Glacier Vinciguerra
(November - March)
The natural history of Tierra del Fuego told from a glacier that modeled lagoons, mountains and valleys.
A full day hike, through a glacial valley, an ancient forest and along a lagoon to reach a mountain glacier.
Key details:
Duration: 8am to 4:30pm*
Beginning and ending at your accommodation
Lunch and drinks included.
Group size: 7 passengers + guide*
11 km walk, medium-high difficulty, 7 hours. Altitude gain: 550 mts. Cumulative elevation gain: 750mts.
Andorra Valley, Laguna de los Témpanos, Glacier Vinciguerra
*Also available as a private tour.
Mountaineering clothing and footwear required
An uphill, medium-high difficulty hike, full of landscape changes, to celebrate Fuegian nature.
Lunch & drinks included
For ages 12 and up
Available in open groups
and in private, exclusive services!
How to book from abroad
Description
The medium-high difficulty hike to the Vinciguerra Glacier is not too demanding for those who do medium-intensity physical exercise on a regular basis. This is one of the most intense full-day hikes due to its unevenness and length, and above all, due to its variety of landscapes and environments.
By car from the hotel, we leave Ushuaia towards the area of the glacial valleys near the city and soon we will begin to cross the forest to get out into the valley, and -from there- to begin a constant ascent to reach the treeline (about 800 meters above sea level) so as to continue the ascent towards Laguna de los Témpanos, fed by the Vinciguerra Glacier.
High-top hiking boots for ankle stability are required (not optional).
We recommend:
Polar or micropolar jacket or sweater
Skiing jacket
Sunglasses and sunscreen.
After finding the lagoon, we will continue the ascent to reach the Vinciguerra Glacier, at the top of the mountain, where we will have lunch after exploring its edges and, depending on the time of year, its caves.
Itinerary:
8am to 4:30pm *
*8:30 - Arrival at the Valley of Andorra and start of the trek.
A few kilometers from Ushuaia, we arrive at the Valley of Andorra to begin the trek to the Vinciguerra Glacier. The soil has the characteristic brown color of the peat, which usually covers the bottom of the glacial valleys of Tierra del Fuego.
After leaving the vehicle, the tour continues along a meandering meltwater river that crosses the peat bog lining the valley.
*9:00 - Start of the walk through the forest.
The beginning of the walk is through the primitive forest, which for at least 7000 years made life possible for the first inhabitants of these latitudes.
Once in the forest, the ascent is constant and, although it is intense at first, it is less demanding near the treeline, at about 800 meters above sea level.
During the first part of the journey, our guides will ensure that every detail counts and that nothing goes unnoticed.
*10:30 - Out of the forest, at the treeline.
Once above the tree line, views of the craggy peaks of the mountain range surrounding the valley from which the hike began are amazing.
The ascent continues along a stream that feeds from a glacial lagoon where, a few decades ago, the Vinciguerra Glacier used to calve icebergs.
*11:30 Arrival and exploration of the Laguna de los Témpanos.
Although the glacier has receded tens of meters from the lagoon and icebergs no longer float there, we will see the magical colors produced by the melting water of the Vinciguerra Glacier.
*12:30 Arrival at the foot of the glacier and lunch
We will have lunch enjoying the serene might of the views of the landscape shaped over millenia by this almost immobile ice river.
We will explore the edges and caves of the glacier, which the southern summer and the passage of time reveal.
*13:30 - We start heading back...
The way back becomes shorter, in a quite steep descent, with new views.
*15:30 Back in Ushuaia!*
This excursion leaves us back at the hotel with a beautiful memory of the forest, and how glaciers like Vinciguerra shaped the valleys and lagoons in Tierra del Fuego, in the mountains that surround the city of Ushuaia.
* Approximate hours. The order and schedule of activities may change as the tour unfolds. Between October and June, the schedule varies according to the length of the days.
Lunch & drinks included
For ages 12 and up
Available in open groups
and in private, exclusive services!
How to book from abroad
As a private tour, we can make this experience a “tailor-made trip”! With the exclusive attention of guides, specialized in serving any number of passengers from all over the world.