Day 1: Santiago de Chile.
Day 2: Santiago to Cerro Castillo.
Day 3: Cerro Castillo Hike.
Day 4: Cerro Castillo to Chile Chico.
Day 5: Trekking at Jeinimeni Sector.
Day 6: Confluence of Baker and Neff Rivers.
Day 7: Trekking at Patagonia Park.
Day 8: Trekking at Tamango Sector.
Day 9: Kayak to Marble Caves.
Day 10: Ice Hike on Exploradores Glacier.
Day 11: Puerto Rio Tranquilo to Puerto Varas.
Day 12: Alerce Andino National Park.
Day 13: Hike at Osorno Volcano.
Day 14: Puerto Varas to Punta Arenas.
Day 15: Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales.
Day 16: Base of the Towers Hike.
Day 17: French Valley Hike.
Day 18: Balmaceda and Serrano Glaciers.
Day 19: Puerto Natales to Santiago de Chile.
Immerse yourself in the wonders of Patagonia’s Route of Parks: an epic network connecting 17 national parks in southern Chile. Stretching 1,700 miles from the Lakes District down to the tip of the continent, this recently-launched route passes through some of Patagonia’s most breathtaking landscapes: steppe grasslands, misty temperate rainforests, crawling glaciers, sky-scraping mountains, and winding fjords. And on this unforgettable 19-day journey, you’ll get to experience all the highlights, as you self-drive along the Carretera Austral, hike in the iconic Torres del Paine National Park, and experience the diverse cultures of the Lake District.
Private Transfer.
Bienvenidos a Chile! Welcome to Chile! A representative from our company will greet you at the Santiago International Airport to welcome you upon arrival. During the drive to your hotel, we’ll tell you more about your upcoming itinerary, as well as answer any questions you may have.
During the afternoon, you’ll have free time to explore the city, relax, and have dinner before returning to your hotel for the night. The adventure starts tomorrow!
Meals: None.
Eco Boutique Bidasoa Hotel
Private Transfer.
At a pre-arranged time, we’ll pick you up from your hotel in Santiago to take you to the airport for your flight to Balmaceda. Once you arrive in Balmaceda, you’ll pick up your rental car, which you’ll be using for the next few days, and drive to your hotel in Villa Cerro Castillo. As you drive your first kilometers on the Carretera Austral, be sure to pause and admire the beautiful mountains, forests, and scenic views from the top of the Devil’s Slope — a winding road that descends from a hilltop down into a picturesque valley — before you reach the town of Villa Cerro Castillo for the night.
Meals: Breakfast.
Refugio Cerro Castillo
Private Full Day Tour: Trekking to Cerro Castillo.
In the morning, your guide will fetch you from your hotel in Villa Cerro Castillo. You will hike to a stunning turquoise lagoon that sits at the base of the castle-like mountains that give the park its name: Cerro Castillo.
The trail starts in a forest of native Lenga and Ñire trees, continuing upward through a glacial moraine until reaching the viewpoint above Laguna Cerro Castillo, where you can admire the glacial lake, mountains, and surrounding Ibáñez River Valley. Once we’re at the viewpoint, we’ll pause to eat lunch. We’ll then head back down the trail, arriving back at the Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast and Box Lunch.
Refugio Cerro Castillo
Scenic Drive along Carretera Austral Lakes and Rivers.
Today will be a more leisurely day of travel. In the morning, you’ll head to Puerto Ibañez in your rental car, where we’ll be taking the ferry to Chile Chico. Along the drive, you’ll pass scenic views of the Cerro Castillo mountains, lagoons, and other landscapes. Depending on the schedule of the ferry and when you arrive, you may have time to pause at local landmarks like the Rio Ibañez waterfall or the Levican Peninsula, or explore the town of Puerto Ibañez and walk along the boardwalks on its outskirts to observe local wildlife.
Meals: Breakfast.
Hostería de la Patagonia
Self-guided Activity: Trekking at Jeinimeni (Patagonia Park).
Today, you’ll get to embark on your own self-guided adventure through the Jeinimeni sector of Patagonia National Park, one of southern Chile’s newest national parks thanks to a land gift from Doug and Kris Tompkins. This area of the park is an astonishing mix of landscapes: rocky valleys, grassy plains, and lunar-like stone formations, as well as a cave with ancient handprints left by the indigenous Tehuelche people.
After your hike, you’ll then return to your hotel for a well-deserved evening of rest.
Meals: Breakfast.
Hostería de la Patagonia.
Scenic Drive along Carretera Austral Lakes and Rivers.
With its glacier-fed rivers and lakes, which get their distinctive hues from natural sediments, the waters of southern Chile are some of the most spectacular anywhere in the world. Today you’ll enjoy a leisurely drive to visit several of the most scenic spots and appreciate these feats of nature. The day will start with a drive along the southern coast of General Carrera Lake; with its azure waters and skyline of steep cliffs and snowy mountains, it’s a visual feast for the eyes.
After visiting small traditional towns, you’ll head to the confluence of two of Chile’s biggest rivers: the Baker and Neff. The waters of each river are starkly contrasted, so watching them merge together is like watching a watercolor painting come to life.
