Day 1 • Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales, Chile – Drive to Torres del Paine National Park
After meeting your guide at your hotel or at the airport, you will be transferred in a private vehicle to Torres del Paine. During our journey to the park, we will observe how the strong westerly winds have sculpted the vegetation of the Patagonian wind-swept steppes. En route we may find Guanaco, Southern Grey Fox and Patagonian Skunk while enjoying our first contact with Southern Beech (Nothofagus) forests. We will stop several times for photography and wildlife observation along the way. Colourful groups of Chilean Flamingo may be seen on the alkaline pools and we will have delightful views of Black-necked and Coscoroba swans on the shores of Ultima Esperanza Fjord, in Puerto Natales. Driving towards the park we will have splendid vistas of the hilly terrain and if it’s clear, of the Paine Massif at the distance. While visiting the valleys we will be given a geological interpretation of the origins of the dramatic backdrop of Torres del Paine, one of the finest natural spectacles in Patagonia. This evening we can do a nice nature walk or a sunset photo session.
Overnight (O/N) Torres del Paine. (Lunch, Dinner)(Guide).
* We suggest you arrive to Punta Arenas a day before the trip, in order to have an early start towards the park.
Day 2 • Torres del Paine National Park (western sector) – Lake Grey – Boat trip to Grey Glacier (c. 3 hours)
We will have an early start in order to be at location to photograph the Paine Massif at dawn. Today we will explore the southern and western regions of this huge national park, which comprises an extent of 242,242 hectares/600,000 acres. The omnipresent Paine Massif, a magnificent set of rugged peaks, formed out of granite and sedimentary rock, dominates the landscape. The long-gone Indians of Patagonia called it Paine, meaning Blue, presumably referring to its remarkable colouration when observed at a distance. We will have the opportunity to explore the Nothofagus Southern Beech forests and its diversity of plants and animals; we may find Magellanic Woodpecker, Austral Parakeet and, if we are lucky, the shy Andean Deer or Huemul. We will be marvelled by seeing the contrasting mosaic of towering mountains, glaciers, wetlands, steppes and forests. Lake Grey is certainly one of the highlights of the day. Colossal icebergs are stranded on the southern shore of the lake after a long and slow transit from the glacier front. From this shore we will board our boat (the M/V Grey II) for a 3-hour excursion through the icy waters of the lake towards the impressive and actively calving front of the Grey Glacier. Grey is one of the nearly 50 outlet glaciers originated in the massive Southern Patagonian Ice Field, world’s third largest ice cap after Antarctica and Greenland, and is one of the most beautiful and colourful in Patagonia. The front is full of crevasses and the solid glacial ice colours vary from whitish to deep indigo. The glacier is flanked towards the east by impressive granite walls that are part of the Paine Massif, and towards the west by the eroded and low summits of the older Andes. The photography is great at this particular spot; we will be treated with a glass of Pisco sour or Scotch with millenary ice. This evening we will have again an optional photo outing for sunset and the dramatic cloud formations.
Overnight (O/N) Torres del Paine. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)(Guide).
Day 3 • Torres del Paine National Park (eastern sector)
We will keep exploring the alkaline ponds and reed-fringed lagoons located of the eastern part of the park. There are approximately 120 species of birds in the park and we will see a considerable number of them, with the help of binoculars and the spotting scope. The flora is also a very interesting subject for observation and photography. The park holds probably nearly 500 species of plants; the southern spring and early summer (mid-October through late January) are great to see the myriad of flowers that bloom in these magnificent landscapes. After our return to the hotel and enjoy our delicious dinner, we will have another chance to photograph the mountains and clouds at sunset.
Overnight (O/N) Torres del Paine. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)(Guide).
Day 4 • Torres del Paine National Park
We will further explore the eastern side of the park, looking for chances for wildlife and landscape photography. The eastern side provides plenty of dramatic backdrops, with its mountains, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and geological formations that inspire new angles all the time. Wildlife is also a constant presence, with birds, mammals and plants in great abundance, and new surprises can appear around any corner of the road.
Overnight (O/N) Torres del Paine. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)(Guide).
Day 5 • Torres del Paine National Park (eastern sector) – Drive to Punta Arenas
This morning we will have again an early start in order to be ready to photograph the Towers or the Horns with the first light. With the right lighting, the mountain base turns to orange colours and the scene becomes very dramatic with peculiar lenticular clouds moving fast over the peaks. At the eastern corner of Sarmiento Lake, we will reach a location that commands the most incredible views of the towering peaks of Las Torres, the pinnacles from which the park takes its name. As we move around the park, you shall observe confiding herds of Guanaco, a southern relative to camels, the curious-looking Lesser Rhea and impressive Andean Condors soaring along the road. During the morning we will visit the eastern side of the park to enjoy the views of one of the impressive waterfalls of Paine River and if it’s clear, of the fabulous granite columns of the Paine massif from Laguna Amarga. After our picnic, we will head back to Punta Arenas where our trip ends.
(Breakfast, Lunch)(Guide). torres del paine nature tours
