Patagonia 26 Oct 27 – Nov 6 · ARG + CHL
Fitz Roy massif reflected in the turquoise water of Laguna de los Tres

Ten days, two parks

Fitz Roy to Torres del Paine

A day-by-day plan across El Chaltén, El Calafate, and Torres del Paine, built around weather windows, not fixed dates.

Laguna de los Tres, El Chaltén · Almonroth · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

The call

Both countries. Argentina first. Open-jaw. ATL→EZE→FTE in, Fitz Roy from El Chaltén, border bus, Torres del Paine by rental car, out PUQ→SCL→ATL. Leave Thu Nov 5, land ATL ~05:30–07:45 Fri Nov 6, the best case that exists; full recovery day before Duane's Saturday. corroborated

Why this order · the Argentina-only alternative
Argentina first because the one scarce booking (Chileno camp) anchors the Chile end, while Poincenot books day-before. The Fitz Roy window gets picked against a live forecast. Open-jaw prices like a round trip on Delta.
Argentina only (El Chaltén 6 nights + Calafate 2): more Cerro Torre windows, unhurried drone work, zero border risk, but no Base Torres alpenglow, no Cuernos over Pehoé, no Grey icebergs. Verdict: take the split; the border day buys a second mountain range.
Read this first: schedule is window-driven, not fixed. Shoot Cerro Torre on the first clear window (it hides most days), and expect Laguna de los Tres frozen: white ice-bowl frame, not the turquoise postcard.

Day by day

00Tue Oct 27 — ATLred-eye south
Delta nonstop ATL→EZE (~9h45m). One ticket through to FTE. The connection is the carrier's problem.
01Wed Oct 28
To El ChalténSR 06:27 · SS 20:45
3 hdrive, paved 19:57golden hour
Land EZE → EZE-FTE direct. Rental car #1, groceries, fuel by ~16:30.
Drive in. The last 56 mi face the massif; note pullouts for later.
Check in north end (Hostería El Paraíso, at the trailhead). Sunset: Mirador de los Cóndores, 30–40 min walk.
Backups
Weather: scout RP-23 pullouts by car. Low effort: town-edge bluffs, zero walk.
02Thu Oct 29
Cerro Torredawn 05:50 · SR 06:25
12 miround trip 800 ftgain 02:45start

If dawn is clear, Cerro Torre gets it: best sunrise alignment of the trip.

Laguna Torre trail, composed by 05:45. Icebergs as foreground.
Return via Cascada Escondida (unsignposted 200-yd detour before the Capri junction).
Nap. Check forecast; book the Poincenot night (day-before system, ARS 30,000 pp).
RP-23 river pullouts, both massifs, side light. Drone candidate (see Drone).
Backups
Weather: waterfalls + Chorrillo del Salto (drive-in) under cloud; sort gear rental.
Low effort: Laguna Capri only (2.5 mi, 1:45 h).
03Fri Oct 30
Up to PoincenotSR 06:23 · SS 20:48
5 mihike in 1,150 ftgain 2:45 hduration

Weather-picked: slide anywhere in the Oct 30–Nov 1 window. Rent tent/stove in town.

Pack: one body each, wide + tele, tripod, microspikes. Drone stays in town — illegal in the park.
Hike in. Camp check-in closes 22:00. Park entry ARS 50,000 pp.
Evening at Río Blanco, dead-tree stumps, braided channels (Duane's tip, ground-truth it).
Backups
Marginal forecast: Capri instead, reflection sunrise from the tent door.
Bad: stay in town, push camp a day; Pliegue Tumbado under broken cloud.
04Sat Oct 31
Fitz Roy alpenglowdawn 05:46 · SR 06:21
1.2 mimoraine climb 1,300 ftgain 04:40start
Up. Microspikes ON — the moraine refreezes overnight; biggest slip hazard of the trip.
Composed at Laguna de los Tres by civil dawn. Alpenglow before 06:21 sunrise; work frozen-lake texture, then 70-200 details.
Laguna Sucia overlook (200 yd south). Break camp, out by ~14:00, return gear, nap hard.
Optional easy evening: Cóndores or RP-23, or nothing.
Backups
Missed it: Poincenot books day-before; second attempt fits tomorrow night by sliding the transfer.
Skip Cerro Madsen: class 3–4 scramble in spring snow.
05Sun Nov 1
To Calafate + glacierSR 06:20 · last entry 18:00
3 hdrive PMcalving action
Dawn at an RP-23 pullout, both peaks front-lit, tele compression.
Drive to El Calafate.
Perito Moreno (48 mi, 1.5 h). Afternoon = calving. Lower boardwalks for ice-wall compression; stay until 20:00 permanence.
Backups
Weather-proof: the ice wall reads better under drama.
If Day 4 slid: today is transfer only; glacier moves to tomorrow 08:00 before the bus.
06Mon Nov 2
Glacier AM + border busmoonless from tonight
08:00at the gate ~6 hborder bus
Gate at open: first hour = near-perpendicular front light on the wall. Both light regimes covered.
Return car #1. Buy Entel CL eSIM for the Chile leg.
Zaahj bus to Puerto Natales. Border: US passports, no fee; declare ALL food to SAG: nothing fresh into Chile; keep the PDI slip.
Puerto Natales. Sleep.
Backups
2026 timetable publishes September (book 2+ weeks out). Morning-bus pattern pushes 12 h, or private transfer (~5 h, see Logistics).
07Tue Nov 3
Into TdP → ChilenoSR 06:11 · SS 21:00
2.7 mito chileno 2.5 hwith overnight kit
Rental car #2 + groceries. TdP tickets bought ≥24h ahead (pasesparques.cl, CLP 48,500, date-fixed).
Drive in via Amarga (~2 h). Midday run: Amarga reflections, Nordenskjöld pullout, Salto Grande + burnt forest.
Park at Central; hike to Chileno (pre-booked, the scarce item). Stoves banned: take half board.
Bortle-1 sky if clear, but sunrise owns tonight. Sleep by 22:00.
Backups
Chileno full: Central/Hotel Las Torres + 02:30 start (4 h climb) still makes sunrise.
Dead dawn forecast: skip the haul; Pehoé sector golden hour instead.
08Wed Nov 4
Base Torres → Pehoédawn 05:32 · SR 06:10
2.7 mipre-dawn climb 03:45start 21:01sunset watch
From Chileno, microspikes for the refrozen moraine. The pre-sunrise pink phase beats sunrise itself.
Towers go red. Boulder foregrounds 16–35; tower stacks 70–200; use the lake ice.
Pehoé afternoon: peninsula bushwhack, lone-tree bay, Mirador Cuernos. Pehoé rule: zero wind or extreme wind: mid-wind is dead water.
Sunset Mirador Cóndor (1.5 mi RT, steep), lenticular watch to 21:01.
Backups
Weather: swap sunrise for Grey: iceberg beach works under cloud, better in Nov.
Low effort: Cuernos from the roadside pullouts.
09Thu Nov 5
Last dawn → homedawn 05:30 · SR 06:08
05:15last light 3–5 hdrive to puq
Last-light lottery by where we slept: Amarga reflection (roadside) or Serrano massif panorama. No hike.
Drive to Punta Arenas. Fuel at Natales — nothing between.
LATAM PUQ→SCL → Delta SCL→ATL red-eye. One JV ticket. Land ATL 05:30–07:45 Friday.
Backups
If SCL–PNT flies Nov 5: Natales airport (4 mi from town) beats the PUQ drive; verify the day operates.

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