El Chaltén & Torres del Paine: Trekking & Glamping Private Circuit

A private transfer from El Calafate Airport (FTE) across the Patagonian steppe to El Chaltén, with the Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre massifs rising above the valley on approach. Check-in at Eco Domes Patagonia — geodesic domes with direct Fitz Roy views from the interior. The afternoon is free for an acclimatization walk to the Mirador de los Cóndores above the village, with a first panoramic view of both massifs. Evening guide briefing on weather and trail conditions for the days ahead.

22 km | 960m elevation gain | 8–9 hours | Challenging

A private drive to the Río Eléctrico trailhead, then a full day ascending through lenga and ñire forest past the Piedras Blancas hanging glacier viewpoint to the glacial lagoon at 3,054 meters below Fitz Roy's north face. The final moraine ascent is steep; your guide sets departure timing against the morning wind forecast — the wind off the Southern Patagonian Ice Field typically builds through the afternoon. Return via the Laguna Capri trail to the dome.

~21 km | ~600m elevation gain | ~8 hours | Moderate

A full-day hike west through the Fitz Roy River valley to the moraine above Laguna Torre, where Cerro Torre's 3,128-meter granite spire and the floating icebergs of Glaciar Grande fill the view. Wind-driven icebergs are a constant visual along the lagoon's edge. Return to the dome in the afternoon.

~14 km | ~450m elevation gain | 6–7 hours | Moderate

Private drive to Estancia Los Huemules, a private nature reserve of pristine Patagonian forest. The trail winds through ancient lenga woodland to the dark waters of Laguna del Diablo and the turquoise Laguna Azul, crossing a protected area for the observation of the huemul, an endangered Patagonian deer.

A private transfer back to El Calafate and check-in at Pristine Camps on the shores of Lago Roca — canvas-and-timber glamping in a quieter corner of the Lake Argentino basin, away from the town. The afternoon is free for a walk along the lakeshore or rest at the camp. In the evening, a traditional Patagonian lamb asado.

A transfer to Los Glaciares National Park and a boat crossing of Lake Argentino's Rico Arm to the glacier's southern shore. A short hike through the forest to the ice edge, where crampons go on. Approximately two hours of guided travel on the glacier surface past blue meltwater lagoons, seracs, and ice formations. After returning to the shore, a walk through Perito Moreno's elevated walkways for the 70-meter ice face and calving events from above.

A full-day catamaran through Lago Argentino's northern arm, past floating icebergs, to Upsala Glacier (one of the largest in South America) and the Spegazzini Glacier, whose ice face reaches over 130 meters. A lunch stop at the Spegazzini Refuge — a small lodge accessible only by boat, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking directly out at the ice wall. The only lunch stop of this kind in the Los Glaciares National Park circuit.

A private transfer from El Calafate crossing the Argentine–Chilean border at the Cancha Carrera/Cerro Castillo checkpoint. Multiple stops along the steppe for guanacos, condors, and lesser rheas before the first views of the Paine Massif appear — Paine Grande, the Horns, Admiral Nieto, and the Towers. Check-in at EcoCamp Patagonia, a dome-suite property inside the park at the base of the Torres sector.

18 km | 880m elevation gain | 6–8 hours | Challenging

The Torres trail begins at the bridge over the Ascencio River, climbing through lenga beech forest and over moraines to the glacial lagoon below the three granite Paine Towers. Your guide sets pace against the day's wind — the upper section is fully exposed. Return to EcoCamp for the evening.

~16 km | ~500m elevation gain | 6–7 hours | Moderate–Challenging

A morning drive to Puerto Pudeto and the catamaran crossing of Lago Pehoé to the French Valley trailhead. The trail follows the southern slopes of Paine Grande past Lake Skottsberg to a hanging bridge above the French River — below Paine Grande's southeast face to the west and the black-capped Horns to the east. Hanging glaciers and the sound of distant ice calving accompany the upper section. Return to EcoCamp by catamaran.

A morning hike from EcoCamp to the Playita Grey shoreline, where massive icebergs calved from Grey Glacier sit anchored by wind along the volcanic sand beach — a different physical scale from any other viewpoint on the circuit. After the hike, a private transfer across the border back to El Calafate and check-in at Hotel Xelena on the lakeshore for the final night.

A private transfer to El Calafate Airport (FTE) for your domestic flight to Buenos Aires and onward international connections.