We will meet everyone at the El Calafate airport and begin our journey to either the city of El Chalten or the Estancia La Estela on the shores of Lake Viedma (depending on flight times). During the afternoon, we will review all equipment and the route we will be taking over the next week.

Note: Optional transfers to El Chalten and lodging at La Estela with additional cost

We begin the day by heading towards Estancia Helsingfors from either El Calafate or Estancia La Estela.  Note that Estancia Helsingfors is located 180km from El Calafate, about 70km of which is along dirt road, so the journey can take up to 4 hours. It is from here that we will begin our trek.

The ranch is located at the entrance to the Seno Moyano of Lake Viedma. We will hike along this branch of the lake following the undulations of the terrain through low vegetation. The valley we traverse is sandwiched between the Mascarello and Huemules ranges, with views to a background of glaciers running down from the South Patagonian Icefield and the Moyano mountain range. We will set up camp for the night near the lake in the vicinity of an old abandoned hut.

We continue up the valley through an area of hills and ravines until we arrive at a viewpoint that allows us to see the Valle del Quemado (Burned Valley) below us, the North pass ahead of us, and the spectacular Moyano and Norte mountains with their important hanging glaciers.

We enter into the Valle del Quemado, cross over tree trunks, and then start climbing to reach the upper part of the North pass at ~1,100 meters above sea level. From the pass, we can see the entire mountain range of the Mascarello Strict Nature Reserve (Mascarello Strict Nature Reserve) and the North Canyon, which begins a long descent towards Lago Argentino (Argentine Lake). 

From here we will descend about 200m on uneven rocky terrain in the shadow of the imposing walls of the Moyano and Norte mountains, and cross an area of mallines (Patagonian wetlands) and low forest to look for a good campsite.

From our camp near the forest, we cross a large glacial moraine into a beautiful river valley. Here we will walk along the valley, skirting around the many mallines and finding our way through trail-less forests. If weather permits, we will camp with a view of North Mountain’s impressive hanging glacier and lagoon, otherwise, we will continue a little further to set up camp in the forest.

Today, we continue heading along the valley - following animal trails and keeping the river on our right to discover a series of spectacular waterfalls. After navigating forests, mallines, and low bushes, we will once again gain height and cross a ridge to a series of terraces. From the ridge, we will see Lago Argentino and Estancia Cristina in the distance, the Canon of Fossils on the opposite side of the river, and parts of the glaciers that descend from the South Patagonian Icefield. We will set up our wild camp near the river and the Anita Lagoon.

From our beautiful campsite near the lagoon, we head towards the Catarina river looking for a place to cross the glacial waters. One on the other side, we make our way through the incredible Canyon of Fossils until we reach a rocky ledge with impressive geology and color. We will have this remarkable place - close to the South Patagonian Icefield and surrounded by huge glaciers converging in the direction of Lago Argentino - all to ourselves. 

Our day ends when we arrive at the repaired Upsala hut, which is located behind a rocky promontory and very close to the viewpoint of the Upsala Glacier.

On the final day of our spectacular journey, we will rise early to enjoy the morning light over the Upsala Glacier from the viewpoint. Once we’ve had our breakfast and enjoyed the last morning of tranquility, we will start our descent towards Lago Argentino where we will wait for the boat that will take us back to El Calafate by sailing for 3 hours.