Premium Patagonia - 9 Days

Bienvenidos! Welcome to Chile. Your adventure begins in Santiago, where you’ll be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Here, you’ll meet your fellow travellers and local leader at a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight. If you arrive early, maybe head out for a self-paced walking tour and get to know your surroundings. After your meeting, head out for dinner at a local wine bar. Get to know your group over a multi-course meal of ancestral cuisine, including Mapuche dishes, and learn more about your upcoming adventure in the wilds of Patagonia.

Today is a travel day so sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery. You’ll leave the hotel early in the morning (your departure time can vary depending on the flight) and fly from Santiago to Puerto Natales. From here, drive to your accommodation, passing views of the Patagonian landscape along the way. Look out for wildlife like guanacos and take the opportunity to get to know your group a little better. When you arrive, check into your hotel, which has been designed to blend into the landscape and make the most of the sweeping views. With amazing scenery right outside your window, this is the perfect spot to connect with nature and leave the rest of the world behind. After an orientation walk with your leader around Puerto Natales, you might like to join your group for dinner at a local restaurant.

With a full day to explore Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia, you’re set for some great adventures. Today’s activities will be customised based on the weather and your group’s fitness level and interests. You might see Grey Glacier and the surrounding icebergs, or head to the Salto Grande waterfall and see the Paine Massif. Maybe go on some short hikes – the great thing about this national park is that its natural beauty can be seen from anywhere!

Today you’ll be exploring the Balmaceda and Serrano Glaciers within Bernardo O’Higgins National Park – only accessible by sea. Cruise through the Ultima Esperanza fjord, passing by glaciers, waterfalls and small estancias and eventually arriving at the Balmaceda Glacier. Continue to the end of the fjord and take a short walk to a viewpoint overlooking the glacier before cruising back the way you came, keeping an eye out for imperial cormorants and sea lions as you go. After your cruise, head to nearby Estancia Perales to enjoy lunch and amazing views. Tonight, perhaps head out for dinner with your group in Puerto Natales and share stories about today’s adventures.

After a hearty breakfast to prepare you for a day of travel, cross the international border from Chile to Argentina. On the way, stop off at Tierra de Ovejeros ranch – a traditional Patagonian estancia – for an authentic introduction to the area’s sheep-farming heritage. Join a local woman in her home as she shares stories of her life as a sheep farmer and learn about the wool-selection process, observe different stages of wool handling and gain insight into customary shepherding practices that remain central to life here. Plus, you’ll see a sheepdog at work and a sheep-shearing demonstration. Then, continue to El Calafate, your gateway to Glaciers National Park. As a major hub for adventurers headed to Perito Moreno, El Calafate has undergone a lot of development in recent decades. Located on the shore of the Argentino Lake and surrounded by the Andes range, this is a scenic place to spend a few days. After your long travel day, you may want to simply relax at your hotel.

Today, drive to the Perito Moreno Glacier – one of the few balanced glaciers in the world. At 3 km (1.8 mi) wide and 30 km (19 mi) long, it’s a spectacular sight. There are multiple viewing platforms overlooking Lake Argentino, providing an ideal vantage point to watch and listen to the crack of the ice as it plunges into the waters below. After you have watched the calving glacier, board your boat with an English-speaking guide for a glacier cruise that takes you even closer to the massif. You can also choose to pre-book a mini trek that will have you walking on the glacier. After an amazing day, you’ll head back to your accommodation. Freshen up, then join your group for an intimate asado (South American barbecue) dinner with a local couple in their home.

Take to the skies on a flight from El Calafate to Ushuaia this morning. When you arrive, check into your Feature Stay just outside the city. Boasting stunning views of the Beagle Channel and the Martial Mountains, this will be your home for the next two nights. Head out for a walk around town with your leader to get your bearings, then the rest of the day is yours to enjoy your own way. Maybe visit the Museo del Fin del Mundo (End of the World Museum) or take a stroll along the waterfront. Tonight, you might like to head out for drinks or a casual dinner with your group or enjoy a quiet night in.

After breakfast with your group, take a boat trip through Tierra del Fuego National Park along the dramatic coastline of the Beagle Channel. Transfer to a private boat and continue towards Martillo Island, home to one of the few penguin colonies left in South America. As the boat approaches the island, the engine is turned off, allowing for respectful, distanced viewing of the two species of penguins that live here – the Magellanic and the rare Papua (Gentoo) penguin. Watch them waddle along the shore and dive into the icy waters before heading back to Ushuaia by land.

There are no activities planned for today, and you’re free to leave at any time after checkout. If you’d like to spend more time in Ushuaia, just get in touch with your booking agent ahead of time to book additional accommodation. Ushuaia is the starting point of the Antarctica sailing trips, so speak with your booking agent if this is something that you’re interested in.