MULTISPORT TORRES DEL PAINE (5 DAYS)

Early in the morning, your guide and private transfer will pick you up in Puerto Natales and take you to Estancia Lazo, a 13,000 hectare (32,123 acres) cattle ranch founded over a century ago which still operates today beneath striking views of the Paine Massif on the shores of Laguna Verde.

From here, we’ll hike into Torres del Paine National Park along a generally flat trail through peaceful stretches of native beech and coihue forests.

This area is teeming with wildlife. As you walk, watch for condors and caranchos circling the skies; guanacos grazing on the hills; and woodpeckers, owls, and lesser-known species such as the cachaña (Austral parakeet), peeking out from the leafy trees.

We’ll reach Honda Lagoon and continue on to the Toro Lake lookout (559 m / 1,834 ft.), where 360 degree views of mountains, rivers, lakes and glaciers await.

Take a moment to identify the Grey, Serrano and Paine Rivers, Serrano Valley, Mount Balmaceda and the Geike and Tyndall Glaciers before we make our descent to the Weber bridge, where a transfer will take us to our campsite along the shores of the Serrano River.

A freshly prepared welcome dinner awaits while we enjoy the precious views and fine company.

An unexplored valley at the border of Torres del Paine National Park awaits us today.

We’ll ride across rivers and through landscapes of lakes and wetlands, while views of the Paine Massif and the glaciers of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field shift alongside us.

At the lookout point of Tyndall Glacier we’ll stop for lunch and later return via a different path, this time riding along the shores of the Serrano River past the waterfall of the same name.

Tuck in for a restful night in your private double deluxe tent after dinner.

Today’s destination, the French Valley, is a spectacular natural basin surrounded by peaks and hanging glaciers.

To get there we’ll take a short transfer to Pehoe Lake and cross it by catamaran. At the entrance to the French Valley – a glacial moraine – you’ll scramble over huge boulders and catch the first sight of the hanging glacier atop the valley.

From this point, you’ll ascend for an hour through a dreamlike Japanese garden landscape before arriving at the French Valley viewpoint (the “Plateau”).

Your reward is a heart-stirring bird’s eye view of granite peaks and hanging glaciers. To one side, the French Glacier and Paine Grande (3,050 m / 10,006 ft.); while to the other, La Espada, La Hoja, La Máscara and the main and north “horns” of Los Cuernos arch upwards.

In the upper section of the Valley, Cerro Catedral and Cerro Fortaleza loom like turrets above the landscape.

Take your time to have lunch at the viewpoint, surrounded by these imposing peaks and open skies. Our return hike is along the same track.

We’ll take the catamaran back across Pehoe Lake followed by a private transfer to Chile Native Riverside Camp.

After an early breakfast your transfer will drive you to Grey Lake to meet your kayaking guide. Here, with views of Paine Grande and Grey Glacier as our morning backdrop, you’ll be briefed on kayaking safety and paddling techniques.

You’ll paddle Grey Lake for approximately 2 hours, weaving amongst the floating icebergs that have calved from the glacier and been whittled into natural ice sculptures by the wind and sun.

While paddling, take time to look around you: the granite peaks of Paine Grande, Cordon Olguín and Los Cuernos interplay beautifully with the water’s multiple shades of turquoise.

Leaving Grey Lake we’ll begin our descent of Grey River, which snakes through canyons bubbling with rapids and framed by steep rock faces.

Accompanied by views of the imposing Paine Massif, we’ll paddle for 25 km (15.5 miles) down Grey River until it joins the Serrano River.

After 4-5 hours of paddling we’ll arrive back at our campsite ready to stretch our muscles and prepare for dinner and rest.

Our final day begins with a transfer across the National Park to the starting point for the trek to the three Towers.

Your hike begins with an hour’s ascent, following the Ascencio River into the Ascencio Valley.

Here we’ll stop to observe how the valley’s beauty unfolds with rich beech forests, glaciers and waterfalls.

Past this lookout point, we continue uphill, this time ascending a gigantic terminal moraine (a ridge formed at a glacier’s end point) where we’ll be rewarded by the arresting sight of the Towers themselves.

At this lookout point 900 meters (2,952 ft.) above sea level, we’ll rest, take photos and have lunch.

Our descent follows the same path and a private transfer will end our journey back in Puerto Natales.