Patagonia: Torres del Paine, Perito Moreno and El Chaltén

1. Day 1: Arrive in Patagonia

   Punta Arenas airport (PUQ) to Puerto Natales

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Welcome dinner
   • Stay in Puerto Natales
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Punta Arenas (PUQ) on the Strait of Magellan, usually via Santiago, and plan to land by about 2 pm; the latest arrival time is confirmed with your final itinerary. Your See Sight Tours guide meets the group at the airport and we head north on Ruta 9 across open sheep country, about 230 km and three hours, with a coffee stop on the way. Watch for rheas and guanacos on the steppe and, in summer, flamingos on the shallow lagoons by the road. Puerto Natales sits on the Última Esperanza Sound, a fjord with snowy peaks across the water, and the light stays late: in December the sun sets after 9 pm. After check-in there is time to walk the seafront. Then we meet for a short briefing on layers, wind and the hiking choices ahead, and sit down together to a welcome dinner of Magellanic lamb or local seafood. If your flight lands at Puerto Natales airport (PNT) instead, a driver brings you to the hotel.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Punta Arenas airport (PUQ), or at Puerto Natales airport (PNT)
   • Drive to Puerto Natales with your guide
   • Welcome briefing
   • Welcome dinner

   Free time: Free time on the Puerto Natales seafront before dinner

   Activity: Book a flight landing at Punta Arenas by about 2 pm.

   

2. Day 2: Into Torres del Paine

   Puerto Natales to the Milodón Cave, then into Torres del Paine National Park

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Torres del Paine
   Day 2 details

   We leave Puerto Natales at about 8:30 am and stop after 25 km at the Cueva del Milodón, a huge cave where remains of a giant ground sloth were found in the 1890s; a short path loops through it. The road then runs north past Cerro Castillo into Torres del Paine National Park, created in 1959 and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The first full view of the Paine massif comes across the steppe near Laguna Amarga, where guanacos graze by the road and condors ride the wind. Lunch is a sit-down meal in the park. In the afternoon we walk from Pudeto to Salto Grande, where Lago Nordenskjöld pours into Lago Pehoé, and on to the Mirador Cuernos for a close look at the dark-capped Cuernos del Paine, about 6 km return on a mostly level path. A short drive brings us to the hotel, your base for three nights, so you unpack once. Dinner is at the hotel.

   Included

   • Cueva del Milodón natural monument
   • Torres del Paine National Park entry
   • Viewpoints at Laguna Amarga and Lago Pehoé
   • Salto Grande and Mirador Cuernos walk with your guide
   • Sit-down lunch in the park
   • Dinner at the hotel

   Easier option: Walk only the few minutes from the car park to Salto Grande, then wait in the vehicle out of the wind while the others go on to the Mirador Cuernos.

   Free time: Early evening free at the hotel

   Activity: The Salto Grande trail is exposed, and gusts can knock you off balance; your guide may turn the group back early.

   

3. Day 3: Base Las Torres, or Laguna Azul

   Hotel to the Welcome Centre and the trail to the Base Las Torres viewpoint, or by road to Laguna Azul

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Torres del Paine
   Day 3 details

   This is the park's best-known day hike and the active choice. We drive to the trailhead near the Welcome Centre and start walking by about 8 am, which leaves a full day without rushing. The trail climbs the Ascencio valley to a windy pass, drops to the Chileno refuge for a rest, then follows the river through southern beech forest. The last hour is a steep scramble up a boulder moraine to the lagoon at the foot of the three granite towers. In all it is about 20 km return with 800 to 900 m of climbing and eight to ten hours on foot, led by a licensed local hiking guide with your See Sight Tours guide; lunch is a packed meal from the hotel, eaten by the lagoon. The easier group spends the day with the driver: Laguna Azul for a view of the towers from the north, the Paine waterfall and a short walk among guanacos, with a sit-down lunch. Dinner at the hotel brings everyone back together.

   Included

   • Guided hike to the Base Las Torres viewpoint with a licensed local hiking guide
   • Or a viewpoint day at Laguna Azul and the Paine waterfall with the driver
   • Lunch
   • Dinner at the hotel

   Easier option: A viewpoint day by vehicle at Laguna Azul and the Paine waterfall, with short walks of 2 to 3 km and a sit-down lunch.

   More active option: The full hike to the lagoon at the base of the towers: about 20 km return, 800 to 900 m of climbing, 8 to 10 hours.

   Activity: Rangers can close the last section in strong wind or set a latest time to start the final climb; if the forecast is poor we swap this day with day 4.

