Footloose Travel Guides

    Chile Tours

Sample Itinerary

Day 1

We recommend you take the early flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas (4 hours), flying over the Andes and observing incredible views of the Patagonian Ice Fields. Upon your arrival in Punta Arenas, the most southern city on the continent, a private transfer will be waiting to take you to Torres del Paine National Park. (pick-up from the airport at 3:35 PM, corresponding with LAN airline, Flight # 285, or at 3 PM from your hotel in town).
As we leave the airport we can see the Straits of Magellan and the mystical Tierra del Fuego. During the first 2 hours, we will drive across open pampas passing huge ranches (estancias) and with luck we will be able to see one of the most typical animals in this area, the ñandu, (a rare South American ostrich). We head north to Puerto Natales, located on the Sound of Last Hope, a small fishing town surrounded by mountains. From there we will follow an unpaved road to Las Chinas Valley for our overnight stay at Estancia Cerro Guido. This Estancia is one of the last remaining establishments still retaining many of the typical characteristics of the period when The Sociedad Explotadora of Tierra del Fuego was functioning. The Estancia has 60.000 hectares and about 50.000 sheep. The village has a beautiful view of the Paine Massif and has preserved all the typical buildings including the lodge, main house, administration office, workers' houses, kitchen, bakery, school, carpentry workshop, forge, dairy, stables and sheep-shearing shed. During the afternoon we can enjoy a horse-ride around the ranch to enjoy the amazing views of the Torres Del Paine.
(5 hours by private transfer) (D) (Night spent at Lodge Cerro Guido)

Day 2

From the stables of the estancia we will head south to the River Baguales. This river descends from the Sierra Baguales before winding through the Patagonian steppe and pre-Andean shrubland. We will then reach a vega (small wetland) where we may be able to observe a variety of resident birds nesting or occasional visitors such as the Upland Goose (Cloephaga picta), the Southern lapwing (Vanellus chilensis), and the Black-faced ibis (Theristicus melanopis) amongst others. The accompanying view is amazing and the prairies provide us with many opportunities for long canters on our criollo horses; a hardy breed of horse that is able to endure the hard winters in Patagonia.
After about three hours we will arrive at Estancia Las Flores, which is located on a hilly slope with a magnificent view of Sierra Baguales and the Patagonian pampas. Here we will find the only house in the region built with adobe, a typical mixture of grass and clay used mostly in the northern part of Chile. This is an excellent place to have our lunch and rest our horses. After lunch we will head in the direction of Estancia Las Chinas. The path passes between Sierra Contreras and Sierra Baguales to reach the Las Chinas Valley. Our final destination is Estancia Las Chinas (a fine example of the architecture of the former estancias) which has an amazing view of Torres Del Paine.
(6-7 hours slow riding, trotting and cantering) (B-BL-D) (Night spent at Estancia Las Chinas)

Day 3

Today we will ride south from Estancia Las Chinas crossing the valley. The first couple of hours will be across the Patagonian steppe, which is found on flatlands and plateaus with semi-arid, cold climates and an annual precipitation of up to 400 mm. After 5 hours riding we will reach Laguna Azul, which is located at the limit of Torres del Paine National park and with spectacular view of the Towers. From here we take a private transfer all the way to estancia-Hosteria Las Torres, located at the bottom of the path leading to the viewing point of Torres del Paine and Valle del Silencio. After an amazing day riding, you may want to visit the hotel spa for a massage, sauna or Jacuzzi.
(5 hours slow riding, trotting and cantering, 45 minutes by private transfer) (B-BL-D) (Night at Hosteria-Estancia Las Torres)


