THE LAST FRONTIER (14D-13N) 5N Estancias - 2N Riverside domes - 2N Hotels - 4N Camping Star / End Punta Arenas Cowboy Up: This horseback ride through Torres del Paine and Bernardo O’Higgins National Parks in the stark southern region of Patagonia made veteran traveler Bryan Rees feel like a bona fide cowpuncher. “Drinking mate [traditional herb drink] with gauchos around a fire, cutting pieces of lamb off a spit, and learning to saddle a horse were moments that made the trip feel real and not planned.” These 11 days riding give you time to experience seven Patagonian Estancias in the surrounding areas of Torres del Paine & Bernardo O’Higgins National Park. You will enjoy the estancias' homey feeling and comfort, sharing together with local people a delicious lamb barbecue cooked in the Patagonian style. Highlights include amazing views of the famous Torres, 4 glaciers, Lake Sarmiento and the opportunity to gallop along the magnificent prairie areas called Pampas. Day 1 Transfer Punta Arena’s airport – Estancia Lago Sofia We suggest you take the early flight Santiago - Punta Arenas (4 hours), flying over Los Andes and observing incredible views of the Patagonian Ice Fields. Upon your arrival to Punta Arenas, considered the most southern city on the continent, a private transfer will be waiting to drive you to the surrounding areas of Puerto Natales. As we leave the airport we will be able to see the Straights of Magellan and the mystic Tierra del Fuego. During a 3-hour trip we will drive through open pampas and huge ranches (estancias), and chances are we will be able to observe one of the most typical animals in this area, the ñandu, (rare South American ostrich). Then we will head north, arriving in Puerto Natales, located on the Sound of Last Hope, a typical fishing town surrounded by mountains. During late afternoon we will arrive to a working ranch. We spend the night in a cozy farmhouse. (4 hours by private transfer) (D) (Night at Estancia Laguna Sofia) Day 2 Horseback ride to Puesto Vega Senoret Breakfast will be served from 7.30 to 9.00. The Ride will start at 9.30. We will be riding for 6 hours, with a lunch break of about an hour, where a picnic lunch will be served. We will arrive to the Puesto in Vega Senoret, this is a place far away from towns or cities the lodging here will be inside a mountain hut (Puesto), with no shower, and the toilet will be just latrine. We will enjoy a dinner around a fire in this amazing location (6 hours ride) (B-BL-D) (Night at Puesto at Vega Senoret or camp) (Basic Facilities, no hot water or shower) Day 3 Full day ride to Cerro Ventana Breakfast will be served since 8.30 am we will get the horses ready and we will start a unique ride to the top of the the Cerro ventana, just in front of our camp, the terrain is variable, most of the ride will be walking and trotting, we will cross a couple of streams and ride over rocky terrain, on top of the hill we will enjoy a panoramic view of the whole valley. We will ride back on a different trail and enjoy a nice barbeque at the puesto. (6 hours horseback ride) (B-BL-BBQ) (Night at Puesto at Vega Senoret) (Basic Facilities, no hot water or shower) Day 4 One way ride to Estancia Cerro Campana Breakfast will be served since 8.30AM; your luggage will be transport by vehicle to the next Ranch. Take only the necessary items with you. The Ride will start at 9.30am to Cerro Campana; the ride will be a little more technical because we will go through a dense forest and rocky areas, by lunch time we will have an spectacular view of the hustler’s valley and the condors perches, dinner and accommodation at estancia Cerro Campana. (6-7 hours horseback ride) (B-BL-D) (Nigh at Estancia Cerro Campana) Day 5 One way ride to Estancia Tres Pasos Breakfast will be served since 8.30 will get the horses ready and we go for our ride to Tres Pasos, it is a 12 km ride very relaxed, the trail is surrounded by mountain and forest, we will arrive to Estancia traveler’s inn Tres Pasos which use to be frequented by the Noble prize poet Gabriela Mistral. (4 hours horseback ride) (B-BL-D) (Night at Estancia Tres Pasos Day 6 One way ride to Cerro Castillo – Transfer to Estancia Tercera Barranca Today we ride through beautiful countryside until we arrive at a small farming settlement Cerro Castillo. This ride will take us around lagoons, through woodland valleys and up to a lookout point to see the Torres del Paine National Park. From here