This trip will take you through an amazing cross section of Patagonia landscapes. You will cross glaciers, camp in alpine meadows, and see condors circling the skies. All without trails and without seeing other people. A true wilderness experience.
The Patagonian trek will take you through a stunning cross section of Patagonian landscapes. We will travel through alpine meadows, on crystal blue glaciers, and beside stunning lakes. You will set up camp in locations that will be a feast for your senses.
The trek is almost entirely off trail. This is the remote and wild Patagonia you picture in your mind, an area where few people venture. It will just be you and incredible open space. You will learn how to move across ice using crampons and will spend an exhilarating day trying out ice climbing. Part of the trip also involves learning some mountaineering skills. We will use these skills to allow us to get up above the snow line and will spend a night or two in a snow camp. Descending, you will see lakes of different shades of blue. Our final afternoon will be spent pack rafting a glacial river, back to civilization.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1: We drive from Coyhaique passing through the village of Puerto Rio Tranquilo, on our way to the Extremely Patagonia base camp at the end of the Exploradores Glacier.
Day 2: After gear and food issue, our morning is spent picking our way through the terminal moraine to get to the clean ice. Once we arrive it’s time to try out crampons for the first time. We spend time learning this new skill that will become second nature as the trip continues.
Day 3: We go ice climbing. Today is a day of learning how to climb, using your ice axes and crampons; how to attach yourself to the rope while climbing and how to correctly belay your climbing partner.
Day 4: Today our goal is to push further up the Exploradores Glacier. We walk across one branch of the glacier and continue up another branch of the glacier. There is a condorerra (nesting area for condors) nearby so we may see condors circling gracefully overhead. We make camp with magical view of the mountains rising above us.
Day 5: Today we may make side trip and do some more ice climbing or this day may be use to take account of the weather.
Day 6: We make our way up the lateral (side) moraine wall of the Exploradores into alpine meadows. Huge lateral moraines are an increasingly common sight as the glaciers of Patagonia retreat. Some rope work is required to help us up the steeper bits of the moraine wall. Tonight the views from camp will be superlative. We sit in a beautiful alpine meadow looking down at the glacier and hearing its thundering ice falls during the night.
Day 7: Walking through the alpine meadows with 360° views of sapphire blue lakes, glaciers, snowy peaks and alpine tarns. In the early afternoon we need to abseil to continue an abseil that will probably be one of the trips highlights. After descending, we find ourselves in an area we call "The Enchanted Valley", you will understand why when you standing here.
Day 8: Fun in the snow! Learning a range of skills that will be needed later when we get up into the snow. You will put your ice axe to a new use as you master the art of self arrest and find good vantage points for the inevitable snowball fight. We will spend another night in the Enchanted Valley.
Day 9: More amazing sights today. We descend into a glacial valley and walk alongside the terminal lake. We put on crampons again and really put all our techniques to work as we make a crossing of a
glacier. We camp with a glorious view of the glaciers icefall. A wonderful thing about today is that its food re-supply day!
Day 10: A day of skills. We will teach you to make a safe crossing of snow covered ice. Learning how to rope up for glacier travel and how to rig a system to rescue people if one of us takes a fall in to a crevasse. With these systems we are ready to head further up into the mountains.
Day 11: We head up the glacier and above the snow line. We will be putting the new skills to use and we travel across the snow covered glaciers. We will be up high in breathtaking alpine terrain all
day and we will make camp this night on the snow near an alpine pass.
Day 12: More fun on the ice with a side trip on our crampons or this day may be used to take account of the weather.
Day 13: Having made our way through the pass we will drop down again in to the valley and make camp in a spectacular valley with sheer cliffs and glacially carved landscape.
Day 14: We may play in the snow for the day or use this day to take account of the weather conditions.
Day 15: Up and over another pass. From the top of the pass, we will look down into valley of lakes, each of a different shade of blue. We descend down into this valley and will make camp on the shores of one of the lakes.
Day 16: Today we are going to get out our pack rafts and practice paddling. We will make our way across a number of lakes in the valley so everyone is confident with the rafts, in preparation for rafting out down the river tomorrow.
Day 17: We will re enter the forest and follow a ranchers trail down to the floor of the Leones Valley. When we reach the river, it's time to get out the pack rafts again. We will float our way down the river until it meets the road, our van will be waiting
to take us back to Base Camp.
Day 18: Wake up at Base Camp, have a great breakfast (no more oatmeal) and de rig from the trip. Later that day we will transport you back to Coyhaique where we will say our goodbyes.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Included: Before the trip: We will send you an information packet that contains some background about Chile, a gear list, medical questionnaire, accommodation and other information to help you prepare your trip. We are also happy to help arrange Chilean domestic flights. During the trip: We will pick you up on the morning of Day 1 in Coyahique. From the time we pick you up on day
1 until the time we drop you off at the end of your expedition, all transportation and accommodation costs are included. All meals are included in the trip price unless otherwise specified. We provide group equipment per the gear list. Don't hesitate to ask if you have questions. We also provide fully qualified guides and all training necessary to complete the trip. Guides are wilderness first responders and will carry an expedition medical kit.
Also see tour packages in:
South America
Chile
Ice Climbing
Hiking & Trekking
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