Day 4

After breakfast we begin a journey crossing lakes and valleys following an old gaucho path with incredible views of the mountains. We will have lunch on the shores of Lake Sarmiento whilst observing its strange calcium formations and then continue on to the administration area from where we can climb up to a lookout point with great views of the River Paine flowing into Lake Toro (the largest lake in the area). We will then carry on through forests and small lakes with wonderful views of the Paine Massif, to arrive at Hostería Lazo, located just outside the park. The hosteria is part of the Estancia Lazo, a large cattle ranch dating from the last century, which has magnificent views of the Paine Massive and Laguna Verde. The rooms are very comfortable; the estancia´s main house has been remodeled into a cozy, country-style dining room-bar.
(5 hours walking, trotting and galloping) (B-BL-BBQ) (Night spent at Estancia-Hostería Mirador Del Payne)

Day 5

We will begin our ride through native Nothofagus forests, going around small lagoons, with incredible views of the Paine Massif and surrounding areas. While crossing Laguna Verde (named for its green-turquoise waters), we will enter Torres del Paine National Park, reaching the highest peak of our day with excellent picture taking opportunities of the Paine River emptying into Toro Lake (the largest in the region). From this view point we will begin our descent to the visitor’s center, where we will spend the night at the shore of the Serrano River.
(4-5 hours, slow riding, trotting and cantering) (B-BL-D) (Night at Cabanas Del Paine/Hotel Rio Serrano, depending on availability)

Day 6

We will start our day by riding to Grey Lake, crossing huge pampas and a bridge over the Grey River, for splendid views of the lake full of icebergs, which have broken off from the Grey Glacier, part of the southern ice field which is the third largest reserve of fresh water in the world... Our lunch will be in front of this magnificent view. After lunch, we will take a boat ride to view the glacier up-close. In order to get to the boat we will walk through a mature beech forest where we might observe woodpeckers and Austral parakeets. We will navigate about one hour through icebergs of different tones of blue up to the Grey glacier, where we will stay for a while in front of the glacier in the hope of seeing icebergs calve. Our return journey offers views of Paine Grande with its impressive ice mushrooms. We will return in the transfer to spend a second night at the cabanas.
(4-5 hours slow riding, trotting and cantering, 45 minutes walk, 3 hours by boat and 30 minutes by transfer) (B-BL-D) (Night at Cabanas Del Paine/Hotel Rio Serrano, depending on availability)

Day 7

After breakfast we go to Aniceto Astorga’s farmhouse. There we’ll choose our horses to begin a ride to an unexplored valley at the border of Torres Del Paine national park. We cross several rivers and go through a landscape filled with lakes and wetlands, constantly being surprised by the changing views of the Paine massif and the last glaciers of the Southern Ice Field. We’ll spend the night here after setting up camp on the shores of Lake Brush.
(4 hours walking and trotting) (B-BL-BBQ) (Night at Lake Brush Campsite) (No showers available)

Day 8

After a good breakfast we continue to Bernardo O’Higgins national park. This trail takes us through humid forests, similar to those of the austral canals, following the Serrano River until it empties into the Sound of Last Hope, where we spend the night in the Hostería Balmaceda with an amazing view of the Serrano glacier.
(5 hours, walking) (B-BL-D) (Night at Hostería Balmaceda)

Day 9

We’ll begin the day with a boat trip along the river as far as its outlet into the Seno de Ultima Esperanza, facing the imposing Serrano glacier at the foot of the Balmaceda Mountain (2148m). Here we make a short easy walk up to the glacier. We’ll then take a boat, “the cutter, 21 de Mayo” navigating via glaciers and canals on our way down to Puerto Natales, to spend the night in a hotel after a goodbye dinner.
(10 minutes by zodiac, 45 min walk, 3 hours by boat) (B-BBQ-D) (Night at Weskar Lodge)

Day 10 We will take a private transfer to Punta Arenas. (Clients should take the flight at 12.40 PM, from LAN airline, flight #080, arriving to Santiago at 4.55 PM), if you decide to stay the night in Punta Arenas; we will drop you at your hotel.
(5 hours by transfer) (B)

REGARDING THE SCHEDULE The schedules indicated above are subject to change due to weather conditions or unexpected circumstances beyond our control, but we will try our best to keep them unaltered.