Patagonia . . . the name conjures up images of gauchos riding vast, windswept expanses and recalls the era of the cowboy and westward expansion here at home. True to this vision, the sparsely populated plains and peaks of southern Chile are scattered with enormous estancias, or sheep and cattle ranches, and contain some of the continent's most impressive and dramatic wilderness areas. Torres del Paine National Park, one of the most spectacular destinations in the Western Hemisphere, compares favorably to world-renowned destinations like Yosemite or Glaciers Park, here in the USA, and should be on every hiker’s list! The feature of this highly rewarding adventure is 5 exciting days of trekking beneath the park’s towering granite walls and icy peaks, considered by many to be South America’s best hiking experience. Author William Leitch comments, in his book South America's National Parks, "if fate gave you an opportunity to experience one and only one of South America's panoply of national parks, it would have to be Parque Nacional Torres del Paine. It is one of the best scenic walking tours in South America!"

Following an overnight flight to Santiago, we connect south to Punta Arenas where we tour the city. The next day, we drive through the rolling countryside of southern Patagonia to the quaint fishing town of Puerto Natales, overlooking Last Hope Sound. Then, we continue north to Paine and start hiking with a short walk to our camp or hostería, near the Ascencio River. From this base, we take a warm up hike along the banks of Nordenskjold Lake. A nontechnical ascent to the base of the towers provides outstanding, close-up views of the mountain's rock walls and hanging glaciers, while a circuit around Laguna Azul offers excellent vistas, with the towers as a backdrop. The imposing walls of the cuernos, or horns, dominate the horizon, and tower ahead of us, as we walk from Pehoé Lake to the remarkable French Valley, one of the Park’s most beautiful areas. Another highlight is the hike along Grey Lake, to the snout of 4-mile-wide Grey Glacier to witness it’s impressive ice wall. In addition to incredible natural beauty, throughout this trip we observe wildlife, such as ñandús, foxes, hares and guanacos, as well as Andean condors, ducks, flamingos, caracaras, ibises, eagles and more! We spend the last night in a local hostería, offering superb views of the region, before returning to Punta Arenas and Santiago.