Argentina. El calafate

Departure from El Calafate by the route that goes to the airport to take National Route 40, a typical Patagonian steppe road where we will have the opportunity to cross with choiques (Patagonian ñandú), hares and guanacos. We will cross the bridge of the Santa Cruz River, which is born in the Argentino Lake and runs into the Atlantic Ocean, one of the best worldwide for Steelhead trout fishing. A few kilometers further on we will cross the bridge over La Leona River, continuing along a path that runs along it to the Parador called "La Leona" where we will stop for a few minutes to taste homemade sweet cakes. Returning to Route 40, we then join Provincial Route 23, which leads us exclusively to El Chaltén: as we advance, the complete figure of the Fitz Roy and Torre Hills will be enlarged at the end of the road and -at a distance- the panoramic view of the huge Glacier Viedma can be seen. Departing from El Chaltén, we start a route of about 37 km through the valley of the Rio de las Vueltas, surrounded by a beautiful Andean landscape, with mountains and forests of lengas and ñires, waterfalls and the imposing views of the North face of the Fitz Roy Mount. Three intermediate stops are made to reach the coast of the southern lakeshore of Lago del Desierto. For those who have more energy, it is possible to take a self-guided trek to the Huemul Glacier Lagoon (duration: 1.30 h round trip). This place is located within a private field and therefore a ticket is required (not included).