Kayak amongst icebergs, ice hike atop glaciers and hike the famous ‘W’ route in Torres Del Paine National Park. Spot wild guanacos, condors, penguins and other wildlife as you journey amongst turquoise lakes, hanging glaciers and jagged granite peaks.
Kayak amongst icebergs, ice hike atop glaciers and hike the famous ‘W’ route in Torres Del Paine National Park. Spot wild guanacos, condors, penguins and other wildlife as you journey amongst turquoise lakes, hanging glaciers and jagged granite peaks.
Kayak in Patagonia, Chile amongst icebergs, ice hike atop glaciers and hike the famous ‘W’ route in Torres Del Paine National Park. Spot wild guanacos, condors, penguins and other wildlife as you journey amongst turquoise lakes, hanging glaciers and jagged granite peaks. This exciting multisport itinerary is packed with unforgettable Patagonian scenery and challenging outdoor adventure at the end of the world.
Explore the charming lakeside village, Puerto Natales.
Hike to the famed Base of the Paine Towers. Picnic in the shadow of the sheer granite peaks with waterfalls flowing from hanging glaciers into emerald green, iceberg-dotted waters.
Set out amongst the Horns of Paine peaks and hike along Lake Nordenskjold arriving to camp at Las Torres.
Hike into the Valle Frances ascending the amazing, natural granite amphitheater to the French Glacier. Continue along the lake to the cozy Cuernos Refugio.
Sea kayak amongst shimmering icebergs on Grey Lake and picnic above the glacier.
Boat to the face of the massive Grey Glacier with granite peaks soaring in the distance. After strapping on your crampons, you’ll explore ice floes and caverns while hiking on the glacier. Continue on a classic Torres hike to Lake Pehoe.
Transfer to Punta Arenas and begin your journey home.
A physically vigorous trip combining trekking, kayaking and ice hiking. No prior ice hiking or kayaking experience is required, but participants should be in good physical condition and looking for adventure.
Knowmad has vast knowledge and operations in Chile; this is a private trip and we are happy to modify excursions, accommodations, and the flow of the itinerary to perfectly suit your travel style and interests.
Listed prices are approximations. All Knowmad trips are custom and exact pricing is provided in your trip proposal.
Additionally, regional airfare is estimated at $300 (Santiago/Punta Arenas & Punta Arenas/Santiago—subject to change).
TYPE Flexible Date Private Departures. You choose the date, your travel companions and one of our adventures. This is great for families, groups of friends and couples.
VIGOROUS TRIP These trips typically require very good physical condition or pre-existing skills. Expect to be in challenging terrain for long durations. Activities include mountain biking, ice hiking, canoeing, cultural opportunities, history, shopping, wildlife viewing.
DEPARTURES October through April.
LENGTH 7 days – 6 nights comfortable hotels
BEGIN / END Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales, Chile
INTERNATIONAL Airfare is not included in the land cost of our trips. You may arrange your international airfare independently, or we are happy to offer our feedback and assistance in helping you book it.
REGIONAL If booked by Knowmad Adventures, internal airfare for this trip (Santiago/Punta Arenas & Punta Arenas/Santiago) averages $300, however this is an approximation and the airfare is subject to change upon booking. If you would like to arrange your own regional flights, please consult us prior so we can verify the departure and arrival times.
Ready for the trip of a lifetime? Signing up is easy. Call us at 612-315-2894 or email [email protected] and reserve your spot. Or simply download our registration form, fill it out, and send it back to us along with your trip deposit. Please refer to registration form for terms & conditions.
The best time to visit Patagonia is during the dry summer season which is November through March. It can rain any time of year and can also get windy. Daytime temperatures during this season are typically in the 50s and 60s F (10-16 C) although it is often sunny and feels more like the 70s F during the daytime.
Prior to your departure, you are provided a detailed pre-trip information packet including a recommended pack list, information about the regions you’ll be visiting, suggested readings, up-to-date health information including any recommended vaccinations and more.
