N04 / THE MAGIC IN THE HEART OF PATAGONIA

THE MAGIC IN THE HEART OF PATAGONIA

Nature & Culture in the land of Granite and Ice

Code

N04

Region

Central Patagonia, Chile

Duration

13 Days

Prices

From 3.690 USD

Next trip

No fixed dates

Inquire now

General
Dates
Prices
Services
Itinerary
Personal equipment
Security
Gallery

Introduction

Patagonia is land of granite & ice. At this austral land the climate and therefore, the flora & fauna, vary from one geographical zone to the other, making this an extensive region of a unique ecosystem, of great contrast and nature characterized by hostile weather. This diversity makes this program specially varied. We will explore a unique world, mighty glaciers, fjords, raging rivers and turquoise lakes.
We will go to the heart of Patagonia, into the wild region around Lake General Carrera. Here the approach to the great San Rafael Glacier is one of the numerous highlights of our tour. We will navigate the channels and fjords of the Pacific coast near the mythic bay town Caleta Tortel, where the glaciers of the great Southern Ice Field flow to the sea. A variety of experiences and encounters with the local population as well as the culture of the country, complete this itinerary.
The easy hikes included in the program do not require specific training, physical condition or endurance above the average. The program has been designed for active and versatile nature & culture lovers.
Join the SPONDYLUS team on a new and incomparable trip and let yourself be fascinated by the magic in the heart of Patagonia.

Highlights

Numerous low difficulty hikes with the observation of the unique flora & fauna in the extraordinary nature of Patagonia.
During a boat trip across the deep blue waters of Lake General Carrera, we will marvel with the marble chapels near Puerto Tranquilo.
The San Rafael Glacier is one of the great natural wonders of Chile.
In the Tamango National Reserve we will go in search of the Huemul, the legendary Andean deer.
Accommodation in a beautiful lodge on the shores of Lake General Carrera with a view to the highest summit in Patagonia, Mount San Valentín.
We will visit Caleta Tortel, a lumberjack town in the landscape of the fjords of “the end of the world”. We will complete our stay at this place navigating through the channels in the South between granite and ice.

Level of difficulty

Header	For everybody	Medium	Difficult	For experts
Physical Level		Cell	Cell	Cell
Technical level		Cell	Cell	Cell

Season

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
				Cell	Cell	Cell	Cell	Cell	Cell

4 participants	4.590 USD/Person
5-8 participants	4.120 USD/Person
9-12 participants	3.690 USD/Person

Itinerary

DAY 1: SANTIAGO (IN)

Welcome of the group at the airport. Drive to the cosy hotel from where we will start the visit of the historical centre of the capital city, and where we will learn about the history of the metropolis with our local guide. We will have a delicious lunch in one of the restaurants at the Central Market.

Accommodation: Hotel 3-4*
Meals: Lunch

DAY 2: SANTIAGO – BALMACEDA – PUERTO TRANQUILO

Early in the morning we will be driven to the airport to fly to Balmaceda. The local SPONDYLUS team will be there to welcome us. The trip will take us to the legendary Austral Road via Cerro Castillo, continuing to the South to get to Puerto Tranquilo. We will visit, among other things, an archaeological site where the Tehuelche indigenous group left rock paintings behind thousands of years ago. The absolutely privileged location of Puerto Tranquilo, right on the shore of Lake General Carrera, invites us to enjoy the wonderful landscape during a hike before dinner. There’s still a lot to see, and now we are here, in the wild heart of Patagonia.

