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.
Day 3 (Sunday) Santiago Free day in Santiago. Take the optional Vineyard & Valparaiso excursion to visit the historical city of Valparaiso and a vineyard.
Day 4 (Monday) Puerto Natales Fly over the Southern Patagonian Ice Field to Punta Arenas, located on the Straits of Magellan. 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 the 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, the Las Torres Trek or explore on your own. You can also book activities directly in the hotel, including horse riding and mountain biking, as well as tours of the park by minivan.
Day 7 (Thursday) Puerto Natales A free day in the park. Explore on your own or take the optional Boat to Grey Glacier excursion or the French Valley Trek. 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, take the optional Patagonia Four Wheel Drive excursion, or maybe go birdwatching at nearby Nimes Lagoon.
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, fnishing with a drink with ice from a foating iceberg. 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. Alternatively, take our Glacier Trekking excursion.
Day 10 (Sunday) El Calafate Free day in El Calafate. Take the optional Icebergs & Glaciers excursion to explore the Spegazzini and Upsala glaciers.
Day 11 (Monday) Buenos Aires Fly from El Calafate back to Buenos Aires (2 night).
Day 12 (Tuesday) Buenos Aires Free day in Buenos Aires. Take the optional Historic Buenos Aires tour to explore different areas of the city. In the evening, take the optional Tango Dinner Show excursion.
Day 13 (Wednesday) Puerto Iguazu Fly from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu, located on the Argentinean side of the border (2 nights). An afternoon visit to the Brazilian side of the Iguazu Falls, from where you appreciate the grandeur of the falls.
Day 14 (Thursday) Puerto Iguazu A free day to explore the Argentinean side of the falls by yourself. Here, you can follow the walkways, seeing the falls from the waters edge below and also from above. You can also take an adrenalin-flled (and drenching) boat ride to the base of the falls. Alternatively, if you would like a guided tour, take the optional Argentinean Iguazu Falls excursion.
Day 15 (Friday) Buenos Aires Fly from Puerto Iguazu to Buenos Aires for a chance to do some final shopping (1 night).
Day 16 (Saturday) Fly overnight to the UK.
Day 17 (Sunday) 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.
The above itinerary is for 2011 departures. 2010 departures are on Wednesdays and visit Argentina first. Ask us for details.
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
Iguazu Falls : Bed and Breakfast