Discover Patagonian Winter from Luxury

Day 1: Transfer to Torres del Paine National Park; Explora Torres del Paine

Upon arrival in Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales, you'll be picked up by a hotel-exclusive transfer and taken to your luxury lodge, the Explora Torres del Paine – the only one of its kind located within the Torres del Paine National Park. If arriving from El Calafate, Argentina, you will be met at the border.

You may not even notice your hotel until you're standing at the front door. It's nestled out of sight, blending in to its surroundings and overlooking the stunning turquoise River Paine. The jaw-dropping views towards the Torres del Paine massif are undoubtedly the star of the show, but as you'd expect from a first-rate lodge, the service is second to none, the food is fantastic and the rooms ooze class and elegance.

You may have time on arrival to use the spa, set away from the main building and surrounded by nature, or you might prefer to relax in the bar area where all drinks and snacks are included in your stay. 

Meals: Dinner 

Accommodation: Explora Torres del Paine

Day 2: Trek to the French Valley or Lake Nordenskjöld; Explora Torres del Paine

French Valley (challenging) – We will cross the turquoise waters of Lake Pehoé on board the exclusive Explora catamaran and head towards the Refugio Paine Grande, on the north shore of the lake, where we will begin our hike. We'll enter the beautiful French Valley surrounded by dense beech forest and dotted with magical views of the immense glacial valley ahead. We'll cross the hanging bridge over the French River, and reach the Italian camp along the undulating trail which climbs into the valley. From within the valle Francés, we will be able to observe the Francés Glacier and the amphitheatre of granite peaks that frame the area – one of the finest views seen anywhere in the park. Your expert local guide will explain about these magnificent formations and secretive endemic wildlife which hides in these magical valleys. Today's full-day hike is tough, but an iconic Patagonian trek. We will return along the same route to the Explora Torres del Paine.

Lake Nordenskjöld (relaxed) – We will leave the lodge by van and head towards the area of the Pudéto station, inching ever-closer to the magnificent mountains and stopping at incredible viewpoints along the way. From there we'll walk along a path, out in the open, with vast views of the largest formation of the massif, called Paine Grande, with its hanging glaciers. We'll also have a chance to get up-close to one of the park's most impressive cascades. The 2hr hike over gently undulating terrain finishes at the turquoise waters of Lake Nordenskjöld with the famous Cuernos (Horns) soaring skywards right in front of you – a truly impressive sight. Here we might be able to hear the sound of breaking ice or feel the wind of one of the planet's windiest locations. Your expert guide will enlighten you to the natural history of the place and explain why Torres del Paine is geologically such a unique place. Finally, we'll return via the same route, to the Explora Torres del Paine by van.

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner

Accommodation: Explora Torres del Paine

Day 3: Trek to the Towers or Lake Grey; Explora Torres del Paine

Trek to Las Torres (The Towers) (challenging) – We will leave the lodge early, by van, and head towards the Cerro Paine ranch about 45mins away by dirt road. From there, we'll ascend towards the Ascencio River Valley and the Chilean Refugio, nestled in the valley amongst the beech forest. The trail follows the river as it undulates its way gently upwards until reaching a lateral moraine – a remnant from the last ice-age. From here you'll begin a steep ascent toward a lookout at the base of the Torres del Paine Towers. Once at the top, we will be able to grasp the magnitude of the granite towers after which the park is named – this is quite possibly one of the best views in the world. After taking time to enjoy the magnificent surroundings, you'll return along the same trail.

Lake Grey (relaxed) –We will leave the lodge by van and head towards the Lake Grey station at the west of the park. We'll begin the trek by crossing the bridge over the turbulent Pingo River and walk for 30mins through a lenga (southern beech) forest until we reach the shore of Lake Grey. In the forest you might be lucky enough to spot the beautiful Magellanic woodpecker. It's generally quite windy here, but we'll be able to see the enormous icebergs that break off Glacier Grey. There's about 2km of hiking across the beach area, followed by a moderate ascent to a stunning viewpoint from where we'll be able to observe the entire lake, the immense Glacier Grey and the French Valley of Torres del Paine. Finally, we'll return to the Grey Lake station where our van will be waiting to take us back to the Explora Torres del Paine.

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner

Accommodation: Explora Torres del Paine

Day 4: Trek to Glacier Grey or Lake Grey; Explora Torres del Paine 

Glacier Grey (challenging) – We'll leave the lodge by Explora's catamaran, crossing Lake Pehoé to Paine Grande, as per the French Valley hike. The difference commences when disembarking and taking the westerly trail which follows the immense Lake Grey and hike closer to Glacier Grey which feeds this body of water. Arriving at a great vantage point after a few miles of hiking, you'll be able to truly grasp the size of the glacier stretching off into the distance. The trail descends to the Lake Grey refuge, after approximately 13km, from where we'll board the catamaran which will take us as close to the face of the glacier as possible. Toast to an incredible experience with whisky chilled with millennial ice from the same glacier you'll be taking photos of. The catamaran will leave you at the beach of Lake Grey, from where you'll return to the Explora Torres del Paine by the Explora van.

Aonikenk Trail (relaxed) – Leaving the Explora Torres del Paine by van, we'll drive about 30mins to the eastern entrance of the national park from where we'll hike a gently undulating trail of Patagonian steppe ecosystem. We'll be inundated with the cute guanaco, a Patagonian relative of the Andean llama. Your hike will be relaxed, covering about 8km of grassland trails with lots of stops to observe the panoramic views over the Torres del Paine massif. Local birdlife such as ducks and geese are likely to be observed up-close and, if you're lucky, you might get a glimpse of the infamous puma which preys almost exclusively on the roaming guanaco. A slight detour will take you to a rocky outcrop to observe some primitive rock-paintings from the native Patagonian Aonikenk inhabitants. You van will pick you up from a different location, near the Amarga Lagoon area, before taking you back to your base at Explora Torres del Paine.

Around 50 excursions are possible at Explora Torres del Paine. All excursions are discussed with guests and confirmed the day before with your Explora guide.

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner

Accommodation: Explora Torres del Paine

Day 5: Transfer to Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales or El Calafate 

After breakfast, you will take a transfer to Punta Arenas (5hrs), Puerto Natales (1.5hrs), or the Argentine border (1.5hrs) for onward travel to El Calafate. Please ask us for more information.

Meals: Breakfast