Autumn is definitely the most amazing time in Patagonia, especially in the area of the iconic Fitz Roy (Chalten) Mountain.
In the middle of April forests beneath Fitz Roy turn into colorful painting. Red colors mix with orange and green. The season is very calm, almost no tourists visit Fitz Roy this time of the year, so we can enjoy the Autumn splendor in solitude and harmony with nature.
The journey will be organized in the maximum comfortable way possible. We will camp in our private camping ground with tents, kitchen and toilet. You will always have hot water, tea, coffee or hot chocolate. There is no need to carry camping gear up the trail as our guides and porters will arrange everything for us, including warm sleeping bags. We have 2 professional local mountain guides and 1 professional photography guide in the crew. You also can rent porter per 1 or per 2 persons, 20 kg maximum) which will help you to carry your tripods, extra wear and spare gear from camp to camp.
The hike is easy by the well marked prepared trail. First day we have ascend 200 m from the village, per 10 km of hike. Our guides will have a very slow pace, and we can make travel shots on the way to the camp.
Both camps are located in amazing Patagonia forests with awesome views even from tents. All beautiful locations are within 20-30 minutes easy hike from the camp almost without climbing. The third day we have another ascend around 200 m (per 3 km) and then 6 km of hike through the plain valley. The fifth day we descend 300 m hiking 10 km to the El Chalten village. The difficulty could be also with low temperatures. If you did not get used to sleep in tents with 0 C outside, please bring your own very warm sleeping bag (-5 – -10 C comfort). We have +5 C sleeping bags in the camp. It is also possible to use 2 sleeping bags if needed.
Weather conditions may be very unstable, Patagonia is famous for its ever-changing weather. So please prepare for the worst conditions possible as temperature drop to minus 5 in the night (in average it’s +10 at the daytime and 0 C in the night). Snow and rain is possible, so good shoes, waterproof pants and jacket are essential. Down jacket, gloves, hat are essential as well.
There is no power supply, as we hike in national park with very strict rules. So please take at least 4 spare batteries or battery grip for your camera. We will photograph even in the night weather permitting.