Dec 2: Arrive in Punta Arenas, Chile. Your guides will meet you at the airport  and transfer you to your historic hotel on the main plaza of Punta Arenas. Orientation meeting in evening followed by welcome dinner. Overnight Hotel Jose Nogueira.

Dec 3: Following breakfast, we will depart for a boat tour to the Isla Magdalena Penguin Reserve in the Straits of Magellan where over 100,000 breeding pairs of Magellanic Penguins reside in springtime. Following the tour, we will drive north to Puerto Natales on the Last Hope Sound.  In the evening and the following morning we will have opportunities to photograph the many colorful fishing boats at the harbor as well as a variety of waterfowl that are found along the shoreline, including the gorgeous, Black-necked Swans which are abundant here and that may be found at this time with their newborn chicks that often ride upon their backs. Overnight Hotel Jose Nogueira in Punta Arenas. *This day may be replaced with an excursion to Tierra del Fuego for King Penguins. In such case we would spend this night on Tierra del Fuego.

Dec 4: Drive to Puerto Natales. Afternoon photography excursion TBD (many black-necked swans found along the shoreline often with small chicks riding on their backs). Overnight Hotel Altiplanico in Puerto Natales.

Dec 5: Early pre-breakfast outing to photograph black-necked swans or other waterfowl along the shoreline close to the hotel. After breakfast we will begin driving to Torres del Paine.  En route we may stop for a hike (short but steep) at Laguna Sofia where we have a very good chance of seeing and photographing Condors.  We will make a picnic lunch here and then drive to Torres del Paine National Park.  We will arrive to our hotel just outside the park entrance in the late afternoon.  Overnight Hotel Rio Serrano.         

Dec 6: Early pre-breakfast outing for first-light photography of the famous ‘Horns”.  Followed by a full-day exploring the park by road and/or trail. Overnight Hotel Rio Serrano.

Dec.  7: Early pre-breakfast outing for first-light photography of the famous Paine Massif.  We have another day explore the other areas of the national park eventually driving make our way out of the park. If time allows we may venture into the remote Sierra Baguales range to the east.  Overnight Hotel Estancia El Ovejero on the Argentine border.           

Dec.  8: Following breakfast, we will depart for Argentina by way of the nearby Cerro Castillo border crossing and continue to the town of El Calafate.  In the afternoon we may visit the Laguna Nimez Bird Sanctuary, a wetlands area on the edge of town bordering Lago Argentino, Argentina’s largest lake.  Wonderful bird photography opportunities here, especially for Flamingos and a variety of birds of prey.  Hotel and dinner at our hotel. Overnight Hotel Mirador del Lago.

Dec 9: Early AM departure to visit the famous Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park accompanied by a knowledgeable bilingual local guide.  We will spend several hours exploring different angles of the glacier’s massive terminus from the extensive walkway. This is a very active glacier, and it is quite common to witness more than one large ice calving.  The bright red “Notro” will be in bloom at this time and will add a nice foreground accent to the brilliant blue of the glacial ice. Following a picnic lunch, we will return to El Calafate and then continue for another 2 hours north to the town of El Chalten located at the base of the iconic Fitzroy Range.  Hotel in El Chalten and dinner at a wonderful local restaurant in town. Overnight Hotel Chalten Suites.

Dec 10: Early pre-breakfast outing for first-light photography of the amazing Cerro Fitzroy and surrounding peaks. Following breakfast, we will organize ourselves for a full-day hike into the park.  Alternatives include the Mirador Torre or the Piedras Blancas trails.  El Chalten is our best option for getting some laundry done so we will drop that off before we go hiking.  Those not up for a hike can opt for a road-based tour up the Las Vueltas River.  Overnight Hotel Chalten Suites.

Dec 11: Early pre-breakfast outing for first-light photography of the amazing Cerro Fitzroy and surrounding peaks.  Following breakfast, we will make our way back towards El Calafate stopping mid-way for an excursion and hike through the arid Valle Los Leones, a private reserve where an extensive petrified forest is located.  The highlight being the many dinosaur bones from the Cretaceous Period that are encountered here as well! Overnight Hotel Mirador del Lago in Calafate.

Dec 12: Following breakfast we will begin our journey back to Chile. After a few hours of driving, we’ll re-enter Chile and continue for about an hour to Estancia Rio Penitente, a historic sheep ranch still owned by the descendants of the original Scottish settlers.  Here we learn some of the history of this ranch and the emblematic sheep ranching industry that defined Patagonia’s early development. Farewell dinner in the evening. Overnight Estancia Rio Penitente.                 

Dec 13:      Following breakfast we will transfer (1.5 hrs) to the Punta Arenas Airport. Connecting with your afternoon flight to Santiago where you can connect with your evening flight home.  End of tour…..  Note: *Pumas extension starts here.             

Price: US$7,450 (shared occupancy), US$8,950 (Single occupancy private room)

Included: All hotel accommodations, meals, ground transportation, local guides and photo instruction. 

Not Included: International and domestic airfare, alcoholic beverages and soft drinks (bottled water included at meals), park entrance fees, optional boat tours, gratuities for local guides and hotel/restaurant staff, laundry service.  

*note:‍ ‍this itinerary may require some slight modifications prior to tour date.