Arrive into Punta Arenas in southern Chilean Patagonia. Take taxi to hotel. Night at Hotel Rey Don Felipe, Armando Sanhueza 965, Punta Arenas, Chile. Telephone: +56 61 617500. Website: www.hotelreydonfelipe.com.

Meet leader in hotel lobby at 7.30 p.m. to be escorted to restaurant for dinner. Trip briefing and welcome dinner. No meals included today.

*For groups of 7+ clients, we have a premium itinerary. Day by day itinerary provide more details.

Morning collection from the Hotel Don Rey Felipe to start the day's drive towards the penguin colony to see and photograph the cute burrowing Magellanic penguins. After plenty of time photographing the antics of these cute animals as they waddle from their burrows to the nearby ocean we will continue in our comfortable transfer vehicle across the Patagonia Steppe where you will have your first opportunity to see some of the unusual plant and animal life that exists in this area.

Standard Itinerary / After a short lunch stop in Puerto Natales we will continue on to our campsite situated within the Park borders close to a working estancia on the edges of the beautiful Laguna Verde. Chance to stroll down to the lakeside and enjoy the variety of bird life that exists in this area. Relax and enjoy the spectacular views of the horns across the lake whilst dinner is prepared. No showers. Drive approx. 6.5 hours including penguins.

Breakfast and dinner included with wine while camping.

Premium Itinerary / Continuing past Puerto Natales for an hour or so we will arrive at a small puesto, we will meet our horses and the baqueanos from the estancia who will ride with us into our estancia. This short ride will allow us to become accustomed to the local style of riding and tack as we start to take in the spectacular views. Dominated by the high peaks of the Chacabuco mountain range, some of which are permanently covered in snow and ice and with views of Cerro Prat to the rear, this is a very special place and a real contrast to some of the scenery experienced later in the trip. After riding into the estancia, we will be shown our rooms where we can relax and unpack. Plenty of time to explore the waterfront where it is possible to fish for trout or just enjoy the panoramic views across the fjords before dinner.

All meals included (excluding wine/drinks).

Standard Itinerary / Today we will be meeting our horses and the colourful baqueanos who care for them. After assigning horses to riders, we will have a safety check and short familiarization with western riding
before packing our saddle bags with cameras, waterproofs, and our picnic lunch and setting off around the shores of this pretty lake through ancient southern beech forests towards the Sierra del Toro.
After a couple of hours riding, we will make a steep descent of the Sierra del Toro to the pampas below. Lunch will be taken in the valley and we will have a chance to visit the Park Headquarters to look at their relief map of the park. Now used to our horses, we will continue with some faster riding across the pampas to the Serrano River where we will camp beside the emerald green waters of this beautiful river with its dramatic mountain views. Showers available. Inside dining in case of inclement weather.

All meals included with while while camping.

Premium Itinerary / After breakfast we will be packing up and walking down to the quayside where we will be boarding a boat that will take us into the Bernardo O?Higgins
National Park. Shared by the region of Magallanes and Aysen, this is the largest National Park in Chile and one of the five most expansive in the world (over 3 million hectares). With access only via the water, the mountains or the southern ice field itself it remains a remote and pristine corner of our planet. It also contains the third largest mass of ice on earth after Antarctica and Greenland so the climate is understandably extreme.

We will disembark our boat here and enjoy the stunning views which combine old growth forests of evergreen and deciduous southern beech, fire bushes, and cypresses - a stunning contrast to the snow capped peaks and glaciers in this area.
We will meet our horses before setting out on a beautiful trail through thick forests passing pristine rivers and streams in the shadow of the Chacabuco and Balmaceda range of mountains. A fairly slow ride today gives us the opportunity to find our riding stride while enjoying the dazzling scenery on our route into through this pristine wilderness to the stunning and remote Lago Brush and our wild campsite lakeside.

Night camping with all meals provided (wine included).

Standard Itinerary / After breakfast we will be meeting our horses and preparing for the fast pampas ride to Grey Lake. Our view will be dominated by the jagged, granite peaks of the Paine massif as we ride out along the Grey River to the largest glacier in the park, Grey Glacier. On reaching the trailhead we will tether our horses and walk out across the swinging footbridge through the forest to Grey Beach.
The view that greets us is memorable - the sandy shores of the beach form an almost surreal contrast to the blue of the floating icebergs that have calved off the nearby glacier. Grey Glacier protrudes off the southern ice field and is quite simply a wonder of nature. Measuring 28 km in length and covering a total surface area of 270 square km with its frozen walls of crystalline ice towering almost 35 metres high, it never ceases to impress.
After some time walking along the beach and enjoying our picnic lunch, we will walk back to our waiting horses for
the exciting ride back to the Serrano River.
Night camping at Serrano River. All meals included with wine while camping.