4. Day 4: Grey Glacier by boat

   Hotel to Lago Grey, by boat to the face of Grey Glacier, then back to the hotel

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Torres del Paine
   Day 4 details

   A gentler day after the towers. We drive to the south end of Lago Grey, where icebergs broken from the glacier drift onto a long grey beach. From there a boat crosses the lake to the face of Grey Glacier, a tongue of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, and holds off the blue ice wall for photos before turning back; the outing takes about three hours. We book the morning sailing, because the wind usually rises after midday and can cancel later boats. Lunch is a sit-down meal near the lake, then the afternoon is yours: rest at the hotel, read by a window with the massif outside, or take a short walk nearby. Those with energy left can climb with a guide to the Mirador Ferrier above Lago Grey for a view over the lake and the ice. If the weather on day 3 is poor, this day and day 3 swap so the towers get the clearer sky. Dinner is at the hotel.

   Included

   • Boat on Lago Grey to the face of Grey Glacier
   • Sit-down lunch near Lago Grey
   • Dinner at the hotel

   More active option: A guided climb to the Mirador Ferrier above Lago Grey in the afternoon, steep, about 3 to 4 hours return.

   Free time: Afternoon free

   Activity: Boats do not sail in very strong wind; if the boat is cancelled we walk to the Lago Grey iceberg viewpoint instead and refund the boat fare.

5. Day 5: Across the border to El Calafate

   Torres del Paine to Cerro Castillo and the Chile and Argentina border, then across the steppe to El Calafate

   • Drive about 5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in El Calafate
   Day 5 details

   This is the trip's one long road day, about 280 km and about five to six hours door to door, including both border posts. There is no direct flight from Puerto Natales to El Calafate, and flying via Santiago or Buenos Aires would take far longer, so we drive and break the day up. We leave after breakfast and stop for coffee in the small village of Cerro Castillo beside the Chilean border post; about ten minutes on we clear Argentine entry at Cancha Carrera, and parts of the road beyond are gravel, so we take it steadily. Neither country lets fresh fruit, meat or dairy across, so finish your snacks before the border. From there the road runs north-east across empty steppe towards Ruta 40, with a sit-down lunch at a roadside stop around the halfway point and short stops for guanacos, rheas and photos. We reach El Calafate on the shore of Lago Argentino in the late afternoon. The evening is free: the main street, Avenida del Libertador, is a short walk from the hotel and full of places to eat.

   Included

   • Drive from Torres del Paine to El Calafate with your guide, border formalities handled
   • Coffee stop in Cerro Castillo
   • Sit-down lunch on the way

   Free time: Evening free in El Calafate

   Activity: Keep your passport with you; border queues vary in high season.

   

6. Day 6: Perito Moreno Glacier

   El Calafate to the Perito Moreno Glacier walkways and boat, and back

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in El Calafate
   Day 6 details

   We leave El Calafate at about 8 am for the 80 km drive west into Los Glaciares National Park, listed by UNESCO in 1981, to be on the walkways before the midday tour buses. The Perito Moreno Glacier ends in a wall of ice about 5 km wide, standing on average about 70 m above Lago Argentino, and unlike most glaciers in the region it is roughly stable rather than retreating. Several kilometres of steel walkways and stairs face it from the Magallanes peninsula. Your guide takes the group along the lower balconies first, then you are free to wander and wait for the crack and boom of ice falling into the water. Lunch is a sit-down meal at the restaurant by the walkways. In the early afternoon we take the one-hour boat ride along the south face, close under the ice. We are back in town by about 4 pm with the evening free. To walk on the glacier itself, the guided minitrekking can replace the boat ride.

   Included

   • Los Glaciares National Park entry
   • Perito Moreno Glacier walkways with your guide
   • One-hour boat ride along the south face of the glacier
   • Sit-down lunch by the walkways

   Optional experiences

   • Guided minitrekking on the glacier with crampons, in place of the boat ride (price shown at booking; age limits apply)

   Easier option: Stay on the lower balconies near the entrance, which need few stairs, and skip the longer circuits.

   Free time: Evening free in El Calafate

   Activity: It is cold beside the ice even on a sunny day; bring a warm layer and gloves.

7. Day 7: North to El Chaltén

   El Calafate to Laguna Nimez, then La Leona and El Chaltén

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in El Chaltén
   Day 7 details

   A slow morning. Walk with your guide to the Laguna Nimez reserve on the edge of town early, when flamingos and black-necked swans feed in the shallow water, or have a late breakfast. We leave at about 10 am for El Chaltén, about 215 km and three hours on a paved road. Halfway we stop at La Leona, an old roadhouse on the river of the same name, for coffee. As the road turns west along Lago Viedma, Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre rise on the skyline ahead if the clouds allow. El Chaltén was founded in 1985 at the foot of the range, and the trails start from its streets. We arrive for a late lunch together, then stop at the national park visitor centre for the trail briefing before an easy walk up to the Mirador de los Cóndores, about 4 km return, for the view over the town and the Río de las Vueltas valley. The evening is free; bakeries, breweries and grills are a few minutes' walk away.

