Legends of Patagonia
Day 1: Punta Arenas – Puerto Natales
Our guide will meet you at Punta Arenas airport and transfer you to Puerto Natales, the base for your trip. It is a three-hour drive through the Patagonian pampa.
Lodging in Puerto Natales at Concepto Indigo, dinner, slide show and meeting to discuss the trip program. (D)
Day 2: Paine National Park, Towers.
After breakfast we leave our lodging and head on a two-hour journey through ranch country across the pampa.
We enter Paine National Park for one of the most spectacular day treks around - the trek to the base of The Towers (7 hours round trip, 16 km in total). We head off on a steady climb before a final hour of putting hand to rock (very easy and basic scrambling) to get to the base of the the three pink granite towers that made the park famous.
If the weather is good and you feel brave, you can jump into the glacier-fed lake at the foot of the towers for a quick dip. Beware - it is very cold in there!
We then descend to our lodge in the Ascencio Valley, Hostel Chileno, where we stay the night and have dinner. (B,L,D)
Day 3: Glacier Grey
We make our way down from the refugio to the road and get into the minibus to get to the Western side of the park where our next hike begins.
We drive through the park with the beautiful Lago Nordenskjold on our right. En route we stop at the Salto Grande waterfall. At Lage Pehoe we get out of the minibus and into a catamaran and cross the blue waters.
From the dock we start our trek to Glacier (6-7 hours round trip, 22 km), one of the most beautiful glaciers of the Patagonian ice field. It constantly calves bergs into the frosty waters underneath, a spectacular sight.
We return to Lago Pehoe and our lodge, Paine Grande, on the shore of the lake. Here we have dinner and maybe a glass of wine or two! (B,L,D)
Day 4: French Valley
We set off from the lodge and head east into the heart of the park, the French Valley.
This valley, the most beautiful in the park, is surrounded by hanging glaciers and an amphitheatre of granite walls and spires. From the top, there is an amazing view over the lakes of Paine as well as mountains on all sides.
We descend by the same route through some lovely forest and back to Lago Pehoe. We cross the water and return to Puerto Natales for dinner and our room at Indigo Lodge (B,L,D)
Day 5: Milodon Cave
After breakfast, we head to the Milodon Cave. It is surrounded by magnificent snow-capped mountains and glacier coloured fjords.
This is an area shrouded in tales of treasure and legends. It is from here that we follow the traces of the people who lived here some 12,500 years previously.
We follow the coast of the Last Hope Fjord. Here we find different paintings and awesome caves that make it easy to imagine how it was to be living all those years ago. There is also a unique mural that appears to hold a message to the world.
There are 5 parts to the day trip. Firstly, the Milodon Cave museum (10 min). This is situated 20mins drive from Puerto Natales and the cave is where the Milodon mammal lived 12,000 yearrs ago before it became extinct.
We spend around 15 minutes walking around the cave, hearing how the Milodon lived and the region at the time, which was the stomping ground for saber tooth tigers, as well as the geological and glacial history of the region.
Next we walk to Dos Herraduras (20 min). Dos Herraduras is another cave (smaller) that was inhabited by Indians. We have a special guide for this section of the trip who is a specialist on the history of the Indian people that lived here. He will teack you about their way of life, their social behavior, the tools they used and their history.
After that, we walk to Cueva la Ventana (25 min) a cave which is home to a primitive Indian painting.
Next is a longer walk to Alero Sofia (1 hr 20 min). Situated here is Laguna Sofia - behind the lake are 3 mountain peaks called Cordillera Prat - a beautiful spot.
We then return to the Milodon Cave through the Valley of the Eagles.
After the trip, we return to Puerto Natales. Lodging and dinner, Indigo Lodge (B,L,D)
Day 6: Transfer to Punta Arenas airport
End of services (B)
For those who like camping, trek around the entire Paine massif on our Paine Circuit or, to reach the really remote areas, our Paine W trek and kayak trip.
Check our group and tailor made options. And you can always contact the office with questions or for advice.
Included
Transfers by land, boat, bus and van as listed, hotels and refugios, meals as listed, bilingual guide, Milodon trip, park entry
Not included
Personal items, flights, insurances, tips, alcoholic or soft drinks
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