This holiday visits the places ticked below. You can design your own itinerary by adding destinations. Select the destinations you would like and click the red button to see full details of the holiday you have chosen.
Day 1 (Friday) Fly overnight from the UK to Santiago, the capital of Chile.
Day 2 (Saturday) Santiago Morning arrival in Santiago. You are met at the airport and taken to your hotel (2 nights). Free day to explore the city, perhaps visit the city centre.
Day 3 (Sunday) Santiago Free day in Santiago or take the full day optional Vineyard & Valparaiso excursion. On this excursion you start by travelling from Santiago, to Chile’s most interesting city; Valparairso. This colourful city has a series of funiculars to take you up and down for spectacular views. After lunch, you visit a vineyard in the Casablanca Valley before returning to Santiago in the late afternoon.
Day 4 (Monday) Puerto Natales Fly over the Southern Patagonian Ice Field to Punta Arenas, located on the Straits of Magellan. The flight takes you over the Southern Ice Field, and it is possible to see the glaciers snaking their way into the see. Then take a 3 hour transfer to Puerto Natales, a small town wonderfully set on the shores of Last Hope Sound, with especially beautiful sunrises (1 night).
Day 5 (Tuesday) Torres del Paine An early start to the port where you board a boat to sail up the Last Hope Sound past the Balmaceda glacier, to Puerto Toro. There is a one kilometre walk through forest to the beautiful Serrano glacier, with icebergs floating in the lake below. Sometimes, you can see cormorants and sea lions here. After lunch, continue by zodiac up the Serrano River to the Torres del Paine National Park (2 nights). On some occasions, the river is too low to permit entry by boat. In this case, you will enter Torres del Paine by road.
Day 6 (Wednesday) Torres del Paine A free day in Torres del Paine. Take the optional Torres del Paine excursion and Boat to Grey Glacier. The full day Torres del Paine excursion explores this great national park, visiting the lagoons, waterfalls, glaciers and mountains by road. The park is dominated by the granite Paine massif, with wonderful views of the towers and horns throughout the park. A packed lunch is provided. As part of the Torres del Paine excursion, you can add a cruise on Lago Grey, where you sail to the glacier and maybe watch chunks of the glacier crash into the lake. The navigation takes approximately 2 hours.
Day 7 (Thursday) Puerto Natales A free day in the park. Explore on your own or take the optional Las Torres Trek which lasts 7 hours and is of moderate to high difficulty, with a packed lunch included. You trek through beech forest before arriving at the glacial moraine, where you will be rewarded with fantastic views of the granite towers. In the evening, return to Puerto Natales by road (1 night).
Day 8 (Friday) El Calafate Take a 5 hour coach trip from Puerto Natales to El Calafate in Argentina, crossing the Patagonian plain* (3 nights). In the afternoon maybe go bird watching at nearby Nimes Lagoon or take the optional Patagonia Four Wheel Drive excursion . This 3 hour excursion takes you across the Patagonian steppe by Land Rover, and you will be able admire wonderful views of the granite Mount FitzRoy (on clear days) and Lake Argentino.
Day 9 (Saturday) El Calafate A 90 minute drive along the shores of Lake Argentino takes you to the Perito Moreno Glacier, part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. You first visit the walkways, where you can see the face of the 60-metre high glacier up close. Here you can listen to the groans and creaks as the glacier breathes, and, if you are lucky, watch immense chunks of ice break off the glacier and crash into the lake. Then take a boat ride to see the glacier from a different perspective. After a packed lunch, you have time to explore the glacier and walkways on your own, before returning to El Calafate in the late afternoon. Please note, the order of the visits may vary.
Day 10 (Sunday) El Calafate A free day in El Calafate or take the optional full day Estancia Cristina excursion across Lake Argentino to an old sheep ranch. You are collected from your hotel before driving to Puerto Bandera, before crossing Lake Argentino, sailing among the icebergs. Visit Estancia Cristina, beautifully located in the shadow of the mountains and close to glaciers. Enjoy a 4 wheel drive tour to a lookout point over the impressive Upsala Glacier.
Day 11 (Monday) Buenos Aires Fly from El Calafate to Buenos Aires, one of the most exciting cities in the world, and the home of the Tango (2 nights).
Day 12 (Tuesday) Buenos Aires A free day in Buenos Aires. Take the optional half day Historic Buenos Aires excursion to explore different areas of the city; including the Pink House made famous by Evita, the historic area of San Telmo, La Boca, and the old port before continuing to La Recoleta, one of the most elegant neighbourhoods of the city. In the evening, take the optional Tango Dinner Show excursion to the Esquina Carlos Gardel theatre, where musicians and singers playing classic tango while professional dancers perform. A good dinner, with wine or soft drinks, is included at your table.
Day 13 (Wednesday) Fly overnight to the UK.
Day 14 (Thursday) Arrival in the UK.
*The coach between Puerto Natales and El Calafate is on a public service without a guide. The bus is quite comfortable and has a WC, but the service is simple. At the border you must present your luggage, which you need to remove from the bus, both to exit Chile and enter Argentina. If you prefer a private vehicle with a guide for this transfer, ask us for prices. In this case, it may be necessary to change vehicles when you cross the border.
For groups of 5 people or fewer, the transfer between Puerto Arenas airport and the Puerto Natales is on a good public bus.
Santiago : Bed and Breakfast
Puerto Natales : Bed and Breakfast
Torres del Paine : Bed and Breakfast; lunch is included on journey from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine
El Calafate : Bed and Breakfast; lunch is Included on Perito Moreno Glacier excursion
Buenos Aires : Bed and Breakfast