Explore Patagonia by Land & Sea - 10 Days

Highlights

• Visit Chilean wine country and sample various wines
• Spend a day in the world's southernmost city
• Explore the Patagonian coastline on a multiday cruise
• Walk past penguins in their natural island habitat

Brief Itinerary

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Santiago (Chile)

Welcome to Chile! Upon arrival at the Santiago airport, a driver will meet you and transfer you to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to discover the Chilean capital. Visit the Palacio de la Moneda, Chile's opulent presidential palace, a short stroll from the Plaza de Armas. Then stroll the cobblestone streets of Barrio Bellavista to see colorful houses, vibrant street art, and an eclectic array of eateries and bars that are great for people-watching.

For dinner, enjoy a culinary adventure in the city. You'll find great restaurants and wine bars in the Bellavista neighborhood and the revitalized historic districts of Yungay and Italia. Be sure to try the pisco sour, Chile's potent national cocktail. Later on, head back to your hotel to get some rest.

Day 2: Maipo Valley Wine Experience

After breakfast in Santiago, it's time to tour the Valle de Maipo (Maipo Valley), a wine-producing region in central Chile. One great thing about this renowned wine country is that it's located a short distance from the capital—your journey to this hotbed of viticulture will be quick.

Today's tour takes you to two area wineries to learn about the area's winemaking traditions. Options include Viña Santa Rita, Viña Concha y Toro, Viña Haras de Pirque, and Viña El Principal. Tour each winery, taking in views of the Andes in the distance, and taste wines paired with fine cheeses. You'll head back to Santiago late in the afternoon and have the evening free to enjoy the city.

Day 3: Fly to Puerto Natales, See the Port

Today you'll head back to the airport and catch a 3.5-hour flight south to the small Patagonian port city of Puerto Natales. Once a fishing port, it's now the main base for excursions into Torres del Paine National Park. The town is set on the Seno Última Esperanza (Last Hope Sound), offering scenic views across the water to the mountains beyond. Facing north from here, you'll see the peaks of Cerro Benitez and Cerro Toro. The views are especially phenomenal at sunset.

Go for a stroll around town and stop for coffee or a glass of wine at one of the town's many bars and cafés. Try a traditional seafood stew in a family-run restaurant before you get some rest at your hotel. Adventures in Patagonia's landscapes await tomorrow!

Day 4: Tour Torres del Paine National Park

Begin today's adventure at the Cueva del Milodón, located 15 miles (24 km) north of Puerto Natales. It's the largest of a network of caves and houses a life-size replica of a mylodon, a giant prehistoric sloth. German explorer Hermann Eberhard discovered the well-preserved remains of a mylodon here in 1895, giving the cave its name. En route, pass by the Silla del Diablo (Devil's Chair), a rock formation related to several local legends. Then continue north along the road to Torres del Paine National Park.

Soon, you'll see the Cuernos del Paine (Paine Horns) and reach a fork in the road that leads to Lago Grey. Once you arrive, walk along its shores, stopping at the Lago Grey Viewpoint if the weather is favorable. Then enjoy a break and picnic lunch in the park before heading to the Salto Grande waterfall and the dazzling Lago Nordenskjöld Viewpoint. Then return to Puerto Natales, passing Lake Sarmiento Viewpoint on the way back.

Day 5: Transfer to El Calafate (Argentina), See the Perito Moreno Glacier 

Today's 3.5-hour transfer takes you across the border to Argentina to the picturesque Patagonian town of El Calafate. As you enter the protected area of Los Glaciares National Park, you'll catch your first glimpse of the majestic Perito Moreno Glacier. This expansive glacier flows down from the Andes over the turquoise waters of Lago Argentino and ends abruptly in a great wall of ice that curves around the lake. You may witness "calving," the awe-inspiring sight of ice breaking off the facade and crashing into the tranquil waters below. A thundering crash echoes around the lake every time ice hits the water.

