Bienvenidos! Welcome to Chile. Your adventure begins in Santiago, where you’ll be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Here, you‘ll meet your fellow travellers and local leader at a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight. If you arrive early, maybe head out for a self-paced walking tour and get to know your surroundings. After your meeting, head out for dinner at a local wine bar. Get to know your group over a multi-course meal matched with delicious local wines and learn more about your upcoming adventure in the wilds of Patagonia. It’s very important that you attend the welcome meeting as we will be collecting insurance details and next of kin information at this time. If you are going to be late please let your travel agent or hotel reception know. Ask reception or look for a note in the lobby for more information on where the meeting will take place.

Today is a travel day so sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery. You’ll leave the hotel early in the morning (your departure time can vary depending on the flight) and fly from Santiago to Puerto Natales. From here, you’ll drive to your accommodation, passing views of the Patagonian landscape along the way. Look out for wildlife like guanacos and take the opportunity to get to know your group a little better. When you arrive, check into your Feature Stay hotel, which has been designed to blend into the landscape and make the most of the sweeping views. With amazing scenery right outside your window, this is the perfect spot to connect with nature and leave the rest of the world behind. After an orientation walk with your leader around Puerto Natales, you might like to join your group for dinner at a local restaurant. Your travel time today will be approximately 7 to 8 hours. Today’s itinerary will depend on the time of your flight to Puerto Natales. If it departs in the afternoon, your leader will take you to an orientation walk in Santiago in the morning. If the flight is in the morning, then the orientation walk will be provided in Puerto Natales.

With a full day to explore Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia, you’re set for some great adventures today. Today’s activities will be customised based on the weather and your group’s fitness level and interests. You might see Grey Glacier and the surrounding icebergs, or head to the Salto Grande waterfall and see the Paine Massif. Maybe go on some short hikes – the great thing about this national park is its natural beauty can be seen from anywhere!

Today you’ll be exploring the Balmaceda and Serrano Glaciers within Bernardo O'Higgins National Park, which can only be accessed by sea. Cruise through the Ultima Esperanza fjord, passing by glaciers, waterfalls and small estancias, eventually arriving at the Balmaceda glacier. Continue to the end of the fjord and take a short walk to a viewpoint looking over the glacier before cruising back the way you came, keeping a look out for imperial cormorants and sea lions as you go. After your cruise, head to nearby Estancia Perales to enjoy lunch and amazing views. Tonight, perhaps head out for a dinner with your group in Puerto Natales and share stories about today’s adventures.

After a hearty breakfast to prepare you for a day of travel, cross the international border from Chile to Argentina and arrive at El Calafate. This is your gateway to the Glaciers National Park. As a major hub for adventurers headed to Perito Moreno, El Calafate has undergone a lot of development in recent decades. Located on the shore of the Argentino Lake and surrounded by the Andes range, this is a scenic place to spend a few days. After your long travel day, you may want to simply relax at your hotel. Your travel time today will be approximately 5 hours, including border formalities.

Today, drive to the Perito Moreno Glacier – one of the few balanced glaciers in the world. At 3 km (1.8 mi) wide and 30 km (19 mi) long, it’s a spectacular sight. There are multiple viewing platforms overlooking Lake Argentino, and they provide an ideal vantage point to watch and listen to the crack of the ice as it plunges into the waters below. After you have watched the calving glacier, board your boat with an English-speaking guide for a glacier cruise that takes you even closer to the glacier. You can also choose to pre-book a mini trek that will have you walking on top of part of the glacier. After an amazing day, you’ll head back to your accommodation for a relaxing evening. Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours. We recommend booking the Perito Moreno Mini Trek before leaving home, as it will likely be booked out if you wait until you are in Argentina. You can book this directly with Hielo & Aventura and you must add their optional transfer when booking: This is a full-day activity, with pick up and drop off from El Calafate. You will be separated from your leader and group for the day. The maximum age limit for this activity is 65. There are no exceptions, even with a doctor’s certificate. If you don’t do the mini trek, you will walk along the platforms and balconies surrounding the glacier with your leader and have the option to book the glacier cruise. Depending on the weather, your leader may also be able to organise some free time at the north face beach (viewpoint).

Take to the skies on a flight from El Calafate to Ushuaia this morning. When you arrive, check in to your hotel, which is ideally located for exploring the city. After a walk around town with your leader to get your bearings, the rest of the day and night is yours to enjoy your own way. You could visit the Museo del Fin del Mundo (End of the World Museum) or take a stroll along the waterfront. Tonight, you might like to head out for drinks or a casual dinner with your group or enjoy a quiet night in. Your travel time today will be approximately 1.5 hours. Today’s itinerary will depend on the time of your flight to Ushuaia. If it departs in the afternoon, your leader will take you to an orientation walk in El Calafate in the morning. If the flight is in the morning, then the orientation walk will be provided in Ushuaia. Your flight today has a strict luggage allowance of 15kg (one piece) for checked in luggage.

After breakfast with your group, set off on a tour of Martillo Island where you’ll get to walk alongside the penguins that call this island home. Take a scenic drive with views of the Beagle Chanel and board a boat that will take you to the island where you can stroll beside hundreds of penguins. Keep an eye out for the island’s other wildlife as well, such as cormorants, petrels and Nordic skuas. On the way back to Ushuaia, you’ll stop at the Acatushun Museum to learn more about the animals that live in this remote part of the world. Tonight, maybe head out to celebrate the final night of your Patagonian adventure. Occasionally, the Martillo Island Penguin Walk may take place in the afternoon. On these occasions the included dinner will be on Day 7 instead of Day 8.

There are no activities planned for today, and you’re free to leave at any time after check out. If you’d like to spend more time in Ushuaia, just get in touch with your booking agent ahead of time to book additional accommodation. Ushuaia is the starting point of our Antarctica sailing trips, so speak with your booking agent if this is something that you are interested in.