Elite Traveler May-June 2016

EXPLORE PATAGONIA

One week in… El Calafate, El Chaltén, Puerto Natales

A weekend in… El Calafate

Do all of the weekend, then rent a pickup or take a cab from El Calafate and enjoy the ride along the well-paved Ruta 40 to El Chaltén, Argentina’s official “trekking capital”. Between November and April, the hamlet fills up with hikers, climbers, backpackers and party people. It’s small, but it has some cozy bars and a couple of great restaurants. El Chaltén takes its name from the native Tehuelche word for smoking mountain, in reference to the clouds of snow that whirl around its summit. It’s a good half-day’s walk from the hamlet to a moraine at the foot of the mountain, passing through magical woodlands and across rocky steppes. The view once you get this close is astounding. As well as the 11,171ft El Chaltén, there are other peaks, including the Poincenot Needle, dedicated to a climber who died in a fall, ranch-style lodge, Don Los Cerros, is the best option for lunch or dinner. It has an excellent wine list, a fine dining restaurant with big views over the town, as well as its own library. Transfer back to El Calafate to sleep and then fly on to the town of Puerto Natales in Chile. The short hop takes you over the Andes, which are quite low here. Puerto Natales is home to one of South America’s more remarkable hotels, The Singular, built inside a former factory and located on the shores of Last Hope Sound. Inside is a vast, buzzing bar and restaurant, serving the very best seafood and fish dishes plus rare, old (for South American vintages) early 2000s Chadwick Cabernet Sauvignon. and the Saint-Exupéry Needle. Back in El Chaltén, the grand

For a two- to three-day visit, focus on El Calafate, entry point for a visit to the Perito Moreno Glacier. As big as the city of Buenos Aires, it is a towering blue-green wall of ice. You can take a seat on a bench above the terminal moraine, catching the sun and sipping a yerba mate tea (the must-drink beverage here) while taking in the dazzling spectacle. You can also take a boat trip along the bottom of the same wall, but keeping a safe distance because lumps of ice continually fall off – a process known as calving, which can result in some serious waves. A good way to get intimate with the Moreno is to book an ice walk, using crampons and pick axes to navigate the surface and see surreal blue pools deep in the crevasses. Take a private cruise across bright green Lake Argentino, and visit Perito Moreno’s neighbors – the Onelli, Spegazzini and Upsala Glaciers. The Upsala, at 335.9 square miles, is actually bigger thanMoreno, and to see it properly you have to fly over in a helicopter or micro-light plane, as it is tucked away between tall peaks. El Calafate itself is a smallish town but it boasts one of the region’s busiest airports and is an accommodation hub for southern Patagonia. The center has a lively mix of steakhouses, cozy cafés and wine bars. It’s a boom time for the Patagonian wine industry. Neuquén and Rio Negro provinces in Argentina produce several good wines, including Humberto Canale Black River, Del Fin Del Mundo and NQN vintages. The Humus Cocktail Bar at the Hotel Posada Los Alamos and the more rustic La Zaina both have a good selection of wines. Grilled Patagonian lamb is the local classic, though the beef is extraordinary too. All the town’s parrillas (the local word for steakhouse) have big open fires and a range of meats to try. La Tablita, Mi Viejo and Casimiro Biguá are among our favorites. You’ll get a lot more out of Patagonia if you check into a rural estancia . Just 15 minutes by car from El Calafate, Hostería Alta Vista is a five-star boutique hotel attached to La Anita, one of the region’s most famous estancias . Be an estanciero (rancher) for a day, horseback ride like a gaucho, go birding or hiking, then settle back with a book and a bodega full of good wines. Close by is the contemporary 12-suite Eolo that enjoys stunning views over thousands of acres of privately owned pampas grasslands along the edge of Lago Argentino. The resident gaucho guides offer a great horseback outing up Mount Frías. Also on Lago Argentino is the charming Estancia Cristina, with great views of the Upsala Glacier. Access is by boat only, and its 20 elegantly rustic rooms are spread over five individual lodges. Horseback riding, 4WD excursions, trekking and fishing trips usually wind up with an outdoor asado (barbecue).

The main reason you’ve come this far is Torres del Paine, Chile’s most beautiful national park. Ride across the foothills on horseback accompanied by a local gaucho , or do a hard day’s hike to see the Grey Glacier, or trek up one of the many narrow valleys, at the end of which stand the vertical rock towers that give the park its name. If you need more ice, The Singular can provide a private boat trip to the Balmaceda and Serrano Glaciers. Accommodation options in the area include Explora Salto Chico, a pioneering luxury boutique hotel when it opened back in 1993 and located on the shores of Lake Pehoe inside the national park. The six spacious Exploradores suites afford views of the PaineMassif. There’s also a beautiful spa. Tierra Patagonia is another beauty, espousing a “adventure spa philosophy” that combines adventures out in the wilds with indulgent treatments and gastronomy at the hotel. Set on a bluff where the South American pampa meets Lake Sarmiento, it’s close to nature and is designed to merge with its backdrop. Another favorite is the estancia -style Relais & Châteaux property Awasi, which is set in 600 acres of private land and located at the foot of the Sierra Contreras, east of the Torres del Paine National Park. Arrival is by road from Puerto Natales (70 miles) or by chopper, the latter affording amazing views of the mountains and Lake Sarmiento. Each of the 12 free-standing villas has a living room and an outdoor hot tub – great for stargazing – plus its own dedicated expert guide.

Left: Gaucho for the day through Hostería Alta Vista Above: Navigating the mountains around El Chaltén Right: Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, home to the Perito Moreno Glacier