Highlights Of Los Glaciares Reviews

Overall our trip was wonderful, with only a few snags. The highlights of Argentinian Patagonia were the Perito Moreno Glacier and the Estancia Christina in El Calafate, and the Fitzroy hike in El Calafate. The Perito Moreno Glacier is breathtaking, and easily accessible from the raised walkway in the park. We also did the boat tour, which offers history and closer view of the glacier. Beware though, once you see it, other glaciers in Patagonia will seem less impressive. Estancia Christina was fantastic, but only because we opted for the fossil hike. Others on the excursion had lots of waiting around and did not seems as impressed. Not so great- The scheduling from El Calafate to EL Chalten- we would have preferred a later transfer. With the sun setting so late, you can easily hike until 7 PM...therefore there was no reason to leave so early for Chalten. Chalten was beautiful. Liked the wild dogs and friendly locals. The Fitzroy hike was spectacular....we were on the trail early so it wasn't too crowded but I imagine during peak season it was be a little unpleasant as it is narrow and you need to step aside to let people pass. Our best meal in Chalten was at La Tapera, wish it had been recommended. Avoid La Senyera, worst meal of our entire trip. Australis Cruise- This was a mistake. After having days filled with hiking and enjoying the riches of nature, being confined to a boat was very frustrating. The boat itself was nice, the rooms clean and comfortable but the excursions were short and underwhelming and most of the time on the boat was spent waiting....waiting for a short presentation, waiting for lunch, waiting to get off the boat, waiting to get on the boat etc....The penguins were the highlight of the cruise but, we found out you can take a day trip from Puntas Arenas to visit them. That would have been nice to have known. Highlight of the entire trip was Torres del Paine. The Explora hotel is beautiful and the hiking on the W was the best we experienced. The spa, the guides, the surroundings were all unbelievable. If I could redo the trip I would nix the cruise and spend an extra 3 nights at Explora.

I cannot think of one particular moment that stands out. The most memorable are all my wow! moments when first seeing a particular mountain or glacier.

Getting up close to the penguins! Being able to learn about and walk through the area where they live was amazing!

I cannot pick just one. When you finally reach the base of the Fitz Roy in Chalten and the Towers in Torres Del Paine one is struck with overwhelming emotion. Though cliche, no photo could possible display such beauty. There is a sense of real accomplishment. The time spent traveling the Strait of Magellan to Francisco Coloane III Island gives one time to reflect on just how remote your time spent seeing wildlife will be. Then there they are--the Whales. So amazing.

The overall trip to Patagonia, both on the Argentine side and the Chilean side was wonderful. The most memorable moment was in Chile, during the French Valley. We had the best guide, Hector who led us through the W-Trek. Sitting in front of the most beautiful mountain was awe-inspiring. I felt at peace in this moment and was so inspired to be outdoors. I had many favorite parts of this trip. Personally, I believe that Patagonia itself is a renowned and remote place to be at the same time. Exploring these emotions while watching the views was really important for me.

Day hikes to base of towers and Laguna de Los tres .

3rd morning at Explora Torres del Paine. Magical sunrise casting a fire red/orange/pink glow against the towers.

360 degree views near the Frances mirador and hearing glaciers calving Walking on Grey Glacier and seeing all its tongues from the Grey Navigation boat. Fabulous views and hikes at El Chalten.

Viewing Fitz Roy and the glacial lakes

Vastness of the landscape was awe inspiring.

So many: 1) Seeing the penguins in Ushuaia 2) Hiking the Laguna de los Tres trail with views of Mt Fitz Roy 3) Taking the boat to see the Perito Moreno Glacier 4) Amazing meals in El Chalten 5) Getting engaged overlooking the Condor viewpoint!

There are too many to choose just one! One of my favorite days was day 1, when we first got to see Fitz Roy on the way to Lago del Desierto. This say was when our group kayaked at Lago del Desierto, hiked up to the Huemel Glacier and into the forest surrounding Desierto. No one realized at the start of the day that we would be able to all the activities - we thought we needed to choose between kayaking or seeing Huemel. Thankfully we were mistaken! Both activities were so incredible, and the forest on the way up to Huemel and surrounding Desierto is something else - nothing like our group was used to seeing in the Rocky Mountains. Because we had a big group, we split up into 10s between the three activities and would see each other at the exchange times, enjoy a beer from the little snack shack and our very good bagged lunches. We ended the day at the lodge to have some tea or wine and plan the next day with our incredible guides from Walk Patagonia - Nico and Sebastian. This first day was just an incredible way to start the trip and be introduced to this beautiful region all together. Wish I could go back and relive it!

Horseriding

Tierra Patagonia

The circuit trek in Torre del Paine was by far the highlight. The remoteness and the untouched nature were amazing. Both of our guides on the hikes were amazing! The simple and quiet beauty is what we will remember forever.

Getting up to the Base of the Towers at Torres del Paine

Doing and finishing the O-Circuit safely with nice, like-minded people, expertly led by two great guides in Alberto and Chris, having our belongings carried by five fabulous porters in breathtaking surroundings and we was very lucky with the weather.

This is a really hard question! There were special moments every step along the way, in every location. But….I would have to say that waking up around 6:30 on our first morning at Chalten Camp (that is, our first morning in Patagonia) and seeing the pink sunrise light on the peaks was my first glimpse of just how incredible this trip would be. And that was just the first most memorably moment! Truly awe-inspiring.

Exceptional. Highlight was our stay at EcoCamp; between the brilliant guides (all our guides were young exceptional women which made it extra special), the people we met there, the hikes/activities, the overall experience was top notch. The FANTASTIC guides; Marcela, Angie, Francesca, Claire and our server Ingrid are women I will talk about and remember for a long long time. I find it incredible and inspiring that young people in their 20s are so dedicated to this type of work. They work long hours and consistently had a smile on their face and each had so much knowledge to share. In another life, I want to be them!

Hiking to the base of the towers (or the Laguna de Los Tres hike).