7 days, 7 nights

Some people just have that adventurous spirit that prevents them from, say, soaking up the sun in Hawaii,and instead propels them to far off places at short notice to take on whatever is thrown at them. John and Katie from California, who did a custom trip with us over Christmas, squarely belong in that category.

They wanted a trip that would combine, adventure, excitement, and high challenge, mixed in with a little luxury and some experience of the local culture.

We began our trip with a trip down the Carretera Austral to Puerto Guadal, where we spent the night at the charming Terra Luna Lodge on the shores of Lago General Carrera. The next morning saw us packing gear, fitting boots and then heading off in a Jet Boat across the lake, destined for the Leones Glacier. The ride in over the lake and up the Leones River in the Jet boat, then a zodiac over Lago Leones was a blast.

Our initial plan was to summit Cerro Mocho above Lago Leones and with this in mind we made our second camp just below snowline. We spent a gorgeous Christmas Day learing snow skills, with panoramic views of the Ice Cap, followed by special Christmas Pizza for dinner.

The following day it became clear early on that the weather wasn't going to give us the break we needed to complete our initial plan. Instead of pushing up higher which would have put us in the teeth of the storm we stayed at our lower camp and had a very restful 'duff day'. The following day we ventured out in the wind and snow to make a real glacial crossing using the skills we had leant a couple of days ago. We also found a great wall for ice climbing. Next day we descended to Lago Leones with several inches of new snow on the ground and took the zodiac across the lake ready for the jet boat ride back to Terra Luna the following day.

At Terra Luna we left John and Katie to enjoy another night there with the jacuzzi and good food and wine. They spent the next few days driving the Carratera Austral down to Caletal Tortel a small isolated village perched between the Northern and Southern Ice Cap. There they spent a very ecletic New Year with an international cast of characters. Thanks for the adventure!

$1995 per person

10 days, 9 nights

Taryn brought her father to Patagonia as a very special 40th birthday present. Their time included a 3 day trek around Cerro Castillo (Castle Mountain), a 4 day sea kayaking trip to Laguna San Rafael, and two days ice climbing on the Exploradores Glacier.
"I'm absolutely blown away by the stunning beauty of the place. Thank you The Patagonia Mountaineering School for a wonderful birthday celebration."
-Karl M.

$2795 per Person