WINTER DISCOVERING TORRES DEL PAINE (5 DAYS)

Our first day begins with a short transfer from your hotel or accommodation in Puerto Natales – making for a laid back morning.

We’ll start by traveling 30 minutes along the beautiful coast of Natales before arriving to the Milodon Cave Sector where we’ll begin today’s adventure. Our guide will take us to visit a viewpoint over the “Cueva Grande” (Large Cave), ascending 600 meters (1,968 ft.) where we’ll be introduced to the fauna and flora of Patagonia.

With sweeping views of the surrounding landscapes, this is a great spot for some first photos and for watching condors soar above us. We’ll pass by natural condor colonies and through native lenga forests, later arriving to the ‘Sofia Lagoon viewpoint’.

After resting a moment and enjoying the spectacular views of the far reaching fjords below, we’ll continue alongside mountainous walls to see our first cave paintings of the day. Our guide will tell us about their significant value and history.

Moving along, we’ll enter another cave equipped with headlamps to discover the millenary stalactite minerals which have taken millions of years to form above.

After carefully inspecting these incredible formations, we leave the cave and head towards the eaves of “Two Horseshoes” where we live an experience in the forest and discover yet more cave paintings on the rocky walls.

As we make our way back, we will visit the Milodon Cave Natural Monument, a 200 meter (656 dt.) long cave where the remains of a mylodon (a large ground sloth) and other early Patagonian animals were discovered.

After our time exploring this magnificent natural formation, we will enjoy a delicious, locally prepared lunch  with fresh ingredients. Once we are finished, we’ll take our transfer to the Serrano Village in Torres del Paine National Park where we’ll settle in to our relaxing and cozy accommodation, Konkashken Lodge which offers a unique cabin experience alongside the Serrano River.

After a freshly prepared breakfast, we begin with our second day’s adventure. Our destination today is Grey Lake whose enormous glacier of the same name forms part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, a geological phenomenon that still guards many unexplored sections.

The trail is short and flat, winding through beech forests where we may see Chilean flickers, torrent ducks and cachañas (Austral parakeets).

We’ll cross a pebble beach and reach our viewpoint overlooking the lake and its blue floating icebergs and surrounding forests. Here, we’ll have lunch before setting off on our afternoon hike to Pingo Valley.

This trail takes us to “Cascada los Salmones”, a waterfall where salmon are sometimes seen. Be alert as we return – you may see a huemul (Andean deer) hiding nearby.

A transfer will take us back to our accommodation for the evening where we will have a delicious dinner and warm night’s rest.

A morning transfer will take us to Salto Grande Waterfall where we’ll begin our hike. Our first destination is the Paine Grande and Lake Nordensjköld lookout point.

Here, we’ll have lunch before setting off for Mirador Condor (Condor Lookout) along a path offering changing panoramic views of the Park and views of Pehoe Lake and twin granite peaks Los Cuernos from the summit.

Have your cameras ready at the condor viewpoint: this is a prime spot for observing condors and black-chested buzzard eagles as they glide and soar above.

We’ll return along the same path to our our transfer which will take us to our cozy accommodations for the evening.

Our morning begins with a nourishing breakfast with calming views of the quiet Patagonia morning. Later, we’ll take a 30 minute transfer where we’ll begin our hike from the Sarmiento Lake ranger station in route to the Laguna Amarga area.

Hiking along a beautiful wildlife observation trail which connects two of the four park entrances, we’ll be able to photograph some spectacular landscapes and observe guanacos and a wide variety of endemic waterbird species who frequent this area for nesting and feeding.

The coscoroba swan, upland goose, caiquenes, and black-neck swans are just a few of the species we can see along our way.

After about an hour of hiking, we will reach a rock eave formation where a series of cave paintings dating back to 6,000 years ago can be observed.

We will learn about this section’s history and some of the first inhabitants of Patagonia who frequented this area to hunt. This trail crosses through a very special landscape of the park which has several small lagoons and wonderful frontal views of the Paine Massif.

This sector is also a place where Pumas tend to frequent due to it’s prime conditions for hunting guanacos! Arriving to the Laguna Amarga entrance, our transfer awaits where it will transfer us just a short distance to Laguna Azul. This area is holds an enchanting lake bordering the park; home to ducks, swans, coots, woodpeckers and blessed with an incredible view of the Three Towers.

After our day hikes are finished, our transfer takes us to our warm and welcoming accommodation for the evening in the nearby town of Cerro Castillo where we stay for the evening at the charming Ovejero Patagónico. Dinner will be served in the hotel’s restaurant before we enjoy a good nights rest.

We’ll arrive at Vega Castillo Wetland, a hidden spot in Torres del Paine, teeming with birdlife. This area offers more than 1,000 acres (450 hectares) of wetlands, pampa, and wildlife habitat. We will meet our horses and the local gaucho who will accompany us along our first ride to Vega Castillo Wetland. Once we’ve prepared ourselves and the horses, we set off along a peaceful 3 hour round trip ride, walking and trotting as we follow the Tres Pasos River into the beautiful wetlands and postcard views of the Paine Massif and valley that stretches out around us.

We will enjoy a relaxing walk along the wetlands through this beautiful landscape where we will enjoy birdwatching and have the unique opportunity to observe bird species who inhabit this area.

After our ride, we’ll enjoy a delicious lunch before we say our goodbyes and board our transfer back to Puerto Natales where our journey ends.