South America Vacations

Patagonia Vacation Packages

10 Days Patagonia: Chile's Remote Wilderness Tour Package

Duration: 10 Days /  9 Nights
Priced From: $4,398 pp dbl. occ
Dates: Dec 

Travel to the Patagonia region in the southern reaches of South America. Patagonia has become known to aficionados as one of the most beautiful, unspoiled and remote places in the world. It is the definition of wildness: massive mountain ranges, steppes, ice fields, glaciers, rivers, lakes and snow, with an abundance of unusual wildlife.

Patagonia tour takes you to Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, which occupies a special place in the hearts of Chileans; akin to that occupied by Yosemite for Americans. Travel to Patagonia’s wonderfully diverse areas and explore mountain glaciers, walk, take a ship on a glacier lake and simply take in landscapes unlike any others on Earth.

Beneath the granite mountains of the Paine Massif experience wildlife: guanacos (relatives of llamas), rheas, Andean condors, pumas, Patagonian foxes and a wide variety of birds on our Patagonia Tours.

We depart the U. S. on an overnight flight to Santiago, Chile’s capital, and transfer to the Hotel Plaza San Francisco. In the afternoon we see the Presidential Palace, Plaza de Armas, Metropolitan Cathedral and some of Santiago’s residential neighborhoods. We have a welcome dinner at our hotel. (Day 1: Meals Aloft; Day 2: D)

Day 3
Punta Arenas / Puerto Natales

We fly to Punta Arenas, the main port for the Strait of Magellan. Weather permitting we fly over the Southern Patagonia ice field for great views of the mountains we will later be exploring. We meet our guide and depart for Puerto Natales, with lunch in a fine local restaurant. We stop to watch our first Andean condors at the Rio Verde condor roosts and stay at the Hotel Costa Australis in Puerto Natales. (B,L,D)

Day 4
Last Hope Fjord / Balmaceda Glacier / Torres Del Paine

In the morning we explore beautiful Last Hope Fjord by ship, sailing beneath the impressive tidewater Balmaceda Glacier, and with good chances of seeing Chilean dolphin, South American sea lion and king cormorants. After lunch we proceed to Torres del Paine National Park, our drive taking us through spectacular scenery with lots of wildlife including lesser rheas, guanacos, a large population of condors and more bird life. We spend two nights at the Hotel Río Serrano, in the western reaches of Torres del Paine. (B,L,D)

Day 5
Lago Grey / Grey Glacier

In the early morning we depart for Nordenskjöld Lake in time for sunrise. This is one of the best locations to see the 6,300-foot “Cuernos del Paine” (the Paine Horns), a magnificent formation. We have breakfast at a lodge on an island in the turquoise Pehoé Lake, then continue to the park’s eastern side and Grey Lake and Glacier. We take a ship along the 15-mile long lake, formed by the retreat of the glacier and surrounded by mountains including Paine Grande — at 10,006 feet the park’s highest point. Grey Lake is full of icebergs calved from the Grey Glacier, the final tongue of the 300 mile long Southern Patagonia Ice Field. We explore the glacier on foot. Back aboard the ship we can enjoy drinks served with 20,000-year-old ice! In the afternoon, we’ll walk to a beech forest and the Ice Beach, where the icebergs from the glacier end their journey. (B,L,D)

Day 6
Lago Grey Area / Paine Waterfalls

After breakfast we take a walk with our guide exploring the Nothafagus forest in the area to look for Magellanic woodpecker, Chilean flickers, Austral parakeets, foxes, and unique flora. We then depart for the eastern part of the park, en route visiting the impressive Salto Grande and Salto Chico waterfalls. Both this evening and tomorrow we will look for pumas, in an area that boasts the highest concentration of pumas in the world. We spend two nights at Hostería Las Torres. (B,L,D)

Day 7
Eastern Torres Del Paine National Park

We start early to see sunrise paint the park’s renowned granite towers red. We spend the day in the secluded eastern part of the park, taking nature hikes and enjoying varied views of the towers. We may find torrent ducks swimming in the rapids, and Chilean flamingos and grebes on the lakes. (B,L,D)

Day 8
Gaucho Farm / Otway Sound / Punta Arenas

We leave for Punta Arenas, stopping at a private gaucho farm where we enjoy a classic gaucho barbecue. It’s a great chance to learn about the way of life of people who have lived in Patagonia for generations. We continue to the Otway Magellanic penguin colony, arriving when penguins typically return to the colony after a day of fishing. There should be great photographic opportunities. We stay at the Cabo de Hornos Hotel in Punta Arenas. (B,L,D)

Days 9 & 10
Punta Arenas / Santiago / U.S.

After a short tour of Punta Arenas, we fly back to Santiago and connect with flights home, arriving in the U.S. Day 10. (Day 9: B, Meals Aloft; Day 10: Meals Aloft)

Located just a short distance from the heart of Santiago, the Hotel Plaza San Francisco offers unbeatable sightseeing within walking distance of the hotel. Nearby, visitors can find the Government Palace as well as some of the most important national monuments. The modern rooms are equipped with individual air conditioning systems and are acoustically soundproofed. They also have two telephone lines for direct international dialing with a special hook-up for fax and PC, cable television, in-room safe, mini bar, internet broad band connection and other amenities.

Hotel Rio Serrano

This beautiful hotel is located on the eastern bank of the Serrano River and offers a panoramic view of the Paine Mountains. All rooms feature private bathroom, central heating and telephone.

Hosteria las Torres

In the heart of Torres Del Paine National Park, you’ll find Hosteria las Torres. This remarkable location allows you greater access to this majestic region. Overlooking picturesque mountains and hills, the spacious rooms of this charming Hostería are the ideal base for exploring Torres del Paine.

12/09

South America Patagonia
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