   Included

   • Laguna Nimez reserve walk, entry included
   • Coffee stop at La Leona
   • Lunch in El Chaltén
   • National park visitor centre briefing
   • Mirador de los Cóndores walk

   Easier option: Skip the Mirador walk and settle into the hotel after lunch.

   Free time: Evening free in El Chaltén

8. Day 8: Laguna de los Tres under Fitz Roy

   El Chaltén to the El Pilar trailhead, Laguna de los Tres, then on foot back to El Chaltén

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in El Chaltén
   Day 8 details

   The big hike of the trip, for those who want it. We drive about 17 km up the Río de las Vueltas valley to the El Pilar trailhead, which saves the climb out of town, and walk up through lenga beech forest with views of the Piedras Blancas glacier hanging off the range. Past the Poincenot campsite the trail crosses a stream and climbs the last steep kilometre, about 400 m of loose rock, to Laguna de los Tres, a cold lagoon right under the granite of Fitz Roy (3,405 m). We eat a packed lunch at the top, out of the wind if we can find shelter, then walk back down to town past Laguna Capri. In all it is about 22 km and eight to ten hours on foot with about 750 m of climbing, led by a licensed local hiking guide with your See Sight Tours guide. The easier group walks from town to Laguna Capri and the Fitz Roy viewpoint and back, then has the afternoon free. If Fitz Roy is in cloud, we swap with day 9.

   Included

   • Transfer to the El Pilar trailhead
   • Guided hike to Laguna de los Tres with a licensed local hiking guide
   • Or a guided walk to Laguna Capri and the Fitz Roy viewpoint
   • Packed lunch

   Easier option: Laguna Capri and the Fitz Roy viewpoint from town, about 9 km return with a steady climb at the start, back by early afternoon.

   More active option: The full hike to Laguna de los Tres: about 22 km, about 750 m of climbing, 8 to 10 hours.

   Free time: Evening free in El Chaltén

   Activity: The last kilometre to Laguna de los Tres is steep and loose; poles help. The guide turns the group around in strong wind.

   

9. Day 9: Laguna Torre, or an easy day

   El Chaltén to Laguna Torre and back, or to the Mirador del Torre and the Chorrillo del Salto waterfall

   • Drive about 15 min
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in El Chaltén
   Day 9 details

   Two choices today, both starting from the edge of town. The longer walk follows the valley of the Río Fitz Roy to Laguna Torre, about 18 km return and six to seven hours with only gentle climbing, where icebergs from the Grande glacier float below Cerro Torre (3,128 m), a granite spire; lunch is packed and eaten by the lake. The shorter choice turns at the Mirador del Torre, about 7 km return, then drives a few kilometres north to the Chorrillo del Salto waterfall, reached by a flat 20-minute walk through the forest, with a sit-down lunch in town. The afternoon is free for everyone: a bakery, a stroll along the river or simply a rest after the big days. In the evening we meet for a farewell dinner in El Chaltén, to share photos and stories from the parks.

   Included

   • Guided hike to Laguna Torre with a licensed local hiking guide
   • Or the Mirador del Torre and the Chorrillo del Salto waterfall
   • Lunch
   • Farewell dinner

   Easier option: The Mirador del Torre and the Chorrillo del Salto waterfall, about 8 km of walking in all, with a sit-down lunch in town.

   More active option: Laguna Torre: about 18 km return, 6 to 7 hours, little climbing.

   Free time: Afternoon free

10. Day 10: Back to El Calafate and home

    El Chaltén to El Calafate International Airport (FTE)

    • Drive about 3 h
    • Breakfast
    Day 10 details

    Take a last look at Fitz Roy from the road out of town if the morning is clear. We leave El Chaltén after breakfast, at about 9 am, for the drive back south along Lago Viedma and across the steppe to El Calafate International Airport, about 200 km and three hours, with a short stop at La Leona if there is time. We reach the airport around midday. Flights from El Calafate go to Buenos Aires and other Argentine cities, with connections home; your guide sees you into the terminal and checks that everyone has what they need before saying goodbye. If you would rather not leave yet, ask us when you book to add nights in El Calafate or El Chaltén, or a few days in Buenos Aires on the way home, and we arrange the hotel and transfers.

    Included

    • Drop-off at El Calafate International Airport (FTE)

    Activity: Book a flight leaving El Calafate after about 2 pm.

Wildlife and weather: From November to March days are long, with up to about 17 hours of daylight around December, but the weather changes by the hour and the wind is strongest early in the season. March brings calmer days and red and gold beech forest. Look for guanacos, rheas, condors, flamingos and, with luck, a puma in Torres del Paine.

• Puerto Natales1 night
• Torres del Paine3 nights
• El Calafate2 nights
• El Chaltén3 nights