Compare Patagonia Explorer: The Best of Chile by Odysseys Unlimited vs Patagonia Short Break - Torres Del Paine by Intrepid Travel

Day 1

Depart for Puerto Montt, Chile

Day 2: Arrive Puerto Montt/Puerto Varas

Meals: Dinner

Upon arrival in Chile’s Lake District, we transfer to our hotel in Puerto Varas. The afternoon is at leisure; tonight we meet our fellow travelers and Odysseys Unlimited Tour Director at a briefing about the journey ahead, followed by a welcome dinner.

Day 3: Vicente Rosales National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Today we set out on a full-day excursion through stunning Vicente Rosales National Park, set almost entirely in the Andes and covering nearly 1,000 square miles. We see the Petrohué Waterfalls, where surging whitewater plunges over black volcanic rock, and regal Osorno Volcano in the distance, a snowcapped cone that has been compared to Japan’s Mount Fuji. This afternoon we travel to a ranch in the nearby town of Alerce to meet Chilean cowboys and watch as they demonstrate their rodeo skills. Tonight we enjoy a traditional asado-style barbecue dinner at the ranch.

Day 4: Puerto Varas/Calbuco

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

We travel this morning to the small lakeside town of Calbuco, situated on an island in one of southern Chile’s many fjords. We see a mussel fishery then enjoy a small group highlight as we have lunch prepared by a local fisherman’s family.

Day 5: Puerto Varas/Punta Arenas

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

We transfer to the airport today for the two-hour flight to Punta Arenas, capital of Chile’s southernmost Magallanes Region. Upon arrival we transfer to our hotel, where we dine tonight.

Day 6: Punta Arenas

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

We get a close-up view of Patagonian Chile today on our excursion to a working estancia (ranch). We visit with the local cowboys who work here and watch a sheepdog exercise to see how these amazing animals perform their important job of herding. We also see a sheep-shearing demonstration and learn how the wool is processed. Then we enjoy a traditional Patagonian asado lunch at the ranch before our return to Punta Arenas, where the remainder of the day is at leisure.

Day 7: Magdalena Island/Puerto Natales

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

On our day cruise through the storied Strait of Magellan today, we have the opportunity to see for ourselves an animal that most people have only seen in captivity: the Magellanic penguin, the two-foot tall flightless bird that numbers among the millions along the southern tip of South America. We cruise to tiny Magdalena Island, home to a colony of more than 120,000 penguins that coexist peacefully with cormorants, sea lions, and other species. We return to Punta Arenas in time for lunch before continuing our journey northward by coach to Puerto Natales, gateway to Torres del Paine National Park on the shores of Ultima Esperanza Sound.

Day 8: Serrano and Balmaceda Glaciers

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

We experience southern Chile’s glacier region on today’s excursion. Our day cruise takes us through more stunning Patagonian scenery, as we navigate between snow-capped mountains and walls of ice to reach the massive glaciers, where we enjoy fabulous views and photo opportunities. We watch as the ice seems to tumble down the mountainsides and into the bays below (and in fact often does, in a process called calving). Then we enjoy lunch at a local estancia as we return to Puerto Natales. Dinner tonight is on our own.

Day 9: Puerto Natales/Torres del Paine

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

This morning we make the two-hour drive north into Torres del Paine, a breathtaking 700-square-mile national park and UNESCO reserve. After reaching our hotel and having lunch together, we set out on a short hike; the rugged beauty of our surroundings gives us a preview of what’s in store over the next two days. Tonight we dine together at our hotel, as we will throughout our stay here.

Day 10: Torres del Paine National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Today marks our first full day in Torres del Paine, one of the most unspoiled and beautiful nature preserves on Earth. We spend the day exploring this unparalleled landscape of jagged peaks, ice-blue glaciers, turquoise lakes, rushing rivers, and thunderous waterfalls. We also visit magnificent Lago Grey, which is fed by the glacier of the same name in the Southern Patagonia Ice Field.

Day 11: Torres del Paine National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Our second day of exploration in the park features Laguna Amarga, Laguna Azul, and Cascade Rio Paine, along with resident wildlife.

Day 12: Torres del Paine/Santiago

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

We trade our natural surroundings for the bustling urban heart of Chile today, as we travel by coach to Punta Arenas then board a 3.5-hour flight to the Chilean capital of Santiago. We reach our hotel early this evening; dinner tonight is on our own in this cosmopolitan city with a lively culinary scene.

Day 13: Santiago

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

This morning we get acquainted with Santiago on a panoramic city tour. Chile’s largest city and the capital since colonial times, Santiago boasts an impressive diversity of architecture, a view of the majestic Andes, and a vibrant cultural atmosphere. After time for lunch on our own, we visit one of the many wineries that surround the city for a tour and tasting. Tonight we celebrate our Patagonian sojourn over a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 14: Santiago/Depart for U.S.

