On this “go at your own pace” adventure, you’ll explore the breathtaking mountain environs of Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park, Chile, and Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina. Both parks showcase Patagonia’s spectacular, unspoiled wilderness, whose inspiring beauty can set the heart afire: soaring pink and white granite towers, golden grasslands sprawled beneath a huge expanse of sky; forests of gnarled trees resembling oversized Bonsai; sparkling lakes of incredible hues; the largest continental ice field outside Antarctica; and glaciers forgotten by the last ice age. Exhilarating scenic hikes are complemented by sumptuous accommodations: in Paine you’ll relax at the fabulous Explora Lodge on Lago Pehoe (with indoor heated pool, massage salon, and outdoor Jacuzzis); in Los Glaciares you’ll stay at one of the best hotels in the town of El Chaltén, right at the foot of the mountains.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
- Flexible hiking options in Patagonia’s Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares National Parks
- Spectacular vistas of the Torres del Paine, Cerro Torre, and the awesome Fitzroy massif
- Visit the cosmopolitan cities of Santiago and Buenos Aires
(Note—this itinerary can also be done in reverse.)
DAY 1 ~ Arrive in Santiago
Arrive in Santiago, Chile. We recommend arriving by 9:00 a.m. (this will give you time to rest and enjoy your early afternoon city tour). A Mountain Travel Sobek representative will meet you outside the customs and immigration area at the airport. He or she will answer questions, brief you on the immediate arrangements, and escort you to your hotel.
Afternoon city tour of Santiago, a pleasant blend of 19th-century Europe, Spanish colonial, and modern architecture. The hotel is close to the Plaza de la Constitución, the Plaza de Armas, Santiago’s historical center, and the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, displaying 4,500 years of pre-Columbian civilization. Dinner on your own.
Hotel Plaza San Francisco
Day 2 ~ Travel to Torres del Paine National Park
You will be picked up and transferred to the airport for the flight to Punta Arenas on the northern shore of the Strait of Magellan. You will be met upon arrival and transferred seven to eight hours to Torres del Paine National Park. En route you’ll pass through Puerto Natales, situated on the shores of Seno Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope Sound). Closer to the park, you’ll begin to see some guanacos and rheas and the mountains of the huge Paine massif.
Your accommodation while in Paine National Park is at Explora Lodge, scenically situated on the shores of Lago Pehoe, with in-your-face views of the famous jagged cuernos of the park. The 50-room lodge is a wonderful base of explorations: though its exterior is simple and unassuming, inside you’ll find it all warmth, style, and luxury, with plenty of large windows framing the stupendous views. Amenities include an indoor swimming pool, sauna, massage rooms, and open-air Jacuzzis, while a large dining room features excellent cuisine and fine wines.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner…Explora Lodge
Days 3-5 ~ Torres del Paine National Park
While at Explora, you can join in various activities, including walks and hikes, horseback rides, boat excursions, photo safaris, and more. These include outings as short as two to three hours (so you can do a couple of different jaunts each day) or all-day hikes ranging from medium to difficult in nature. All-day hiking excursions may include a hike into the French Valley, one of the most spectacular cirques in the Paine Range, or to the face of the Grey Glacier, where you can observe icebergs calving into Lago Grey—a truly spectacular experience. Other possibilities include visits to Salto Grande and Salto Chico (waterfalls) or to Las Torres, the famous “Towers of Paine.” On all activites you’ll be accompanied by a knowledgeable guide.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner each day…Explora Lodge
Day 6 ~ Los Glaciares National Park
Drive across the border into Argentina and proceed over the steppe to the little town of El Chaltén within Los Glaciares National Park. (There may be some delays while border formalities are attended to.) Picnic lunch en route. This is a long drive, but as we aproach the park the views of stunning mountains and glacier just get better and better. Your accommodation is at one of the finest hotels in town.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner...Hosteria El Puma (or similar)
DAYS 7-9 ~ Los Glaciares National Park
Two days to enjoy the tremendous vistas of the spectacular peaks of Fitzroy (11,072') and Cerro Torre (10,280'), the masterpieces of Los Glaciares National Park. There are a variety of day hikes to suit all abilities, including Laguna Torre, the base camp of Cerro Torre climbs, situated on a beautiful glacial lake with the stunning monolith framed behind the lake; Laguna Capri and Laguna de los Tres, directly in front of Fitzroy; Piedras Blancas and Laguna Sucia, which boast large glaciers calving into beautiful alpine lakes with Fitzroy as a backdrop; Piedras del Friale, looking towards the north face of Fitzroy and the east entrance to the famous Patagonia Ice Cap.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner each day...Hosteria El Puma (or similar)
DAY 10 ~ Buenos Aires
Drive about five hours across the pampas and along the northern end of Lago Viedma to the airport in Calafate. Fly to Buenos Aires, where you will be met upon arrival and transferred to your hotel for overnight. Dinner on your own (you might want to take in a tango show this evening!).