Meals: Breakfast
BordeBaker Lodge
Self-guided Activity: Trekking at Chacabuco Valley (Patagonia Park).
Today you’ll embark on another self-guided adventure to discover the beautiful grasslands, hills, forests, and marshes of the Chacabuco Valley, the heart of Patagonia National Park.
Today, to learn more about this historic land gift and the geology and history of the valley, we recommend you start with a visit to the park’s visitor center and museum. Afterward, you can avail yourself of one of the many trails in this sector; one of the best is the Lago Chico trail which offers great views of Lake Cochrane and Mount San Lorenzo. After your hike, you’ll drive about a hour further on to the town of Cochrane, where you’ll be staying for the next two nights.
Meals: Breakfast.
Ultimo Paraíso Hotel
Self-guided Activity: Trekking at Tamango Valley (Patagonia Park).
Today, you’ll be exploring yet another part of the vast Patagonia National Park: the Tamango sector. Renowned for its tranquil forests and views of Cochrane Lake, to best appreciate this section of the park we recommend two trail options: Los Carpinteros and Los Coigues. Both these trails are part of a larger circuit that connects to other trails, so it’s easy to either retrace your steps back to the trailhead or follow the circuit back. If you’re lucky, along the way you may be able to see huemul deer. Appearing on the Chilean coat of arms, this small, timid, and endangered species of deer is notoriously difficult to see in the wild, but chances of sightings are good in the Tamango part of the park.
Meals: Breakfast.
Ultimo Paraíso Hotel
Private Half Day Tour: Marble Caves.
After breakfast, you’ll hop in the car, heading north back along the Carretera Austral to Puerto Rio Tranquilo on the shores of General Carrera Lake. After checking into our hotel, get ready for an extra special afternoon activity: a kayaking trip to the famous Marble Caves.
The Marble Caves are truly a once-in-a-lifetime sight: over time, the mineral-rich waters of the lake have eroded the rocks and islets along the shore to form caverns, with stone walls covered in multicolored swirls of blue, turquoise, azure, and navy. We’ll set out from Bahia Mansa on kayak, paddling along the shoreline of the lake until we reach the caverns and rocky pinnacles that make up the Marble Caves, where we’ll kayak around and even through the passages in the rock to appreciate this marvel from all angles. We’ll then head back to Puerto Rio Tranquilo for the night.
Meals: Breakfast.
El Puesto Hostal
Private Full Day Tour: Ice Trek on Exploradores Glacier.
Glaciers are one of the most astonishing feats of nature, and today, you’ll get up close and personal with one on a hike that will actually take you on top of the glacier itself. The excursion today will visit the Exploradores Glacier, a colossal river of ice found inside Laguna San Rafael National Park. Today we’ll find a stunning panoramic viewpoint of the entire glacier in all its majesty, as well as Bayo Lake and Monte San Valentin, the highest mountain in Patagonia.
We’ll continue to reach the pristine, clean ice further up the glacier, where we’ll pause for a break and refreshment. Here, we’ll spend a fair amount of time using the specialized glacier gear to explore the surroundings. Afterwards we’ll drive back to Puerto Rio Tranquilo for a night of well-deserved rest.
Meals: Breakfast and Box Lunch.
El Puesto Hostal
Time to head to a different part of Patagonia! Leaving Puerto Rio Tranquilo, you’ll drive approximately three and a half hours to the Balmaceda airport, where you’ll drop off your rental car and board your flight to Puerto Montt.
Private Transfer.
After arriving in Puerto Montt and being taken to your hotel in Puerto Varas, you’ll have the chance to explore town on your own and get dinner.
Meals: Breakfast.
Hotel Cumbres Puerto Varas
Private Full Day Tour: Hike at Alerce Andino National Park.
Heading from Puerto Varas down toward the start of the Carretera Austral, we’ll veer off to visit Alerce Andino, a national park that is home to an incredible variety of flora and fauna, as well as Alerce conifer trees that have lived for thousands of years. We’ll spend about five hours hiking around the park through the temperate rainforests, passing rivers, waterfalls, and lagoons squeezed between steep mountains covered in ancient forests. Along the way, our guide will tell us all about the various plants and animals that live here; many are wholly endemic to the region. We’ll spend the night in Puerto Varas again, giving you more time to explore this charming town.
Meals: Breakfast and Box Lunch.
Hotel Cumbres Puerto Varas
Private Full Day Tour: Osorno Volcano, Petrohue Falls.
Today we’ll be exploring closer to Puerto Varas along the base of the nearby Osorno Volcano. Leaving town early to avoid the crowds, we’ll drive toward the volcano, located on the far side of Llanquihue Lake from Puerto Varas. Arriving at our first stop, we’ll do a one-hour hike up to the rim of the volcano, getting to see the crater and panoramic landscape views. Heading back down, we’ll go to the Petrohue Waterfalls, which pass over black lava rocks in spectacular torrents of water. After reaching the falls and pausing to take pictures and appreciate the view, which features the volcano in the background, we’ll drive to the El Solitario trailhead, a variety of landscapes, from forest to lava flow to watershed, it’s a perfect chance to see and learn about all the different microhabitats of this region on just one hike. After the hike, we’ll return to Puerto Varas for the night.
