EXPERIENCES

We leave from the hotel towards Tierra Mayor Valley. Our Musher instructor will welcome us and give us an introductory chat about the dogsledding world, while we visit the kennels. Then we´ll receive the instructions about sled assembly and driving techniques. We´ll put the harnesses on the dogs, we hitch them to the sled and off we go! This intense adventure is great fun! As we go, our sled caravan heads into the snowy valley until we arrive at Refugio del Hachero, where we´ll recover energy with some hot beverages. After a short rest, mushers and dogs continue the journey through forests, frozen rivers and experiencing the magic white silence. Maximum 8 pax and 4 sleds. Passengers must be in good health, must like dogs and have a team spirit. Dogsledding is comparable to cross country skiing, so reasonable fitness is required.

We start our tour to Torres del Paine National Park. The first stop is the ancient cave Milodon, declared a historical monument in 1968 and a Natural Monument in 1993, it is located 25 km north of Puerto Natales. This natural monument consists of three caverns and a rocky conglomerate called "Silla del Diablo". The largest of these caves is 150 m.a.s.l. and its dimensions are 30 meters high, 50 meters wide and 200 meters deep. The scientific interest of the place is given by the discovery, in 1896, skin, bones and other remains of an extinct animal, the MILODÓN (Mylodon darwini) a large herbivore which became extinct probably late Pleistocene. After 30 minutes of tour and 36 Km. more, it will be the second stop in Cerro Castillo, where passengers can enjoy cafeteria service. All a preamble to get then to Torres del Paine National Park by Laguna Amarga sector or Porteria Sarmiento, which is even more amazing. Following in the path you can see the Nordenskjold and Pehoe lakes, accompanied by groups of guanacos and Lesser Rheas. The road continues with a walk of 10 minutes, where you can discover the beautiful Salto Grande fall, then headed to Camp Pehoe (Sodexo) where the passenger can go to lunch (not included) with view of the Cuernos del Paine. During the afternoon, the tour continues to the sector of Lake and Grey Glacier, where a stop of about 45 minutes and a beautiful hike from the Grey parking area, cross walking the Pingo River hanging bridge, walk through beech forest and then along the beach will take place Lago Grey peninsula and the shores of Lake is lining up a hill to reach the Mirador Grey that overlooks the lake, the icebergs area and part of the glacier, where the Paine Grande is appreciated. The return trip is exiting the Park by Laguna Amarga or River Serrano, a real show that copies of red foxes and condors usually accompany the fascinating panorama of the Paine Massif and finally concludes this trip coming to Puerto Natales around 19:00 hrs. Approx.

This full day excursion in the steppe zone aims at all people who enjoy outdoor activities and adventure, ready to discover new places. The tour includes approximately 3 hours walking on discontinuous ground where wind and water were responsible for uncovering this place, which remained hidden for millions of years. Departure from El Calafate by Route 40, where we can see Argentino Lake, Santa Cruz and La Leona Rivers, a panoramic view of the majestic Andes mountains and Fitz Roy Mount. We will stop for about 15 minutes in La Leona hotel (historical site) and continue traveling along the southern shore of Viedma Lake to reach Cerro Los Hornos slopes (Estancia Santa Teresita). We will look for the first time the great depression of the land where the petrified logs are situated and will start our trekking exploration of fossils, which lasts about 3 hours, including the time for lunch. Throughout the walk we will see lots of petrified logs lying on the surface, some with a 1.2 meters diameter, testimony that during ancient times the climate was very different from today and allowed the existence of a full forest. There have also been uncovered fossils of different types of dinosaurs. This land is sheltered from the wind because it is a natural depression in the ground. This steppe area, therefore, is very dry and weather conditions are generally very nice. After the walk, we begin the journey back to El Calafate on the same path with another stop at La Leona hotel.