B...Loi Suites
Day 11 ~ Buenos Aires – depart
A morning sightseeing tour of Buenos Aires may include a visit to the Recoleta district in the northwest sector of the city, famous mainly for its nightlife but also well worth a visit by day. Close by are the National Cemetery with the tombs of many famous people (among them Eva Peron) and the Museum of Fine Arts. The remainder of the day is free to shop or explore on your own. The downtown district, especially along Calle Florida, contains many galerias (huge enclosed shopping malls) with dozens of stores and colorful stands. Evening transfer to airport for homeward-bound flights (your international flight can depart at any time on this day). We highly recommend you stay a few extra days in Buenos Aires.
Breakfast…
Stay a Little Longer
You may wish to combine this trip with one of our regular group or private adventures in South America, or other individual travel on your own. We also offer the following extensions to Easter Island, Iguazu Falls, and Chile’s Atacama Desert. (Easter Island and Atacama Desert excursions feature stays at Explora Lodges.) Please call us for the details on any of our extensions.
Easter Island is an extremely isolated island famed for its 600 moai, ancient carved stone figures up to 30 feet high. These remnants of an ancient civilization remain a mystery to archaeologists. Our program is designed for you to visit the major archaeological sites on the islands, and still enjoy some free time to pursue individual interests. 4 or 5 days.
Chile’s Atacama Desert is the driest desert on earth (and the closest thing to Mars) but showcases a mystical landscape of soaring volcanoes, stark moonscapes, salt pans, and geysers. Your base is in the town of San Pedro de Atacama, with active explorations to visit the Tatio Geysers, a geothermal field of volcanic origin, the Atacama salt plain, beautiful Caxias Lagoon, and the Pukara de Quitor, a 12th-century Inca fortress appropriated by the Spanish in 1540. 4 or 5 days.
Iguazu Falls. Visit one of the world’s most dazzling natural spectacles, considered by some to be even more magnificent than Niagara or Victoria Falls. Your active stay includes nature walks, a boat trip to the base of the falls, a rafting trip on the Iguazu River to appreciate the local flora and fauna, and a visit to San Martin Island, where The Mission was filmed. Accommodation is at a hotel close to the falls. m>3 days.
Arrival & Departure Information
You can arrive in Santiago at anytime on Day 1. There is a tour planned for the afternoon, however, so we recommend you arrive in the morning. A representative will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel. The tour ends with a transfer to the airport in Buenos Aires on Day 11. If you do this itinerary in the reverse, you should arrive in Buenos Aires in the morning of Day 1. Your sightseeing tour will be that same afternoon.
Air Travel
Airfare is not included in the land cost of our trips. For air reservations, we recommend you contact the airlines directly, either by phone or the Internet. In addition, many travelers elect to use their “frequent flyer” miles when traveling with us. But please check with our staff before purchasing or obtaining your tickets, so we may verify your arrival and departure schedule.
Activity Level
Mountain Travel Sobek trips are designed for flexible, energetic people who like to be active and have a spirit of adventure and a positive attitude. We rate this trip as easy to moderate in nature. The hikes and other excursions offered in Paine and Los Glaciares National Parks range in difficulty from easy to more strenuous, and we recommend you be in good physical condition so as to enjoy all the options. All activities are optional and you can always take a day off if you want.
If you are not optimally conditioned, we recommend that you start a training program at least three months before departure, gradually increasing the intensity and duration. If your health is questionable or your physical stamina is limited, please discuss other trip options with us.
Your Guides
At each destination of your journey, knowledgeable local guides attached to the lodge will accompany you on daily activities. They are all experts in their fields and will provide fascinating insights and perspectives on what you’re seeing. You may be accompanied by other visitors staying at the lodge.
What’s Included
What's Not
International airfare to Santiago and return from Buenos Aires; meals not noted in itinerary; insurance other than basic medical and evacuation insurance as noted above (we strongly recommend you purchase the supplementary trip insurance offered by Mountain Travel Sobek, which includes trip cancellation insurance); optional tipping to guides and local staff; excess baggage charges; airport taxes; and items of a personal nature (sodas, alcoholic beverages other than at Explora Lodge, laundry, etc.).
Payment & Cancellation Policy
(This differs from regular Mountain Travel Sobek trips.)
I. PaymentAt time of reservation: $800 or 25% of Land Cost, whichever is greater
120 days prior to departure: 25% of Land Cost
90 days prior to departure: Balance of Land Cost
II. Cancellation
If written notice of cancellation is received, Cancellation Fee will be:
From time of reservation until
90 days prior to departure: $800 or 25% of Land Cost, whichever is greater
89 to 60 days prior to departure: 50% of Land Cost
59 days or fewer prior to departure: 100% of Land Cost
Note on Itinerary
This itinerary has been carefully designed for optimal value. You may wish to combine this tour with another or add extensions at the beginning or end of your trip. However, if you wish to customize this tour, other terms and conditions apply (ask us about information on customized adventures). Travel Agent commissions or any type of other discounts do not apply to custom tours.
Although we will do our best to adhere to the itinerary schedule as listed, it is subject to change. Please read the Limitation of Liability and Booking Conditions in the four-page Participant Information Form. You can find all this information on our website.
