Highlights Of Los Glaciares Reviews

The Kayak en Patagonia excursion was really wild and maybe more than I had anticipated, but that is also why it is certainly memorable. We all pushed ourselves into uncomortable territory that day, and we all did it pretty successfully. I'm glad that I sometimes jump into these adventures without knowing everything. If I knew exactly what it would be like, I might back out.

Overall our trip was wonderful, with only a few snags. The highlights of Argentinian Patagonia were the Perito Moreno Glacier and the Estancia Christina in El Calafate, and the Fitzroy hike in El Calafate. The Perito Moreno Glacier is breathtaking, and easily accessible from the raised walkway in the park. We also did the boat tour, which offers history and closer view of the glacier. Beware though, once you see it, other glaciers in Patagonia will seem less impressive. Estancia Christina was fantastic, but only because we opted for the fossil hike. Others on the excursion had lots of waiting around and did not seems as impressed. Not so great- The scheduling from El Calafate to EL Chalten- we would have preferred a later transfer. With the sun setting so late, you can easily hike until 7 PM...therefore there was no reason to leave so early for Chalten. Chalten was beautiful. Liked the wild dogs and friendly locals. The Fitzroy hike was spectacular....we were on the trail early so it wasn't too crowded but I imagine during peak season it was be a little unpleasant as it is narrow and you need to step aside to let people pass. Our best meal in Chalten was at La Tapera, wish it had been recommended. Avoid La Senyera, worst meal of our entire trip. Australis Cruise- This was a mistake. After having days filled with hiking and enjoying the riches of nature, being confined to a boat was very frustrating. The boat itself was nice, the rooms clean and comfortable but the excursions were short and underwhelming and most of the time on the boat was spent waiting....waiting for a short presentation, waiting for lunch, waiting to get off the boat, waiting to get on the boat etc....The penguins were the highlight of the cruise but, we found out you can take a day trip from Puntas Arenas to visit them. That would have been nice to have known. Highlight of the entire trip was Torres del Paine. The Explora hotel is beautiful and the hiking on the W was the best we experienced. The spa, the guides, the surroundings were all unbelievable. If I could redo the trip I would nix the cruise and spend an extra 3 nights at Explora.

I cannot think of one particular moment that stands out. The most memorable are all my wow! moments when first seeing a particular mountain or glacier.

Tie between seeing a huge avalanche fall from the mountains of Torres del Paine and hearing the calving of the glaciers.

Getting up close to the penguins! Being able to learn about and walk through the area where they live was amazing!

I cannot pick just one. When you finally reach the base of the Fitz Roy in Chalten and the Towers in Torres Del Paine one is struck with overwhelming emotion. Though cliche, no photo could possible display such beauty. There is a sense of real accomplishment. The time spent traveling the Strait of Magellan to Francisco Coloane III Island gives one time to reflect on just how remote your time spent seeing wildlife will be. Then there they are--the Whales. So amazing.

The overall trip to Patagonia, both on the Argentine side and the Chilean side was wonderful. The most memorable moment was in Chile, during the French Valley. We had the best guide, Hector who led us through the W-Trek. Sitting in front of the most beautiful mountain was awe-inspiring. I felt at peace in this moment and was so inspired to be outdoors. I had many favorite parts of this trip. Personally, I believe that Patagonia itself is a renowned and remote place to be at the same time. Exploring these emotions while watching the views was really important for me.

Day hikes to base of towers and Laguna de Los tres .

3rd morning at Explora Torres del Paine. Magical sunrise casting a fire red/orange/pink glow against the towers.

Surviving the first day of hiking. The beauty of the glaciers. The rainbow that greeted us at the start of the hike. Lunch by the stream and refilling my water bottle in the cold, clear glacier water. The cold beer at the end.

360 degree views near the Frances mirador and hearing glaciers calving Walking on Grey Glacier and seeing all its tongues from the Grey Navigation boat. Fabulous views and hikes at El Chalten.

Viewing Fitz Roy and the glacial lakes

Vastness of the landscape was awe inspiring.

There wasn't 'one' moment, it was amazing from beginning to end. It was the overall experience and no issues with logistics and wonderful weather added to an amazing trip. We felt very taken care of with our agenda. Patagonia is not a whim of a trip and is expensive. I enjoyed 90% of what was provided but there were some accommodations that for as expensive as this trip was I was expecting a little higher standards.

Really, there were too many to be able to single out one. The particularly memorable moments included many of the wildlife encounters (including whale and orca watching, sitting close to elephant seals, and visiting penguin colonies), and the iconic views after the long hikes to the Base of The Towers, French Lookout, and Laguna de Los Tres.

So many: 1) Seeing the penguins in Ushuaia 2) Hiking the Laguna de los Tres trail with views of Mt Fitz Roy 3) Taking the boat to see the Perito Moreno Glacier 4) Amazing meals in El Chalten 5) Getting engaged overlooking the Condor viewpoint!

There are too many to choose just one! One of my favorite days was day 1, when we first got to see Fitz Roy on the way to Lago del Desierto. This say was when our group kayaked at Lago del Desierto, hiked up to the Huemel Glacier and into the forest surrounding Desierto. No one realized at the start of the day that we would be able to all the activities - we thought we needed to choose between kayaking or seeing Huemel. Thankfully we were mistaken! Both activities were so incredible, and the forest on the way up to Huemel and surrounding Desierto is something else - nothing like our group was used to seeing in the Rocky Mountains. Because we had a big group, we split up into 10s between the three activities and would see each other at the exchange times, enjoy a beer from the little snack shack and our very good bagged lunches. We ended the day at the lodge to have some tea or wine and plan the next day with our incredible guides from Walk Patagonia - Nico and Sebastian. This first day was just an incredible way to start the trip and be introduced to this beautiful region all together. Wish I could go back and relive it!

There are so many. Watching glaciers from close up calve into the see, the stunning vistas and massive mountains of Torres del Paine, seeing the Torres for the first time while driving to the park, standing on Cape Horn island, and completing the W-trek. I'll say the top two are: Observing an absolutely huge avalanche in French Valley. (awe inspiring and a little scary) Cresting the final ridge at the top of the Base of the Towers hike and seeing the lake and towers. (breath taking)

Horseriding

There wasn’t a single memorable moment, rather the combined hikes, comradeship with fellow travellers and guides combined to make the trek memorable.