Grey Glacier Experience

Our representative will meet you at the Punta Arenas airport. Bus to Puerto Natales, a three-hour drive across the Patagonian pampa. Puerto Natales is the gateway to Torres del Paine National Park and outdoor adventure in the Patagonia region. The small town is located on the Señoret Channel along a picturesque fjord, with the spectacular backdrop of the southernmost peaks of the Andes. As a resort, you’ll be able to find great food, supplies, and more to fuel up for your hike, along with local attractions to explore.

Accommodation in Puerto Natales at the Natalino hotel or similar. Dinner and meeting to discuss the travel program. (D)

Advice:

Visit this charming little art shop “Pueblito Artesanal”. Shop for handmade ornaments, art, crafts and decorations inspired by the culture of Patagonia. These amazing products are handmade from natural materials and are loved by Magallanes locals and tourists. Next to Pueblito Artesanal you will find a fantastic mural depicting the indigenous people of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, as well as typical Patagonian traditions.

Transfer by van to Torres del Paine National Park. This is a two-hour drive across the Patagonian pampas. Arrival at Torres del Paine via the main entrance to Amarga Lake. We will begin the hike to the Ascencio Valley, where from above you can see the river (of the same name) running wildly past the Chileno refuge. After a short stop here, we will continue through a forest of native Lenga (beech) trees until we reach the glacial moraine. From here it is a 1-hour hike to the top where the towers appear out of nowhere. This hike is spectacular, where you can see the 3 pink granite towers with their glacial lake below that made the park famous. (8 hours round trip, 20 KM). Transfer to the Serrano River area, dinner and overnight at the Nash-Serrano refuge. (B/L/D)

08:00 hrs. We will tour the national park by van, stopping at the Salto Grande waterfall. 09:30 hrs. We will cross Lake Pehoe by catamaran. We will hike along the charming Grey Lake (3-4 hours, 11 KM) with magnificent views of the Grey Glacier and floating icebergs. We will visit the glacier lookout point and the lake shore to see the vibrant blue icebergs up close (Paine is an indigenous Tehuelche word meaning “blue”).

Kayaking: During the afternoon, we will hike for 10 minutes to our Bigfoot base camp, located on the northeast shore of Grey Lake. Here our guides will introduce us to the necessary equipment for the tour and we will have a safety briefing. After this, we will take the kayaks approximately 20 meters to the lake shore. Now the tour really begins! We will paddle between the icebergs floating in the lake and then paddle to the east side of the Grey Glacier to marvel at the spectacular scenery of this special place. If conditions allow, we can paddle closer to the glacier to get a really good view. After this, we will paddle back to the starting point. Dinner at the Grey Shelter, overnight at the lodge or campsite. (B/L/D)

HOW TO CARRY PERSONAL EQUIPMENT:

Tenga en cuenta que el día 3 del viaje llevará su mochila todos los días, que pesará alrededor de 10 kg. Los artículos que deberá llevar incluyen: su ropa para el viaje, el almuerzo del día y cualquier otro artículo personal. Si desea un porteador, habrá un costo adicional de U$ 120 por día. Cada porteador puede llevar un máximo de 15 kg, lo que significa que un porteador puede ser utilizado por dos excursionistas.

Ice Trekking. After breakfast, the guides will have an introductory talk explaining the route, the time it will take and also testing the equipment adjusting it correctly for each passenger. Then, we will go on a zodiac boat for 15 minutes until we reach the west side of the Grey Glacier. Upon arrival, we will disembark on the glacier island (nunatak) and walk on it for approximately one hour until we reach the ice. Before walking on the glacier, the guide will talk to us about safety aspects and techniques for moving on the ice. Once the safety talk is over, we will begin our exploration of the Grey Glacier that will last approximately 3 hours. During this time we will be able to observe crevasses, rivers, lagoons and tunnels with their different shades of blue. After 3 hours on the glacier, we return to the zodiac boat and ride back to base camp. After lunch, we will sail on the Grey III catamaran. Two hours of navigation on this magical lake surrounded by icebergs where the boat makes a circuit to the front of the glacier while you sit on deck enjoying your pisco sour served with glacier ice. Transfer from Grey Lake to Puerto Natales. Farewell dinner and night at Natalino hotel or similar. (B/L/D)

Breakfast, bus to Punta Arenas or El Calafate. End of our services. (B)(D)