Chile, Patagonia + Glaciers Cruise 13 Days (B)
Itinerary Acommodations Dates & Rates Inclusion
Highlights:
Santiago, Valparaiso/Vina del Mar, Punta Arena, Chilean Patagonia, Torres del Paine National Park, Glaciers Cruise with M/V Skorpios III, Chile’s Lake District
Santiago, Valparaiso/Vina del Mar, Punta Arena, Chilean Patagonia, Torres del Paine National Park, Glaciers Cruise with M/V Skorpios III, Chile’s Lake District
Itinerary:
Day 1 – U.S. / Santiago
Fly to Santiago
Day 2 – Santiago (Chile)
Upon flight arrival at Chile’s capital Santiago airport in the morning, proceed for half day Santiago city tour.
Santa Lucia Hill, where the city of Santiago was founded in 1541. You'll continue to the bohemian area of Bellavista and climb the San Cristobal hill for a panoramic view of Santiago with the Andes Mountains in the background. Move to the Parque Forestal, based on Paris' Champs-Elysees. Tour around Santiago visiting the city’s most outstanding attractions, including city center visiting the main square “Plaza de Armas”, Santiago’s Cathedral, Ahumada Boulevard, the Government Palace “La Moneda”.
The balance of the day is at leisure.
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Lodging: The Ritz Carlton, Santiago
Day 3 – Santiago / Valparaiso / Vina del Mar
Travel out of Santiago, drive towards the central coast crossing the most beautiful and fertile valleys of Curacaví and Casablanca, head for Chile’s principle port city of Valparaiso with its hilly cobblestone streets and colorful homes. We will pass beautiful neighborhoods such as Gran Bretaña which still maintains its lordly European style. Admire the view over the bay, then on along the coastal highway to Viña del Mar, the “Garden City”. See the flower clock, the casino, Plaza Vergara, and the shopping avenue. Then it’s time to return to Santiago.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: The Ritz Carlton, Santiago
Day 4 – Santiago / Punta Arena / Puerto Natales (Patagonia)
Fly to Punta Arena, the Patagonia’s largest city and most important settlement on the Strait of Magellan.
Punta Arenas is the southernmost city on Earth, overlooking the Straits of Magellan. Situated astride one of the world's historic trade routes between Atlantic and Pacific oceans, its prosperity has risen and fallen with that trade.
Bus transfer from Punta Arena to Puerto Natales – the gateway to regional beautiful natural landscape of Patagonia. The splendid landscape that surrounds Puerto Natales is dominated by sheep ranches and organic orchards plantations.
Chilean Patagonia offers all the dramatic landscape one would expect from the world's ultimate land's end. Here the South American continent falls away in a dazzling explosion of islands, glaciers, icebergs and mountains. It is truly one of Mother Nature’s grand finales. The Patagonia ice field, which is the third most important reserve of freshwater – the element that is vital to sustain life – on the planet.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Hotel & Spa Indigo Patagonia
Day 5 – Puerto Natales / Torres del Paine National Park (Patagonia)
Torres del Paine National Park is a national park encompassing a mountains, glaciers, lakes, and river-rich areas in Chile’s Patagonia.
UNESCO declared Torres del Paine National Park a Site of Biosphere Reservation in 1978. The park of part of the National System of Protected Wild Areas and it has total surface of 242,242 hectares. The park has a microclimate that derives in mild winters. Torres del Paine is located in the Magallenes Region, between the massif of the Andes Mountains and the Patagonian steppe
We will visit Mylodon Cave, Toro Lake, Serrano River, Grey Lake, Viewpoint Nordenskjold, Viewpoint Los Cuernos, Salto Grande Waterfalls, Amarga Lagoon and Cerro Castillo.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Hotel Rio Serrano
Day 6 – Torres del Paine National Park / Puerto Natales / Kaweskar Ruote (Patagonia)
We will discover more of the gorgeous Patagonia.
Drive to Puerto Natales for check in Skorpios III for Kaweskar Ruote.
The Kaweskar Route is 380 miles of navigation visiting the fjords and glaciers of the Southern Ice Field. This route its name in honor of the “Kaweskar”, the original peoples who sailed this part of the world on their canoes as nomads of the sea, and of which there are only a few descendants left today. A total of some 15 glaciers to be viewed and observed; we will also be able to trek their base and moraines and sail through multicolored icebergs on special expedition vessels such as the Capitan Constantino. During the cruise we will be able to view the varied flora and fauna of Patagonia, which remains virgin and wild.
