7-day program with 3 hiking days

3-day hiking program

Day 1: Transfer from Calafate airport to the hotel with regular bus service. Upon arrival, the local tour operator will provide information about the excursion to Moreno Glacier to take place the following day.
Overnight in a hotel or hostel at El Calafate.

Day 2: Full day excursion to the Perito Moreno Glacier.  When visiting Patagonia, a trip to Perito Moreno Glacier is a must. Starting around 8:30 AM at the hotel, you will get to know the glacier from every angle and will have plenty of time to enjoy this incredible unique landscape of amazing shapes and colors.
Overnight at El Calafate.

Day 3: Regular bus transfer from Calafate to Torres del Paine National Park.
Bus ride through the Patagonian steppe into Chile, to Torres del Paine National Park. This national park is one of the highlights Patagonia offers to hiking enthusiasts. Impressive mountain ranges, glaciers, a countless number of lakes and small lagoons with the most different colors imaginable and a rich variety of wild fauna are the characteristics of this park.  
Overnight at the National Park  in a Hostería or hostel.

Day 4: Hiking to Torres del Paine. The trail leads up through a beech (Lenga) forest along the  deep valley of the Río Asencio. For the final 45 minutes the trail becomes steeper and leads over a moraine with large boulders until you reach the glacial lake with a spectacular view of the granite towers known as the Torres del Paine. These towers are undoubtedly a very attractive challenge for the best mountain climbers of the world. After lunch you descend to your hotel / hostel.
Hiking time: about 7 hours.
Difficulty: easy, only the last part to the Torres del Paine is medium rated.

Day 5:  Transfer to Lago Pehoé:  After about half an hour sailing through the turquoise waters of Lago Pehoé, you reach your next lodging: the Paine Grande Mountain Lodge. The summits of the Cuernos del Paine now appear as part of a marvelous landscape. Hiking into the amazing Valle Frances. This hike offers superb views of the extraordinary mountain landscape as it leads along  Scottberg lake into the heart of the Paine massif. Hiking up the valley you will admire to your left the beautiful ice covered summit of Paine Grande and to your right the bizarre peaks of the Cuernos del Paine. After having lunch in this wild scenery you will return along the same path to the lodge. Overnight at the lodge (shared rooms / shared bathrooms).
Hiking time: about 7 hours.
Difficulty: easy

Day 6: Hiking to Grey Glacier, the largest glacier in the national park flowing down from the southern continental ice cap. The trail leads from the lodge in a smooth and easy ascent through the woods to Lago Grey from where you get an impressive view of the glacier breaking off into the lake. If you are still on time, you can walk all the way to a fantastic overlook near Refugio Grey with a great view of the glacier. Return to the lodge and then a ride across Lago Pehoe with the catamaran in order to get the bus back to El Calafate or Puerto Natales.
Hiking hours:  about 6 to 7 hours. Difficulty: easy.
Overnight in hotel or hostel at El Calafate

Included services:
. Regular transfers between El Calafate airport and the town of El Calafate with airport bus.
. 3 nights at a hotel or hostel with breakfast in El Calafate.
. Excursion to Moreno Glacier with English-speaking guide in regular service.
. Transfers El Calafate / Torres del Paine National Park / El Calafate in regular bus services.
. 2 nights with breakfast at Torres del Paine in hostería or hostel.
. Transfer to catamaran and trip across Lago Pehoé, both ways.
. 1 night at Paine Grande Mountain Lodge with breakfast (shared rooms / shared bathrooms)

Not included services:
. Meals
. National Park Entrance fee to Moreno Glacier
. National Park Entrance fee to Torres del Paine

Personal equipment:
Hiking boots, warm clothes (for wind and rain): jacket and over-pants, a small hiking backpack for the day, gloves and a warm hat, good sun-screen, sun-glasses, a hat and light clothing for hiking.

Physical requirements:
This program fits anybody who wants to get their first contact with this fascinating activity as well as hikers with some previous experience. You should be able to walk between 5 to 7 hours daily, with a maximum of 700 meters vertical drop in ascent. You will enjoy the daily tours with a light backpack and leave the rest of your luggage at the lodges.

Accommodation in El Calafate, Torres del Paine:
. Option A: 3 star-hotel/lodge with private bathroom with the exception of Paine Grande Lodge with shared bedrooms and bathrooms.
. Option B: hostel in shared bedrooms and shared bathrooms (including sheets).

Important note:
The itinerary of this program depends on accommodation availability at the different lodges. Should there be no availability, we would be glad to offer you an alternative program.
If wished, we can also provide a mountain guide for this tour.