Wilderness Patagonia

17 days from £4,100

An in-depth, top-quality holiday exploring Patagonia by road, catamaran, motor cruiser and on foot. Discover the secrets of the little known Aisen region, defined by fiords and with glaciers crossing the lonely road. Stay at a luxury camp in the heart of Torres del Paine National Park, sleeping in comfortable yurts.

Day 1 Fly from the UK.
Day 2 Arrive Santiago, rest of the day at leisure.
Days 3&4 Fly to Balmaceda in central Patagonia. Scenic valley and forest drive (2hrs) and by catamaran (5hrs) through the fjords to the lakeside spa (Termas) at Puyuhuapi for a 2-night stay.
Day 5 Full day catamaran cruise to the San Rafael
glacier. Overnight at Puerto Chacabuco.
Day 6 Fly to Punta Arenas in southern Patagonia for  one night.
Days 7-9 Drive across windswept steppe grasslands towards the monumental granite massif and icy spires of Torres del Paine. You’ll be staying at the Patagonia Camp in an en suite, luxury yurt; just a canvas-width away from nature’s finest wilderness but cosily protected from everything the weather can throw at you in these latitudes.
Days 10-13 Embark for a 4 night cruise on MV Via Australis, a 64-cabin expedition cruise ship which will weave its way through the sinuous network of channels and islands between Punta Arenas and the most southerly city in the world, Ushuaia, on the shores of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina. There is a daily programme of onshore guided excursions.
Days 14&15 Fly to Buenos Aires for 2 nights based in a central hotel, with a guided city tour included.
Day 16 Fly to the UK, arriving day 17.

How about?

 - a 2-3 day trip to Chiloe Island in the southern lake district, northern Patagonia, visiting off-the-beaten-track corners of this traditional rural backwater and staying at a family house in the countryside.