Adventure & Tour Intro | Itinerary | Details | Registration
Please read carefully if you are considering this trip.
There are no strict fitness requirements required for this trip because in almost every destination you can choose your preferred level of activity. However, here are some details to consider when deciding whether or not this trip is physically right for you!
Note about altitude – not an issue
Patagonia surely sounds like a place that is high altitude, but since we’re not scaling the mountains, we’re in good shape! Altitude sickness is something to be aware of over 8,000 feet. Our highest point is ~1350 feet in El Chalten. You can see the rest of our altitudes below:
- Iguazu: 640′
- Ushuaia: sea level
- El Calafate: 645′
- El Chalten: 1345′
- Torres del Paine (@Lake Pehoe): 115′
Iguazu Falls
For the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls you have two options:
- You can get out of our vehicle at the first stop and walk on the path along the falls 850 meters (0.53 miles) to the main viewpoint area, with many smaller viewpoints along the way. This path gives you a wonderful, suspense-building introduction to the falls, and you can see many of the small cascades in the system on the Argentina side from here.
- You can stay on the bus for a few more minutes and get dropped off at the main viewing point and cafe with seating. From here there are accessible walkways and ramps, as well as an elevator so you can see upper and lower viewpoints. We will eat lunch near this spot so all of the group will end up here.
The Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls has many several walking paths with lots of viewing options. We will have a guided tour to Devil’s Throat, Upper Trail, and Lower Trail, or you can choose to explore independently at your leisure. Here is a map of the paths on the Argentinian side:
The Upper Trail leads you along the river and the top of the waterfalls, for viewpoints like the one below. The roundtrip circuit is 1750 meters (1.09 miles) and is 100% wheelchair accessible.
The Lower Path winds you through the forest and gets closer to the cascades as they fall, like the view below. The lower circuit is 1700 meters (1.06 miles) and is 70% wheelchair accessible.
You take a train to get to Devil’s Throat, the main fall at Iguazu. From our hotel, it is a 20-minute walk to the train station (and we recommend being on the very first train at 9 AM!) From the train’s endpoint to the actual viewpoint, it is a 2.2 km (1.37 miles) roundtrip walk on a metal-slatted walkway, over the Iguazu River, part of which you can see below:
Ushuaia & Tierra del Fuego National Park
You’ll need to transfer from a dock to a covered zodiac boat for a 10-minute boat ride from Estancia Haberton to Martillo Island to see the penguins. We spend one hour with the penguins; we only cover 100-200 meters at most, mostly on gravel and grass.
In Tierra del Fuego National Park you can choose to enjoy the scenery from the National Park Office and cafe, or to go on a short hike (~1 hour and ~3-hour options). There will even be a nice 30-minute option for those wanting to get into the woods but don’t want to commit to a longer option!
El Chaltén
Due to the numerous hiking options depending on your level of interest, El Chaltén is truly the “Choose Your Own Adventure” portion of this journey! This website is a good overview. .
We have specifically chosen the hotel with the best view in town so you can enjoy a view without trekking, as well.
We’ll help you choose the best option for you, whether it’s a 9-hour trek to Laguna de los Tres or it’s relaxing over a Patagonian beer and local locro stew (or both!)
El Calafate
Perito Moreno Glacier has many walkways (map below) with upper and lower viewpoints–similar to Argentinian Iguazu but on a smaller scale. The white line on the map below is completely wheelchair accessible and provides stunning sweeping views of the glacier. The other paths do contain stairs to varying degrees. We’ll suggest routes for you depending on your interest level; the yellow and blue paths below are recommended because we will see the southern face from the boat ride, making the very steep red trail unnecessary.
You can also choose to go trekking on the glacier itself if you are under 65. This activity is not included but we can help you arrange this excursion with a local operator. There are two options: a mini-trek and the “Big Ice” trek and we can tell you more about both if you are interested. The Big Ice trek is limited to those age 50 and under (we know, we know–that’s insane) and the mini-trekking to those under 65. While these excursions do provide an up-close and personal look at the glacier, we don’t believe they are necessary to fully appreciate the beauty of Perito Moreno.
Torres del Paine
While Torres del Paine does offer many trekking options, its beauty can be appreciated from viewpoints and with short walks. To that end, with our one full day in Torres del Paine National Park, we are choosing to show you the highlights of this massive park via vehicle and short walks. If you would prefer to spend this day on a longer trek in one area, we can help you arrange such an excursion.