The Chilean Glacier Trail

A truly remarkable 8-trip with un-rivalled views of the massive granite towers that shoot straight up for 2,000m out of the ground. You will see eerie looking blocks of ice floating in clear blue lakes and step on a glacier that is over 20 miles long. Travelling by horse will allow you to see areas seldom visited. There are plenty of opportunties to canter across the pampas grasslands and some excellent photo opportunities. The trip ends with a boat ride through the glaciers and narrow channels. This trip is highly recommended for horse riding enthusiasts.

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. A scheduled transfer at 3 PM from your hotel in town or from the airport leaves at 3:35 PM, corresponding with flight LAN 285. 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. We will follow an unpaved road heading to Estancia Lazo where we will stay overnight, after enjoy a welcome barbecue.

(5 hours by private transfer, 370 kms) (BBQ) (Night at Estancia-Hostería Mirador Del Payne)

Day 2 We will start early in the morning, meeting our baqueano (local cowboy) and assigning saddles and horses. Our ride begins 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 high point of our day. There are excellent photo 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 park’s visitor center, where we will spend the first of three nights in a camping area on the shore of the Serrano River with stunning views of the Cuernos (Horns) del Paine. (4-5 hours, slow riding, trotting and cantering) (B-BL-D) (Night at Camping Serrano) Day 3 After a good breakfast at the campsite we will start our day by riding to the scenic view point at Lake Grey. We cross huge pampas where you will be able to canter as much as you want! Once we reach the Grey River, we follow a narrow path with incredible views of the mountains until we arrive to a splendid view of the Lake Pehoe with its particular turquoise colored waters. From here we follow a rugged trail leading to a look-out point over Lake Grey, which is often full of icebergs that have broken off from Grey Glacier The glacier is over 20 miles and the third largest reserve of fresh water in the world! We will stop for lunch here and take in the awe inspiring views. We come back to our camp on the same trail, enjoying the opportunity for more cantering through the pampas grass. (7 hours walking, trotting and cantering) (B-BL-D) (Night at Camping Serrano) Day 4 This morning our ride takes us on a rarely visited one-way path with panoramic glimpses of almost all the park. Depending on the season we should be able to see flowers such as the Orchid, Calceolaria and Neneo or maybe even see the flight of the Condor. We will have lunch on the shores of Lake Sarmiento with its strange calcium formations and then continue on to the east entrance of the park. We leave our horses with the gaucho and from here we start a photo safari in a private bus back to camp. Highlights of the photo safari include visiting the Salto Grande Waterfall, Nordenskjold Lake and the opportunity to see guanaco herds or maybe even a flamingo. (5-6 hours slow riding, trotting and galloping, 2 hours photo safari by private transfer) (B-BL-D) (Night at Camping Serrano) Day 5 This day we pack up camp and head south, crossing the Serrano River to arrive at Aniceto Astorga’s farmhouse. At Anicento’s we’ll choose our new 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, and enjoy a well deserve lamb barbecue Patagonian style. (10 minutes transfer, 4 hours walking and trotting) (B-BL-BBQ) (Night at Lake Brush Campsite) Day 6 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 7 We’ll begin the day by crossing the river into the Seno de Ultima Esperanza, facing the imposing Serrano glacier at the foot of the Balmaceda Mountain (2,148m). Here we will take a short easy walk up to the glacier. We’ll then take a boat, “the cutter, 21 de Mayo” navigating through glaciers and canals on our way to Puerto Natales where we will spend the night in a hotel and enjoy a goodbye dinner. (10 minutes by zodiac, 45 min walk, 3 hours by boat) (B-BL-D) (Night at Weskar Lodge or similar) Day 8 We will take a private transfer to Punta Arenas. If you are leaving today, you should arrange to take flight LAN 08, which departs at 12:40 PM arriving to Santiago at 4:55 PM. If you decide to stay the night in Punta Arenas; we will drop you at your hotel. (3 hours by transfer) (B) PRICE: Group of 2-3 - US$2,945.00 per person. Group of 4-5 - US$2,645.00 per person. Group of 6 or more - US$2,375.00 per person. Single Supplement - US$250.00 BOOK NOW - Click here to e-mail us your booking. WHAT'S INCLUDED: All the private transportation indicated in the schedule. All the horses, saddles and pack horses during the excursion. Helmets, leather chaps, leather gloves, saddle bags, dry bags. All meals listed in the schedule (B: breakfast, BL: box lunch, L: lunch, D: dinner, BBQ: barbecue). Entrance fee to Torres de Paine National Park. One night at Estancia-Hostería Mirador del Paine (Twin standard room). Four nights at Camping Chile Nativo. North Face VE 25 tents, double occupancy basis. One night at Hosteria Balmaceda. WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED Flight to Santiago, Chile. Internal Flight Santiago - Punta Arenas. Any additional nights. Medical expenses. Insurance of any kind. Personal expenses. Sleeping bags and mattress. Alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks at Hosteria. Gratuities for guide, Baqueano & driver.