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

Settle into the comfortable, centrally located hotel before meeting your riding guide and the rest of the group in the hotel lobby at 7.30 p.m. Dinner and trip briefing in one of the town's many fine restaurants. Meals not included today.

Today we start our drive across the wide open pampas and land belonging to some of the huge estancias in this area as we head towards the Torres del Paine National Park. Our destination is the cute waterside town of Puerto Natales where we will be stopping for a stroll and lunch. After lunch we will continue our drive north towards the inviting snow capped peaks of this southern range of the Andes mountains. The road takes us alongside the waters of Last Hope Sound with the bobbing heads of the black necked swans to our left to our first estancia for the night.

Estancia Tres Pasos, now a comfortable hosteria, is situated at the head of a magical flower filled valley. A working estancia the wooden, chalet-style property consists of a number of estancia buildings, pretty gardens and lovely views. There will be a chance to unpack and relax a little before meeting our horses for an afternoon introductory ride in the vicinity of the estancia. You will get a chance to adjust to the style of riding and tack as we run through the paces and enjoy a relaxing afternoon's ride. We will then return to the hotel for dinner in the lovely restaurant. Most of the food in this delightful family run establishment is home produced.

Breakfast and dinner included (excluding wine/drinks). Hours in the saddle: 3-4.

Today after breakfast, riders will once again be saddling up for a full day's ride. This time, we will be heading north west to the outpost town of Cerro Castillo. This is a beautiful open ride across grassy meadows and welcoming pampas. Riding towards the dramatic mountain range of Torres del Paine enables us to fully benefit from the incredible mountain and lake views. We will also have some opportunities for our first long canters on our responsive and comfortable horses. During late afternoon after a leisurely picnic lunch and an afternoon's riding we will see the welcome site of Hosteria el Pionero come into view.

Surrounded by the customary layer of trees, the villa has the look and feel of an English country home and was built by European settlers to Tierra del Fuego at the beginning of the century. Once home to one of the most important and influential estancieros in the region it offers comfortable accommodation and an excellent restaurant offering a variety of typical local foods and international cuisine. The fireside bar is an excellent place to enjoy a pisco sour whilst meeting your new friends and discussing the adventures to come.

Comfortable en suite accommodation (some rooms with fireplaces). Dinner in the comfortable restaurant. All meals included (excluding wine/drinks). Hours in the saddle: 6-7.

After a breakfast of home baked bread and cakes served in the bright dining room, we will be saddling up for the long ride north east towards Estancia Tercera Barranca. Today is also the first day of moving horses where we will enjoy a unique experience of working with the local Chilean horsemen (baqueanos) moving horses north to a remote estancia close to the border with Argentina.

This is a classic Patagonian ride with the soft, inviting pampas stretched out in front of us as we journey north towards the mountains of Torres del Paine and La Cumbre mountain range that makes up the natural barrier between Chile and Argentina. We will be crossing the land belonging to various local farmers making sure our charges do not wander off the trail. With luck we may be invited to join a local for tea or mate. After 5 or 6 hours riding with lunch taken in one of the many picnic spots en route, we will be riding onto the land belonging to Estancia Tercera Barranca.

Our destination is the comfortable and cosy ranch house belonging to this working estancia where we will drive the horses into their coral before retiring to the authentic casa patronal with fabulous views of the Towers from its large west facing windows. Fire side living room/bar and traditional quincho (wooden dining room with outside BBQ area). En suite rooms.

All meals included (excluding wine/drinks). Hours in the saddle: 5-7.

After a filling and wholesome breakfast we will be going out to the coral to prepare for another day's adventure. Once again we will be saddling up and preparing between 40 and 60 horses to be moved to a remote and beautifully located estancia further north. 

With the help of the local cowboys (baqueanos), we will be driving them forward over golden pampas and through steep walled valleys. Our journey north will also take us across some glacial rivers on these beautiful and remote mountain trails. Because of the speed of this ride, we should have the opportunity to change horses during the day.

To the accompanying chorus of whistles and shouts from the local horsemen, we will be riding towards the beautiful and remote La Cumbre mountain range keeping an eye on the horses and rounding up strays and wanderers. A hard day's ride but what a privilege! Watching loose horses canter across valleys or splash through rivers with the dramatic mountains behind is an incredible and unforgettable experience. After our long day's ride and a job well done we will be returning to our comfortable accommodation at Estancia Tercera.

Night Estancia Tercera. Hours in the saddle: 4-5. Breakfast, packed lunch and dinner included (excluding wine/drinks).

Today we will be resting after our long riding days enjoying the comfort of the estancia. We can choose to relax in the comfortable living room in front of the fire with a good book or take a walk into the surrounding hills close to the estancia. Alternatively just sit and chat with the estancia staff or enjoy the peaceful garden with its magnificent views of the Towers and look out for resident skunks, guanacos, condors, armadillos or even pumas that sometimes pay a visit.

Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner included (excluding wine/drinks). Night Estancia Tercera. No riding today.

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 at the emerald green, salmon stocked waters of the Serrano River.

Night in comfortable cabins close to the river / Hotel Cabanas del Paine. Hours in the saddle: 7-8. All meals included (wine/drinks available at extra cost).

Today we saddle up for the fast ride to Mirador de los Hielos (iceberg lookout). Our view will be dominated by the huge granite peaks of the massif as we ride out along the Grey River towards the largest Glacier in the park, Glacier Grey. We will eventually arrive at a lookout with dramatic views of the iceberg choked waters of Grey Lake with the immense Grey Glacier in the distance (the largest glacier in the Park).

After plenty of time to rest, take photos and enjoy our incredible lunch perch we will rejoin our rested horses and head back to our comfortable hotel Cabanas del Paine at the Serrano River.

*For clients who are interested, there is an optional excursion available which includes round trip transfers back to Grey Lake and a boat trip out across this iceberg-choked lake towards the face of this spectacular Glacier. Note the boat trip is weather reliant and the excursion with transfer costs US$180 (potential volume discounts on the transfer element of this excursion depending on final number of clients wishing to join).

Breakfast, packed lunch and dinner included (excluding wine/drinks). Hours in the saddle: approx 5 -6.

Today after breakfast, we will once again be joining our horses and the baqueanos who have now become our friends for another beautiful ride. This time, we will be heading south east to the Mirador del Toro and the beautiful Laguna Verde. The day starts with our final ride across the fabulous wide open pampas before crossing the much photographed Puente Weber and riding towards the Sierra del Toro.

After stopping to tighten girths and check our tack, we will make a steep ascent of this mountain climbing high above the national park and surrounding areas. Eventually we will arrive at the dramatic and often very windy lookout (Mirador del Toro) with its incredible far reaching views of the lakes, mountains and glaciers below. After some time photographing and enjoying the beautiful views, we will continue on through southern beech forests passing a myriad of pristine lakes and valleys as we approach the land belonging to Estancia Lazo.

Arriving at around lunchtime, we will meet our transfer vehicle and head out on the pretty road that skirts Lago Sarmiento towards Puerto Natales and on to Punta Arenas. Tonight we will be staying in the Hotel Rey Don Felipe. Dinner will be at leisure in town. Breakfast, packed lunch included. Hours in the saddle: 4-5.

Breakfast and lunch only today.

Day 10: The trip ends the following morning with a taxi to the airport. Breakfast only.