Patagonia Short Break - Torres Del Paine

Patagonia Short Break - Torres Del Paine

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5 Days From

$1695

Tour Overview

Jagged mountains, glaciers and blue lagoons are just the tip of the iceberg in Chile’s Patagonia region. Spend five days exploring ancient caves, hiking through native forests, sailing in search of glaciers and watching out for wildlife in the diverse landscapes of Torres del Paine National Park and Bernardo O’Higgins National Park. Your base in the small city of Puerto Natales is the perfect place to put your feet up after an adventurous day and enjoy a glass of Chilean wine. ...more ...less

Highlights

  • Travel with local guides who will add another layer to your discoveries, taking care of the details and sharing stories about the scenery, wildlife and local culture.

  • Spending four nights in the lively little city of Puerto Natales, you’ll only have to unpack once and you’ll have plenty of places to eat and relax when you’re not out exploring.

  • Join a local guide for a full day discovering the diverse landscapes of Torres del Paine National Park, taking in granite towers, waterfalls, native forests and iceberg-filled lakes.

  • Explore the Balmaceda and Serrano Glaciers within Bernardo O'Higgins National Park, which can only be accessed by sea, cruising through the Ultima Esperanza fjord, passing by glaciers, waterfalls and small estancias.

  • Challenge yourself with a trek to Base Torres – a hike with incredible views – or, if you’d prefer, take a city tour of Puerto Natales ending with a pisco sour.

Itinerary

Expand All

Day 1: Puerto Natales

Location: Puerto Natales

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Hotel

Bienvenidos! Welcome to Patagonia. Few places on Earth offer up such dramatic and wild landscapes, and Patagonia’s most iconic can be found in the Torres del Paine and Bernardo O'Higgins National Parks. Your adventure begins at Puerto Natales, which sits on the Seno de Ultima Esperanza (Bay of the Last Hope). When you arrive at the airport or bus station, you’ll be picked up by a local representative and transferred to your hotel. You’ll have a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight to meet your leader. If you arrive early, maybe walk along the Costanera, which leads to the historic remains of the Braun & Blanchard wharf. The city is also dotted with local hangouts that specialise in Chilean wine and locally produced craft beer.

Included Activities:
-Torres del Paine National Park entrance fee
-Local bus ticket from El Calafte to Puerto Natales
-Complimentary Puerto Natales Airport or bus station Arrival Transfer
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Day 2: Torres Del Paine National Park

Location: Torres del Paine National Park

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Today after breakfast, you’ll be joined by a local guide to explore Torres del Paine National Park – declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978. Stop at the Milodon Cave along the way – an enormous cavern where remains of prehistoric mammals like the mylodon, an extinct ground sloth, have been found. Continue to the towering granite spikes Cuernos de Paine, then walk to Salto Grande – at 15 m high, this is the park’s largest waterfall. Take some time to admire the powerful cascade tumbling into the turquoise lake below. Visit Lago Gray, a lake fringed by the icy blue Grey Glacier, then hike through a coigue forest, crossing a suspension bridge over the Pingo River and ending up at the beach. Here, you can see icebergs of different shapes and colours floating in the lake, caused by the melting of the Grey Glacier. Return to Puerto Natales for a free evening.

Included Activities:
-Torres del Paine NP - Milodon Cave Guided Visit
-Torres del Paine NP - Full day guided sightseeing tour

Day 3: Balmaceda & Serrano Glacier Navigation

Location: Balmaceda & Serrano Glacier Navigation

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Start the day bright and early at Puerto Bories pier, then sail through the Senoret Channel and the Ultima Esperanza fjord. Cross into the Bernardo O'Higgins National Park – the largest park in Chile and home to giant glaciers, lush vegetation, waterfalls and loads of wildlife, including Andean condors, marine otters and cormorants. Sail past the impressive Balmaceda glacier, hanging from the mountain of the same name. Dock at Puerto Toro and walk about a kilometre through a native forest filled with coigues, murtilla de magallanes, chaura and lichens. Walk to the foot of the Serrano Glacier, following the edge of an iceberg-filled lake formed by its melt. Finally, enjoy an aperitif with glacial ice and have lunch at a typical Patagonian estancia before returning to Puerto Natales for the evening.

Included Activities:
-Torres del Paine NP - Full day Serrano & Balmaceda Glacier sailing and tour

Day 4: Trek To Torres Del Paine National Park

Location: Trek to Torres del Paine National Park

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

If you’re up for a challenge today, you can take the 8-hour trek to Base Torres for the most impressive views of Torres del Paine’s granite towers and glacial lagoon. If you feel that the long trek would be too strenuous and you’d like to take things easy today, you can opt for a panoramic half-day tour of Puerto Natales instead. This beautiful half-day excursion will help you understand the origin of this centenary city. Learn about the toponymy of its surroundings, its history and little-known details. Start at the old Puerto Bories Cold Storage Plant, then visit the waterfront, the main square, the fishermen's dock and the artisanal village. Your tour will finish with a pisco sour at Rooftop in Puerto Natales. Whichever option you choose, you’ll meet back up with your group for dinner tonight to celebrate your adventure.

