BIG ICE
The same as the traditional tour, we take route 11 towards the Peninsula de Magallanes. We´ll start our tour on the self guided walkways in front of the Glacier. We´ll have one hour to walk around before driving 7km back to the Port “Bajo La Sombra”, where we take a boat across the Rico Arm of Lake Argentino, reaching the opposite shore after 20 minutes. The mountain guides will organize then smaller groups (no more than 10 each) to start the 4hr trek. We start walking uphill for about one hour along the glacier lateral moraine until we reach a spectacular lookout where we access the ice. Here the guides will provide the crampons, harnesses and helmets, and give the safety instructions to start the trekking on the ice. The world has now a new perspective: blue lagoons, deep crevasses, huge moulins, magic caves and the unique sensation of being in the heart of the glacier. Always helped by the mountain guides, we´ll have three and a half hours to explore the corners of the most special glacier in the world. We´ll have the chance to know better the ice and the environment, have a real idea of the size of it and enjoy the view of the surrounding mountains like Dos Picos (Two Peaks), Pietrobelli and Cervantes. We´ll have time to enjoy our box lunch on the ice and make out of this an unforgettable experience. Once back on the moraine, we´ll walk downhill for another hour to take the boat back and sail along the south face of the Glacier, before returning to “civilization” and having enjoyed one of the most beautiful treks in the world.
Recommendations:
Age: Due to the physical requirement and difficulty of the land, this excursion is only able for people between 18 and 50 years of and that has an acceptable physical state, considering that you will walk for about 7 hours on ice and “pedreros”. (*)
Clothings: Sunglasses, solar cream, comfortable and warm clothes, cap for sun, raincoat, glove, trekking boots, backpack of 40 lts approximately.
Lunch: Passengers must bring their lunch boxes from Calafate.
To smoke: It is forbidden to smoke during the course of all the excursion; either in the boat, the forest, the ice or in the refuge.
Physical state: The passengers must know that they will walk slowly for about six hours approximately, by lands so varied and irregular as ice, forest and “pedreros”. It is light, but relatively more complicated for old people, with problems of vertigo or bad physical state (For example: overweight)
(*) Restrictions: due to the effort and difficulty involved on this tour it is only suitable for people between 18 and 50 years in good physical condition, considering about 7 hours walking on ice and forest. Overweight people can not take this tour. Kindly note that overweight people are considered those that exceed this criteria: weight in kg. greater than twice the height in cm. minus 100 (e.g. 1.70 m height: 170 minus 100 = 70 x 2 = 140); pregnant; people with any degree or type of physical or mental disability that affects their attention or coordination; persons suffering central or peripheral cardiovascular diseases using stents, pacemakers and other prostheses; (e.g. medicated with anticoagulants, varices grade III -thick and multiples-, cardiac arrhythmias), people suffering respiratory diseases (COPD, asthma, emphysema, etc).
Because of its responsibility and under current regulations, H&A (Hielo & Aventura) reserves the right of admission, exercised under the previous guidelines, when they result apparent.