Perito Moreno is one of the few advancing glaciers in the world. Thanks to the network of wooden walkways around the glacier, you can admire this natural spectacle from several different vantage points. After a couple of hours of viewing the glacier and wandering the numerous wooden pathways, you'll head back to El Calafate to enjoy the evening at your leisure.

Day 6: Fly to Ushuaia, Board Cruise 

This morning you'll catch a roughly one-hour flight south to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Located on a bay in the Patagonian region of Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia sits between the Martial Mountains' jagged peaks and the Beagle Channel's silver waters. This is the same waterway Charles Darwin explored while traveling on the HMS Beagle hundreds of years ago. Be sure to get out and walk along the waterfront for a better glimpse of the craggy mountains and wide channel.

In the afternoon, visit the Maritime Museum, located in a building that was once a prison, or the Museo del Fin del Mundo, featuring fascinating exhibits on the region's natural and cultural history. Stop at a restaurant in town to sample the local cuisine. The area is famous for its seafood, particularly centolla (king crab). In the early evening, head to the harbor to board your four-night cruise. After a welcome toast, the ship will begin traversing the Beagle Channel. The lights of Ushuaia disappear as you turn into the narrow Murray Channel.

Day 7: Navigate Nassau Bay & the Drake Passage

Today, your cruise crosses Nassau Bay and enters the remote archipelago that comprises Cape Horn National Park. Discovered in 1616 by a Dutch maritime expedition, Cape Horn is a high rocky promontory overlooking the turbulent waters of the Drake Passage. For many years it was the only navigation route between the Pacific and Atlantic and was often referred to as the "End of the Earth." The Chilean Navy maintains a permanent lighthouse on the island, staffed by a lightkeeper and his family. 

Sailing across Nassau Bay, you'll anchor at fabled Wulaia Bay, one of the few places in the archipelago where human history is just as compelling as the natural environment. Originally the site of one of the region's largest Yámana settlements, the area is renowned for its mesmerizing beauty and dramatic geography. After a visit to the museum in the old radio station, choose from one of three hikes that ascend the heavily wooded mountain behind the bay. Later, you'll return to the ship for the rest of the evening.

Day 8: Discover Glaciers & Fjords on the Beagle Channel

Throughout the night, you'll cruise past glaciers around the western end of Tierra del Fuego via the very narrow Gabrial Channel, Magdalena Channel, and Cockburn Channel. After rounding the remote Brecknock Peninsula, your captain will continue eastward and enter the Beagle Channel again. By morning, you'll approach Pia Fjord and board another boat for a shore excursion to Pia Glacier. After disembarking, take a short hike to a panoramic view of the spectacular glacier, which extends from the mountaintops down to the sea.

Return to the cruise ship and travel farther west along the Beagle Channel, entering another long fjord where you'll drop anchor near Garibaldi Glacier for another shore excursion. This time, you'll hike through the virgin Magellanic forest to a glacial waterfall, a towering wall of ferns and moss, and spectacular viewpoints over the glacier and fjord. For those who choose to stay onboard, the captain will point the bow toward the beautiful sky-blue Garibaldi Glacier so that everyone can enjoy the panoramic view from the upper decks.

Day 9: Continue to Agostini Sound & Spot Andean Condors 

Early this morning, cruise through the Cockburn Channel and enter Agostini Sound. From here, it's possible to see the glaciers that descend from the middle of the Darwin Mountain Range. Once you arrive, you can disembark and go for an easy walk around a lagoon formed by the melting of the Águila Glacier until you reach a spot right in front of the ice mass with stunning views. In the afternoon, approach the Condor Glacier—and keep your eyes open for Andean condors overhead!

Day 10: Disembark in Punta Arenas, Depart 

After an overnight cruise through Magdalena Channel, your captain will anchor off near Isla Magdalena, home to an immense colony of Magellanic penguins. You'll have a chance to walk past the colony before getting back on the boat and finishing the last leg of the cruise to Punta Arenas. After disembarking, your great Patagonian adventure has come to an end. Transfer to the airport to catch your flight home. Safe travels!

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