Included Activities:
-Torres del Paine NP - Trekking to Base Torres
-Puerto Natales- Panoramic Half-day tour (only available if the trekking is not chosen)

Day 5: Puerto Natales

Location: Puerto Natales

Meals Included: Breakfast

After an early breakfast at your hotel, you'll be dropped off at the Puerto Natales bus station. From here, you'll have the option to take the local bus to El Calafate on the Argentinean side of Patagonia (bus ticket included). If you’re flying out today, please make sure you choose a flight in late afternoon after 3 pm. If you would prefer to begin your trip in El Calafate and end in Puerto Natales, please get in touch ahead of time so your bus ticket can be arranged.

Included Activities:
-Local bus ticket to El Calafate
-Complimentary Puerto Natales Airport or bus station Departure Transfer

What's Included

  • Accommodation
    Hotel (4 nights)

  • Meals
    4 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 1 dinners

  • Torres del Paine National Park entrance fee

  • Local bus ticket from El Calafte to Puerto Natales

  • Complimentary Puerto Natales Airport or bus station Arrival Transfer

  • Torres del Paine NP - Milodon Cave Guided Visit

  • Torres del Paine NP - Full day guided sightseeing tour

  • Torres del Paine NP - Full day Serrano & Balmaceda Glacier sailing and tour

  • Torres del Paine NP - Trekking to Base Torres

  • Puerto Natales- Panoramic Half-day tour (only available if the trekking is not chosen)

  • Local bus ticket to El Calafate

  • Complimentary Puerto Natales Airport or bus station Departure Transfer

What's Not Included

  • Tipping and Gratuities

  • International Travel

Transport

  • Private vehicle

Accommodation

  • The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline only and may change. On some occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our preferred accommodation. In these cases, we will use a similar standard of accommodation.
  • Throughout the trip, we request that our properties prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination or on some trips, have use of shared day rooms until all rooms are available.

Important Information

  • 1. The order of the activities included may vary due to weather conditions..
  • 2. This trip will run with a minimum of one person, so you may be joined by other travellers booked on the same date as you, or you may be on your own. This trip is operated by one of our local partners in Chile and therefore you may be joined by a mixture of Intrepid-booked passengers and other travellers during activities.
  • 3. The maximum number of travelers is indicative of maximum number of travelers during join-in activities only.
  • 4. During low season (May-September) the Day 3 activity ( Balmaceda & Serrano Glacier Navigation) may not be available due to weather conditions as well as other factors. In case this happens, the activity can be replaced by either an in-depth Full Day Grey Glacier-including boat tour (different from the Lago Grey visit on Day 2) or a city tour of Puerto Natales & Puerto Bories. Your sales agent will inform you of these options before confirming your booking.
  • 5. Arrival transfer from Puerto Natales airport or Puerto Natales bus station is included. Please ensure you provide us with your flight details at time of booking.
  • 6. Before departure make sure you confirm with your Intrepid Agent if you will choose the Base Torres Trek or the Puerto Natales panoramic tour as your Day 4 activity.
  • 7. Private Transfers from Punta Arenas Airport or El Calafate Airport are available as additional services only. Please enquire at the time of booking.
  • 8. If you decide to fly out of El Calafate Airport on Day 5 please choose a flight in late afternoon, after 3 pm only. This will give you time to arrive in El Calafate.
  • 9. If you decide to fly into El Calafate and then take the bus to Puerto Natales on Day 1 you'll need to choose a flight that will allow you plenty of time to catch the bus. The travel time between El Calafate Airport and the bus station is about 25 min (by taxi). The bus schedule is: From April to September (Mon: 11:45 am; Tue: 8:00 am; Wed: 8:00 am and 11:45 am; Thu: 8:00 am; Fri: 8:00 am and 11:45 am; Sat and Sun: 8 am). From October to March ( Mon: 11:45 am and16:30 pm; Tue: 8:00am, 11:45 am and 16:30 pm; Wed: 8:00am, 11:45 am and 16:30 pm; Thu: 8:00am, 11:45 am and 16:30 pm; Fri: 8:00am, 11:45 am and 16:30 pm; Sat: 8:00am, 11:45 am and 16:30 pm; Sun: 8:00 am and 11:45 am). The bus journey is around 5h:40min.
  • 10. Entry into Chile does not currently require any proof of COVID-19 vaccination, however, we recommend that you bring a proof of vaccination with you.

Mode of Transport

  • Private vehicle

Check out our Q&As

  • Is this trip right for you

    On Short Breaks, you maintain a good level of independence and freedom, with the added bonus of having the details sorted out for you and you won’t be accompanied by a Trip Leader. This means that all included activities and tours will be run by different local Intrepid partners, and these may operate independently from each other. The included activities and transfers will operate on a join-in basis, which means that you could have your Adventure all to yourself, or others may join you along the way. If you would prefer to travel in a group with a dedicated Trip Leader, just get in touch with your booking agent and they will take you through some alternatives.

    This trip is operated by one of our local partners in Chile and therefore you may be joined by a mixture of Intrepid-booked passengers and other travellers during activities.

