Torres del Paine Circuit trekking holiday in Patagonia
| country: | Argentina, Patagonia, Chile |
| location: | Torres del Paine National Park |
| trip type: | Strenuous/very challenging trekking holidays |
| departures: | 2009: 22 Nov, 20 Dec 2010: 24 Jan, 7 Feb, 14 Nov, 21 Nov, 19 Dec 2011: 23 Jan, 6 Feb, 20 Feb |
| price: | From £3230 - £3511 (16 days) including flights from the UK, from £2684 - £2807 excluding flights. Single room option £300. Price includes accommodation, 13 breakfasts, 9 lunches, 9 dinners, transport & local guides. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
The Torres Del Paine circuit is one of the finest classic treks in Latin America. The trek is fully supported (please enquire for weight restrictions).
Buenos Aires & Patagonia:
We explore Argentina's cosmopolitan capital, Buenos Aires, for a day before flying into Patagonia and the small town of El Calafate, where we can relax before embarking on our hike. Travelling into Chile, we arrive at our first camp, where we are met by our trek crew and horsemen, home to a rich variety of birds. Our first distant views of the Torres Towers are an amazing sight.
Lakes, Glaciers & Ancient Forests
Taking paths too narrow for horses, we journey through ancient beach forests, criss crossing streams until we reach our camp beside Laguna Los Perros, surrounded by the peaks of the Torres Massif, the summit of Paine Grande rising to 3050m. From our camp we can observe icebergs on the nearby lake - this is the wildest and least accessible part of the trek. Crossing the John Gardner pass (1241m) the enormous Patagonia Icefield is revealed to us, along with Glacier Grey, a huge mass of fractured ice which covers the valley.
The Majestic Torres del Paine
The next four days trekking leads us to the base of the granite Cuernos (horns) of these remarkable mountains. Passing through pastures where the Guanaco may be encountered, and along the shore of Lake Nordenskjold, our trail takes us into the very heart of the mountains. Rising above a tranquil green lagoon, the three giant monoliths of the Torres del Paine dwarf us, the rock walls rising sheerly to 2900m, a fitting highlight to an already remarkable trek. On our return to El Calafate we may get the chance to visit the famous Perito Moreno Glacier.
Included highlights:
Experience one of the world's classic treks Walk the entire circuit, staying mainly in refuges Enjoy unsurpassed views of this wildly beautiful region
Buenos Aires & Patagonia:
We explore Argentina's cosmopolitan capital, Buenos Aires, for a day before flying into Patagonia and the small town of El Calafate, where we can relax before embarking on our hike. Travelling into Chile, we arrive at our first camp, where we are met by our trek crew and horsemen, home to a rich variety of birds. Our first distant views of the Torres Towers are an amazing sight.
Lakes, Glaciers & Ancient Forests
Taking paths too narrow for horses, we journey through ancient beach forests, criss crossing streams until we reach our camp beside Laguna Los Perros, surrounded by the peaks of the Torres Massif, the summit of Paine Grande rising to 3050m. From our camp we can observe icebergs on the nearby lake - this is the wildest and least accessible part of the trek. Crossing the John Gardner pass (1241m) the enormous Patagonia Icefield is revealed to us, along with Glacier Grey, a huge mass of fractured ice which covers the valley.
The Majestic Torres del Paine
The next four days trekking leads us to the base of the granite Cuernos (horns) of these remarkable mountains. Passing through pastures where the Guanaco may be encountered, and along the shore of Lake Nordenskjold, our trail takes us into the very heart of the mountains. Rising above a tranquil green lagoon, the three giant monoliths of the Torres del Paine dwarf us, the rock walls rising sheerly to 2900m, a fitting highlight to an already remarkable trek. On our return to El Calafate we may get the chance to visit the famous Perito Moreno Glacier.
Included highlights:
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Buenos Aires. |
| Day 2: | In Buenos Aires; city tour. |
| Day 3: | Fly El Calafate. |
| Day 4: | Drive to Torres del Paine NP; trek to Serón (5hrs). |
| Day 5: | Trek to Dickson (6/7hrs) via Lago Paine. |
| Day 6: | In Dickson; rest day or trek to Glacier Dickson (7/8hrs). |
| Day 7: | Trek to Laguna Los Perros (4hrs). |
| Day 8: | Trek to Refugio Grey via Gardner Pass (11/12hrs). |
| Day 9: | Optional icewalk on Glacier Grey, PM walk to Refugio Pehoe (4hrs). |
| Day 10: | Trek to Refugio Cuernos (9/10hrs). |
| Day 11: | Trek to Refugio Torres (5hrs). |
| Day 12: | Trek to base of Torres del Paine, return to Refugio Torres (8hrs). |
| Day 13: | Bus to El Calafate. |
| Day 14: | In El Calafate (possible optional visit to Perito Moreno Glacier); fly to Buenos Aires. |
| Day 15: | Fly London. |
| Day 16: | Arrive London. |
award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.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.
small group cultural tours
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 it's 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 experiencing new cultures.how this holiday makes a difference
|
Community:
Our trek employs a large local crew and pack animals to transport our kit from refuge to refuge. The well-being of our crew is of utmost importance to us and we take great care to work to local regulations regarding the working conditions of our porters. Each year we monitor these standards to ensure we are working to best practice. We also ensure that the horses used are not over-burdened and treated well. Using local guides and crew is consistent with our policy to generate local employment and deliver direct economic benefits to the areas we are travelling in. It is important that the people who work for us are treated fairly and confident in their work. This is why we take care to train all our local tour leaders and give them all the support they need to do their job well. Environment: In this pristine but fragile environment it is essential that we minimise our impact. Whilst trekking we adhere to our strict Responsible Tourism Policy in terms of managing walks and the disposal of waste on a strict pack in, pack out basis. We support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
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. |