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch.
Hotel Cumbres Puerto Varas
Private Transfer.
On our last day in the Lakes District before heading to the far end of Patagonia, you’ll have free time to relax or explore the town and Llanquihue Lake even more. In the afternoon, you’ll be picked up and driven to the airport in Puerto Montt for your flight to Punta Arenas. Upon arrival, you’ll be taken to your hotel in town where you’ll have the rest of the evening free to explore and get dinner.
Meals: Breakfast.
La Yegua Loca Boutique Hotel
Small-Group Shared Transfer.
After breakfast, you’ll be picked up from your hotel for the drive to Puerto Natales, which will take around three hours. The time will pass quickly, because the route takes us through beautiful Patagonian grasslands, where you can sometimes glimpse wildlife like guanacos and flamingos! At the end of the drive, we’ll arrive in Puerto Natales on the shores of Last Hope Sound. You’ll have free time to explore and try regional delicacies for dinner at local restaurants. With its charming houses, stunning views of Last Hope Sound, and welcoming townsfolk, we highly recommend getting out to explore.
Meals: Breakfast.
Vendaval Hotel
Shared Full Day Tour: Base Tower Hike at Torres del Paine.
After a hearty breakfast, we’ll head to Torres del Paine National Park to take on the park’s most famous hike: the Base of the Towers hike! This hike, which winds its way into the heart of the Torres del Paine mountains to a glacial lake overlooked by three granite spires, can be difficult at times but the view at the end is well worth it!
We’ll follow the trail up toward the entrance to the Ascencio valley, with the increasing elevation offering even-better panoramic views of the mountains, lakes, valley, and pampas grasslands with every step. Afterwards, hiking to the top of the moraine rock pile we’ll be rewarded with the most incredible view of the Towers. Resting here for a while to enjoy lunch and the view, we’ll then retrace our steps back to the trailhead and return to the hotel to relax after a long day.
Meals: Breakfast and Box Lunch.
Vendaval Hotel
Shared Full Day Tour: French Valley Hike at Torres del Paine.
The French Valley is one of the three principal attractions of the “W” circuit trail around Torres del Paine, as well as one of the most striking areas in the park. With its fantastically-shaped mountains, quiet forests, and elevated landscape views, it’s a not-to-be-missed hiking experience.
The excursion begins at the Pudeto Dock, where we will take the catamaran across the icy turquoise waters of Lake Pehoe to the slopes of Cerro Paine Grande. From there, we’ll set off, up to the heart of the park, passing lakes, forests, and grasslands. Following the river that pours down out of the valley, we’ll head upward through dense forest over an ancient glacial moraine to reach the French Valley Lookout. We’ll then pause for lunch and to soak up the views. After resting and eating, we’ll follow the path back and return to Puerto Natales for the night.
Meals: Breakfast and Box Lunch.
Vendaval Hotel
Shared Full Day Tour: Sail to Balmaceda and Serrano Glaciers.
Setting out from Puerto Natales, the boat will enter the fjords, pausing along the route at different places to point out wildlife like dolphins, cormorants, sea lions, and condors. Surrounded by rocky cliffs pierced by waterfalls, with unspoiled forests and mountain peaks overhead, these are the landscapes of southern Patagonia that are often unseen by foreign visitors who only visit Torres del Paine.
The two highlights of the trip are pausing at the Balmaceda Glacier, which cascades down Mount Balmaceda right into the fjord, and then disembarking temporarily for a short walk through the forest to the Serrano Glacier. The boat will then take us back to Puerto Natales, where you’ll have the evening free to enjoy your final night in Patagonia.
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch.
Vendaval Hotel
Small-Group Shared Transfer.
It’s time to say goodbye to Patagonia! At a pre-arranged time, you’ll be picked up from your hotel in Puerto Natales for the three-hour drive to the Punta Arenas airport, where you’ll board your flight back to Santiago and then onward home. Safe travels!
Meals: Breakfast.
End of EcoChile Services.
2023-24 SEASON RATES
Price per person
>> from USD 6,420 per person
* Please note that international and domestic flights are not included in this price. Price based on double occupancy.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we understand that travelers, while eager to get back out there and explore the world, also want to be careful and only travel where and when it’s safe to do so. Just as you take your health and safety seriously, as well as the health and safety of the overall group and the communities we visit, so do we. That’s why, in compliance with national and international health and safety regulations and recommendations, we’ve optimized our operations and tour itineraries to provide you with the safest itinerary possible in a post-pandemic world.
This tour was specifically designed with social distancing in mind, avoiding overly crowded places without sacrificing the experience of discovering the destination. We only partner with hotels and tour operators that are similarly committed to putting their clients’ health first, with the use of cleaning and sanitizing services and only offering tours and excursions when it’s fully safe to do so. All this and more are just some of the ways we’re innovating travel itineraries for the healthier future.
