Chile & Argentina Patagonia to the Sea Hiking & Cruise

Itinerary

• Day01

  Arrive in Punta Arenas

  Arrive at the airport in Punta Arenas, Chile, and meet your group leader to transfer to the hotel. In the early evening, gather with the group for a briefing on the adventure ahead.

  • Accommodation: La Yegua Loca
  • Meals: Dinner
• Day02

  Scenic Drive to Torres del Paine National Park

  After breakfast, travel across the Patagonian plains to the quiet fishing town of Puerto Natales on the shores of Seno Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope Sound). Stretch your legs and have lunch before continuing on to Torres del Paine National Park and glimpsing your first spectacular views of the Paine Massif (weather permitting). After settling in, observe the ever-changing massif from your hotel window.

  • Accommodation: Rio Serrano Hotel & Spa
  • Transportation: 5-hour private van transfer
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Day03

  Get a Close-up View of the Grey Glacier

  Over the next few days, hike among the ice-clad peaks and granite needles of the Torres del Paine (10,000') and see 3,000 feet of near-vertical granite rising from rolling grasslands and beautiful lakes. Today we'll explore the western side of the park on a trail that follows the Pingo River. We'll look for the rare Andean Deer, and take a boat to get up close to the impressive Grey Glacier with its fantastic blue ice-spires in all kinds of different shapes.

  • Accommodation: Estancia Cerro Guido or Rio Serrano Hotel & Spa
  • Activity: 3 hours/5 miles with 300' elevation gain
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Day04

  Explore Majestic Torres del Paine

  Your Torres del Paine hiking adventure continues. Set out on an adventure that might include a short walk to see the Salto Grande waterfall, beautifully located in front of the Horns (Los Cuernos) of Paine; and a hike on a nature trail to watch llama-like guanacos and view cave paintings drawn by the original inhabitants.

  • Accommodation: Estancia Cerro Guido
  • Activity: 2 hours/3 miles with 100' elevation gain & 3 hours/4 miles with 100' elevation gain
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Day05

  Last Day in Torres del Paine National Park

  Take advantage of your final day in the park with another spectacular hike. National Geographic named Torres del Paine one of the most beautiful places in the world, and by day three you'll have gotten to enjoy some of the best scenery in the park. There will be the option to enjoy an 8-10 hour strenuous hike to the base of Las Torres, the famous towers of Paine, or a more leisurely stroll near the Laguna Azul.

  • Activity: 9 hours/11.5 miles hiking with 2,500' elevation gain
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Day06

  Travel to El Calafate, Argentina

  Say goodbye to Chile's Torres del Paine National Park and drive across the border into Argentina. Proceed over the flat grassland steppes to the town of El Calafate, the gateway to Los Glaciares National Park. Dinner is on your own tonight; enjoy some downtime or make plans with other members of your group.

  • Accommodation: Hotel Posada Los Alamos
  • Transportation: 7-hour private van transfer
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
• Day07

  Marvel at the Perito Moreno Glacier

  Enjoy a full-day excursion to Los Glaciares National Park to see the renowned Perito Moreno Glacier. At this very active glacier, a 200'-high headwall continually calves massive blocks of ice into the lake with a thunderous roar - an awesome spectacle of nature's power at work. Hiking options are available, depending on the weather: admire the amazing glacier from different viewpoints on a 2-mile footbridge walk.

  • Accommodation: Hotel Posada Los Alamos
  • Activity: 2-3 hours/2 miles walking
  • Transportation: 4-hour private van transfer
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
• Day08

  Fly to Ushuaia

  Board a plane to Ushuaia, Argentina, a small but bustling town dramatically located at the base of snowcapped mountains. After checking in to your hotel, hike in nearby Tierra del Fuego National Park. The park is known for its rich plant species and abundant birdlife, including cormorants, grebes, steamer ducks, and kelp geese. You might even spot one of the less-common Andean condors or black-browed albatross.

  • Accommodation: Hotel Alto Andino
  • Activity: 2 hours/3 miles hiking with 100' elevation gain
  • Transportation: 1.5-hour flight transfer
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Day09

  Board the Ventus Australis

  Take a morning hike in Tierra del Fuego before transferring to the port to board your boat, the 210-passenger Ventus Australis. After enjoying a welcome cocktail, begin the cruise portion of your trip as you depart for the Strait of Magellan.

  • Accommodation: M/V Ventus Australis
  • Activity: 4 hours/5 miles with 100' elevation gain
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Day10

  Cape Horn & Wulaia Bay

  Cruise across Nassau Bay into the remote archipelago that includes Cape Horn National Park. Go ashore (conditions permitting) and discover the windswept island overlooked by the rocky promontory. Sail back across to the fabled Wulaia Bay, an area renowned for its mesmerizing beauty and dramatic geography. Visit a museum in the old radio station, and stroll through an enchanted Magellan forest to reach a panoramic viewpoint overlooking the bay.

  • Accommodation: M/V Ventus Australis
  • Activity: Cruising and hiking options
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Day11

  Pia Glacier & Garibaldi Glacier

  Sail to the Avenue of the Glaciers in Alberto de Agostini National Park. Enter a narrow fjord then board a Zodiac for Pia Glacier. Take a short hike for a panoramic view, or a longer, much more difficult walk up a lateral moraine. Later, take another shore excursion at Garibaldi Glacier, where you'll hike through virgin Magellanic forest to a glacial waterfall and get a spectacular, birds-eye view of the glacier and fjord below. The walk is demanding and not for everyone; those who choose to stay onboard can enjoy the panoramic view from the upper decks.

  • Accommodation: M/V Ventus Australis
  • Activity: Cruising and hiking options
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Day12

  Agostini Sound to Águila Glacier & Cóndor Glacier

  Early in the morning, sail through the Cockburn Channel and enter Agostini Sound, taking in the glaciers that descend from the middle of the Darwin Mountain Range. Disembark and go for an easy walk around a lagoon to a prime viewing area right in front of the glacier and take in the stunning views. In the afternoon, approach the Condor Glacier via Zodiac and look for some of the abundant Andean Condors in the area.

  • Accommodation: M/V Ventus Australis
  • Activity: Cruising and hiking options
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Day13

  Magdalena Island & Punta Arenas

  After an overnight cruise, go ashore at Magdalena Island at the break of dawn (weather permitting) and see an immense colony of Magellanic penguins that makes their home there. Hike a path that leads through thousands of penguins to a small museum lodged inside a vintage 1902 lighthouse. (In April and September when the penguins dwell elsewhere, substitute a Zodiac excursion to observe South American sea lions.) After a short sail south, disembark around 11:30am at Punta Arenas, where our trip ends.

  • Meals: Breakfast