Entering and Leaving the Park
First day, arriving in Torres del Paine NP The trip starts in Punta Arenas city during the morning either at your hotel or at the airport. From Punta Arenas we drive to the EcoCamp Patagonia located in the world famous Torres del Paine National Park. Before arriving though, there are a couple stops. One is at Puerto Natales, a small but lively town on the shores of Seno Ultima Esperanza - “Last Hope Sound”. You are invited to check out the town, leave any luggage you will not need for the trek in our office, and finally enjoy a hearty lunch with delicious local food. The second stop is at Cueva de Milodon, a massive prehistoric cave where the remains of a giant ground sloth were discovered in the 1890’s. Once at the EcoCamp we will learn more about EcoCamp and our trip for the next days.

Distances and driving:
Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales: 254 km / 158 miles / 3 hrs driving.
From Natales to Torres del Paine C. Torres: 147 km / 91 miles / 2.5 hrs driving.

Last day, leaving Torres del Paine NP
We board an early morning vehicle, sit back, relax, and enjoy a scenic ride back to Punta Arenas on time to catch the evening flight to Santiago. If we are heading to Argentina then we board and earlier transfer heading to the borderline.

Distances and driving:
From Torres del Paine / Puerto Natales / Punta Arenas: same as indicated above.

EASY EXCURSIONS

Drive & Walk Western Lakes, Boat across Grey Glacier
We drive across the Park with views of Paine Grande and its snowy peaks, as well as of Los Cuernos – the famous mountain with black granite horn-like spires. Walking along the shores of stunning Lake Pehoe, you visit the furious Salto Grande falls which pour the waters of Lake Nordenskjold over Pehoe. The walk continues over the gentle Nordenskjold trail until reaching its picture-perfect lookout point. Later, back at Lake Pehoe, the vehicle takes us on a drive south to a beach along the shores of glacial Lake Grey. After relaxing with a box-lunch by the lake, we embark on a boat ride across icy water to the towering blue-colored walls of Glacier Grey. This is an incredible sight! After visiting the glacier, we drive back to the EcoCamp.

Easy Walk Laguna Azul and Fauna Trail
We start the day driving towards Laguna Azul, in the north eastern of the Park. We do some stops for taking superb photos of the flora and fauna along the road, including one at Paine Waterfall. Once in Laguna Azul we hike to a sightseeing point where we have a gorgeous view of both the lagoon and granite towers. We continue along the eastern side of Lago Sarmiento to the calcium formations on the lake’s shores where guanacos are often seen. Later we walk to Paso Las Corneas with beautiful views of Rio Paine, Lake Pehoe and the Paine Massif. We then head back to the EcoCamp.

Easy Walk to Mirador Condor
We drive towards Laguna Amarga Park Ranger point and then we head southwest across the Park with superb views of Paine Grande and Los Cuernos formations. We stop at different points to admire the local landscape and take some nice photographs, together with the support of our wildlife expert guide. We arrive in Pehoe camping zone, the starting point of the Condor Trail. We start walking through a small Lenga forest and after a while we initiate a soft ascension up to the sightseeing point of the hill. During the spring we will experience strong winds in this zone and some levitation experiences might take place! Nothing to worry about as long as we follow the instructions of our guide on how to be safe and enjoy strong winds flows. When we reach the summit we will have a spectacular sight before our eyes: the very Paine Massif north front with its entire splendor, escorted by the beautiful Pehoe Lake on its feet. We initiate our way down to the Camping Pehoe and then drive back to the EcoCamp.

Easy Walk Laguna Inge & Botanical Safari
We start our adventure in the Park with a pleasant walk through the curly Cuernos trail located beside beautiful Lake Nordenskjold. During this excursion we take in the park’s charming flora and fauna, its strong wind and the curious 4-seasons weather that have accompanied us these days. As we advance through the trail we enjoy magnificent views of the park’s central lakes and the Paine’s Horns which are majestic black horn-like peaks of slate atop gray granite which crown the center of the Massif. We will of course stop to get great shots of the park. Once we reach Laguna Inge we enjoy this place with breath taking views of Lake Nordenskjold, and then we return to the EcoCamp, on time for having lunch and rest. When we are all ready we start the Botanical Safari trail, a small interpretative path of a few hundred meters built around the EcoCamp where we will appreciate in more deep the flora and fauna living in the surroundings. Our guide will be doing stops every while to explain different natural issues so we can learn more about the Park’s environment. When we are back at the EcoCamp we might go together to the core domes to share our thoughts about this trail.

