This
tour is available November through April with both fixed and custom
departures dates. Highlights include:
- Navigate
the Bernardo O'Higgins National Park on zodiacs
- Visit
the Balmaceda, Serrano and Tyndall glaciers
- Cruise
up the fjord of Last Hope Sound past the Balmaceda hanging glacier
- Sail to
the face of Grey Glacier
- Hike to
the French Valley, a spectacular granite ampitheatre and the
Towers, massive granite monoliths
- Visit
the amusing Magellanic Penguins
- See guanacos,
rheas, condors, and other wildlife
- Follow
the gorgeous trail to the base of the Towers and see emerald
pools filled by hanging glaciers
Day
1: Punta Arenas/Puerto Natales. We will meet you at the
airport or hotel in Punta Arenas and drive to see the burrowing
Magellanic Penguins at their colony in Otway Sound. Continuing
on across the Patagonian Steppe we will have your first opportunity
to see some of the unusual plant and animal life that exists in
this area. We will continue on to our destination for the night,
Puerto Natales. Located beside the picturesque Last Hope Sound,
there will be time to walk along the waterfront and enjoy dinner
in one of the many fine restaurants in town. Night at the newly
built Hotel Weskar. Situated a short walk from Puerto Natales,
this wooden built hotel has lovely views of Last Hope Sound and
the Serrano Glaciar in the distance. Rooms are light, airy and
comfortable and there is laundry and internet available. Dinner
included, excluding wine & drinks.
Day 2: Last Hope Sound/Bernardo O'Higgins National Park.
After breakfast we will board a cutter for a fantastic cruise
up the fjord and to Mount Balmaceda and the Balmaceda hanging
glacier. We will make a short hike to the Serrano Glacier that
tumbles into an iceberg-filled lake. After lunch we will board
zodiacs and cruise up the Serrano River to enter Bernardo O'Higgins
National Park, where we will pass the massive Tyndall Glacier
and then arrive at Torres del Paine National Park. Our first night
camping is on the bank of the peaceful Serrano River with spectacular
views across the pampas and toward the Paine Massif.
Day
3: Torres del Paine National Park. Heading to Lago Grey,
we will board the new Grey 2 launch and set off into the iceberg-filled
lake toward this spectacular Glacier. The boat trip will bring
us up next to the glacier and provide stunning views of Paine
Grande and the surrounding mountains. We will leave the boat at
the far end of the lake and start our hike along the shores. One
of the classic hikes in the park today we climb up and out of
the valley enjoying views of Grey glacier, the Patagonian icecap
and innumerable mountains. Our destination and camp for the night
is the shores of beautiful Lake Pehoe, an organized camp with
full facilities. Meals taken in the Refugio.
Day 4: Torres del Paine National Park. Today
we will hike in the French Valley and along the edge of Lake Nordjenskold.
This is a full-day hike and we will enjoy fantastic views of the
amphitheatre of granite peaks that make up this enclosed valley,
as well as the waterscapes below including lakes Pehoe, Scottsburg,
Toro, and Nordenskjold. Our destination is lively Refugio Cuernos
set below the imposing Horns of Paine. The night is spent camping
with full facilities. Meals taken in the Refugio.
Day
5: Torres del Paine National Park. Today’s hike
takes us along the foothills of the Horns of Paine with the tranquil
shores of Lake Nordjenskold to our right. For the brave, there
will be a chance to swim in the frigid waters of this spectacular
lake as we hike towards the three granite spires that give the
park its name, the Towers of Paine. We will camp in Las Torres
at the trailhead, an organized camp with full facilities.
Day
6: Torres del Paine National Park. Today’s hike
is our most arduous but worthwhile as we climb to the Towers themselves.
A roundtrip hike we will climb up into the Ascending Valley and
through beautiful old growth beech forests to a rock moraine just
under the towers. A steep climb over the moraine will reward us
with one of the most spectacular views in the park, and weather
permitting, we will enjoy our last trail lunch at this amazing
vantage point. We will return to camp for our last night under
canvas, and enjoy a fireside dinner.
Day
7: Puerto Natales/Punta Arenas. We will pack up camp
and drive back to Punta Arenas airport, arriving in the early
afternoon. Time permitting, we will make a short stop in Puerto
Natales to purchase any last-minute souvenirs.
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