Our trips feature comfortable accommodations that complement their surroundings. We seek out intimacy and character, but never sacrifice cleanliness and security. We also find the best value for quality. In general, our physically moderate to vigorous trips feature hotels classified as 3+ to 4 stars, while less physically demanding trips feature 4+ to 5 star hotels.
As South American travel specialists, we’re experts and have inspected hundreds of properties. Knowmad is happy to suggest upgrades and alternative hotels based on your preferences to ensure your trip is perfect for you. Photos below are from this itinerary’s preferred accommodations. For more specifics, call or write to request more info, or download the detailed trip itinerary.
Accommodations featured in this itinerary are the following:
DAY 1 Punta Arenas – Puerto Natales
After arriving to Punta Arenas your guide will meet you at the airport and you’ll unwind on a 3-hours scenic drive through Patgonian Pampa to the small town of Puerto Natales. After arriving to your hotel nestled on Last Hope Sound with views of the Serrano Glacier, enjoy a delicious dinner while chatting with your guide about the adventure to come.
DAY 2 Base of the Towers Hike
You’ll head out early by van and enter Torres del Paine National Park. Begin trekking to the Ascencio Valley where from above you see the river running wildly past Refugio Chileno where you will spend your first night. After a quick stop here continue through a forest of the native lenga (southern beech) trees until reaching glacial moraine. From here it’s an hours trek before the towers seemingly emerge from nowhere. This spectacular hike affords views to three pink granite towers above a hanging glacial lake, and below is part of what gives Torres del Paine its fame.
Hiking detail: approximately 6 hours, 16 km or 10 miles
DAY 3 Las Torres – Lago Nordeskjold – Horns of Paine
After a hearty camp breakfast, we continue our spectacular hike along the shores of Lake Nordenskjold and, if you’re feeling up for it, take a dip in the icy waters as we picnic on the beach. This classic hike runs just below the towering Horns of Paine before passing the hanging glaciers of Almirante Nieto and onward to the base of Los Cuernos mountains.
Hiking detail: approximately 5 hours, 11 km or 6 miles
DAY 4 French Valley
Today you head into the park’s most beautiful valley, one unique in the world for its beauty. Throughout this full day’s hike enjoy fantastic views of the natural granite amphitheater that makes up this enclosed valley, as well as the waterscapes below including lakes Pehoe, Skottsberg, Toro and Nordenskjold. It is also possible to hear and see avalanches coming down from the glacier. Hike deep and high into the valley or relax and soak in the scenery before trekking onward to Paine Grande Lodge where you can enjoy a pisco sour (famed Chilean cocktail) as the sun sets over the Paine Grande and Los Cuernos Mountains.
Hiking detail: approximately 6-8 hours, 15-24 km, or 9-14 mi. depending)
DAY 5 Kayaking Grey Glacier
Setting out early you will hike along the Grey Lake before its massive glacier at lake’s end comes into sight. Continuing on you will reach the glacier lookout point witnessing giant floating icebergs up close and the Patagonian Ice Field’s most spectacular glacier. Relax and enjoy a lavish picnic in the midst of this natural wonder before a safety briefing and suiting up for your glacier kayak. This once in a lifetime experience allows you to safely kayak amongst massive icebergs and up to the face of the glacier towering above.
Activity detail: approximately 3-4 hrs hiking, 11 km or 6 mi., 3 hours kayaking
DAY 6 Grey Glacier Ice Hiking
After breakfast your expert guide will give you a safety, technique, and equipment briefing before strapping on your crampons and embarking upon the glacier. The route reveals the immensity of the glacier itself with its crevices, slopes and cracks. Those with experience will have the opportunity to do some vertical ice climbing. After a few hours return to terra firma for a delicious lunch followed by an amazing boat ride aboard the Grey II back to the face of the glacier for an iceberg pisco sour and relaxed two hour cruise through icebergs. Upon disembarking you will transfer by van back to your lakeside hotel to refresh and relax before a rousing farewell dinner. *Note: For this excursion hiking boots are not provided, you must bring your own traditional hiking boot.