*Note for those who would like to get up closer to the face of this marvel of ice, we can arrange a trip out onto the lake on the Grey II boat. This is an optional excursion available at a cost of approximately US$80 per person.

Premium Itinerary / After packing up camp and loading the pack horses we will continue on our route north through virgin forests approaching the dazzling scenery of the Paine mountain range. Towards the end of the trail we will dismount to swim the horses across the glacial waters of the River Nutria, a beautiful and unusual site. We will board a small boat to cross before saddling up on the other side to continue our route into Torres del Paine riding out onto the wide open pampas upping the pace as we approach our campsite for the night beside the Serrano River.

Night Camping at the Serrano River. All meals included with wine while camping.

Standard Itinerary / Today we will be enjoying some beautiful trails which cross the heart of the Park . Known as the 'up and over' our trail cuts through some incredibly
diverse scenery from verdant green valleys and beech forests to azure lakes and wide open plains. We will see magnificent condors hovering high above mountain peaks while down on the plains herds of guanaco scatter as we approach. We will be surprised at every turn of our path as we cross over 30 kilometres of this amazing Patagonia riding country dominated by the Paine Horns and Towers after which the park is named.
Finally, after a truly memorable ride we will arrive on the land belonging to Estancia Tercera and the remote puesto nestled in a small valley with beautiful views of the Towers and a very remote and charming Patagonian feel. Facilities include showers, bathrooms and indoor dining in case of bad weather.

All meals included (with wine while camping).

Premium Itinerary / Ride out to Glacier and Lake Grey as above, return to campsite at the Serrano River.

Standard Itinerary / After enjoying breakfast in our stunning location we will set off on an exciting and unique adventure into the hills and forests of the Sierra Contreras. Our destination is the pretty and rarely visited waterfall known as Cascada Zamora.
After a picnic lunch here we will ride out to a remote puesto mercado riding up high over the pampas with views off to the Las Chinas Valley with the Sierra Baguales in the distance. Return to our camp at puesto Tercera for night. Hot showers. Hours in the saddle: 4-5.

All meals included.

Premium Itinerary / Ride the up and over route as above. Night Camping Laguna Azul.

Standard and Premium Itinerary / After packing up camp and loading up the pack horses we will set off on our exciting ride towards the Torres and Lago Paine. After skirting Laguna Azul we will be heading north towards Laguna Stokes where a large natural vega or pasture exists and which attracts wild criollos from the surrounding hills to graze in the summer. With luck we may get to see these horses but please note the viewing is not guaranteed! There will be many excellent photo opportunities on this route as we pass through forests, pastures and the lake where Lady Florence Dixie first camped having sighted the Towers.

Eventually we arrive at our remote campsite with beautiful mountain views, soft flower filled meadows and the mirror clear waters of Lago Paine close by. No showers.

All meals included with wine while camping.

Standard and Premium Itinerary / After breakfast, we will be riding out to Lake and Glacier Dickson. Dickson is one of the more remote and rarely visited glaciers in the Park due to its inaccessibility - in our opinion it is also one of the prettiest. Our rides takes us past the northerly peaks of the Paine chain where one of the peaks is topped by a black, craggy rock in the shape of a Tuhuelche Indian Face where the 'headband' is decorated with snowdrifts even in summer.

The trail then heads north passing ancient southern beech forests and scattered lakes before reaching our solitary perch and viewpoint above this beautiful lake and glacier. This will be our picnic spot for lunch - a truly memorable destination. In the afternoon we ride back to Lago Paine. No showers. Hours in the saddle: 6-7.

All meals included.

Standard Itinerary /After packing up camp we will
be riding back via a different route to the stunning Laguna Azul where we will be pitching our tents for the last time on this trip. This is one of the prettiest campsites in the
park with camping lakeside on the sandy beach or among the beech tress on the soft grassy ground. Fire pits and indoor dining in case of inclement weather. Hot showers (usually) and bathrooms.

All meals included with wine while camping.

Premium Itinerary / After packing up camp we will be riding back via a different route past Laguna Azul to the beautiful, tranquil campsite at Puesto Tercera.

Night camping with facilities (bathrooms, showers). All meals included with wine while camping.

Standard and Premium Itineraries / Pack up camp for our transfer back to Punta Arenas to arrive late afternoon. We will once again make a lunch stop in Puerto Natales and this will give clients an opportunity to purchase any souvenirs/books/postcards etc.
Clients will be dropped off at the Hotel Rey Don Felipe in Punta Arenas at around 6p.m. Transfer time: 5 hours.

Breakfast only included.

Taxi to airport for onward travel. Breakfast only included.