Weigh anchor from Skorpios Terminal in Puerto Natales, sailing through the Patagonian channels, Kirke Narrowness, Morla Vicuña, Union, Collinwood, Sarmiento.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Cruising aboard M/V Skorpios III
Day 7 – Amalia Glacier / El Brujo Glacier / Calvo Fjord / Fernando Glacier / Capitan Constantino Glacier / Alipio Glacier
08.00 hrs Arrival at the Amalia Glacier, the ship gets closer to the Glacier. Panoramic view from the ship. 09.15 hrs Sailing towards El Brujo Glacier. 11.00 hrs Arrival to El Brujo Glacier, if the weather conditions allows to, disembarkation on a rock to observe the Glacier. 12.30 hrs. set sail to the Calvo Fjord. 14.30 hrs. Reach port at the Calvo Fjord, were excursion will be done in a special motor boat, named Capitan Constantino, visiting Fernando, Capitan Constantino and Alipio Glaciers, among others. 18.30 hrs. set sail to the Montañas Fjord.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Cruising aboard M/V Skorpios III
Day 8 - Montanas Fjord / Bernal Glacier / Herman Glacier / Alsina Glacier /Paredes Glacier / Puerto Natales
09.00 hrs. visit to the Montañas Fjord, were five glaciers, that slide down from the Sarmiento Mountains to the sea, will be seen. 10.00 hrs. visit to the Bernal Glacier, were a soft hiking can be done to the base of the Glacier and visit to the Herman Glacier to sail in its bay and admire the beauty of the area and multicolored icebergs (this will depend on the tide). After this, we will visit the Alsina and Paredes Glacier. 17.00 hrs. set sail from the Montañas Fjord, Kirke Narrowness crossing. 21.00 hrs. Farewell Party, Captain’s Dinner, dance. 22.30 hrs. reach port at the Skorpios Terminal in Puerto Natales.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Cruising aboard M/V Skorpios III
Day 9 – Puerto Natales – Puerto Arena (Patagonia)
Morning passenger’s disembarkation.
Travel south to Otway Sound to see the Magellanes Penguin Colony.
Sightseeing of Punta Arena, we will visit Plaza Munoz Gamero, Palacio Sara Braun; from Cerro La Cruz a beautiful view of the city with its colourful roofs that reach the Magellan Strait and the faraway sceneries of Tierra del Fuego.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Hotel Rey Don Felipe
Day 10 – Punta Arena / Puerto Montt / Puerto Varas (Lake District)
Fly to Chile’s Lake District port city – Puerto Montt.
Chile's Lake District is famous for its spectacular scenery of deep blue mountain lakes, snow-capped volcanos, pristine beauty of alerce (larch) forests, popular resorts, year-round sports, and traditional folklore, handicrafts and legends.
Bus travel from Puerto Montt to Lake Llanquihue, the second largest lake in Chile, with gorgeous views of the volcanoes Osorno, Calbuco, Puntiagudo and Tronador. Frutillar is a charming village on the bank of the huge Llanquihue Lake. The village is noted for the German influence on the architecture developed by the immigrants who arrived around 1853. Here we will take a walk to visit some restored colonial houses and see the strong German influence on the architecture. You will learn about the history of this picturesque town and about the time of German settlement. Afterwards we will visit the open-air German Colonial Museum; also we’ll visit Puerto Octay. In the afternoon return to Puerto Varas – The “City of Roses”, one of Chile’s charming villages.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Gran Hotel Colonos del Sur
Day 11 – Puerto Varas
Driving along the shores of Lake Llanquihue and passing the town of Ensenada we will soon reach Vicente Perez Rosales National Park. The unpaved road leads us to the famous Petrohué Falls where we will stop and take a short walk to admire the series of rapids and waterfalls, formed long ago by cooling lava from the volcanoes. Continuing we reach Petrohué on the shores of Lake Todos Los Santos. From Petrohué Pier the modern catamaran departs for the crossing of Todos los Santos Lake, also called “Emerald Lake” due to its deep green colors. During the navigation you can enjoy the magnificent presence of the Osorno, Puntiagudo and Tronador volcanoes. Arrival at Peulla, at the eastern end of the lake Todos los Santos. Here we will explore the beautiful surroundings of Peulla. In the late afternoon return by boat to Petrohué and by bus to Puerto Varas.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Gran Hotel Colonos del Sur
Day 12 – Puerto Varas / Puerto Montt / Santiago / U.S.
Puerto Montt was founded in 1853 by Don Vicente Pérez Rosales. The German settlement at that time had a strong influence on its foundation. The main economical activities of Puerto Montt are cattle, agricultural activities, fisheries and salmon farming as well as tourism. Our site will be the fish and craft market Angelmó. The place is well known for its fresh fish and seafood, local cheese from the farms in the area and other local products. We may see the local fishermen bringing and selling their fresh fish and seafood. Besides that Angelmó is also famous for its typical Chilean craft. There are many small shops selling their wool, wood and lapis lazuli crafts.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Fly to Santiago and connect international flight to U.S.
Day 13 – U.S.
Flight arrival in U.S.