forest.

On its return to the pier the ship navigates through the channel of ice floes and then approaches the glacier’s walls. You will then be able to get to the glacier's viewpoint where you will have the opportunity to walk along the pathways and admire it from different viewpoints for about one hour before returning to El Calafate.

This tour lasts approximately 5 hours (between navigation and trekking)

Recommendations:
a) Age: Due to the level of effort and difficulty that it entails, this excursion is not allowed for the following: people over 65 years old, children under 10, people with overweight or some type of disability.
b) Footwear: Any type of sport footwear, for example running/ tennis shoes or trekking boots. Thick woolen or cotton socks are reccommended. Rubber boots and high heels in women are not admitted. Passengers are only provided with crampons.
c) Clothing: Sportive (long trousers for both sexes). It is advisable to wear a t-shirt, a sweater and a waterproof jacket/coat. Sunglasses, sunblock and gloves are also reccomended as well as a cap or a hat in case it is too cold.
d) Lunch: Passengers must take their lunch boxes and only the groups which take the excursion during the morning have 40 minutes to have lunch at the cottage. Once embarked towards the Glacier, there are no purchasable products. Lunches are easily provided at most hotels, just ask them to prepare this for you.
e) Smoking: It is forbidden to smoke during the excursion; neither on the boat, the forest, or the ice nor at the cottage.
f) Physical state: Normal. Passengers must know that they will walk slowly for approximately three hours through varied and irregular ground such as ice, forest and stones. Pregnant women, people with heart condition or other serious health conditions are not admitted.
g) Difficulty: It is easy, but relatively more complicated for elder people with vertigo or unhealthy physical conditions

Enjoy a private transfer with your own vehicle and driver from El Calafate to El Chalten. The journey is approximately 3 hours.
• please note that the driver will speak little or no English. English speaking drivares are sometimes available at an additional cost.

Enjoy a full day trekking on Cerro Torre or Fitz Roy with a Professional Trekking Guide. Enjoy lunch en route (included).

El Chalten is the "capital of hiking" in the Argentinian Patagonia, and hiking trails are abundant. The choice is yours! You can find your way around to enjoy this day hiking on your own, or just speak to you Sales Consultant if you wish to pre-book the assistance of one of our private guides to come with you.

Meet your driver for a private transfer from El Chalten to South Point in Laguna del Desierto.

Boat transfer from South Point to Aguas Arriba Lodge. (15’ boat ride along the East shore of the lake). The Lodge is accessible only on foot or sailing from Punta Sur (South Point). There are two ships each with up to 6 people plus luggage, one has a small cabin the other is open. Schedules for the boat are as follow: 

From South Point to Aguas Arriba Lodge:

Aguas Arriba Lodge has various hikes you can enjoy!

Following is a summary of the activities available. Some are included and others need to be booked separately. Please call us if you have any questions or wish to pre-book any activities.

TREKKING:
Trekking may be enjoyed around forests, river creeks, wetlands, glaciers and fly-fishing trips. Walks circuits may vary from 1 to 8 hours. They are of low and medium difficulty and without major drops. In the longer runs you will bring a Lunch Box to enjoy along the way. In some cases, as defined by the site guide, you can combine boating with walk excursions.

The following trail options are available:

From South Point:
After being transfered from El Chalten by car to South Point, you can arrive to the lodge by foot. This is a 2-3hr hike – 6 km distance. Amazing, we strongly recommend this access! It is the best way to wash off all accumulated stress; nature’s embrace re-energizes the body and soothes the soul. The hint that indicates you’re already close to the lodge is the scent of lunch waiting to welcome our trekkers! Luggage is transported via boat to the lodge. A snack is provided. Another option is leaving the lodge by foot, or simply hiking towards the south point during your stay. This walk can be combined with the ascent to Huemul hanging Glacier (entrance is not included, to be paid locally USD 5). Coming back to the lodge by boat can also be arranged.

North Point of Lago del Desierto and Chilean Border:
North Point can be accessed on foot from the Lodge. Duration 2:30 / 3:00 pm approx. or by boat. When arriving to the gendarmerie station in North Point, you continue to Laguna Larga, where fly fishing aficionados are often spotted.

To the West:
Juana Sepulveda’s Pampa: A 40’ walk towards the west, arriving to a mainland where an old mountain cabin remains standing and was home to Juana Sepulveda, the first pioneer to live in this area.
The Rio Diablo basin is 200 mts away from Sepulvedas’ Pampa; the river flows west into a beautiful valley that finishes at the Chilean Continental Ice Field. This area offers many possible hikes of different duration and difficulty. One of the most accessible treks is walking along the riverside until the Diablo Refuge-shelter.

Fitz Roy View Points:
These trails begin at the doorstep of our lodge, guiding walkers into the untouched forest that surround us. Some trails begin around the lakes’ shoreline and then climb up passing river creeks and marshes to higher areas where one can appreciate the magnificent views!

Hanging Glaciers:
During those days when the winds are calm, we hop on to the boat and cross the lake towards the beaches that lay in front of the lodge. Walking around the river stream we begin the ascent to the Vespignani hanging glacier. A beautiful walk that offers a new perspective of this astonishing area.

FLY FISHING:
*** At time of booking, please advise your sales consultant if you wish to practice fly fishing.
This is another of the great attractions in Aguas Arriba Lodge. According to the wind and the state of the lake, you can reach different beaches and practice cacth & release fishing or depending on the size of the fish, you may bring it into Aguas Arriba's kitchen to enjoy as a meal! If you want to go without a guide, the only additional cost is the fishing permit which is requested from the lodge and paid on the spot. The cost for the permit is of USD 30 per person and may be pre-booked. The price is subject to change without notice. Upon request,  you can also hire the services of a guide and equipment rental (at an additional charge).

Enjoy one of the many hikes offered at Aguas Arriba Lodge, or practice some fly fishing!

Return boat transfer from Aguas Arriba Lodge to South Point Port (15’ boat ride along the East shore of the lake).  Schedule from Aguas Arriba Lodge to South Point:

Meet your driver for a private transfer from South Point in Laguna del Desierto to El Chalten.

Enjoy a private transfer with your own vehicle and driver from El Chalten to El Calafate. The journey is approximately 3 hours.
• please note that the driver will speak little or no English. English speaking drivares are sometimes available at an additional cost.

Fly from El Calafate to Buenos Aires domestic airport. Flights are subject to changes based on availability. The flight duration is approximately 3 hour.

Enjoy a private airport transfer in Buenos Aires with a professional driver and English speaking Guide.

Enjoy time at leisure to explore at your own pace, or relax at your hotel.

Enjoy a private airport (International) transfer in Buenos Aires with professional driver and English speaking Guide. Bottle of water included