Check in to the Mandarin Oriental (or similar) centrally located in Santiago, and have the morning to relax. Santiago is nearly surrounded by the Andes, which form an inspiring backdrop to your afternoon guided overview of this vibrant city. You will explore the Plaza de Armas, the main square, and nearby Presidential Palace, enjoying wonderful views from the many hills that dot the city. In the early evening, we gather for an informal reception and a drink at the hotel. 

Today you fly from Santiago to Punta Arenas, Chile’s southern gateway to Patagonia, drive to the outpost of Puerto Natales and check in to our fine hotel, the Singular, located on Última Esperanza (Last Hope) Sound. The sound got its name when 16th-century explorers tried and failed to find a route to the Pacific here. This afternoon, you will enjoy a short exploration of the town, including a visit to the small but excellent Municipal Historical Museum, with exhibits on the region’s Native Americans and on its settler past. You will have dinner at our hotel. 

You will drive to Torres del Paine National Park, stopping at Milodón Cave, where the remains of an extinct giant sloth was discovered. Illuminating displays show the history of human habitation and wildlife of the region. You will continue to monumental Torres del Paine, a UNESCO Biosphere reserve and a place of superlatives. The landscape is big, wide and sprawling, with razor-backed ridges, Andean condors, guanacos, foxes, and rheas. Regardless of where you are, the Paine massif draws your eye with its jagged peaks, including the famous “Horns” and the three towers for which the park is named. These granite mountains are topped with a thick layer of dark slate. Chileans themselves dream of visiting this magnificent park, and it holds a special place in their hearts as a symbol of the wild.
You will then spend three nights at the Tierra Patagonia Hotel & Spa, a member of the National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World collection. During your days here, you’ll discover one of the most spectacular and wildlife-rich areas in the Americas, covering 450,000 acres of glaciers, forests and grasslands, rivers and colorful lakes and lagoons. You’ll be able to choose among a variety of excursions each day, ranging from a challenging hike to the base of the towers, to a shorter walk among guanaco herds to the edge of a lake, to a scenic drive to a waterfall and the “Blue Lagoon”, with views of the towers. Or ride horseback if you wish, in this most inspiring of landscapes. You’ll leave here with the feeling you’ve really experienced an adventure. 

You will have a final morning to explore Torres del Paine. We then drive to Puerto Natales, where we embark National Geographic Orion. 

Your Captain and local pilots guide you through Kirke Narrows, accessible only to a small ship such as Orion. Youll look to make stops in the extensive maze of channels and islands of the Chilean fjords, where you may go out to explore by Zodiac and kayak or take a forest walk

Tierra del Fuego is one of Patagonia’s crown jewels. You will have special permission from the Wildlife Conservation Society to visit Karukinka Natural Park, home to nesting black-browed albatross, condors, and elephant seals.

Myriad fjords or senos indent the coast. Cruise deep into the senos, punctuated at the end by tidewater glaciers, to explore by Zodiac, kayak, and on foot. Transit the Beagle Channel, where you’ll look to use your Zodiacs to land and explore one of the many intriguing sites.

Visit Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of the continent, and, weather permitting, land there for panoramic views.

Discover extraordinary Staten Island. Its mountainous, forested landscapes and rugged fjords are beautiful. Spot southern rockhopper and Magellanic penguins, fur seals and sea lions. See the San Juan de Salvamento “lighthouse at the end of the world,” which inspired Jules Verne’s novel by the same name.

Disembark in Ushuaia. Take a charter flight to Santiago and connect to your overnight flight home.