CHILE: Wonders of Patagonia – Torres del Paine National Park (10 Days)

Drive from Punta Arenas to Estancia Olga Teresa – Condor rehab – Puerto Natales

The tour begins with a private overland transfer from Punta Arenas airport (PUQ) to the town of Puerto Natales (PNT) (total drive time is 3 hrs). En route, we will share with you the history of Patagonia, its native people, the early colonizers, the remote ranches and the times before tourism arrived in the region. En route to Puerto Natales we will stop at a unique Estancia (ranch) Olga Teresa in Rio Verde to see one of the world’s largest flying birds – the Andean Condor (vulture gryphus) where they raise, rehabilitate and help these birds stay wild. We will partake in a typical Patagonia lunch called “El Asado de cordero Magallanico Al Palo” (roasted lamb over an open fire) that is our way of welcoming you to southern Patagonia. This is a great opportunity to photograph portraits of the condor and the people of Patagonia. After lunch we continue on our drive north to Puerto Natales, 2 ½ hours north from this hacienda. Upon arrival in Puerto Natales, you will learn some history of this remote settlement, ranchers, miners and fishermen, including visiting some monuments and nearby viewpoints along the coast. You will visit Ultima Esperanza Fjord, to see the unique quality of light due to the proximity to the South Pole. Upon arrival in Punta Arenas we will check-in to our hotel and then get together to discuss the upcoming jourey in more detail. We will discuss and share logistics, weather and shooting locations so everyone is on the same page. Puerto Natales has a rich and varied history and tomorrow we will get a proper introduction to it with a complete city tour. We will get together for a group dinner tonight at an appointed time. Overnight at Hostal Vinn House (4*). (L,D)

Lago Grey – Pingo Valley – Ferrier Viewpoint – Sail Lago Grey – Refugio Grey

Today will be a pre-sunrise departure to a location where we can see the rising sun light up the mountains and forests across Lago Grey. Once we are satisfied with our images, we return to the hotel for a proper breakfast. Afterward we head off to Monte Ferrier where we can see all the lakes in the park and adjacent regions. The views are stunning and well worth the effort to hike a couple of hours on a trail that will be of medium difficulty – slow and steady is the mantra for today. The views include Grey, Pingo and Zapata glaciers! We will have a picnic lunch en route – weather permitting – then return to the trailhead (1 hour down) for the quick shuttle to the ship that will cross Lago Grey, with views of Grey Glacier before dropping us off at Refugio Grey, which lies at the heart of the infamous ‘W’ trek circuit. This location puts us in a great location for further excursions to prominent viewpoints. Dinner and overnight at Refugio Grey (3*). (B,L,D)

Refugio Paine Grande – Valle del Frances (full day) – Refugio Paine Grande

We begin with a hearty breakfast as we have a full day of walking today. We depart at 8 AM from Refugio Grey and head towards Valle del Frances – a deep, rugged valley with hanging glaciers and stunning rock walls and fast-flowing glacier-fed rivers cutting the gorge deeper and deeper. We will have a picnic lunch en route at a location where you can enjoy the scenery, the sound of the river and mother nature in her raw elegance. After going up the valley until we reach the French Glacier viewpoint, we begin our return journey to Refugio Paine Grande. We should be back at the end of the afternoon in time to see the sunset from another angle. Dinner and overnight at Refugio Paine Grande (3*) (B,L,D)

Lago Pehoe – Paine Massif – Rio Serrano

Today requires an early rise so we can decide where we want to be for sunrise! There are many options and we will see what the weather does to make our decision. We return to Hosteria Pehoe for breakfast. We head out for another interesting vantage point in the morning, luckily we have access to many stunning locations very close to here. We return to Hosteria Pehoe for lunch. Afterwards we drive to where we see large herds of wild Guanacos (Lama Guanicoe) – a relative of the domesticated llama seen across the Andes. Our objective later is Villa Serrano and our hotel for the evening. We want to make sure we’re at the place where we can get some reflections of the Cuernos and huge mountains from water level for sunset. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Rio Serrano (5*) (B,L,D)

This marks the official end of the trip. We will provide a complimentary shuttle to the airport in the morning. Please coordinate with us for your scheduled departure time.

Estancia Goic – Las Torres – Puerto Natales

This is the angle where we get the best view of the sun as it lights up the Torres del Paine so we will be at the best location for this event! We return to Estancia Goic for breakfast. We head out afterwards to a location where pumas are very common and often seen hunting the wild Guanacos, their favorite prey, with the rugged Patagonia wildscape as a backdrop. We make our way south to Puerto Natales for a late lunch. Afterwards we check-in to our hostel for the evening. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Weskar Lodge (4*). (B,L,D)

Questions and requests? please e-mail: sergiophototours@gmail.com

NOTE: Due to weather conditions, excursions are subject to change without prior notice as well as the order of the excursions in the program . If any activity is cancelled it will be replaced by another one.