Limitation of Liability
“Mountain Travel Sobek” is defined to include its owners, agents, directors, officers, employees, representatives and affiliates (collectively “Mountain Travel”). Except for the Alaska Discovery Inn, some small craft and some vans in Alaska, Mountain Travel does not own or operate any entity that provides goods or services for your trip including, for example, ownership or control over hotels or other lodging facilities, airline, vessel, bus, van or other transportation companies, local ground operators, providers or organizers of optional excursions, food service or entertainment providers, etc. All such persons and entities are independent contractors. As a result, Mountain Travel is not liable for any negligent or willful act or failure to act of any such person or entity, or of any other third party. Without limitation, Mountain Travel Sobek is not responsible for any injury, loss, or damage to person or property, death, delay or inconvenience in connection with the provision of any goods or services occasioned by or resulting from, but not limited to, acts of God, force majeure, acts of war or civil unrest, insurrection or revolt, strikes or other labor activities, criminal or terrorist activities of any kind, overbooking or downgrading of accommodations, structural or other defective conditions in hotels or other lodging facilities, mechanical or other failure of airplanes or other means of transportation or for any failure of any transportation mechanism to arrive or depart timely, dangers associated with animals, marine life or vegetation of any sort, dangers incident to recreational activities such as scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, sailing, canoeing, rafting, hiking, bicycling, rock climbing, etc., sanitation problems, food poisoning, lack of, access to or quality of medical care, difficulty in evacuation in case of a medical or other emergency, or for any other cause beyond the direct control of Mountain Travel. In addition, participants release Mountain Travel from its own negligence and assume all risk thereof. On advancement of deposit to Mountain Travel, the depositor therefore agrees to be bound by the above recited terms and conditions. These are partial conditions. Your participation is contingent on your signature on the full list of terms specified in the four-page Participant Information Form, which you can find on our website (or call us at 1-888-687-6235 and request a copy).
Arbitration
Any dispute concerning, relating or referring to these Terms and Conditions, to any literature concerning this trip, or the trip itself, shall be resolved exclusively by binding arbitration in San Francisco, California, according to the then existing rules of the American Arbitration Association. Such proceedings will be governed by substantive California law without regard to the California Arbitration Act.
Conditions of Participation
Your participation on a Mountain Travel Sobek trip is subject to the conditions stated in the four-page Participant Information Form, which includes the Agreement and Release from Liability and the Booking Conditions. Specific information on payment and cancellation policies is also contained within this document, as well as in our current catalog and on our website. We urge you to read this information carefully, and to call us at 1-888-MTSOBEK (687-6235) if you have any questions.
Why Mountain Travel Sobek is Your First Choice for Adventure
Mountain Travel Sobek is the pioneer in active adventure travel. No other adventure travel company can lay claim to that title. We were the first to take Americans trekking in Nepal, raft the wild rivers of Africa, and open up many previously inaccessible corners of the world to curious travelers. We set the standard for adventure travel and have a strong reputation for excellence that we do everything we can to maintain. Since we are the leading adventure company, we have a lot to live up to, so we make sure we provide safe, quality trips and the best customer service to our passengers.
References
Don't take our word for how great our trips are. We'll be happy to provide you with references of satisfied past travelers. Just give us a call at 1-888-MTSOBEK (687-6235).
Questions?
Feel free to call us at 1-888-MTSOBEK (687-6235) if you still have any questions or concerns. We're here to help you.
Note on Itinerary
Although we will do our very best to adhere to the itinerary schedule as listed, it is subject to change for numerous reasons beyond our control. Please read the Limitations of Liability and Booking Conditions in the four-page Participant Information Form.
This itinerary has been carefully designed for optimal value. You may wish to combine this tour with another or add extensions at the beginning or end of your trip. However, if you wish to customize this tour, other terms and conditions apply (ask us about information on customized adventures). Travel Agent commissions or any type of other discounts do not apply to this tour.
Conditions of Participation
Your participation on a Mountain Travel Sobek trip is subject to the conditions stated in the four-page Participant Information Form, which includes the Agreement and Release from Liability and the Booking Conditions. We urge you to read this information carefully, and to call us if you have any questions.
Note on Services
We often use local suppliers who provide services that may include transportation, equipment, logistic support, and other services (hotels, restaurants, etc.). We do not own or operate these independent suppliers. We work with service providers who share our commitment to safety and quality, and work closely with them to develop itineraries unique to Mountain Travel Sobek.
Ready to go? Signing up is easy!
Just call us at 1-888-MTSOBEK (687-6235) or make a reservation request online. Immediately after we receive your deposit, we will request your preferred dates. Upon confirmation (usually within four business days), we will send you a packet with all the information you need to get ready for your trip, including clothing recommendations, suggested reading lists, and other details.
Approximately 30 days before your departure, we'll send you detailed, step-by-step instructions, with emergency contact numbers, a detailed map, and other important information. Upon arrival at your destination, you will be met by your in-country host who will help orient you and describe what to expect in the week to come.