Best of Patagonia
14 days / 13 nights
Overview
This comprehensive trip takes you to the most stunning national parks of Patagonia in Chile and in Argentina. The trip starts in Santiago, Chile’s lively capital city, and continues to charming beach towns of Viña del Mar and Valparaíso – declared a UNESCO world heritage site for its colonial architecture. Then fly to Puerto Montt to begin your exploration of the lake district in Northern Patagonia. Experience the glistening lakes, the majestic Andes, impressive landscape filled with active volcanoes, turquoise rivers, gigantic lakes and ancient native forests; Continue your journey in South Patagonia where you can hike impressive viewpoints, kayak close to extraordinary glaciers and bike to an area where guanacos outnumber people. Cross the border to Chile and marvel at the impressive Torres del Paine National Park. Gourmet meals, exhilarating adventure and a wonderful lodge stay complete this unforgettable experience in Patagonia.
Memorable Moments
- Drive along Chile’s breathtaking Pacific coastline and wine country;
- Explore the historic quarter of the seaport city of Valparaiso, a UNESCO World Heritage;
- Sail over pristine lakes by boat on this spectacular crossing of the Andes while witnessing unforgettable landscapes;
- Bike alongside Nahuel Huapi Lake (Argentina Lake District) a stunning landscape filled with active volcanoes, turquoise rivers, gigantic lakes and ancient native forests;
- Look at bean-to-bar production & making of fine confections during a chocolate tasting tour in Patagonia;
- Dine at an intimate restaurant in the heart of the lake district and with an enviable wine cellar;
- Experience the power and magnificence of the Perito Moreno Glacier on a cruise to the Southern Patagonia Ice Field.
- Marvel at the stunning nature of Torres del Paine National Park.
- Horse ride through the Pampa Serrano and climb a hill crossing streams, lagoons, plains and wetlands to the Donosito overlook with stunning views of the Paine massif.
Itinerary at a glance
Day 1 – Santiago de Chile – Arrival Day & Overview tour
Day 2 – Santiago de Chile – Day tour in Valparaiso and Viña del Mar
Day 3 – Puerto Varas – Fly from Santiago to Puerto Montt
Day 4 – Puerto Varas /Bariloche – Andean Lake Crossing
Day 5 – Bariloche – Lake District
Day 6 – Bariloche – Route of the Seven Lakes
Day 7 – El Calafate – Fly from Bariloche to El Calafate
Day 8 – El Calafate – Perito Moreno Glacier
Day 9 – Torres del Paine – Transfer from El Calafate to Torres del Paine
Day 10 – Torres del Paine – Choose your Expedition
Day 11 – Torres del Paine – Choose your Expedition
Day 12 – Torres del Paine – Choose your Expedition
Day 13 – Arrive in Santiago - Fly from Punta Arenas to Santiago.
Day 14 – Depart Santiago
Pictures of this itinerary
Full Itinerary
Arrive in Santiago, the lively capital of Chile, where your bilingual guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel.
Discover Santiago during a tour of city highlights, including the Palacio de La Moneda Presidential Palace, designed by 18th-century Italian architect Joaquín Toesca, and the Plaza de Armas, with its impressive Cathedral and Central Post Office. Ride Like a Local on a cable car up San Cristobal Hill to take in expansive views of Santiago.
Accommodations: The Singular Santiago
Following breakfast, travel along Chile’s breathtaking coastline which offers spectacular views of crashing waves, jagged landscapes, and smooth white sand beaches. This is a full day tour to visit the charming beach town of Viña del Mar and the historic port of Valparaíso – declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its architectural and cultural importance. Discover Isla Negra, where Pablo Neruda’s former home looks out to sea and provides a snapshot into the life and mind of Chile’s most beloved poet. All along the coast, elegant homes and hotels are nestled into the hills, and a number of excellent restaurants serve some of the best seafood you’ll ever taste.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodations: The Singular Santiago
After breakfast, fly to Puerto Montt where you are met and transferred to your hotel in Puerto Varas. Settle in before enjoying a sightseeing tour of Frutillar, a charming lakeside town surrounded by several stunning snowy volcanoes. In Frutillar, the German traditions are kept alive and gastronomy is proof of this. In a visit to this town, you should not miss the opportunity to taste the famous “kuchen”, a sweet baked dough cake with cream and fruits such as apples or blueberries.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodations: Cumbres Puerto Varas
Today, leave Puerto Varas and travel through stunning mountain passes by bus and cruise over pristine lakes by boat on this spectacular crossing of the Andes, from Puerto Varas to Bariloche. Your day trip takes you across three Andean lakes – Nahuel Huapi, Frías and Todos los Santos – with gorgeous views of “Cerro Tronador” and Chile’s “Vicente Pérez Rosales” National Park.
After navigating Nahuel Haupi lake, arrive in Puerto Pañuelo and be transferred to your hotel in Bariloche.
Check in and dine at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Accommodations: Llao Llao Hotel
After breakfast, set out on a half-day cycling tour full of amazing panoramic views. Biking along the magnificent Nahuel Huapi lake, you will reach Cerro Campanario, a hill standing “in the center of the landscape”. Enjoy a chairlift ride up Cerro Campanario, for a view that National Geographic voted one of the “Top 10 Views in the World.” Bike towards Moreno lake and Punto Panoramico (panoramic lookout), from where the premier Llao Llao Hotel and San Eduardo chapel, stand out with its stunning architecture that will transport you to a different time.