we will take a transfer to our next ranch: estancia Tercera Barranca, a cozy farmhouse with amazing views of the Towers. (5 hours slow riding, trotting and cantering, 30 minutes in private transfer) (B-BL-D) (Night at Estancia Tercera Barranca) Day 7 Round trip ride to Salto Las Chinas Waterfall Today we will ride to the east of Torres del Paine National park. The first couple of hours will be across the Patagonian steppe, which is found on flatlands and plateaus with semi-arid, cold climates and an annual precipitation of up to 400 mm. After 3 hours riding will reach a waterfall “Salto Las Chinas”, where we have lunch before we start our ride back to our cozy ranch house. In the evening we will gather in front of the fireplace, with a Pisco sour in hand (Chilean brandy made from Muscatel grapes) to enjoy a Lamb barbecue Patagonian style. (6-7 hours slow riding, trotting and cantering) (B-BL-BBQ) (Night at Estancia Tercera Barranca) Day 8 One way ride to Estancia Lazo We will start early in the morning, going down through a trail all the way to the border of Torres del Paine National park. We get to a look at point of the famous Torres, at the Sarmiento Lake, which is located at the limit of Torres del Paine National park. We will have lunch on the shores of Lake Sarmiento whilst observing its strange calcium formations and then continue on through forests and small lakes with wonderful views of the Paine Massif, to arrive at Hostería Lazo, located just outside the park. The hosteria is part of the Estancia Lazo, a large cattle ranch dating from the last century, which has magnificent views of the Paine Massive and Laguna Verde. The rooms are very comfortable; the estancia´s main house has been remodeled into a cozy, country- style dining room-bar. (7-8 hours walking, trotting and galloping) (B-BL-D) (Night spent at Estancia Lazo) Day 9 One way ride to Rio Serrano Area We will begin our ride through native Nothofagus forests, going around small lagoons, with incredible views of the Paine Massif and surrounding areas. We reach the highest peak of our day with excellent picture taking opportunities of the Paine River emptying into Toro Lake (the largest in t he region). From this viewpoint we will begin our descent to the park’s visitor center, from where we will ride to the shore of the Serrano River where we will stay in our Chile Nativo camp, enjoying a gourmet dinner. (5-6 hours, slow riding, trotting and cantering) (B-BL-D) (Night at Chile Nativo Riverside Camp) Day 10 One way Ride to Lake Grey – Navigation in front of Glacier Grey We will start our day by riding to Grey Lake. We will be crossing huge pampas and a bridge over the Grey River to reach a superb viewpoint of the lake full of icebergs, which have broken off from the Grey Glacier, part of the southern ice field, which is the third largest reserve of fresh water in the world. Our lunch will be in front of this magnificent view. After lunch, we will take a boat ride to view the glacier up-close. In order to get to the boat we will walk through a mature beech forest where we might observe woodpeckers and Austral parakeets. We will navigate about one hour through icebergs of different tones of blue up to the Grey glacier, where we will stay for a while in front of the glacier in the hope of seeing icebergs calve. Our return journey offers views of Paine Grande with its impressive ice mushrooms. We will return in the transfer to spend a second night at the Riverside camp. (4-5 hours slow riding, trotting and cantering, 30 minutes walk, 3 hours by boat and 30 minutes by transfer) (B-L-D) (Night at Chile Nativo Riverside Camp) Day 11 One way ride to Lake Brush This day we head south, to arrive at Aniceto Astorga’s farmhouse. At Aniceto’s we’ll choose our new horses to begin a ride to an unexplored valley at the border of Torres Del Paine National Park. We cross several rivers and go through a landscape filled with lakes and wetlands, constantly being surprised by the changing views of the Paine massif and the last glaciers of the Southern Ice Field. We’ll spend the night here after setting up camp on the shores of Lake Brush, and enjoy a well deserve lamb barbecue Patagonian style. (10 minutes transfer, 4 hours walking and trotting) (B-BL-BBQ) (Night at Lake Brush Campsite) (No showers available or hot water) Day 12 One way ride to Cabins Balmaceda & Serrano Glacier After a good breakfast we continue to Bernardo O’Higgins national park.