ACTIVE EXCURSIONS

Drive & Walk Western Lakes, Hike Pingo Trail
We drive across the Park with views of Paine Grande and its snowy peaks, as well as of Los Cuernos – the famous mountain with black granite horn-like spires. Walking along the shores of stunning Lake Pehoe, you visit the furious Salto Grande falls which pour the waters of Lake Nordenskjold over Pehoe. The walk continues over the gentle Nordenskjold trail until reaching its picture-perfect lookout point. Later, back at Lake Pehoe, the vehicle takes us on a drive south to a beach along the shores of glacial Lake Grey. We then walk for some minutes to reach the Pingo Trail. This beautiful path will take us through a fairy tale Magellan forest full of local fauna and flora. As we walk rock formations will arise in nearby hills and this together with the strong Patagonic wind will form the real Patagonic scenery! We reach a small sightseeing point with splendid views of the Massif’s west face; we then initiate the walk back to the Grey Beach. Once there we meet our travel fellows coming from the boat ride and we all together return driving to the EcoCamp.

Trek Towers Base
We walk from the camp site towards Hostería Las Torres and connect with the winding uphill path to Ascencio Valley – the valley which supports the eastern face of the Towers’ base. Dry mountain spots, beech forests and small rivers are passed along the scenic walk into the valley. It’s not a difficult walk, but energy should nevertheless be saved for the final challenge: the moraine. This mass of boulders is the last guardian before our face to face meeting with the uplifting Torres del Paine. The moraine is sufficiently steep to consider doing it slowly and with an adequate amount of precaution. After a considerable effort, the Towers come into full view, rising majestically before us with the glacial lake visible below. This is one of the most breathtaking sights of the world! The famous Torres del Paine consist of three gigantic granite monoliths, the remains of a great cirque sheared away by the forces of glacial ice. Is there any better place on this planet to have lunch? Once everyone is ready, we backtrack along the same trail through Ascencio Valley, and return to the EcoCamp.

Navigation on Lake Pehoe and Hike along French Valley
After breakfast, we start our day driving towards Pudeto dock, located by the shores of Pehoe Lake. Once there we board the catamaran that will take us to the northern west sector of the Lake from where we will start the challenging trek to Valle Frances (French Valley), taking a steep trail that goes into the very heart of the Paine Massif. How deep we go depends on our groups’ rhythm. An active walk leads us to the hanging bridge over the French River, located at the foot of the south east face of the Massif. From this point, we can enjoy our first truly wonderful view and then continue up the trail until reaching the upper prospects of the valley. The entire group of geological formations of the high valley can be admired here: Hoja (Blade), Máscara (Mask), Espada (Sword), Catedral (Cathedral), Aleta de Tiburón (Shark’s Fin) and the magnificent Fortaleza! (Fortress). It is time to have a picnic and recover from the walk. An optional trek to Mirador Britanico is available as well. Next, we descend through an undulating terrain of mixed grassland and light forest until reaching again the Paine Grande dock, located in the peaceful shores of Lake Pehoe. Finally, the catamaran takes us back to Pudeto and then we drive back to the EcoCamp.

Hike along Los Cuernos Pass or Puesto Seron
The Cuernos adventure starts with a trekking through the curly Cuernos trail located beside beautiful Lake Nordenskjold. During this excursion we take in the park’s charming flora and fauna, its strong wind and the curious 4-seasons weather that will accompany us for the next days. As we advance through the trail we enjoy magnificent views of the park’s central lakes and the Paine’s Horns which are majestic black horn-like peaks of slate atop gray granite which crown the center of the Massif. We will of course stop to get great shots of the park. Depending on the group pace we might reach the Cuernos refugee, our trekking goal for today; we then return to the EcoCamp. The trek to Puesto Seron implies doing the first part of the Paine circuit, bordering the eastern side of the Massif. We will walk through plains that occasionally are home to Lenga forests and genuine Patagonic flora; this trail also offers splendid views of Laguna Azul and Sierra Masle. As we walk we might encounter local fauna that come to this sector avoiding the populated sectors of the Park. After some hours trekking we will reach Camp Seron where we will enjoy a box lunch and admire this quiet and powerful place; Once we are ready we initiate our way back to the EcoCamp.

Optional Activities - not included

• Hostería Las Torres Spa & Massage Center, just 10 minutes walk from the EcoCamp.
• Half day horseback riding or ride per hour, just 10 minutes walk from the EcoCamp.