DAY 7 Puerto Natales – Punta Arenas – Onward
Departing Puerto Natales you will visit the Magellenic penguins at their colony in Otway Sound before continuing on to Punta Arenas airport in accordance with your onward flight home.
Bike from vineyard to vineyard on gentle country roads, tour the cellars, taste fine wines, eat gourmet cuisine and stay in charming boutique hotels. With premier wine growing valleys just an hour from Santiago, a few days in wine country is an ideal extension to your adventure and a good example of the diversity of landscapes and lifestyles within Chile.
Looking for unique? Earth’s closest thing to Mars, Atacama will not disappoint. Your trip to this surreal landscape offers countless cultural and adventure excursions to choose from during the day, while spending nights in a true oasis, the Tierra Atacama boutique hotel and spa. Return for a dip in the pool and enjoy a local cabernet with gourmet cuisine. Don’t forget to take advantage of the world’s best moonscape and stargazing.
A tropical paradise with history, culture and mystery at every beautiful turn, a visit to Easter Island – the world’s most isolated speck of land – will captivate any traveler. Meander through the picturesque countryside dotted with volcanoes, and learn about the mysterious Moai statues erected by the original Polynesian tribes who inhabited the island. Still today little is known about the statues or their creators. While circumnavigating the island on visits to the diverse Moai sites, you’ll have opportunities to relax on deserted, white-sand beaches, explore volcanic caves with petroglyphs and walk the rim of a seaside volcano.
Planning a trip to South America might seem a little overwhelming at first. Knowmad offers door-to-door trip planning: first, we listen, and then we help you navigate the seasonal differences and itinerary options, resulting in a holistic, seamless, and custom-crafted experience, all at a guaranteed best value.
The simplest way to get started is to give us a call at 612-315-2894or to fill out this short form so we can learn more about your travel preferences.
Journey through the rugged and otherworldly terrain of Southern Bolivia, exploring lagoons, volcanoes and Uyuni salt flats before ending in the capital of La Paz, perched atop the Andes Mountains, stopping at the historical rich communities of Potosi and Sucre along the way. Ideal connection with Chile’s Atacama Desert or start and finish in La Paz.
Quite simply the best trip we’ve ever taken. Destinations astounded, logistics and planning flawless, and your intimate knowledge and relationships made for a trip that was personal every inch of the way.
By traveling alongside Knowmad you will be taking part in culturally and environmentally sustainable travel. You will be spreading the love, and the wealth. You will be doing Good Works. Learn more about Knowmad’s eco-travel efforts.
The Knowmad team put together the trip of a life time for us. Everything was perfect, from the guides to the accommodations to the activities, and your extensive knowledge of the area and personal relationships with the people we met in Chile were invaluable. We can’t recommend Knowmad highly enough.
After traveling to Chile two years ago with Knowmad Adventures there was no question as to who was going to help plan my trip to Peru! Thank you so much to Knowmad Adventures. The places they recommended, connections, and knowledge of these regions were impeccable. I highly recommend using Knowmad Adventures to plan your next trip to Peru or Chile!
Our trip was everything we dreamed it would be and more. Your group did a great job everywhere we went. We especially loved our guide Paula, and Explora was top notch too. All perfect.
Please don’t ever change the way you operate. You fulfill lifelong dreams and provide people with the chance to live what they thought could only be read about.
You put together a one-of-a-kind vacation for my group that I’ll long remember and enthusiastically recommend. I thank you and look forward, with much anticipation, to my next adventure with you.
We got back last night and I must say that the organization of the entire trip was AMAZING. We all loved Peru and thanks to Knowmad we even enjoyed it a lot more. Thanks a lot Jordan for everything as we had sooooo much fun. I’ll definitely recommend you to anybody that wants to experience Peru.
Journey through the rugged and otherworldly terrain of Southern Bolivia, exploring lagoons, volcanoes and Uyuni salt flats before ending in the capital of La Paz, perched atop the Andes Mountains, stopping at the historical rich communities of Potosi and Sucre along the way. Ideal connection with Chile’s Atacama Desert or start and finish in La Paz.