In the afternoon, enjoy a guided tour of Bariloche and taste the best chocolate, candy and confections. Our walking tour combines equal parts chocolate indulgence and Patagonian gastronomic history.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodations: Llao Llao Hotel
Today, explore the most scenic drive of Argentina, the “Route of the Seven Lakes”. This route traces a winding path through an epic landscape of sweeping forests, towering peaks and serene lakes between the lakeside towns of Villa La Angostura and San Martín de los Andes. Tour Villa La Angostura town and look for local crafts and goodies in the shops that line the main strip.
Near Villa la Angostura, start a moderate trek and enjoy unparalleled views of the lake district. Then, we begin the descent towards the van. Lunch will be served on the terrace of a boutique resort with amazing mountain scenery at the backdrop. The seven lakes of the Seven Lakes Route include lakes Nahuel Huapi, Espejo, Correntoso, Escondido, Villarino, Falkner and Machónico, and we stop at each of them in this one-day tour.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodations: Llao Llao Hotel
After a leisurely morning, fly to El Calafate. Upon arrival and after collecting your baggage, a bilingual guide and a separate driver will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner.
Accommodations: Posada Los Alamos
Breakfast
Early in the morning, depart from El Calafate towards Los Glaciares National Park to visit the Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the largest advancing glaciers in South America (more than 3 miles wide at its front and over 20 stories high). En route, enjoy the landscape, the nature and the local fauna.
Sail the “Canal de los Tempanos” on the north face of the Perito Moreno Glacier passing next to icebergs. The boat will stop at a safe distance from the glacier, continuing to sail down the north face, allowing spectacular view of the high wall of ice. This provides a totally different perspective of the Perito Moreno Glacier, with almost constant falling walls of ice. In the afternoon, explore the footbridges and balconies, located at different heights and distances from the glacier. Listen for the great masses of ice crash into the lake with resounding roars. Returning afterwards by road to the hotel, your evening is free, but we’d certainly recommend enjoying one of El Calafate’s great restaurants.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodations: Posadas Los Alamos
Following breakfast, you will be transferred to Torres del Paine in Chile. En route, you will spot Patagonia’s endemic wildlife including the “Big Five”: pumas, llama-like guanacos, South Andean deer known as “Huemul”, Andean condors, and the ostrich-like reah, or Ñandú. There are also flamingoes, foxes, penguins, and more than 100 species of birds.
Check In at your hotel and welcome dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Box, Dinner.
Accommodations: Las Torres Hotel in Torres del Paine (Chile)
Bask in the beauty and experience the traditions of the Chilean Patagonia with the “all-inclusive” Patagonia vacation packages at Las Torres hotel.
There are many different exploration possibilities within the Park, as diverse as their visitor’s preferences: ice hikes, treks, kayak tours, horseback rides, bird watching tours, amongst other options. We cover all areas in the Park either on foot, horseback or by van. We provide our travelers the opportunity of discovering the landscape according to the choices they make daily.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Accommodations: Las Torres Hotel in Torres del Paine (Chile)
Morning transfer to Punta Arenas* or Puerto Natales* to board your flight to Santiago de Chile. Arrival in Santiago de Chile Airport and private transfer to your hotel.
*You can fly to Santiago de Chile from Puerto Natales or Punta Arenas. Depending on the flight that you prefer, the transfer will take you to the airport where your flight takes off.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodations: The Singular Santiago
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FAQ
The best time to visit Patagonia is November to early March (summertime in the southern hemisphere). Naturally, this is also high season, so you’ll need to book well in advance to secure accommodation ( between 15 and 12 months in advance). Mid-November to mid-December tend to be less crowded, with spring flowers in bloom, while autumn, from mid-March to late-April offers a backdrop of spectacular autumn colors and wonderful sunsets. In the winter months, while beautiful, snow will make some of Torres del Paine’s trails inaccessible and many of the hotels will be closed.
All of Argentina and the southern region of Chile’s Patagonia observe the GMT-3 time zone with neither region adjusting for DST: This time zone is one hour ahead of GMT -4 (when DST has ended) When DST starts, all of Patagonia becomes the same time, since northern Patagonia gains one hour with daylight savings.
Currently, proof of a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test is required to enter Chile and Argentina. Given the fluidity of the situation, updated entry requirements will be provided 30 days prior to travel.
No vaccinations are needed for this itinerary.
We strongly recommend that you check with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov/travel) or the World Health Organization (who.int/en) for the latest on required and recommended vaccines for your destination.
Inside the park there is no cell phone signal for Chileans either.
Yes, the water in the park is suitable for consumption.
This itinerary starts in Santiago de Chile, Capital of Chile. From Santiago you will fly to Puerto Montt airport in Chilean Patagonia and that night you will sleep in the neighboring city of Puerto Varas. The following day you will travel through stunning mountain passes by bus and cruise over pristine lakes by boat on this spectacular crossing of the Andes, from Puerto Varas to Bariloche (Argentina).
There is no WIFI within National Parks in Patagonia or the Cruce Andino Lake Crossing. All hotels of the itinerary have wifi.
It is an unique crossing, sailing through The Andes Mountains across three beautiful lakes that are connected by four overland legs, from Puerto Varas in Chile to San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina.
The crossing is done in seven major segments (three on boats, four on buses) plus a stop at immigration and another for lunch. It is a long day but it is worth it.
No. All of the areas you’ll be passing through are significantly under the elevation where altitude sickness occurs.
This itinerary is a low impact tour. The most walking you’ll do is to the Petrohue Falls, which is a less than 10 minute walk each way over a nearly flat dirt trail. While you don’t need to be very physically fit to take this tour, you do need to be able to climb up and downstairs to get on and off the buses and boats.
Throughout all of our itineraries, we have built in options and free time where possible so that you can experience a place in a way that’s meaningful to you. If you are interested in exploring further, many of our expeditions offer pre- or post-trip extensions.