Epic Patagonia

Epic Patagonia: Torres del Paine

Difficulty

Level: Intermediate (?)
Intermediate adventures require that you are at least at an average fitness level. Activities will be mandatory and occasionally physically demanding. Experience in this sport is recommended.

Departure Dates

This expedition includes 6 days of trekking and 3 nights’ accommodations in Santiago.

Day 1: Upon your arrival to Santiago’s international airport, a OneSeed staff member will be there to greet you and take you to a lovely bed and breakfast, located just a stone’s throw from La Moneda, Chile’s Presidential Palace. Catch up on some much needed sleep and settle into Chile’s capital city.

Inclusions: Private transfer from airport; accommodations

Day 2: After a restful night at our partner bed and breakfast, enjoy breakfast at the B&B before a guided city bike tour with a visit to a local market in Santiago, one of Latin America’s most modern cities.

Meet your fellow expedition members at tonight’s welcome dinner. Enjoy and share some of Chile’s traditional dishes and, more importantly, its national drink, Pisco. After dinner we’ll complete a final gear check before hitting the sack for the evening.

Inclusions: Breakfast (choice of 2 options including vegetarian, coffee, tea, water, juice, soft drinks. Other options available for guest purchase); guided city bike tour; family style dinner (vegetarian option available); accommodations

Day 3: Today, our guests will leave the metropolitan center of Santiago for Chilean Patagonia. After a quick flight to Punta Arenas, you will be received at the airport by a private van to take you directly to Torres del Paine National Park.

As you are driven to Torres, stark ocean views lead to golden plains, which blend with skies that seem to never end. Finally you arrive to Puerto Natales and Torres, where the snow capped peaks seem to rise from the sea.

Spend the night just within the gates of the park and just a short walk from the trail-head.

Inclusions: All meals (choice of 2 options including vegetarian, coffee, tea, water. Other options available for guest purchase); transfers; transportation; domestic flight; park entry fee; accommodations

Day 4: Your adventure truly begins today. We start our trek, ascending through a rocky terrain cut by glacial rivers clean enough to drink from. After a two hour ascent, arrive at the refugio surrounded on all three sides by rushing waters.

After dropping off any excess gear, your climb will continue through a beautiful lenga forest until reaching the base of the towers. Another shorter climb will put you but meters from the three sister towers and its emerald lake that sits at their base.

Approximately 8 hours of trekking
Inclusions: All meals (choice of 2 options including vegetarian, coffee, tea, water. Other options available for guest purchase); accommodations

Day 5: After a demanding first day, make your descent to Refugio Los Cuernos. You’ll spend a majority of this part of the trek nestled on a trail between Lake Nordenskjold and Mount Almirante Nieto of the Paine Massif. The array of emerald and celestial blue colors produced by this lake contrast with the sharp peaks to your right and the low-lying fire bushes along the trail.

Approximately 6-7 hours of trekking
Inclusions: All meals (choice of 2 options including vegetarian, coffee, tea, water. Other options available for guest purchase); accommodations

Day 6: The third day in the park is a challenging day of trekking, requiring upwards of nine hours on the trail. The climb through Torres’ old-growth forest will eventually lead you to the park’s most impressive viewpoint. From the French Valley “Mirador,” you’ll have a perfect view of the park’s horned peaks, including Cerro Hoja and Cerro Máscara among many others.

For those who aren’t up to the nine+ hour challenge, a second option gets you great views without the intense trek. With two guides per group, one team can go to a higher viewpoint of the French Valley, while the other can make the shorter six to seven hour trek before returning to the refuge.

Approximately 9+ hours of trekking. Option to do short trek of 6-7 hours
Inclusions: All meals (choice of 2 options including vegetarian, coffee, tea, water. Other options available for guest purchase); accommodations

Day 7: Today will be the most challenging day of the trip with long hours on the trip with your full pack. The group will head toward Grey’s Glacier, an impressive ice field that covers the west end of the park. Sadly, the forest that surrounds the trail to the refugio has been badly damaged by a fire in the 2011-2012 season. The Chilean government has done everything in its power to help the rejuvenation of this affected area, but the fruits of its efforts won’t fully be realized for some time to come.

Fortunately, the beauty provided by Pehoé Lake and Grey Lake as you approach the glacier more than makes up for the damage left from the fire.

Approximately 9 hours of trekking
Inclusions: All meals (choice of 2 options including vegetarian, coffee, tea, water. Other options available for guest purchase); accommodations

Day 8: On the final day of trekking you’ll make your way along the Grey’s Glacier to the Campamento Paso. It’s a long day on the trail, but the views of this glacier rival those of some of the world’s most famous vistas.

Approximately 8-10 hours of trekking
Inclusions: All meals (choice of 2 options including vegetarian, coffee, tea, water. Other options available for guest purchase); accommodations

Day 9: After having completed your expedition, spend one final half day in the park, as you head towards the luxuries of civilization once again. A short three hour walk toward the lake will take you to the catamaran back to Pehoé and Torres del Paine’s exit road.

Our private transport will once again be awaiting our arrival as we take the scenic ride back to Punta Arenas. After checking into our partner hotel in the heart of this colonial town, share a farewell dinner together before a restful night in the charming hotel.

Approximately 3-4 hours trekking

Inclusions: All meals (choice of 2 options including vegetarian, coffee, tea, water. Other options available for guest purchase); ground transportation; catamaran ride; accommodations

Day 10: Fly from Punta Arenas back to Santiago for a final evening in the city. Accommodations provided in Santiago.

Inclusions: Breakfast (choice of 2 options including vegetarian, coffee, tea, water. Other options available for guest purchase); airport transfer; domestic flight; accommodations

Day 11: International departures.

Inclusions: Breakfast (choice of 2 options including vegetarian, coffee, tea, water. Other options available for guest purchase); airport transfers.

All itineraries are subject to change based on local conditions and the judgment of the guide.

Price

Group Expedition – $3950 ($300 single supplement)
Private Expedition – $5135 ($3950 for groups of 5 or more)
Student Discount – $3358 (15% discount) ($300 single supplement)