Argentina Packages

Paine Turnaround Circuit
13 Days / 12 Nights

This spectacular trek is the most complete circuit that you can perform in Torres del Paine National Park.
You visit the Towers, Paine Grande, Horns, the French valley, Grey glaciar and lake, Dickson, Los Perros and John Garner pass, and you get incredible views of the southern section of the Ice Field.
We go around the whole massif, from the steppe up to the majestic Ice Field, across shrub land and forest, always at the shadow of impressive mountains, lakes and glaciers. We will see guanacos, lesser rheas, condors, foxes, eagles, and a very reach alpine flora.

Day 1 - El Calafate Airport / El Calafate
We welcome you at Calafate airport and transfer to town to check in at your hostel. You get the rest of the day to enjoy the town and later you have your welcome dinner.
Lodging in a Hostel double or triple room with private bathroom.
Meals we provide: Dinner.

Day 2 - El Calafate / Torres del Paine
Early start for a 6 hs drive to our camp in Paine. We drive across the steppe, still following by parts the legendary route 40, to get around Sierra de los Baguales, an impressive range in between Calafate and Paine. We cross the Argentinean Chilean border at Cancha Carrera/ Cerro Castillo. After the border crossing, we start our final sprint to Paine National Park, World Heritage by the UNESCO (United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization). Approaching the Park, we start to see the different mountains that feature the area: Paine Grande, the Horns, Admiral Nieto and the Towers. We enter the Park by Porteria Laguna Amarga. A rich wildlife: guanacos, lesser rheas, condors and all types of wetland and buzzard birds, will be available for our eyes and cameras.
Lodging in Full Camp at Las Torres in double tent (area with sanitary services)
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Day 3 - Paine Towers – Ascensio River Valley
From pour camp, we cross the Ascensio river hanging bridge and hike a steep one hour slope, to get inside the Ascensio river valley, a narrow “V” shape alpine valley coming from inside the Paine massif. A gentle downhill leads us to Refugio Chileno, a cozy and comfortable mountain lodge, which can be a good turnaround point for those not willing to make a full day hike. We then walk in a gentle slope along the river side and inside beech forest. A final climb on moraine take us to the Towers viewpoint: a glacier origin lagoon and the three towers rising vertically 1000 mts from the glacier. The lack of breath will be either because the climb and the sight!!!! We go back to our camp on the same way we came. Walking time: 7 to 8 hs.
Lodging in Full Camp at Las Torres in double tent (area with sanitary services)
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Day 4 - Camp Las Torres – Camp Serón
Today we start the traverse. WE leave our camp at the gate of the Ascensio river valley across flat prairies we follow Paine river, up to Camp Serón. 5 hs trekking, fairly flat. During the first part of the walk we get good views of the Towers.
Lodging in Expedition Camp
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Day 5 - Camp Serón – Camp Dickson
We follow this morning the Paine river valley. After an hour and a moderate climb we turn west and we get the first views of the back part of the massif, including John Garner Pass (1250 mts above sea level) far away closing the valley. We follow the flat bottom of Paine river valley across old cattle area to Lake and camp Dickson. 6 hours trekking.
Lodging in Expedition Camp
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Day 6 - Camp Dikson - Camp Los Perros
From Dickson we start walking under old and dense beech forest- The Lord of the Rings style. This is the gate to the back part of the massif. A steady up hill lead us to Los Perros river valley, and a few hours later under this magic forest get us to lagoon and glacier Los Perros. We camp behind the moraine of the glacier. 6 hours trekking.
Lodging in Expedition Camp
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Day 7 - Camp Los Perros – Camp John Garner Pass
Our main obstacle today is a boggy area which lead us to the upper stone grounds of the valley, from where a steady climb take us to Paso John Garner, 1250 mts above sea level and a door to the southern section of the Patagonian Ice Field. As soon as we get to the pass we see glacier Grey flowing down to the lake. If visibility is good you will see all of the mountains sticking out of the Ice Field, many of them rarely seen by men. A steep down hill leads us to our camp in the forest. 6 hours trekking.
Lodging in Expedition Camp
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Day 8 - Camp John Garner Pass – Camp Grey
Today we hike along Grey glacier, across dense forest. Skirting Cerros Ostrava and Olguín, we head to the north side of lake Grey. This is the more humid area of the Park, with lots of ferns along the trail. Our camp today is located in a protected bay, few hundred meters ayaw from the front of the glacier. 6 hours trekking.
Lodging in Expedition Camp
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Day 9 - Camp Grey – Camp Refugio Pehoe
During the morning, we visit the front of the glacier calving into the lake. By noon, we head towards our next camp by Refuge Pehoe. This is a trail with several ups and downs, and with a number of spectacular viewpoints over the lake and glacier Grey and the mountains of the Ice Field. Once in camp we meet the stuff that we left behind in Camp Las Torres and our Full Camp service. 5 hours trekking.
Lodging in Full Camp at Refugio Pehoe in double tent (area with sanitary services)
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Day 10 - French valley
Today we visit the French valley with a day pack. This is an interior valley of the Paine massif. In its gate, flanks are covered by Paine Grande and the Horns. The upper part of the valley offers lot of dramatic spires and mountains, as Hoja (Blade), Máscara (Mask), Espada (Sword), Catedral (Cathedral), Aleta de Tiburón (Shark Fin) and the magnificent Fortaleza (The Fortress). Trail skirts along lake Skottberg up to Italian Camp, where we have our first viepoints of Paine Grande, Horns and French Glacier. Then the trail climbs up a narrow gorge to the upper bogs and stonegrounds.
Walking time for those who reach the upper viewpoints: 8 to 9 hs. For those reaching the lower viewpoints: 5 to 6.
Lodging in Full Camp at Refugio Pehoe in double tent (area with sanitary services)
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Day 11 - Camp Refuge Pehoe – Camp Lake Pehoe
With all our stuff we cross lake Pahoe by boat. Our bus picks us up and after a short drive we reach Camping Pehoé, by Lake Pehoé. After lunch, we visit Salto Grande (an impressive waterfall of Paine river) and later the south end of lake Grey,where the icebergs calving from the glacier in the north side of the lake gathered as they sailed south pushed by the wind. A dream location. We drive back to our camp.
Lodging in Full Camp at Lake Pehoe in double tent (area with sanitary services)
Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch and dinner.

Day 12 - Camp Lake Pehoe – El Calafate
After breakfast we leave behind Torres del Paine National Park and drive back to El Calafate, entering Argentina again. We will be received in El Calafate and transferred to our hostel.
Lodging in a Hostel double or triple room with private bathroom
Meals we provide: Breakfast.

Day 13 - El Calafate – El Calafate airport
After breakfast we are transferred to El Calafate airport where our services end.
Meals we provide: Breakfast.

*** End Of Our Services ***

CODE : CAABEX - VUP