Patagonia · 10 days

Route 40: From the Sea to the Andes

Puerto Madryn · Península Valdés · Los Antiguos · Marble Caves · Cueva de las Manos · El Chaltén · El Calafate

Day 1

Buenos Aires · Trelew · Puerto Madryn

Departure on a JetSMART flight to the city of Trelew. On arrival, we will be met at Marcos Zar Airport and transferred to Puerto Madryn, 60 km away. Accommodation at the selected hotel (rooms available from 14:00). Rest of the day at leisure. Overnight in Puerto Madryn.

Day 2

Puerto Madryn · Península Valdés · Puerto Madryn

Breakfast. A full day devoted to visiting the Península Valdés Provincial Reserve, declared a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 1999. Our first stop will be the Istmo Ameghino Interpretation Center, a strategic spot for viewing the two gulfs that wash its shores: Golfo San José to the north and Golfo Nuevo to the south. The excursion continues along the road to the Punta Norte reserve, on Golfo San Matías. Along the route, which follows gravel roads, we will be able to spot wildlife: guanacos, armadillos (mulitas), lesser rheas (choiques), Patagonian maras, foxes, and birds. Here it is possible to see sea lions, elephant seals, Magellanic penguins, skuas, and orcas. The excursion then heads south to the Caleta Valdés Provincial Reserve, a coastal lagoon stretching 35 km from north to south on the east side of Península Valdés. This strip of land, made up of pebbles, soil, and sand, encloses a stretch of sea connected to the Argentine Sea through a narrow inlet. We then begin the return trip along the central road, stopping in the village of Puerto Pirámides, where passengers will have free time for lunch (not included). They can also go trekking along the beach and the bardas (cliffs) that surround the town. Return to Puerto Madryn. Accommodation at the selected hotel. Overnight in Puerto Madryn.

Day 3 · 580 km

Puerto Madryn · Bahía Camarones · Comodoro Rivadavia

Breakfast. We head south on RN 3 for 247 km to the turnoff for RP 30, which will take us to Camarones, the first town founded on the coast of what is now Chubut Province, in 1589. We will have lunch and then drive 30 km to the Cabo Dos Bahías penguin colony, one of the mainland Magellanic penguin reserves, which stands out for its incredible scenery, the tranquility of its trails, and a great variety of land wildlife: guanacos, rheas, and maras. We will explore the reserve on foot for an hour and a half. After the visit, we return to RN 3 and continue to our final destination, Comodoro Rivadavia. Arrival and accommodation at the selected hotel. Overnight in Comodoro Rivadavia.

Day 4 · 495 km

Comodoro Rivadavia · Petrified Forest · Los Antiguos

Breakfast. Heading west, we begin to leave the Patagonian plateau behind and gradually make our way into the Andean region. A day of contrasts, covering 490 km along RN 26 and RN 40. On reaching Colonia Sarmiento, we will take the gravel turnoff to the Sarmiento Petrified Forest Protected Natural Area, 150 km from the coast, which bears witness to the presence of the sea millions of years ago, as shown by the fossil remains found across the vast plateau. On a walk of about two hours, we will see a great variety of fossils. Free time for lunch, after which we continue west to the junction with RN 40. We pass through Río Mayo and then Perito Moreno before finally arriving in Los Antiguos, on the southeastern shore of the imposing Lago Buenos Aires, in the late afternoon. Accommodation at the selected hotel. Dinner. Overnight in Los Antiguos.

Day 5 · 360 km

Los Antiguos · Marble Caves · Los Antiguos

Breakfast. We will head west to cross the border, passing through the town of Chile Chico, and from there begin driving the incredible cliffside road that skirts the southern shore of Lago Buenos Aires (General Carrera in Chile), the largest lake in Patagonia. We will be on the road for about two hours, making several stops at photo viewpoints to appreciate the area's distinctive geography. Around midday, we reach Puerto Río Tranquilo, where we will board small outboard-powered boats carrying up to 16 passengers to sail the lake and discover the famous Marble Caves (for operational reasons, the boat trip may depart from Mallín Grande, without affecting the content of the excursion). After about 20 minutes, we will begin to see the marble formations rising from the water: Chapels, Cathedrals, and Caves. After an hour and a half on the water, we return to port, where we will have free time for lunch before heading back to Los Antiguos. Accommodation at the selected hotel. Dinner. Overnight in Los Antiguos.

