Discovering Torres del Paine in 7 days from £2,098

Day 1 We recommend you take the early flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas (4 hours), flying over the Andes and observing incredible views of the Patagonian Ice Fields. Upon your arrival in Punta Arenas, the most southern city on the continent, a private transfer will be waiting to take you to Torres Del Paine National Park. (We will offer a pick-up from the airport at 3:20 PM, corresponding with LAN airline, Flight # LA293, or at 3 PM from your hotel in town). (Flight numbers and times subject to change) As we leave Punta Arenas we will be able to see the Strait of Magellan and the island Tierra del Fuego. Shortly after leaving the airport, we will stop at the Magellan penguin colony on Otway Sound. Our 3-hour drive will take us through open pampas and huge ranches (estancias) and chances are we will be able to observe one of the most typical animals in this area, the ñandu, (similar to ostrich). We arrive to Puerto Natales, located on the Sound of Last Hope, a typical fishing town surrounded by mountains and our lodging for the first night at the trendy Indigo Hotel, with an amazing view of the mountains and located in front of the ocean. After we settle in, we’ll have a welcome dinner with the guide regarding the program. (4 hours by private transfer) (D) (Night at Hotel Indigo) Day 2 After a good breakfast we head out driving along an unpaved road to the Torres Del Paine National Park. Upon entering the park we will have excellent photographic and birding opportunities as we drive alongside lagoons frequented by Chilean flamencos and black-necked swans. Today’s hike is on a gentle trail following the border of the park and offers opportunities to see guanacos (Llama family) and the Andean Condor. During the next two nights, you can take advantage of one of the services in the Spa Las Torres (the only full service spa in the park). (2 hours by private transfer, 3 hours hike) (B-BL-D) (Night at Hotel Las Torres) Day 3 We begin our first full day trek, heading to the base of the Towers lookout point following the Ascencio River before entering the Ascencio Valley. Our walk will be uphill for one hour, stopping to observe the first glimpses of the valley and panoramic views of the Lake Nordenskjold. During the following 2 hours, we’ll walk through unbelievable forests of tall deciduous beech (Nothofagus Pumilio) and waterfalls, and then continue ascending through a huge terminal moraine up to a photographic view point (900m). From here we will be surrounded by three giant granite towers (2850m) and a lagoon with slurry waters resulting from glacial erosion. We will stop here for lunch, taking our time to enjoy this astonishing scenery, before our descent returning along the same path back to our hotel. (7-8 hours back and forth, 18KM) (B-BL-D) (Night at Hotel Las Torres) Day 4 We drive to the west side of the Park going around Almirante Nieto Mountain (2750 M) with Nordenskjold Lake at its base. We will take a catamaran across Lake Pehoe to commence our out and back trek to the French valley. We will start going around the southwest side of Paine Grande, the highest summit in the Park, through native forests of fire bush and evergreen beech (Nothofagus Bethuloides), up to the hanging bridge over the French River to observe the first glimpses of the hanging glacier. Then we will ascend (300m) for one hour amidst a surreal Japanese garden landscape, crossing beech forests, to reach a viewpoint, gifting us with magnificent panoramic views, where we enjoy a good lunch. Our way back will be the same, taking the catamaran and then the private transfer to the administration area, where we lodge on the shore of the Serrano River with amazing views of the Paine Massif. (1 hour and a half by private transfer, 6 hours walk, 35 minutes by catamaran each way, 17KM) (B-BL-D) (Night at Hotel Rio Serrano) Day 5 Early in the morning we start our day by going to the Pingo Valley for a walk to the “Cascada los Salmones” where we’ll stop to take in the view before returning back along the same trail, with a chance to find the elusive Huemul (Andean Deer). We enjoy a picnic lunch at the shore of the Pingo River and in the afternoon we start our adventure to the Glacier Grey by boat.. In order to get to the boat we will walk through a mature beech forest where we might observe woodpeckers. We will navigate about one hour through icebergs of different tones of blue up to the Grey glacier, where we will stay for a while in front of the glacier in the hope of seeing icebergs calve. Our return journey offers views of Paine Grande with its impressive ice mushrooms. (In the morning: 30 minutes private transfer, 3 hours hike. In the afternoon: 30 minutes walk, 3 hours by ship, 30 minutes by private transfer ) (B-BL-D) (Night at Hotel Rio Serrano) Day 6 We will start a hike on a one-way path with panoramic glimpses of the park. According to the season we should be able to see specific flowers such as orchids, calceolarias, and neneos or maybe even experience the flight of the condor. Once we are at the highest point of the trail we connect to the rarely visited trail heading to Estancia Lazo and its Hosteria Mirador del Payne which are located outside the park. The Estancia Lazo, it is a huge cattle center dating from the last century, with magnificent views of the Paine Massive and Laguna Verde. The rooms are very comfortable; the main Estancia's house has been remodeled as a dining room-bar, keeping it cozy and country style. A typical Patagonian style lamb barbecue will be waiting for us at the Estancia-Hosteria where we will spend the night. (20 minutes by private transfer, 5 hours hike) (B-BL-BBQ) (Night at Estancia-Hosteria Mirador Del Payne) Day 7 We will take a private transfer to Punta Arenas. (Clients should take the flight at 05:00PM, from LAN airline, flight #LA996, arriving to Santiago at 8:20 PM) , if you decide to stay the night in Punta Arenas; we will drop you at your hotel.(Flight numbers and times subject to change)