Patagonia . . . the name conjures up images of gauchos riding vast, windswept expanses and recalls the era of the cowboy and westward expansion in the American West. 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 Glacier National Park in the USA, and should be on every hiker's list! The highlight of this rewarding adventure is 6 exciting days of hiking 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 historic streets of one of the southernmost cities in the world. The next day, we drive through the rolling countryside of southern Patagonia with our expert local guide to the quaint fishing town of Puerto Natales, overlooking Last Hope Sound. We continue north to Paine Park and start with a short hike and wildlife viewing, then continue to our 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. Our next highlight is a boat ride and hike along Grey Lake, where we see the snout of 4-mile-wide Grey Glacier and its impressive ice walls. 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! 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. We spend the last two nights in Paine in a new hostería, offering superb views of the region and a hike along the secluded Pingo River valley. On our return to Punta Arenas we may have the opportunity to visit a penguin rookery before catching our flight to Santiago and connecting homeward.