Patagonia: sailing in the Chilean fjords, Torres del Paine Park, Strait of Magellan, 16 days

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Santiago de Chile

  Arrival of the international flight in the morning. Transfer to the hotel, located in the historic center. Guided tour of the capital.

• day 2

  SANTIAGO / VALPARAISO

  Private vehicle route passing through the Casablanca valley and its vineyards (visit and tasting), then through Viña del Mar and the coastal road for a beautiful viewpoint over the entire bay. 2h drive allowing you to reach the picturesque and incomparable port of Valparaíso. Accommodation in B&B on one of the countless colorful hills overlooking the bay.

• day 3

  VALPARAISO

  Guided tour of this atypical city, listed as a World Heritage Site in 2003. Walk on foot through the heart of the colorful hills, along narrow streets and stairs climbing up the cerros; funiculars and elevators, old neighborhoods with tin houses, mural frescoes, numerous viewpoints overlooking the bay... Night at the same B&B.

• day 4

  SANTIAGO/TEMUCO – MELIPEUCO

  Early in the morning, private transfer for your domestic flight (duration 1h20) to Temuco, capital of the ARAUCANIE region. Private vehicle route to the village of Melipeuco (90 km, 1h30 drive) to the Ruka Melilef, a RURAL TOURISM WITH LOCALS project, located at the foot of the Llaima volcano and Conguillío National Park. Accommodation and meals with Carlos and Marta, who will tell you about the history of the region, the traditions, and the MAPUCHE CULTURE, their culture. You will share their daily life... They are perfectly fluent in French!

• day 5

  CONGUILLIO NATIONAL PARK

  Day of discovery and hiking in this magnificent park (60,000 ha): numerous lakes, the snow-capped peaks of the Andes mountain range, centuries-old araucaria forests, and the perfect cone of the Llaima volcano at 3,125 m, one of the most active volcanoes in South America, with 24 eruptions in the 20th century. Hike of your choice, with Carlos as your guide (Fr). Picnic included. Entrance included. Private vehicle for the transfer from the ruka Melilef to the national park and the start of the trails. Accommodation and dinner at Carlos and Marta's.

• day 6

  MELIPEUCO - TEMUCO - PUERTO VARAS

  Private transfer to the Temuco bus station to take the public bus (Salón Cama class, comfortable and punctual!) to Puerto Varas. About 4h30 of travel. Private transfer to your hotel.

• day 7

  PUERTO VARAS – PETROHUÉ

  Excursion day, private service with Spanish-speaking driver/guide, for a discovery of the lake region: Puerto Varas, a small picturesque town founded by German settlers in the mid-19th century, a pleasant resort town on the shore of Lake Llanquihue, the 4th largest lake in South America by area. In the background, the active Osorno volcano, peaking at 2,670 m. We follow the southern shore of the lake heading northeast to reach Villa Ensenada. From there, we enter the Petrohué sector of Pérez Rosales National Park. A short walk to reach the Petrohué waterfalls, formed by an ancient lava flow from the Osorno volcano; the crystalline waters come from Lake Todos los Santos, close to Argentina, and the final point of our excursion. The vehicle climbs the slopes of the Osorno volcano up to 1,250 m altitude, for a beautiful panoramic view of Lake Llanquihue. In the evening, return to Puerto Varas. Meals (2) not included. Entrance fees not included.

• day 8

  PUERTO VARAS - PUERTO MONTT - FERRY - DEPARTURE ON FRIDAYS

  Private transfer from your hotel to Puerto Montt. You will sail for 4 days and 3 nights on the ferry (freight and passengers) of the Navimag company, between channels, fjords, and mountainous islets covered with lush vegetation. You will discover the wild beauty of the dense forests of the Southern Hemisphere and have the opportunity to observe at leisure the many seabirds, dolphins, even orcas (!), sea lions, and other species of the rich marine fauna offered by this uninhabited region. Full board. Nights in 4-bed cabins (shared), CC cabin, without window and with external bathroom-WC. Boat departs at 8:00 pm. The ferry crosses the Gulf of Reloncaví, then those of Ancud and Corcovado, skirting the coastal mountain range and making its way between the hundreds of green islands and islets.

• day 9

  MORALEDA CHANNEL – OCEANIC zone – GULF of PEINES

  The navigation continues due south; we pass near the Gaitecas archipelago, between the Perez North and South channels. The vegetation becomes denser, and one can observe colonies of sea lions and cormorants. The ferry takes the Pulluche channel, the Brieva passage, and the Peñón Blanco passage. In the afternoon, we enter the legendary Gulf of Sorrows and, from there, head out to the open sea. The crossing on the open sea lasts about 12h and whales can sometimes be seen.