Meals: Breakfast

After a morning at leisure, this afternoon we visit Bellavista, Santiago’s colorful bohemian barrio where poet Pablo Neruda once lived. There’s time to explore on our own before we transfer to the airport for our overnight flights to the U.S.

Day 15: Arrive U.S.

We arrive in the U.S. this morning and connect with our return flights home.

Day 1 Puerto Natales

Welcome to Patagonia! Few places on earth offer up such dramatic and breathtaking landscapes, the most iconic of which are contained within Torres del Paine National Park and Bernardo O'Higgins National Park, which you’ll be exploring over the next days. Your adventure begins at Puerto Natales airport, or at Puerto Natales bus station where you’ll be collected by a local representative and transferred to your hotel in the little city of Puerto Natales, sitting on the "Seno de Ultima Esperanza" (Bay of the Last Hope). Our adventure begins at 6 pm with the welcome meeting where you will meet our local representative. It is important that you try and arrive in Puerto Natales before this time. If you get here early enough we suggest taking a walk along the Costanera, leading to the historic remains of the Braun & Blanchard wharf (it’s especially beautiful at sunset). If you want to wet your whistle, the city is dotted with establishments serving up excellent Chilean wine and locally produced craft beer. Note: Confirmation of your arrival information is needed in advance. If you arrive from Puerto Natales Airport, or Puerto Natales Bus Station please inform your Intrepid agent and your transfer from there to your hotel will be arranged accordingly. Should you choose to arrive in Puerto Natales from El Calafate via public bus, the bus ticket will be sent to you in advance by email. Please inform your Intrepid agent to arrange for the bus ticket.

Day 2 Torres del Paine National Park

Today, after breakfast you’ll be joined by a local guide to explore the remarkable and diverse landscapes of Torres del Paine National Park, declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978. Stop off on the way at the Milodon Cave, an enormous cavern where remains of prehistoric mammals like the mylodon, an extinct ground sloth, have been found. Continue on to Cuernos de Paine, the towering granite spikes of Torres del Paine National Park. From here, walk to Salto Grande – at 15 metres high, this is the park’s largest waterfall. Take some time to admire the powerful cascade tumbling into the beautiful turquoise lake below. Next up is a visit to Lago Gray, a picturesque lake fringed by the icy blue Grey Glacier. Hike through a coigue Forest, crossing suspension bridge over the Pingo River and eventually ending up at the beach. Here you can observe icebergs of different shapes and colours floating in the lake, caused by the melting of the Grey Glacier. After an exciting day, return to Puerto Natales for an evening at leisure. Note: All entry tickets to National Parks are included, your local guide will have them and present them in the parks for you.

Day 3 Balmaceda & Serrano Glacier Navigation

Today begins at 7.30am at Puerto Bories pier, from where you’ll sail through the Senoret Channel and the Ultima Esperanza fjord. Cross into the Bernardo O'Higgins National Park, the largest park in Chile and home to giant glaciers, lush vegetation, soaring waterfalls and loads of wildlife, including Andean condors, marine otters and cormorants. Sail past the seriously impressive Balmaceda glacier, hanging from the mountain of the same name. Dock at Puerto Toro and walk about a kilometer through a native forest filled with coigues, murtilla de magallanes, chaura and lichens. Walk towards the foot of the Serrano Glacier, following the edge of an iceberg-filled lake formed by its melt. Finally, enjoy an aperitif with glacial ice and have lunch at a typical Patagonian estancia before returning to Puerto Natales for the evening.

Day 4 Trek to Torres del Paine National Park

If you’re up for a serious challenge, an 8-hour serious trek to Base Torres is included today, serving up the most impressive views of Torres del Paine’s granite towers and glacial lagoon. You will contemplate the imposing towers, a wonder of nature. Be sure to have your camera ready as these are scenes you won’t want to forget! Enjoy an included dinner this evening to celebrate your adventure. If, on the other hand, feel that the long trek would be too strenuous for you and would like to take things easier then you can opt for our complimentary panoramic half-day tour of Puerto Natales. This beautiful half-day excursion will help you understand the origin of this centenary city. You will learn about the toponymy of its surroundings, its history and little known details. Admire and contemplate the coast of the Señoret channel with the mountains that surround it. Your tour will start at the old Puerto Bories Cold Storage Plant, an important manufacturing industry that marked the emergence of the city in the early twentieth century, now a National Historic Monument. Next will also visit the remodeled waterfront, the main square, the fishermen's dock and the artisanal village. And on the way be sure to take some time and admire the the coast of Señoret channel with its encircling mountains. Your tour will finish with a Pisco Sour at Rooftop in Puerto Natales.

Day 5 Puerto Natales

After an early breakfast at your hotel, you'll be dropped off at the Puerto Natales bus station, from where you'll have the option to take the local bus to El Calafate on the Argentinean side of Patagonia (bus ticket included). If you are flying out today, from El Calafate, please make sure you choose a flight in late afternoon, after 3 pm. If you would prefer to begin your trip in El Calafate and end in Puerto Natales, please get in touch ahead of time so your bus ticket can be arranged.