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Argentina. El chaltén
Navigation on Lake Viedma, walk with crampons on the glacier crossing cracks, drains and other points of interest.
• Duration: 6h
• Season: October through April.
• Include: ground transfer to Puerto Bahía Túnel from El Chaltén, certified mountain guides, crampons (for those who walk on the ice) and on-board snack.
• Not included: personal clothing and gear (jacket, gloves, sun glasses, proper shoes), box lunch
• Difficulty level: aimed to people who have are in normal/good shape, and can walk normally on irregular terrain.
• Minimun age required: 12 years-ols (accompained by 1 adult)
• Maximum age: not required
Itinerary
• 9.00 am Departure from Bahía Túnel towards Viedma Glacier. The small and sheltered harbor of Bahia Tunel is only 17 km away from El Chalten and very close to the mouth of the Tunel River. The boat begins sailing with a south course, very close to the shore enjoying excellent views of Mt Fitz Roy and Cerro Huemul. There is a point called Cape Horn like the famous Cape, when the boar turns at this point visitors are treated with the fantastic views of Viedma Glacier.
• 9.50 am Sightseeing in front of the Glacier's snout. By getting close to the ice it is possible to see huge Icebergs that have calved from the Glacier, and all the blue shades of the ice. Our guides will explain everything there is to know and understand about the Glacier.
• 10.15 Landing on the exposed rocks near the glacier. Once on terra firma the guides will organize the groups according to their chosen option.
• 10.30am Glaciology talk: The guides will lecture about the glacier's behavior and other details about the area, providing information about the Southern Patagonian Ice-Cap and Patagonia.
• 11.00am Approach hike, and views from the natural viewpoints. The approach hike has a great geological interest because it shows all the exposed rocks that were covered by ice until very recently as the ice shrank. There are excellent views of the glacier's snout from the natural viewpoints.
• 12.00am Visit to the lateral moraine and ice caves. A short distance from the viewpoint, the lateral moraine can be reached. Sometimes there are ice caves and overhangs that can be visited. The Glacier melts continuously and moves quite fast, so this is an ever changing place, and each day there are different conditions. The ice caves here far more common than in other Glaciers of the National Park.
• 2.00pm Boarding time to sail back to Bahia Tunel.
• 2.45pm Arrival at Bahia Tunel.
RECOMMENDED CLOTHING FOR ALL THE TOURS IN EL CHALTEN: Gloves - Sunscreen (facial and labial) Cap fleece or wool coat - hat for sun Scarf or neck coat - waterproof jacket Waterproof pants or synthetic fabric appropriate footwear (preferably trekking boot covering the ankle) Sunglasses.
Tip: In Patagonia clothing layers should be taken to adapt to frequent changes in temperature.