An adventure to reconnect with nature, exploring thousands of hectares of territory. Our trails, our guests…just us.
ABOUT US
Refugio de Glaciares is a private nature reserve, in the heart of the Río de las Vueltas Valley.
We were born with the aim of protecting the beauty of the forest, the fauna, the glaciers, the rivers and lagoons of this rural ranch, harmoniously integrating research, education, and tourism. We have created a new space, a warm environment where, together with our guests and researchers, we share the generous display of nature with all its magic.
LOCATION
Our private natural reserve is located 27 km from Chaltén, on provincial route 23, in the Río de las Vueltas Valley, province of Santa Cruz, Argentina.
HOW TO GET THERE?
From Buenos Aires Airport: 4 hours flight to El Calafate. From El Calafate it is 235 km – 4 hours (3 hours on paved road and 1 hour on gravel).
LODGE
Our lodge has 10 simple and cozy rooms with a large window that overlooks the forest and the Patagonian mountains. The decoration is made with unique pieces recovered from the forest.
In our main living room the fire is always lit for our guests to rest and meet after a day of walking.
In the lounge we serve buffet-style breakfast and three-course dinner with local, homemade food. We prepare a lunch box to have during our walks looking at the glaciers.
At Refugio de Glaciares everything is covered, we take care of transfers to and from El Chaltén, accommodation with breakfast, meals and guided walks along our own trails.
We are carbon neutral and offsetting the ecological footprint of all our visitors is our aim.
We have internet service with pre-established schedules.
Our minimum stay is of three nights and we accept children over 10 years old.
ACTIVITIES
We invite you to walk along trails that cross forests full of magic and to contemplate mountains and glaciers that tell their story.
Our walks are exclusive for our guests and are accompanied by a park ranger. They are done along our own trails that cross forests, mountains, lagoons, glaciers and kilometers of rivers that characterize the immensity of Southern Patagonia.
SENDERO RÍO DE LAS VUELTAS
Walking time: 4 hs.
Total distance: 5.5 km round
Slope: 50 m
On a flat plain, 5,5 km of footpaths allow you to enjoy the beautiful windingriver, full of beaches and bends. With 360 degree views, it is possible to enjoy the best known sceneries of the area. This is a circuit that begins and ends at the Lodge, crossing two bridges that allow to appreciate the amazing colour of the water.
GLACIAR CAGLIERO ESTE – LAGUNA ROSA
Walking time: 5.30 hs.
Total distance: 8km round
Slope: 250m
As you leave the Lodge, the first section of the walk is through 1,50 km of lenga forest, and flat terrain until you reach the crossing of the Del Puesto Creek. From there, the second stretch starts with a slight ascent bordering Del Puesto Creek for another 2 km up to the Pink Lagoon prairie, a wetland that is home to stable populations of great biological and conservation value, which will be explained by your guide. On the third and last section of the walk, you will keep bordering the lagoon for 800 more meters, getting close enough to the imposing Cagliero Este Glacier to contemplate hanging glaciers and moraines, truly a sight to be in awe of the geological shapes that time has been sculpting. After lunch and this unforgettable memento of wonder, you will return to the lodge.
LAGUNA MILODÓN
Walking time: 6 hs.
Total distance: 12 km round
Slope: 190 m
This path covers 6km to Milodón lagoon. In this area you will observe how the past cattle breeding activity impacted the land., You will explore wetlands and nesting sites of the Torrent duck. Upon arrival at the lagoon, you can immediately appreciate a valley, flanked by mountains and glaciers. After a well deserved rest at the edge of the lagoon, you will return to the lodge.
SUGGESTED ITINERARY
*We can redefine the order of the activities together with our experts to achieve the best choice of departure according to the weather conditions.
SCIENCE DAY
From November 1st to March 31st
Online sale as from October 1st, 2024
We propose a new adventure to visit us for the day and reconnect with nature. «A Science Day» is a day of trekking guided by our park rangers to learn more about the natural environment in southern Patagonia.
At 8:30 in the morning the private transfer from Refugio de Glaciares will pick you up at El Chaltén Bus Terminal. (no additional cost for the transfer)
After traveling 27 kilometers of Provincial Route 23, you will arrive at Refugio de Glaciares where the park ranger will be waiting for you to explain what the reserve is about, what the trekking is like and will give you the guidelines to follow during the activity.
At 10:00 a.m. the guided walk you have booked begins:
Cagliero Este Glacier – Rosa Lagoon
Milodón Lagoon
At 4:30 p.m. the transfer leaves to El Chaltén Bus Terminal, where it arrives at 6:00 p.m. and the activity finalizes. (no additional cost for the transfer)
Maximum: 17 passengers. Difficulty: low. Age: more than 10 years. Usd 60 per person.
FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Our minimum stay is of 3 nights, ideal to get to know our project and reconnect with nature. Although we suggest staying 4 or 5 nights to complement the activities we offer with those offered at El Chaltén.
We include transfers to and from the El Chaltén bus terminal at pre-established times. The departure is at 1:30 PM and for the return we leave Refugio de Glaciares at 10 AM. We suggest taking the first flights in the morning to El Calafate for the day of arrival and the last ones in the afternoon for the day of departure.
Our rate includes transfers to and from the El Chaltén bus terminal, entrance to the private nature reserve, accommodation with breakfast and our guided walks.
We offer, at an additional cost, the lunch box for the hikes and the three-course dinner in our restaurant, which we suggest hiring together with the accommodation.
What is the suggestion of clothes to wear?
In the heart of the mountain the climate is very changeable. It is common to live the four seasons of the year in the same day: rainy, sunny, snowy. In summer the temperature oscillates between 5 and 25 oC. At the beginning and end of the season, temperatures are lower, ranging between 0 and 15 oC. We recommend dressing in layers so that you can change clothes on or off depending on the weather conditions. Rain jacket and appropriate clothing for trekking.
In the heart of the mountain the climate is very changeable. It is common to live the four seasons of the year in the same day: rainy, sunny, snowy. In summer the temperature oscillates between 5 and 25 oC. At the beginning and end of the season, temperatures are lower, ranging between 0 and 15 oC. We recommend dressing in layers so that you can change clothes on or off depending on the weather conditions. Rain jacket and appropriate clothing for trekking.
We are part of B companies, we aim to be sustainable in all aspects. It is our way of working.
We are carbon neutral with the aim of compensate the ecological footprint of our guests, with the amount of forest that is growing inside our ranch.
Our guides are park rangers trained by our team and speak spanish and english.
The suggested personal equipment for the science day is: 30 liter capacity backpack, waterproof trekking boots, two pairs of synthetic socks, trekking pants, fleece jacket, Goretex anorak or similar with hood, warm hat, pair of gloves, a hat and sunglasses, sunscreen, plastic bottle or light thermos, camera.
The science day does not include: Box lunch, personal equipment and any services not specified in the program.
Our check in is at 3 PM and check out is at 10 AM.
We seek that our guest can disconnect to reconnect with nature, that is why we do not have TV in our lodge. We have Wi-Fi service at pre-established times.
This year our operation begins on November 1, 2023 until March 31, 2024.
In the reserve we have stable populations of torrent duck and frequent sightings of huemul, a national natural monument, in danger of extinction.
In addition, our ancient and extensive lenga forest.