Accommodation: Guest House
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 3: PUERTO TRANQUILO – LAGUNA SAN RAFAEL NATIONAL PARK

Laguna San Rafael is located at a bay to the extreme south of the Moraleda Channel, which is connected to the sea by the navigable Témpano River. This is where the San Rafael Glacier is located, the closest one to the equator, in the world, and still reaches the sea. It descends from the Patagonia Northern Ice Field to a fjord in the Pacific. Even though the glacier has decreased its size abruptly in the last decades, it still extends for approx. 20 kilometres, with an impressive height of 60 metres and a width of 3 kilometres in its frontal part. Huge icebergs of intense blue tones float in the lagoon, an impressive natural spectacle. This is exactly what we will experience today and the next day. From Puerto Tranquilo we will drive to Valle Exploradores. After two hours driving, we will get to the boat, and after two more hours of navigation, we will get to San Rafael Lagoon. From here we will continue our trip by foot. It will take us 40 minutes to get to the refuge where we will spend the night. After lunch and a rest, we will walk once again through this magnificent nature. We will get to a high viewing point that will guarantee the best view of the lagoon and the giant glacier. If we are a little bit lucky, we will be able to see ice blocks carving off the glacier and become floating icebergs. Deeply impressed, we go back to the refuge where we will have dinner and spend the night well protected. (Trekking time: approx. 4 hours).

Accommodation: Refuge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 4: LAGUNA SAN RAFAEL NATIONAL PARK – PUERTO TRANQUILO

Breakfast is particularly good today in the cosy atmosphere of the refuge. After breakfast, we will return back to the pier, but our adventure in the national park is not yet over, the boat will take a different direction today. Exactly! We are getting closer to the gigantic ice wall of the San Rafael glacier! The perspective is simply dazzling. From its front which is 60 metres high, the ice pieces break continuously with loud cracking sounds. The journey between hundreds of icebergs whose colours go from white to deep blue is an indescribable experience. The photographers of nature will rejoice this excursion. In the afternoon, we arrive back at Puerto Tranquilo, where we will spend the night again. We will realize that probably today we have experienced one of the most spectacular corners of Patagonia. (Trekking time: approx. 1 hour).

Accommodation: Guest House
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 5: PUERTO TRANQUILO – MARBLE CHAPELS – PUERTO GUADAL

The marble caves of Puerto Tranquilo were declared a National Monument in 1994. A huge vein of marble crosses the Lake General Carrera and it outcrops on the surface at Puerto Tranquilo. The caves have been carved into a very special pattern over the course of thousands of years, due to the weather, waves and the acids contained within the rock. The surreal structures are called, "the Marble Chapel" or "the Marble Cathedral". We will sail on the lake to get close up to them. Upon arrival at the marble formations, we will take time to visit them in a calm and slow pace. We have never seen something like this before! No wonder, because this is a unique spot in the world. The colours and reflections in the crystal clear water of the lake illuminate the surreal marble structures. After this boat trip, we will continue to the south to get to the town Puerto Guadal in the early afternoon. We will be driven to our accommodation in a beautiful lodge located at the shore of the lake, and with a view of the highest mountain in Patagonia, Mount San Valentín. We will enjoy the surrounding area, and will have one or two free hours before dinner. If you request it, it is possible to use the SPA are of our lodge to enjoy a moment of deep relax.

Accommodation: Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 6: PUERTO GUADAL – PATAGONIA NATIONAL PARK – COCHRANE

The Austral Road continues towards the small town of Cochrane. On the road that runs parallel to the Baker River, we will visit the Patagonia National Park in the Chacabuco Valley. This park has been created by Kris & Douglas Tompkins, a couple from California. There, we will go to the Visitors Centre, to a very interesting interactive museum, and then we will go for an easy hike. If we are lucky, we will be able to see guanacos, condors and other wild animals in their natural environment. (Trekking time: approx. 3 hours).