Day 6 · 352 km

Los Antiguos · Cueva de las Manos · Los Antiguos

Breakfast. We will head south to Puesto Bajo Caracoles, an essential stop for every traveler on RN 40, strategically located at the junction of RN 40 and RP 39, the road that leads toward the Andes to the village of Lago Posadas. Its standout feature is the stone building of the Hotel Bajo Caracoles, commissioned in 1943 by Francisco José Folch, one of the three founders of the hamlet, and built by the Yugoslav stonemason Mateo Barak. From there, we turn off for about 40 km along a gravel road to the Cueva de las Manos, an archaeological site of worldwide importance and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. It preserves and protects a complex of archaeological sites occupied intermittently by human groups over a span of 8,000 years. The remains, which include artifacts, landscapes, and rock art, are up to 10,000 years old and stand as key evidence of the life and culture of the ancient peoples of Patagonia. We will take a 90-minute walk among the rock paintings, passing caves, rock shelters, and cliffs. After the visit, we will head back to Los Antiguos, stopping at scenic viewpoints along the way. Accommodation at the selected hotel. Dinner. Overnight in Los Antiguos.

Day 7 · 700 km

Los Antiguos · Gobernador Gregores · El Chaltén

Breakfast. Today is the longest day of the program. From Los Antiguos, we will drive to the town of Perito Moreno and from there continue south on RN 40, passing near Perito Moreno National Park, to Gobernador Gregores. Here we will make a rest stop for lunch (not included) and then, continuing along RN 40, visit the Cañadón de los Muertos, a historic site 7 km from Gobernador Gregores, on Estancia Bella Vista. It was the scene of one of the bloodiest episodes in the crackdown on the Patagonian Strike (known as Tragic Patagonia or Rebel Patagonia), where the 10th Cavalry Regiment executed more than 200 striking rural workers by firing squad and threw their bodies into a mass grave. We continue south along the original, unpaved section of RN 40 to the Lago Cardiel viewpoint. We will then visit several scenic spots before arriving in El Chaltén in the late afternoon. Accommodation at the selected hotel. Overnight in El Chaltén.

Day 8 · 74 km

El Chaltén · Lago del Desierto · El Chaltén

Breakfast. In the morning, we will take the excursion to Lago del Desierto, tracing the history of this corner of Patagonia amid a unique natural setting. The tour includes a visit to Lago del Desierto with stops along the way, and there is the option of a 45-minute boat trip on the lake (subject to availability), with free time to enjoy this beautiful scenery. We leave El Chaltén to cover the 37 km to Lago del Desierto on a beautiful gravel road that follows the Las Vueltas River. Along the way, our guide will share information about the area and its history, particularly the border dispute with Chile, and we will stop to get out at scenic viewpoints. Return to El Chaltén and afternoon at leisure. Accommodation at the selected hotel. Overnight in El Chaltén.

Day 9 · 395 km

El Chaltén · Perito Moreno Glacier · El Calafate

Breakfast. We leave El Chaltén for El Calafate, 215 km away, with a stop along the way at the Parador y Hotel de Campo La Leona, which has witnessed and played a part in the legendary history of our Patagonia for more than 110 years. Arrival and accommodation at the selected hotel. From there, we will set out with our local guide on the excursion to Perito Moreno Glacier. As we leave the steppe behind, the scenery gradually changes until we enter the area of higher rainfall, where lenga, ñire, coihue, and notro trees grow together into a forest that tempers the winds and creates milder climate conditions. During the drive, we will make a few stops before arriving at the boardwalks, where our guide will give a glaciological explanation of the origins of the imposing Perito Moreno Glacier, whose surface area of 195 km² is almost equal to that of the city of Buenos Aires. We will walk along the boardwalks, and once we have visited their viewing balconies, we will have free time to take in the magnificent setting that nature offers us. Return to El Calafate and accommodation at the selected hotel. Overnight in El Calafate.

Day 10

El Calafate · Buenos Aires

Breakfast. At the agreed time, transfer to Comandante Armando Tola Airport to board the scheduled JetSMART flight to Buenos Aires. Arrival and end of services.