Day Hike Patagonia & Penguin Tour
This family and friend group wanted a unique experience that did not require the typical multi-day more difficult backpacking along the ‘W Trek.’ The Hertzigs and their friends took long day hikes and private transport between hotels and refugios across Torres del Paine National Park.
DAY 1: SANTIAGO
A OneSeed staff member will pick you up at Santiago’s international airport and take you to our partner bed and breakfast, located in the Providencia district just south of Santiago Metropolitan Park, which has several trails, a Japanese garden and the National Zoo.
Day 2: santiago to punta arenas
Time to head to Patagonia. Head to the airport in Santiago for your 3.5 hour flight to Punta Arenas located on the Straits of Magellan. Settle into your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to relax, or head out to explore Punta Arenas. Join your guide in the evening for a welcome dinner.
Day 3: Punta Arenas
You will start your day today with an excursion by boat to Isla Magdalena, an island in the Straits of Magellan that is home to a colony of Penguins. Return back to your hotel in the afternoon. The rest of your day is yours to explore on your own.
Day 4: punta arenas to puerto natales
After breakfast, you will begin your journey toward Torres del Paine National Park. The journey will be around 3 hours today by bus, but the beauty of Patagonia makes it well worth the ride. Along the way, soak up the beautiful views landscape surrounded by snow-capped peaks. Arrive to Puerto Natales and settle into the hotel. The rest of your afternoon and evening is yours to explore Puerto Natales, the gateway to Torres del Paine National Park, on your own.
Day 5: puerto natales to las torres
Head to the Cueva del Milodón, a famous cave located just outside of Puerto Natales, home to fossils of prehistoric animals and signs of human habitation as early as 6,000 BC. Afterwards, enjoy a picnic before heading to the entrance gates of Torres del Paine and settling into Refugio Las Torres for the evening.
DAY 6: las torres
Start the trek with daypacks as you ascend through a rocky terrain cut by pristine glacial rivers. Climb through a beautiful lenga forest until reaching the base of the towers. Another shorter climb will put you meters from the three towers and the emerald lake that sits at their base. Return to the mountain lodge for the evening.
DAY 7: las torres to paine grande
After breakfast, travel by bus from Las Torres to the edge of Lake Pehoe. Here you will board a catamaran to take across the lake to Refugio Paine Grande. The short trip across the lake will provide you with spectacular views of Lake Pehoe and the peaks of Torres del Paine National Park. After arriving at Paine Grande, the rest of the day is yours to explore the nearby area. Take a short hike or rest up for the next couple days of hiking.
DAY 8: Paine Grande TO French Valley
Depart Paine Grande for a stunning day hike to the French Valley. After a steady climb make it to an impressive viewpoint of the French Valley, Cerro Hoja and Cerro Máscara, two of the famous horned peaks. Keep an eye out for condors, fox, and eagles. End your day back at Paine Grande for the night.
DAY 9: Paine Grande TO Grey Glacier
Take a day hike to Grey Glacier, an impressive ice field that covers the west end of the park. Enjoy the beauty of Pehoé Lake and Grey Lake as you approach the glacier. Spend a second night at Paine Grande.
DAY 10: Paine Grande to Puerto Natales
Relax and soak in the last winter views of Torres del Paine for the first half of the day. Take the catamaran out of the park across Pehoé Lake. Meet your van and take a scenic ride back to Puerto Natales. Share a farewell dinner with your guide before a restful night at the partner lodge.
DAY 11: Puerto Natales to Santiago
Take a bus to Punta Arenas and fly back to Santiago for a final evening in the city.
DAY 12: Santiago
International flights depart
Inclusions
2 nights hotel accommodation in Santiago
2 night hotel accommodation in Puerto Natales
2 nights hotel accommodation in Punta Arenas
all refugio accommodations (shared accommodations with shared bathrooms)
breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the trek
welcome and farewell dinners
guide services
trekking permits and entry fees
all ground transportation in Chile
Penguin tour / cave tour
domestic round trip flight Santiago to Punta Arenas
“An extraordinary adventure thanks to the impeccable planning of OneSeed Expeditions, our group of seven thought our Patagonia adventure exceptional in every way. The first day spent at Santiago and the following, at Punta Arenas, checking out the city with its unusually trimmed trees and cemetery. The next day, taking the boat to observe the lovely Magellanic Penguins, watching small Commerson’s dolphins dive in and around the boat and the Sea Lions roar - truly amazing! The Paine Grande National Park and Torres Del Paine are spectacularly beautiful. We learned a lot about the rock formations and geology of the area on our hike to the Milodón Cave. Our guides, Jorge and Mauricio were wonderful - attentive, informative, taking care of our every need and making sure we were comfortable. Our first long hike up to the Mirador of Torres del Paine was the most challenging we’ve done but thanks to Mauricio and Jorge’s patience and help scrambling up those big rocks, all of us made it to the top and back! We enjoyed our hikes to Grey Glacier and the French Valley that were more gradual and much easier and just as spectacular! We even witnessed an avalanche and were caught in a wind tunnel at Grey Glacier! OneSeed, thanks once again for making this an unforgettable adventure, the beauty of which is embedded deep, one we’ll cherish and hold close.”
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