• day 10

  BAJO COTOPAXI – PUERTO EDEN

  Early in the morning, the ferry enters calmer waters and sails through the Messier Channel, passing the Paso Angostura Inglesa and Bajo Cotopaxi. Before noon, we stop at the tiny, unusual port of Puerto Edén, the only inhabited place on the route, where the last mixed-race Alakaluf Indians live. The village is located on Wellington Island, one of the largest islands in Chile, which is part of the Bernardo O’Higgins National Park, the largest in the country. After a short stop, the ship resumes its course due south, towards Puerto Natales, via the passage del Abismo and the Concepción Channel.

• day 11

  ANGOSTURA WHITE – PUERTO NATALES

  Arrival in late morning at Puerto Natales, a town of 20,000 inhabitants founded in 1911 thanks to... sheep (!) and European settlers who came to settle there. Today, it is a small port on the edge of the LAST HOPE FJORD and a starting point for Torres del Paine National Park. Private transfer to your family hotel, located in the city center. In the afternoon, free walk along the Señoret canal and in town. Two meals at your leisure.

• day 12

  Torres del Paine National Park

  Day in private service, with driver and French-speaking guide; vehicle at your disposal for a comprehensive discovery of the national park, a world biosphere reserve. Observation of rheas, guanacos, birds of prey along the way (and maybe even the condor!); stops at the various viewpoints of Laguna Amarga, Lake Sarmiento, Lake Nordenskjöld, then Lake Pehoe. Walk to the great "Salto Grande" waterfall and the viewpoint over the Paine Horns (2 hours round-trip hike, easy trail, no elevation gain). Picnic on the way (with a view!!), then walk along the shore of Lake Grey and its icebergs, up to the viewpoint (2 hours round-trip, easy, no elevation gain). Panorama of the Paine massif all day long (weather permitting!!). Park entrance included. Return to Puerto Natales in the evening. Meals not included.

• day 13

  PUERTO NATALES - PUNTA ARENAS - MAGDALENA ISLAND

  Transfer to the bus station. Morning public bus Puerto Natales-Punta Arenas. 3h of good road through the windy steppe. You discover the vastness of the Patagonian landscapes, the large sheep farms (estancias) typical of this region straddling Chile and Argentina. Transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon, 2h navigation on the MAGELLAN STRAIT to then walk for 1h on Magdalena Island, a reserve island for tens of thousands of Magellanic penguins that come to nest there every year between October and March. During the navigation, it is possible to observe sea lions and the small black and white Commerson's dolphins, whose austral waters are their habitat. Departure at 4pm, return around 9pm. Transfer to the hotel. Two free meals. **Attention: navigations are subject to weather conditions! Only the port authorities decide and authorize or not the departure of the boats. The excursion may therefore be canceled at the last moment.** If the navigation does not take place, this free time will allow you to visit the city! Free visit of this city of 150,000 inhabitants, capital of the 12th region of Magellan, industrial and commercial hub, free port, located on the edge of the Strait of Magellan facing the large island of Tierra del Fuego. Founded in 1848, it is a port with a rich historical past where settlers from all over the world (a strong Croatian community) came to settle, some of whom made their fortune thanks to sheep farming. A dynamic city and regional capital with a strong identity. Interesting museums (especially the Salesian one), historic cemetery, walk-viewpoint over the strait along the costanera…

• day 14

  FUERTE BULNES

  Excursion with Spanish-speaking driver/guide, half-day in the morning, to Fuerte Bulnes, the first settlement of Chilean colonists in 1843 on these southern lands (visit of the reconstructed historic village). Following the MAGELLAN STRAIT due south, walks and viewpoints over the strait, the islands, and the mountains that form the Brunswick Peninsula and the Fuegian archipelago. Beautiful Patagonian forest landscapes along the way, many birds along the strait; rugged coastline and fishermen's cove (Bahia Mansa) for seaweed or king crabs depending on the season. Stop at the so-called "geographical center of Chile" (sic!!!); walk in the forest by the strait; visit the place where, for the first time, in the 16th century, the Spanish tried to found a city: the city of King Don Felipe, which became... Port Famine (Puerto del Hambre)! History and nature on this route; excursion with driver/guide. Entrance not included. Meals (2) not included.

• day 15

  PUNTA ARENAS / SANTIAGO

  30 min transfer to Punta Arenas airport. Morning domestic flight to Santiago (3h20). Transfer to the city center, at the same hotel. Free time, meals not included. Suggested visits: Museum of Pre-Columbian Art or Museum of Memory and Human Rights; Bellavista district, San Cristobal hill…

• day 16

  SANTIAGO – INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT

  Transfer to the airport.