Patagonia Trekking Adventure

Welcome to the “End of the World”! Today you’ll take ground transportation up to Puerto Natales, the staging town for your Patagonia “W” Trek (3 hours drive time). You’ll get settled in to your accommodations and participate in a briefing session to prepare for the trek in Torres del Paine National Park. (D) (Overnight in hotel in Puerto Natales)

Starting from Puerto Natales in the early morning, you’ll take ground transportation to Torres del Paine National Park (about 2 hours). You will pass through open pampas and huge ranches (estancias), and chances are you will be able to observe one of the most typical animals in this area, the ñandu, (rare South American ostrich). You will follow an unpaved road heading to Refugio Las Torres to spend your first night. Upon entering the park you will have excellent photographic and birding opportunities as you drive alongside lagoons frequented by Chilean flamencos and black-necked swans. After leaving your backpacks at the Refugio, start the trek to the base of the Towers, following the Ascencio River to enter the Ascencio Valley. The walk will be uphill for one hour before stopping to observe the first glimpses of the valley surrounded by unbelievable beech forests, glaciers and waterfalls. You’ll continue through the valley for another hour and a half before ascending a huge terminal moraine to a lookout (900 M), excellent for picture taking. This amazing view will be accompanied by lunch to add to the enjoyment. After being awed by the towers, start the descent, following the same path back to the hut. Dinner will be served in the Refugio. (8-9 hours round-trip hiking, 11 miles, 4,000 ft. elevation gain) (B-BL-D) (Overnight in Refugio or Campsite)

Start early morning to enjoy, weather permitting, a magnificent dawn filled with orange-pink colors. As you leave the campground, you will arrive at Inge lagoon. Chances are, on this path, you may see the flight of an Andean condor or eagles hunting hares or small rodents. You follow a well mark trail ascending around (200 M) from the base of Almirante Nieto Mountain (2750 M), crossing the Bader River to arrive at Refugio Los Cuernos where you will stay overnight. (6 hours hiking, 10 miles, 2,000 ft. elevation gain) (B-BL-D) (Overnight in Refugio or Campsite)

Start the day with a 2-hour walk going to an undulating path until reaching the French River for the first glimpses of the hanging glacier. Then ascend (300 M) for one hour through a surreal Japanese garden landscape, crossing beech forests, to reach the French valley viewpoint gifting the group with a magnificent view of both mountains and lakes. Lunch here with good possibilities of seeing avalanches from the hanging glacier or simply observe the west side of the Cuernos (2600 M), Espada (2400 M) and Fortaleza (2800 M). The way back will be the same until you reach the entrance of the valley where you will continue on a different path around the South-West side of Paine Grande, the highest peak in the Park, through native forests of Chilean fire bush and evergreen beech (Nothofagus Bethuloides), up to the shore of the Pehoe Lake. (8-9 hours hiking, 11 mi., 4,000 ft. elevation gain)(B-BL-D)(Overnight in Refugio or Campsite)

Begin early morning with a hike to the Grey Glacier. Initially ascending 200 yards up a winding narrow path leading us to Laguna Negra, a place where you will observe the first glimpses of the South Patagonia Ice Field with its many unclimbed mountains. Advance through forests and rivers, with possible sightings of spectacle and flying steamer ducks, up to the glacier viewpoint. Have lunch at this place to see, if you are lucky enough, ice calving from the huge glacier wall. Ice hike or Kayak. (4hours hiking, 7 mi., 2,000 ft. elevation gain) (B-BL-D) (Overnight in Refugio or Campsite)

Morning at leisure. Right after lunch start an exciting adventure by boat after walking back the way you came from Paine Grande. You will navigate for a while in front of the glacier in the hope of seeing icebergs calve. The return journey offers views of Paine Grande with its impressive ice mushrooms and you’ll sail through icebergs of different tones of blue. Then you will take a transfer back to Puerto Natales where you will stay overnight. 3 hours hiking 7 mi., / 1,400 ft. elevation gain (2 hours ride by boat on Grey Lake, 2 hours transfer by ground transportation) (B-BL) (Overnight in hotel in Natales)

After breakfast, on your own for some much deserved massages (optional) and/or chose to climb the Dorotea Hill to look at Puerto Natales from above (optional). If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to see the majestic flight of the condor that nests on the vertical walls of the hill. Discover the Milodon Cave (optional) and get to know the history of this giant sloth that used to live here in this southernmost part of Chile more than 10,000 years ago. After lunch say goodbye to Puerto Natales and make your way back down to Punta Arenas with ground transportation (3 hours). You’ll have time today to reflect on the epic once in a lifetime trek you just did in beautiful Torres del Paine – Patagonia. (Overnight in hotel in Punta Arenas) (B-D)

After breakfast, time on your own and eventually transfer to Punta Arenas International Airport (Presidente Carlos Ibáñez International Airport) for international flights back home to the USA. (B)