10-Day Patagonia Glaciers & Peaks

Arrive at El Calafate Airport (FTE) and pick up your rental car. Drive the short 20 km into the charming town of El Calafate, nestled on the shores of Lago Argentino. Check into your hotel and spend the afternoon exploring the town's main avenue, lined with outdoor gear shops, chocolate stores, and restaurants. Walk along the Costanera lakeside promenade and visit Laguna Nimez, a bird sanctuary where flamingos wade in the shallows with the Andes as a backdrop. Enjoy a welcome dinner of Patagonian lamb roasted over an open fire.

Drive 80 km west to Los Glaciares National Park for the main event: the Perito Moreno Glacier. This 250 km² ice giant is one of the few advancing glaciers in the world, and its 60-meter-high face creates a constant spectacle of groaning, cracking, and calving ice. Spend 3-4 hours on the extensive boardwalk system, which offers views from multiple levels and angles. The thunderous sound of house-sized chunks of ice crashing into Lago Argentino is unforgettable. Optionally add a boat safari that takes you within 200 meters of the glacier face. Return to El Calafate in the late afternoon.

Drive north on Ruta 40 toward El Chaltén, Argentina's trekking capital. The 220 km drive takes about 3 hours through flat Patagonian steppe, but the approach to El Chaltén is dramatic — the jagged granite spires of Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre suddenly appear on the horizon like a wall of stone. Stop at the Lago Viedma viewpoint for your first photo opportunity. Upon arrival, register at the park information center and get trail updates. Spend the afternoon on the easy Chorrillo del Salto waterfall trail (2 km round trip) to stretch your legs after the drive.

This is the iconic hike of El Chaltén — and arguably all of Patagonia. The 25 km round trip trail to Laguna de los Tres takes you to the foot of Mount Fitz Roy, where a glacial lake of stunning turquoise sits at the base of the 3,405-meter granite monolith. The first 8 km through lenga forest are gentle, followed by a steep final 2 km ascent over loose rock to the viewpoint. On a clear day, the view is simply one of the most spectacular sights in the natural world. Return the same way, stopping at Laguna Capri for another classic Fitz Roy photo spot.

Hike to Laguna Torre (18 km round trip), which offers views of the needle-like Cerro Torre, one of the most technically difficult peaks in the world. The trail is gentler than yesterday's Fitz Roy hike, following the Río Fitz Roy valley through beautiful forests and along glacier-fed streams. At the lake, icebergs calved from Glaciar Torre float in the milky water with the spire of Cerro Torre behind them. After the hike, reward yourself with craft beer at one of El Chaltén's excellent brewpubs. Alternatively, if the weather is poor, declare today a rest day and explore the village.

Begin the long drive south toward Ushuaia. Drive back through El Calafate and continue south on Ruta 40 and then Ruta 5 toward Río Gallegos, the capital of Santa Cruz province. The drive crosses the vast Patagonian steppe, flat grasslands stretching to the horizon under enormous skies. While the landscape may seem monotonous, it has a hypnotic beauty, with guanacos and rheas visible along the roadside. Arrive in Río Gallegos and check into a hotel. This is primarily a transit day to break up the long journey to Ushuaia.

Cross into Tierra del Fuego via the Strait of Magellan ferry at Primera Angostura (Chilean side) or Punta Delgada. The 20-minute ferry crossing is a memorable experience. Drive across the flat northern part of Tierra del Fuego through Chilean territory, crossing back into Argentina at the San Sebastián border. The landscape gradually transforms from steppe to sub-Antarctic forest as you approach Ushuaia. The final stretch along the shores of Lago Fagnano and through the Garibaldi Pass offers breathtaking mountain scenery. Arrive in Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city, nestled between mountains and the Beagle Channel.

Drive to Tierra del Fuego National Park, just 12 km west of Ushuaia. This park protects the southernmost forests in the world, where lenga beeches grow twisted by the wind along the shores of the Beagle Channel. Hike the Senda Costera (coastal trail, 8 km) for stunning views of mountains meeting the sea. Visit Bahía Lapataia, the official end of Ruta Nacional 3 (and a popular photo spot by the sign marking the end of the Pan-American Highway). Take the scenic End of the World Train for a nostalgic journey through the forest. Return to Ushuaia for a seafood dinner, including the famous centolla (king crab).

Take a half-day Beagle Channel boat excursion, sailing past islands populated by sea lions, imperial cormorants, and other seabirds. The highlight is the iconic Les Éclaireurs Lighthouse, often mistakenly called the End of the World Lighthouse. Some tours include a stop at Isla Martillo to see a Gentoo penguin colony (seasonal, October-March). In the afternoon, explore Ushuaia's waterfront, visit the excellent Museo Marítimo housed in the former prison, or take the chairlift at Glaciar Martial for panoramic views of the city and the Beagle Channel. This is your last full day in Patagonia — savor it.

Your epic 10-day Patagonian journey concludes in Ushuaia. Enjoy a final breakfast with views of the Beagle Channel, pick up last-minute souvenirs from the duty-free shops on Avenida San Martín, and drive to Ushuaia International Airport (USH) to return your rental car. As you fly over the snow-capped peaks of Tierra del Fuego, reflect on 10 days that took you from colossal glaciers to towering granite spires to the very end of the world.