Accommodation: Guest House
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 7: COCHRANE – TAMANGO RESERVE – RANCH RIO LOS ÑADIS

We will continue with our trip. The first thing we will do today is to visit the Tamango National Reserve, which houses a relatively large population of “Huemules” (South Andean deer). Here this endangered species is protected. If we are lucky, we will see a few of them in a clearing or on the edge of the forest during a hike. In the afternoon, we will arrive at the ranch, Rio Los Ñadis, where we will find a lovely refuge where we will spend the following nights. The farm is owned by Lilli, originally from Allgäu (Germany), who travelled to Patagonia when she was 20 years old. Here she fell madly in love with the country and today, many years later, she has two children, and she lives on her land with a lot of love for nature. We will enjoy the afternoon in the absolutely authentic Patagonian atmosphere of the place, and we will learn a lot about the traditional lifestyle of the farmers that live in this harsh area. (Trekking time: approx. 4 hours/ trip: approx. 5 hours).

Accommodation: Refuge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 8: RANCH RÍO LOS ÑADIS – CALETA TORTEL

We will reach the southernmost point of our journey, the legendary town, Caleta Tortel. It is located in a fjord landscape surrounded by sea and the mountains, between the Northern and Southern ice fields. The town was founded in 1955 as a settlement to produce wood from the Guaitecas Cypress trees, and only since 2003 it is possible to access the place by car. Before that, it was only possible to reach the place by plane or boat, because there were just a few connections with the outside world. In town there are no streets, only a labyrinth of wooden trails that connect the houses of the inhabitants. This fact and its singular location in the fjord, make this place a world class tourist destination. In an extensive walk through the many footbridges of town, we will get to know its special character.

Accommodation: Guest House
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 9: CALETA TORTEL / NAVIGATION TO JORGE MONTT GLACIER

During a navigation of approx. 10 hours, we will enter a unique landscape of granite and ice. This excursion, that a few years ago was only done for scientific reasons, nowadays is gradually offered for tourist purposes. By navigating along the southern fjords of this remote region, we will get to the Jorge Montt Glacier, which forms in the Southern Ice Field of Austral Patagonia. With a length of almost 400 km, it is the largest ice surface on earth in the temperate climate range. Here we will approach the glacier between the icebergs floating in the fjord, and we will hike to explore the area. Every step in this world becomes an encounter with natural wonders and natural forces with the charm of absolute solitude. We will spend another night in Caleta Tortel.

Accommodation: Guest House
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 10: CALETA TORTEL – PUERTO GUADAL

Although we begin our return journey from the heart of Patagonia, our adventure is not over yet, and it still has things to offer. On our trip back up the north, which takes several hours, we will pass many places that have given us intense experiences and deep knowledge about the soul of the country in the last few days. In the afternoon, we will finally reach the beautiful lodge on the shore of Lake General Carrera where we stayed a few days ago. So we will enjoy the afternoon hours in its facilities and end the day with a traditional Patagonian barbecue, a speciality of this region.

Accommodation: Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 11: PUERTO GUADAL – LAGO JEINIMENI NATIONAL PARK - CHILE CHICO

Although it is hard to leave, we have to move on. We will drive about 100 km on dirt roads around the Lake General Carrera, with exceptional views all along the shore. We will arrive at Chile Chico, a borderline city between Chile & Argentina, but we will not leave the country. We will do the last hike of our journey at the Jeinimeni National Park, home to 13 glaciers, 3 lakes, 30 lagoons, 18 rivers and streams, as well as open valleys with endemic flora that you can only find here, some of which have been discovered recently. It is impossible to explore all this in just one day, but our hike of approx. 6 km will give us a wonderful glimpse of the biodiversity and the beautiful natural landscape of the park. (Trekking time: approx. 3 hours).

Accommodation: Guest House
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 12: CHILE CHICO – COYHAIQUE

Today we will use a new form of transport, and will cross Lake General Carrera navigating on a ferry for 2 hours from Chile Chico to Puerto Ibáñez. As soon as we reach the other side of the lake, we will be driven along the Austral Road to Coyhaique. This is the capital of the region and the economic centre of central Patagonia. We will spend the last night of our trip here. Tomorrow we will return to Santiago. Over dinner and enjoying a bottle of good Chilean red wine, we will say good bye to the local SPONDYLUS team.

Accommodation: Hotel 3-4*
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner