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A visit to Alvear Glacier See map

In the city of Ushuaia wonderful landscapes are ready to be visited. Must go trips for those traveling to the end of the world. One of them is the crossing to Alvear Glacier and get to know its caves.

In an unspoilt environment, those who enjoy hiking can learn a great place in Patagonia, in the province of Tierra del Fuego. At only 26 km from Ushuaia and 1400 meters high is located Alvear Hill, whose characteristics make it one of the most emblematic of the region. The hill has one of the most important point of the island, an almost flat top with eternal snow and a beautiful natural environment that surrounds.

The excursion to the Alvear glacier, at the top of the hill, has a duration of eight hours and is performed between November and March. The recommendations for the trek is to use warm and comfortable sportswear, due to cold weather, preferably "onion style", i.e., several layers to allow you to add or remove garments according to temperature. Moreover, taking into account that there are almost 6 hours of walking, the activity is not recommended for children.

The tour begins in the Altos del Valle ski center on a path into the forest and it is continuously rising. In this first part of the tour you can see the beautiful view of the valley around the hill, where you will see guanacos, condors and red foxes. Then it skirts the Equivocado hill and from there it begins the real trekking in height, with stony promotions and waterfalls formed by Cotorras river.

After four or five hours you reach the foot of the glacier, where you can have lunch and rest a while and then visit the ice caves that exist on the site. A unique experience in an atmosphere of another world, where only the sound of water and ice surround those who dare to visit this place.

After the visit to the caves, there are two options for hikers: take the way back or continue road. In the second case, the walkers will walk with crampons on the glacier to the camp located at the foot of the glacier, where they will spend the night. The next day, visitors cross the other side of the mountains to the lake Alvear, deep blue, where you can see the lakes of the northern of the island and the plains. The return is made along the Cotorras river through the heart of the valley to the Equivocado hill and then get the starting point.