Guides and group sizes
Ratio is 1 mountain guide/assistance per 3 guests. Maximum group size is 9 guests 1 guide and 2 assistants guide.
Difficulty and prerequisites
Guests must be comfortable using crampons to flat foot and front-point on moderate angle ice up to 30 degrees.
These are all physically demanding days and participants must be in good hiking shape.
Guests are required to carry a backpack with their personal gear (clothes, sleeping bag, pad, etc), group (tents, pot, stoves, etc) and food. About 15 to 20 kg. Personal porters could be arranged in advance, if needed.
No mountaineering experience is required, however if you have had some, it helps a lot.
Transportation
Participants are responsible for their own transportation to El Chaltén, Argentina. Your travel agent should be able to arrange this for you. You can get there by flying to Buenos Aires, and then fly to El Calafate. From there, you can get on a 4-hour bus journey or you we can arrange a private transfer.
Weather consideration
The fame of the area regarding wind and fast changeable conditions are not a legend. Be ready to experience nature and all its beauties and power. We have one back up day, which can be used in La Playita before getting into Marconi Pass in case of bad weather.
Accommodation & meals
All food during the expedition is included.
Please let us know of any special dietary requirements you have when booking.
If you need any help with your lodging, do not hesitate to ask us. We can find the best for your taste and budget.
MARCONI PASS GLACIER 4 DAY TREK
Itinerary
Day 0
Welcome from the mountain guide who will join you on the expedition. Equipment check and a brief informational talk about the characteristics of the region, the Patagonian Ice Field, and the program for the coming days.
Day 1
We take a private bus to Puente del Río Eléctrico, the head of the trek. We hike for 2 hours through lenga and ñires forest. We hike along Piedra del Fraile hut and camping ground; our last contact with civilization for a few days.
Leaving the camping and forest behind, we keep hiking in a U-shaped glacier-created valley, most of the time on a moraine terrain.
After an hour’s hike, we arrive at Valle Pollone where we have to wade the Río Pollone; sometimes this is an adventure in itself. We follow Río Electrico until its first beginnings: “La Playita” camp, a river bed that Río Electrico has left for us to camp on.
We’ll find rock protection for our tents. After a rest or, even better, a meal, we hike to Marconi’s snout to check the next day’s route.
Altitude gained: 100 meters.
Distance of 14 km.
Hiking time: 6 hours.
Day 2
Today is the key day of the trek. Glacier Marconi is one of the accesses to the Ice Cap. Most winds and weather come from west/north and funnel through passes like this one. Therefore, if the weather/wind allows us to, we get up early, have breakfast and start our hike. Depending on glacier conditions, the guide will decide which route to take either Laguna de los 14 with a Tyrolean traverse, or through Marconi.
We get on Marconi Glacier, a combination of bare ice and rock at first. We make our way to the base of “Cambio de Pendiente”.We rope up, put our harnesses and crampons on. After a section of approximately 40 degrees and 1 hour on the ice, we reach Paso Marconi. A breath-taking view of the third largest fresh-water ice mass in the world just in front of us!
We will be honoured to appreciate the Koliker Range, Lautaro Range, Gaea Range and Mariano Moreno Range.
We set up camp on the Ice Cap or we may go by Refugio Gorra Blanca, depending on the weather and physical condition of the group.
Altitude gain of 900-meters.
Distance of 10 km.
Hiking time of 8 to 10 hours.
Day 3
After an energizing breakfast, we break camp as we prepare for the descent. On our way down we will see all the west faces of Cerro Fitz Roy and its surrounding needles. We will camp for the night in La Playita.
Day 4
We return to El Chaltén. Depending on group desires, we can pass by Valle Pollone, where the most beautiful granite needle will show up.
Then we will pass by Piedra del Fraile and after 2 more hours a land-transfer will be waiting for us at Río Electrico bridge to take us back to El Chaltén.
Check in Hosteria/hostel and a well-deserved dinner, maybe some asado and vino tinto.