Non-bus, non-tour transport from Calafate to TDP

Hi,

As many this time of year, I'm looking to get from El Calafate to TDP in early feb08. The thing is that I am scheduled to arrive by plane around 10.30am in Calafate, which is too late for most/all of the regular buses and tours since they will have left the town already in the morning. I have read about the 18.30 bus to PN, but that seems (way) too late to make it to TDP that day. I tried a dozen chauffeur/tour companies; of the 3 that replied, the prices were somewhere between US$400-US$ 1000 (!) for a the one-way trip, since you'd have the buy all 23 seats in the bus. That would obviously be a bit too much.

Basically, my question has two parts. Does anyone have any experience about getting to Cerro Castillo from Calafate in the late morning? There was an earlier post that hinted at the possibility, without offering some more precise info. If possible, how easy is it to "find" a bus there with spare seats to get to TDP? We're with 4 people, and have at least a little money to spend on this since it would effectively let us "buy" an extra day in TDP.

An alternative would be to rent a car in El Calafate, and use it to get to TDP. Having a little roadtrip inbetween would be cool, but Alamo mentioned that you'll need a permit to do so. This would be US$ 50 (which is ok) and AT LEAST 4 days of waiting, which would fully negate the handiness of having a rental. Anyone have some further information on this topic?
I have read on this board that the customs at the border can be a real pain for having the exact papers, but what precisely constitutes these papers isn't clear to me.
This msg has also been posted as a reply on the Argentina board, FYI.

Muchisimo gracias,

Gijs

I had much the same predicament.... solution is simple. Rent a car. There are about 9 rental agencies in El Calafate. It may seem a waste to have an unused car while you are trekking, but the alternates seem more wasteful of time and or funds. I've found rental cars under AR$1,000 per week