Infinite Patagonia – Self-drive

• Self-drive from El Chaltén to El Calafate

El Calafate is located in the Patagonian steppe, dry and dramatic. It is on the border of Lago Argentino (Argentina’s biggest lake) and is considered the capital of the glaciers. It is the gateway to visit the world-renowned Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the only glaciers in the world that is still advancing.

Directions for today:

• Drive south and take the RP 28 until reaching the intersection with RN40.
• Turn right on RN40 and continue south for about 94 km. 
• Turn right and take RP11, then continue driving towards El Calafate city. 

Today’s self-drive adventure will take you to travel 220 km of paved road for 3 hours. 

• Optional self-drive to Glaciers National Park

If you decide to take this Patagonia self-drive optional tour, drive west on Avenida Libertador General San Martin / Provincial Route 11 towards Los Glaciares National Park.

Glaciers National Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1981 and is home to about 200 glaciers, including the famous Perito Moreno!

Half of this park is occupied by the campo de Hielo Patagónico (Patagonian ice field), the largest ice field after Antarctica. Once inside the park, explore the different viewpoints. If you’re lucky, you may get to see a piece of ice calving into the lake! 

Today’s self-drive adventure will take you to travel 75 km of paved road for 4 hours (plus the time spent on-site).  

• Self-drive from El Calafate to Torres del Paine

Leave Argentina and continue your Patagonia self-drive trip crossing to Chile, Torres del Paine is waiting for you! Discover the famous granite Paine Towers and the magnificent Paine Horns, all while enjoying breathtaking vegetation and wildlife. Torres del Paine is one of the most beautiful protected regions of South America and the best way to explore it is at your own pace.

Directions for today:

• Take NR 11 for 31 km.
• Then take NR 40 and drive until reaching Estancia Cancha Carreras. Here you will cross borders and leave Argentina. 
• Continue to Cerro Castillo in Chile, and then follow the NR towards the entrance of Torres del Parque National Park. 

The self-drive tour of today will take you travel along 226 km of paved road and 104 km of unpaved road, for about 7 hours (depending on the waiting time at the border crossing). 

Once inside the park, due to strong winds, the topography of the road, and especially for the presence of wildlife, the speed limit is 60 km/h. Please, respect this speed limit for your safety. 

• Optional hikes and self-drive trails

If you like hiking and nature, our recommendation for today is to take a hike to Base las Torres. This is the most famous hike in the park since it takes you to the base of the Cuernos del Paine (8500 f.o.s.l.); a challenge for climbers all over the world. Inside this National park, there are many other hiking trails available. The hike to Valle Francés and to Lago Grey are two of the many hikes you can not skip either! If you like kayaking, ice trekking, or horseback riding into the wild, you will be able to enjoy any of these activities inside the park. 

Today’s route: Inside the park most of the trails available for cars are unpaved.

• Day at leisure

Day at leisure to explore Torres del Paine National Park on your own with the rental car, and go hiking in different areas of the park. You will spend the night at the same hotel as the night before.

• Drive from Torres del Paine to El Calafate

Today, you will leave Chile and cross to Argentina, El Calafate is waiting for you! Discover the famous glaciers, all while enjoying breathtaking vegetation and wildlife. Los Glaciares National Park is one of the most beautiful protected regions of South America!

Starting in Laguna Amarga, Take NR 9 to Cerro Castillo for 40 km. Here you will cross borders and leave Chile. Continue to Cancha Carrera in Argentina.
Important: Please, have your passport on hand to go through customs and migration. Continue your journey by taking the NR 40 for 180 km approx.
At last, take NR 11 for 31 km to El Calafate.

Today’s suggested route: 226 km of paved road, 104 km of unpaved road Estimated time: 6/7 hours (It depends of the time at the border crossing according to quantity of people crossing)

• Drive from El Calafate downtown to El Calafate Airport

Today, you will leave El Calafate town and head northeast through RN11 towards El Calafate Airport, where you will drop off the vehicle and catch your flight.

• Transfer Ushuaia Airport / Ushuaia Hotel

Welcome to Ushuaia!

Ushuaia is a small town, really easy to get around on foot. The Yamanas, its first inhabitants, called it Ushuaia, which means ‘protected bay’ in their language. It was officially incorporated into the Republic of Argentina in 1884, and it soon became a penal colony in order to establish a permanent Argentine settlement.

Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel. According on your arrival time, you can explore the town or visit one of its curious museums, like the Thematic Gallery of the Historia Fueguina, to see the more than 120 character life-size figures that will tell you all about the history of Ushuaia, or unearth the story of the scariest and dangerous criminals at the Prison Museum. And please, don’t forget the local gastronomy! Ushuaia is the best place to eat seafood. We suggest you try the finger-licking Blake Hake.

• Full-Day Trekking & Canoeing in the National Park
  

In the morning, we will pick you up at your hotel to take a tour of the Tierra del Fuego National Park, which is home to beautiful natural landscapes.

After traveling 10 km we will arrive and hike an 4-mile-long undulating coastal path. As you continue to walk down this path you will be in constant contact with nature and will be able to admire beautiful views from the lakes, sea and surrounding mountains.

After the hike, near the banks of the Lapataia river, we will enjoy a comforting hot lunch with a great panoramic view from inside a heated dome. Afterwards, you will be equipped with rubber boots, coverpants and lifejackets. The excursion will continue from Lake Acigami down the freshwater of Lapataia river aboard inflatable canoes (duckies) until reaching the sea in Lapataia Bay. The tour will end at the mentioned bay, where the National Route Nº 3 meet its southern end.

From there, you will be driven back to your hotel.

• Half-Day Beagle Channel Navigation
  

In 1833, Charles Darwin sailed the Beagle Channel and discovered something great. Today it is your turn: become another explorer of this channel, primitively named Onashaga Channel since the Onas were its first sailors. At the appropriate time, you will go to the tourist pier (located in the center of the city).

You will embark on a 3-hour-long boat trip along the famous Beagle Channel. You will gain panoramas of Ushuaia Bay, where the city lies proudly crowned by the Martial Glacier. Unearth the diverse marine wildlife, such as cormorants (flying birds, closely related to penguins) and fur seals that frolic their time away on Alicia Island. Argentina standing at your left and Chile at your right, you will sail this natural border till reaching the iconic Les Eclaireurs lighthouse, the ancient guard of the bay.

On our way back, we will stop at Bridges Island to walk a wildlife interpretative path, hear about Yaman’s history (the native inhabitants), and see the largest shell deposits of the region. During the excursion, you can enjoy a delicious hot chocolate with cookies or try the Mate (strong green tea), the favorite Argentine drink.

Once we get back to the port, you will make your own way back to your hotel.

• Transfer Ushuaia Hotel / Ushuaia Airport
  

At the appropriate time, you will be transferred from your hotel to Ushuaia airport to take your flight.

• Transfer to the International Airport Jorge Newbery Airport / Buenos Aires Hotel
  

Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, you will be taken to your hotel.

• Transfer Buenos Aires Hotel / International Airport Ministro Pistarini
  

At the appropriate time, you will be transferred to the international airport for your flight. ¡Buen viaje!