    A good level of fitness is required to get the most out of the multiple treks available on this trip. This is especially important for the 8-hour trek to Base Torres.

    Weather in Patagonia can be wild, so it's important to prepare for all elements. Rain, wind and extreme cold are all part of the adventure. As a result of this wild weather the hikes and activities within Torres del Paine National Park may not always be possible, so if you are prepared to be a little flexible, you will have a great time!
    ...more ...less

  • What policies are in place for Covid-19?

    Please contact us for latest COVID-19 policies

  • How long has the tour company been trading?

    Intrepid Travel has been taking travellers around the world for over 30 years

  • Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?

    Yes

  • What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?

    Since 2002, The Intrepid Foundation has supported over 130 organisations across the world. We’re creating positive impact through the joy of travel, community and connection.

  • Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?

    Over 50% of traveller travel solo with Intrepid. You can choose to share a room with another solo travelle of the same sex for no additional charge, or choose to pay a single supplement if you’d like your own room. Please request this when booking, and we will secure you a single supplement wherever possible. Please note, if you are booking a last-minute trip, it may be harder for us to secure a single room

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D' ARTICULATE (Google Reviewer)  

They offer some great deals...

11-Jan-2025

They offer some great deals and group travel itineraries without the flights but will include them if needed by the traveller ; leaving one to choose a more personal holiday stance or exploration & time schedule too. Neat!

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Thursday - Monday

May 01, 2025 - May 05, 2025
$1695 (USD)

Friday - Tuesday

May 02, 2025 - May 06, 2025
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Saturday - Wednesday

May 03, 2025 - May 07, 2025
$1695 (USD)

Sunday - Thursday

May 04, 2025 - May 08, 2025
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Monday - Friday

May 05, 2025 - May 09, 2025
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Tuesday - Saturday

May 06, 2025 - May 10, 2025
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Wednesday - Sunday

May 07, 2025 - May 11, 2025
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Thursday - Monday

May 08, 2025 - May 12, 2025
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Friday - Tuesday

May 09, 2025 - May 13, 2025
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Saturday - Wednesday

May 10, 2025 - May 14, 2025
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Sunday - Thursday

May 11, 2025 - May 15, 2025
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Monday - Friday

May 12, 2025 - May 16, 2025
$1695 (USD)

Tuesday - Saturday

May 13, 2025 - May 17, 2025
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Wednesday - Sunday

May 14, 2025 - May 18, 2025
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Thursday - Monday

May 15, 2025 - May 19, 2025
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Friday - Tuesday

May 16, 2025 - May 20, 2025
$1695 (USD)

Saturday - Wednesday

May 17, 2025 - May 21, 2025
$1695 (USD)

Sunday - Thursday

May 18, 2025 - May 22, 2025
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Monday - Friday

May 19, 2025 - May 23, 2025
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Tuesday - Saturday

May 20, 2025 - May 24, 2025
$1695 (USD)

Wednesday - Sunday

May 21, 2025 - May 25, 2025
$1695 (USD)

Thursday - Monday

May 22, 2025 - May 26, 2025
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Friday - Tuesday

May 23, 2025 - May 27, 2025
$1695 (USD)

Saturday - Wednesday

May 24, 2025 - May 28, 2025
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Sunday - Thursday

May 25, 2025 - May 29, 2025
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Monday - Friday

May 26, 2025 - May 30, 2025
$1695 (USD)

Tuesday - Saturday

May 27, 2025 - May 31, 2025
$1695 (USD)

Wednesday - Sunday

May 28, 2025 - Jun 01, 2025
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Thursday - Monday

May 29, 2025 - Jun 02, 2025
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Friday - Tuesday

May 30, 2025 - Jun 03, 2025
$1695 (USD)

Saturday - Wednesday

May 31, 2025 - Jun 04, 2025
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Prices last published on 27-Feb-2025

Book with Confidence

  • Free Date Changes

    Intrepid Travel allows you to make 10 free date changes, as long as the change is made at least 56 days before the start of the tour.

  • Transfer as credit to Future Tours

    Intrepid Travel allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform intrepid travel, 56 days before departure.

  • Low Deposit

    Intrepid Travel requires a minimum deposit of 400 USD per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 56 days before departure.

  • Cancellation Policy

    We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of intrepid travel charges.

    Up to 56 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.

    At 55 days before tour starts: Forfeit 30% of booking price.

    At 30 days before tour starts: Forfeit 60% of booking price.

    At 14 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.

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Patagonia Short Break - Torres Del Paine

5 Days Starting and ending in Puerto Natales

Visiting: Puerto Natales, Torres del Paine National Park, Balmaceda & Serrano Glacier Navigation , Trek to Torres del Paine National Park ...more ...less

Tour operator:

Intrepid Travel

Tour code:

GPAP

Guide Type:

Fully Guided

Group size:

1 - 12

Physical rating:

Medium

Age range:

15-99

Trip Styles:

Adventure Tours

From: $1695 (USD)

NB: Prices correct on 27-Feb-2025 but subject to change.

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