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12-Nights Patagonia Wilderness & Wildlife Explorer - Photo Itinerary

Chile/Argentina
12-Nights Patagonia Wilderness & Wildlife Explorer - Photo Itinerary
Chile/Argentina
Natural Habitat Adventures
Vacation Offer ID 1550872
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Overview

Natural Habitat Adventures

Peaks, Lakes, Glaciers & Pumas on a Grand Andean Adventure

The southernmost Andes rise in spires to the sky, their sheer granite heights drawing the eye and spirit upward. Sunrise bathes the peaks in rosy alpenglow. Glaciers wind down in frozen rivers from the ice-crowned massifs, choking turquoise lakes with floating blue bergs. Patagonia has no peer on Earth when it comes to dramatic mountain landscapes. On our cross-border expedition into Chile and Argentina, look for condors, guanacos and elusive pumas on guided hikes. Puma sightings are on the increase, and we hope to get a glimpse of this stealthy hunter in Torres del Paine National Park. Learn about conservation strides on visits to working estancias where protecting wildlife and raising livestock are mutually compatible goals. Explore and photograph diverse facets of this legendary adventure realm on our all-encompassing odyssey to the bottom of South America.
 

Vacation Inclusions

  • Accommodations including a stay in Suite Domes at EcoCamp Patagonia
  • Services of Nat Hab's professional Expedition Leader(s) and local staff
  • All meals from dinner on Day 1 through breakfast on final day
  • Regional wines with dinner
  • Some gratuities
  • Airport transfers on Day 1 and final day
  • All activities and entrance fees
  • All taxes, permits and service fees.

Featured Destinations

El Calafate

El Calafate

In El Calafate you will find yourself at the gateway to the majestic world of glaciers. This town is near Lake Argentino, a green water surface covering 1,600 km2, with a length of 60 km and a width between 12 and 14 km. It also has great mysterious depths, like all lakes orginated from glaciers, ranging from 35 m in Feruglio, on the southern shore, to 300 m off the Avellaneda Peninsula.
Los Glaciares National Park

Los Glaciares National Park

Glaciers National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site 1,300 mi/2,080 km southwest of Buenos Aires, has some of the most spectacular sights in Argentina. One of the planet's few advancing glaciers, Perito Moreno Glacier periodically dams the Brazo Rico of Lago Argentino, causing the water to rise. Eventually the melting ice below can no longer support the weight of the water behind it, and the dam collapses in an explosion of ice and water.

This spectacular event had been occurring, on average, every four years until a 16-year lull struck in the 1980s and '90s. In March 2004, a dramatic collapse took place, much to the delight of visitors lucky enough to be there. It subsequently ruptured again in 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2016.

The 22-mi-/35-km-long glacier is spectacular, and from a series of catwalks and vantage points on the Peninsula Magallanes you can watch and listen as tremendous chunks of ice crash into the Canal de los Tempanos. Visitors in good physical condition can hike on the iceberg itself. Buses run from Calafate to Moreno during tourist season (November-February). You can take a one-hour boat ride to get near the glacier's walls.

In the far north of the park are Mount Fitzroy and Cerro Torre, popular with climbers and hikers. Chalten, the village closest to the mountains, can be reached by bus from El Calafate, which is the best base for visitors to the area. El Calafate is also a good jumping-off point for tours to the Torres del Paine National Park, across the border in Chile.

Destination Guide
El Chalten

El Chalten

El Chaltén is a small village in Santa Cruz Province, the Patagonian region of southern Argentina. Chalten is a native word of the Patagonian people that means ‘smoking mountain’ as they believed the clouds that covered the mountains was a volcanic peak. The town was discovered in between the 70’s and 80’s and is the gateway to Mt. Fitz Roy and Cerro Torres, two of the Patagonian Andes. Travelers visiting El Chalten can trek or backpack through the Patagonian Andes and other visited tracks. The national park welcomes its travelers with commercial camping, showers and beds.
Torres del Paine

Torres del Paine

Torres del Paine is internationally recognized as one of the most beautiful, uncontaminated places on earth with natural lakes, rivers, waterfalls, glaciers, forests and diverse wildlife. This biosphere reserve dominates most of South America's national park and sits 2000 meters above the Patagonian Steppe, the granite pillars of Torres del Paine. 
Destination Guide
Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas is the southernmost city on Earth, overlooking the Straits of Magellan. Situated astride one of the world's historic trade routes, its prosperity has risen and fallen with that trade. Punta Arenas enjoyed its first great boom during the California Gold Rush, when it served as a haven for great clipper ships. Although the port's importance diminished after the opening of the Panama Canal, the city reached even greater prosperity early in this century as the center of Chile's international wool trade. Today, Punta Arenas reflects a great mix of cultures, from English sheep ranchers to Portuguese sailors, and it remains an utterly fascinating testament to the Chile's rich history. Punta Arenas is also the starting point for excursions to some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.
Destination Guide

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Valid Date Ranges

March 2025
03/21/2025 04/13/2025 Call for pricing
March 2026
03/26/2026 04/13/2026 Call for pricing
Prices are land only, per person based on double occupancy and given in U.S. dollars. Airfare is additional. Deposit fee and Single Supplement fees apply. All itineraries are subject to change without notice; please inquire at the time of booking. Advertised rates vary by date of travel; please inquire for the best prices for your preferred travel dates. Inquire for a list of exclusions and physical fitness requirements based upon trip activity level. Private Customized Groups and Special Photo Departures and Themed Departures may be available; inquire for itinerary and details. Full terms and conditions apply. 

All fares are quoted in US Dollars.