Looking for a unique trekking experience in Patagonia? The Gran Santa Cruz Trail is the new challenge for adventurers: a 500 km, 25-day trek that connects Los Antiguos with El Chaltén, crossing virgin landscapes, traces of ancient explorers and authentic Patagonian rural life. Discover in this guide everything you need to know to plan this epic journey: stages, tips, points of interest and how to prepare for one of the most impressive long-distance routes in Argentina.
Federico Djeordjian shares that: “There are situations like those experienced in the pandemic that are stages that lead us to rethink whether it is really worthwhile to continue postponing those projects that make us feel alive. I’ll tell you mine…”, thus began the presentation of ‘Sendero Gran Santa Cruz’, a challenging tourist initiative that proposes to cross the mountain range sector of a large part of the province through a trekking that begins in Los Antiguos and ends in El Chaltén. It is a journey of about 500 km and approximately 25 days of trekking.
Federico is a young Patagonian businessman by adoption. He came fifteen years ago from his native Buenos Aires to stay in Patagonia and is currently the owner of the company ‘Chelenco Tours’. He says that his inspiration was “the stories of the explorers of the area, and also a long time getting to know the geography of the province. You have Route 40 that goes west, but far from the Cordillera. And you have a kind of ‘comb’, with many entrances: Los Antiguos, Lago Posadas, Perito Moreno National Park, Tucu Tucu Valley, Lake San Martín and El Chaltén. What I did was, instead of going in and out, to make a kind of trek through the north-south Cordillera, joining a tourist town in the north (Los Antiguos) and the National Trekking Capital in the south (El Chalten)”, explains Djeordjian.
He describes that “the design is neither whimsical nor novel”. To a great extent it crosses the historical traces of the first explorers and, later on, of muleteers who used it when they needed to link the different mountain valleys.
For its mentor, the spirit of the Great Santa Cruz Trail includes making a contribution in terms of surveying, recording and documentation with the goal of establishing it as a long-term trek. “This route is designed for future travelers who want to venture out and who will count on the information that can be collected (distances, posts or camping sites, precautions, etc.) so that, between all of us and with collaborative work, year after year we can enrich it.”
The journey includes a first stage through the plateau (of the five that compose it), which joins the valley of Los Antiguos with those of lakes Posadas and Pueyrredón. Its approximate duration is between three and four days. The crossing of the plateau has as reference points, Portal La Ascensión of the Patagonia National Park, the El Rincón post and the Visera in the canyon inside the Los Antiguos river up to its source, arriving then at the Zeballos Volcanic Complex.
“In my case I walked it north-south, because that is the course I had, but it can also be done from the west, from the highest part of Route 41, up to the plateau and from there down to the area of Portal Pinturas. There are a lot of variants, easier than the ones I did”.
One of the passages of his adventure in which he does not skimp on details is the plateau, because although he was “very anxious to start, I also had doubts about whether I would be able to cross it successfully, because the plateau imposes respect. It is a unique, high mountain environment, at first glance it would seem that “there is nothing”, but as you start to walk it, you realize that it is full of life, at times crossed by a high mountain flower garden full of butterflies or by a sea of rocks with dozens of small lizards. It is an immensity dominated by guanacos, it was to look up and see dozens of guanacos on the horizon”.
Federico details that he combined an immersion in the untouched nature of Patagonia, accompanied by technology “that helped me to orient myself up there, to find water sources and to identify a window of good weather without wind so that the crossing would not be an ordeal. I went with a minimal and ultralight mountain equipment of 5 kg more or less, 38 liters, all super light and that helps a lot to do it faster, safer, calmer, less pain, more comfortable”, clarifies the guide.
Along those more than 400 km “I crossed a lot of ranches that could provide accommodation, food, supplies, in some cases help you with some vehicular links that can shorten the route, communication, wi fi, etc.. That is what I am aiming at, to promote this activity that can generate work, generate economic movement, appreciation for tourism. We could have a kind of rural tourism providers,” he explains.
For Djeordjian, the adventure is not only made up of landscapes “that are mind-blowing”, or the experience of walking in the middle of nowhere, “but also the unique possibility of sharing with the local people”.
“For me and for all the tourists I work with, Patagonia is synonymous with freedom, immensity, air,” he explains. “I felt it was the right time to go out and show this. To highlight the value of the freedom that Patagonia offers you”.
Read about the Renovation and Expansion of Trails in Patagonia Park for an Unforgettable Natural Experience.
The Gran Santa Cruz Trail is not just a trek, it is an invitation to discover the wild and free essence of Patagonia, traveling along trails full of history and untouched nature. If you dream of a transforming adventure, this trail is waiting for you to challenge your limits and connect with the immensity of southern Argentina. Are you up for it? Share your experience and join those who seek to leave their mark on one of the great trails of Patagonia.
