Patagonia adventure holiday, Paine and Fitzroy trek
| country: | Argentina, Patagonia, Chile |
| location: | Patagonia |
| trip type: | Strenuous trekking holidays |
| departures: | 2009: 7 Dec 2010: 27 Jan, 9 Feb, 27 Feb, 22 Mar, 12 Apr, 25 Oct, 7 Nov, 22 Nov, 7 Dec, 20 Dec 2011: 4 Jan, 22 Jan, 14 Feb, 7 Mar, 28 Mar |
| price: | From £2475 (13 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
During the southern summer, the storm clouds recede and the sun shines on the rugged Patagonian landscape. This is the time to take to the trails and walk amongst some of the most stunning mountains on earth. From El Calafate we cross into Chile to the Torres del Paine National Park. Five magnificent days are spent trekking in the reserve, taking us to the base of the giant 'Towers of Paine', the Grey Glacier and the beautiful French Valley. Returning to Argentina we visit the famous Perito Moreno Glacier before transferring to our lodge in El Chalten, our base for sensational day walks to Lagunas Los Tres, Fitz Roy base camp and Laguna Torre at the foot of the giant Cerro Torre. Our final day can include a trek to Pliegue Tumbado, where the views over both Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy are incredible.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive in El Calafate and transfer to hotel. |
| Day 2: | Drive to Las Torres in Paine National Park, Chile. |
| Day 3: | Return trek to the Towers of Paine. |
| Day 4: | Trek to Refugio Los Cuernos. Overnight. |
| Day 5: | Trek the French Valley and on to Pehoe. Overnight. |
| Day 6: | Full-day trek to Grey Glacier. |
| Day 7: | Cross Lake Pehoe to Pudeto. Transfer to El Calafate. |
| Day 8: | Full-day excursion to Perito Moreno Glacier plus glacier mini-trek. Overnight El Calafate. |
| Day 9: | Transfer to El Chalten. |
| Day 10: | Day trek to Laguna de los Tres and Fitz Roy Base Camp. |
| Day 11: | Full-day trek to Laguna Torre. |
| Day 12: | Full-day trek to Pliegue Tumbado or optional activities. |
| Day 13: | Morning transfer to El Calafate where trip ends on arrival. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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We are involved in assisting a number of projects that have a positive contribution to the welfare of communities, wildlife or environment around the globe. We are training our local staff on a variety of issues, from environmental awareness to First Aid. This not only assists in the conduct of a tour but also provides them with important life skills. By employing porters born and bred in the region, we are supporting the local economy. Through offering employment and steady revenue, tourism can ultimately make a real positive difference to local communities. Our locally born and raised leaders are highly qualified and will be a great part of your holiday because of their intimate knowledge of the sights, culture and customs, history and language of their homeland.
When you travel with us, you support our Community Trust, which provides funds for local community projects and initiatives that promote responsible and sustainable tourism development in the destinations in which we operate. First and foremost, but not exclusively, the Trust supports projects and initiatives that advance education and employment within the tourism and hospitality industry. The Trust operates on a not-for-profit basis, with every cent of funds donated by us, our staff and our travellers, going to the nominated projects. The maximum group size on all of our adventures is 16 passengers. Travelling in small groups ensures we make significantly less impact on the natural environment, as well as breaking down many of the communication barriers presented by a larger group. In 2009, we aim to neutralise all major emissions created by most of our trips, so they can be offered as the best green alternative available. We have conducted detailed analysis to assess the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the ground component of our adventure holidays. This means that the greenhouse gases emitted by transport and accommodation during most of our trips will be balanced and reinvested in projects that offer Gold Standard (or similar) Carbon Credits, and are aimed at ‘neutralising’ your contribution to greenhouse gases. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |