The Magic Of Patagonia

Tour Overview

Where the craggy peaks of the Patagonian Andes are too steep sided to hold snow, bare rocks pierce the sky. The famous Torres del Paine are perhaps the most well known example of this. Snowy mountains are common but here things are different. Gaze at rows of rocky peaks and suddenly notice an alpaca has strolled into view or an Andean condor draws your eye as it crosses the sun. These are not experiences to be had elsewhere.  We begin our journey in Buenos Aires where we take in all the iconic sights and sounds including an unmissable tango night. Then on to El Chaten for some rewarding walking with views of Fitzroy and the surrounding peaks. One of our walks ends on the shores of Lago Torre, where there are great views of Cerro Torre and of the Grande Glacier.  Water is everywhere in Patagonia. Streams fall from the mountains into rivers and lakes. A boat trip from El Calafate takes us past immense icebergs, floating gently by as we cruise alongside a vertical wall of ice. As we get closer the scale of the glacier becomes more apparent. The lucky few will be in for a treat when blocks of ice sometimes fall from the glacier face. But remember when you hear the noise, you have already missed the sight.  From Torres del Paine the walking is superb, and in this treeless world the views are always expansive. We’ll explore valleys and hills always with the Andean peaks as a backdrop. Light and shadow change constantly as southern winds drive clouds across the sun; human impact on these mountains is minimal, the odd estancia (farm building) might catch your eye or perhaps a gaucho but this is nature at its wildest.  We leave Torres del Paine and drive to Punta Arenas with time to look around before our flight to Santiago. We have a morning in Santiago. Our local guide will make sure we see all the highlights. Literary buffs might be attracted to sites associated with Pablo Neruda, Chile's Nobel prize winning poet.