We descend through the valley of the La Leona River, observing sedimentary formations that safeguard fossils of petrified forests and of the fauna that inhabited the steppe millions of years ago. Each layer of rock reveals a different episode of Patagonian history, from ancient environments to the present landscape shaped by the wind. An exploration that is, above all, a journey through time. *Exploration at an additional cost.

We climb along the outer edge of the Magallanes Peninsula, gaining height above the Patagonian forest until we overlook the Rico Arm of Lake Argentino. From this privileged vantage point, the Perito Moreno Glacier appears in all its magnitude, revealing its origin in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. It is an exploration that combines the intimacy of the forest with the monumental scale of the ice, reminding us of the force that continues to shape this part of Patagonia.

We climb Cerro Cristal to understand how water structures and shapes this territory. As we gain altitude, the landscape arranges itself before us: Lake Argentino, Lake Roca, and the Perito Moreno Glacier stand out by their colors and their origins, each telling a part of the region's glacial history. From the summit, the gaze takes in the whole and allows us to read the landscape in its entirety, like a living map sculpted by the ice.

We climb to the ledge of Cerro El Fraile in search of the same perspective with which the condors read this landscape. As we gain altitude, we find traces of their activity —feathers, roosts, and remains— and, with luck, we will see them gliding by our side, masters of the wind. An exploration that brings us closer to the most emblematic bird of the Andes and to the vast horizon it commands each day.

Beside the hotel rises El Fraile, a hill whose geological formations tint the territory with color. We climb its slopes, reading in the rock the layers that compose it, until we reach the summit. From the top, extraordinary views open up and, if luck is with us, we will make out some of the most iconic peaks of Patagonia outlined on the horizon. An exploration that rewards the effort with one of the most complete panoramas in the area.

We navigate toward one of the most remote sectors of Los Glaciares National Park, venturing deep into the Brazo Sur arm of Lago Argentino. From the shoreline, we enter the Patagonian forest and push through until we reach the terminal moraines shaped by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Here, Glacier Cubo reveals the raw mechanics of glacial dynamics — a territory rarely touched by travellers.

We ride all the way around Cerro El Fraile, traversing the old Chorrillo Malo estancia just as the gauchos did in their work of tending the livestock. The landscape transforms without pause —from the pampas to the forest, and from the forest to the mountain— on a route that encompasses the full diversity of the territory. A horseback exploration that combines tradition, nature, and the unmistakable breadth of Patagonia.

On horseback we venture into the valley of the Rico River, an old route toward the border traveled by the gauchos on both lawful and unlawful crossings. As we leave the pampa behind and enter the valleys, the vegetation changes and the Patagonian forest envelops us, denser and more humid. An exploration that follows the traces of those who crossed these lands, reading in the landscape the transition between steppe and mountain.

We ride at a walking pace through the pampas and grasslands near the hotel, advancing among erratic boulders and calafate bushes. The route, serene and unhurried, culminates at a lookout with views of the Perito Moreno Glacier, which appears in the distance like a promise of ice. A horseback exploration, ideal for feeling the unhurried rhythm of the steppe and the breadth of the Patagonian landscape.

We cross the Chorrillo Malo toward the eastern sector of the estancia and gain some height to contemplate the landscape in perspective. We advance at a walking pace, unhurried, enjoying the views of the hotel, Cerro El Fraile, and the pampa that stretches to the horizon. A calm horseback ride that invites us to read the territory from the saddle, at the rhythm of the gauchos who rode it before.

We set out from the hotel toward the southwest, heading for the border with Chile. Following the course of the Rico River, we walk through different ecosystems —from the pampa to the forest— until we reach the “backyard” of the estancia. From there, the Paine massif is revealed on the horizon, and we grasp how close we are to the boundary between the two countries. An exploration that brings together geography, history, and the feeling of advancing toward the edges of the territory.

We ride across sedimentary plateaus that, in a distant past, marked the level of the ancient Lake Buenos Aires. From this height, the landscape arranges itself in perspective: the hotel at our feet and, in the distance, the Perito Moreno Glacier emerging among the mountains. A horseback exploration that unites deep geology and broad horizons, reminding us how much this territory has changed over time.

We visit Punta Walichu, an archaeological site on the shores of Lake Argentino that preserves the traces of the first inhabitants of this land. Its rock paintings —hands, figures, and marks left by hunter-gatherer groups— allow us to glimpse the way they understood and inhabited the Patagonian landscape long before the arrival of the settlers. An exploration that invites us to read the territory through time, recognizing in the rock the oldest memory of the region.

We venture into the Magellanic forest, following the trails left over generations by the herds of bulls and cows that grazed on this estancia. Among the dense woodland we discover hidden nooks where the livestock found shelter from the Patagonian climate, corners that still hold the echo of ranching life. An exploration that interweaves nature and history, revealing how human beings and the forest shared this territory.

We walk along the slopes of the Hoya del Chingue, a serene route that opens onto sweeping views of the pampa and Lake Argentino. As we advance, the town of El Calafate and its surroundings unfold in the distance, allowing us to understand the close relationship between human beings and the nature around them. An exploration that combines open horizons, the stillness of the steppe, and a glimpse of how life settles on the edge of this Patagonian landscape.