Upon arrival in Santiago you will be met at the airport and transferred to our hotel. Please look for your transfer driver in the arrivals hall of the airport. They will be holding a sign with your name on it. On check-in at the hotel please check the noticeboard for a message from your tour leader. In the evening there will be a short briefing to discuss your holiday. This is usually followed by an optional dinner in a nearby restaurant. During our stay in Santiago we drive south from the city to the Concha y Toro winery located in Pirque, in Maipo Canyon. Founded in 1883, this is one of Chile’s most famous vineyards. The cellars, built with materials dating back to the 18th century, are situated six metres underground to maintain the ideal temperature needed for fine wines. We stroll around this beautiful estate before moving to the cellars, where some of the different stages involved in the local winemaking process are explained. And, finally, we have the opportunity to taste some of the wines that have made this place so famous! Returning to the city we start our exploration of the Chilean capital. This city has experienced a turbulent history that has included native wars, floods and earthquakes. A walking tour takes us to many of the outstanding attractions in the city centre before we drive through the main avenues of the old districts, across the Bohemian neighbourhood of Bellavista and up San Cristobal Hill for a magnificent panoramic view of the city and the Andes Mountain range. Then we visit the modern parts of Santiago to see elegant residential neighbourhoods, as well as shopping and financial districts. The tour ends at the artisan village of Los Graneros del Alba, where the craftsmen can be seen at work. Here, we also have time to walk around or do some shopping.

In the morning we are transferred back to Santiago airport for our flight down the spine of the Andes to Puerto Montt. Don’t forget to ask for a seat on the left hand side of the plane when you check in; the views are spectacular! We then transfer around 30 minutes away to Puerto Varas nestled on the shores of Lake Llanquihue, one of the largest natural lakes in South America. Here we will meet our Argentinean leader. The city is well known for its German traditions, its food, its fish and seafood and its superb natural environment. The perfect cone of Osorno Volcano and the snow-capped peaks of Mt Calbuco and Mt Tronador are clearly visible from the lake-front and dominate the landscape. In the afternoon we have time to explore the lovely township of Puerto Varas.

With three nights in Puerto Varas we have time to really explore this beautiful region. This morning we take a ferry to Chacao on Chiloé Island, the largest island in Southern Chile. Famed for its myths and legends, The Island of Chiloé is the home to many UNESCO World Heritage Sites, most notably the many iconic churches covered in wooden tiles and the famous Chilote wood shingles 'palafitos' – colourful painted houses built on stilts at the water's edge. We visit picturesque fishing villages and the old Spanish fortress of Ancud before continuing to the Pacific Coast where we explore some of the smaller islands of this archipelago by Zodiac. Here we will visit penguin rockeries and sight the Magellan and Humboldt penguins, there are also cormorants and many species of subantarctic birdlife living in this area. On our way back to Puerto Varas we stop in Puerto Montt to visit the Angelmó Fish markets, the largest in Chile.

Today we spend a full day exploring the Chilean lakes district. The scenery in this area is very European; it is like Switzerland with volcanos, stunning! We skirt the shore of Lake Llanquihue and take in the magnificent views of the Orsono and Cabuco volcanos along the way. We navigate Lake Todo los Santos on a typical wooden boat and take a short walk at Saltos de Petrohué (Petrohué Waterfalls), where the icy blue glacial water tumbles and twists over spectacular falls. From here we travel by bus and boat across emerald lakes to the tiny hamlet of Puella, close to the Argentine border where we walk through the lush Valdivian forest and visit the nearby waterfall. This evening return through the National park to Puerto Varas.

This morning we rise early for breakfast and transfer back to Puerto Montt Airport for our flight south to Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in Chile. From here we are drive around 350 kilometres to the magnificent Torres del Paine National Park, sure to be a highlight of your trip! We stay the next three nights at our lodge located within the National Park, where accommodation is provided in three and four bedded rooms with shared facilities.

A UNESCO-declared World Biosphere Reserve, this world renowned National Park is a unique combination of impressive craggy mountains, including the famous Cuernos del Paine (Paine Horns), glaciers, waterfalls and lakes, as well as being home to abundant plant and animal life. There are excellent chances to spot guanacos, rheas, Andean condors, Chilean flamingos and many other species of birds and mammals. The Paine Massif rises over 3000 metres above the Patagonian steppe and we spend two days trekking in this stunning area. We spend our first morning hiking around the Grey Lake where Icebergs carved from massive Grey glacier drift gracefully. After lunch we take an afternoon hike to a panoramic viewpoint for the entire Paine massif. On day 8 we have a full day of trekking to Laguna Las Torres, at the base of the amazing ’Towers of Paine’.

We enjoy a full day visiting the different areas of this beautiful national park. Short walks take us to Salto Grande Waterfall and the iceberg landscape of Grey Lake. In the late afternoon we transfer across the pampas to Puerto Natales, a picturesque fishing village on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. With a population of 18,000, it is today a major tourist centre for anyone visiting Torres del Paine National Park or catching the ferry from Puerto Montt. The area was originally inhabited by Alacaluf and Tehuelche tribes before the first Europeans came in 1557. Subsequently, sheep farming became the main industry and attracted a large number of pioneering settler to the area. These were largely immigrants that included people from German, British and southern Slavic stock, giving rise to a unique cosmopolitan mix that can still be seen today.

Today we take the bus to Punta Arenas, where in the afternoon we have some free time to enjoy some of the sights of this southern outpost. This city of 120,000 people is an important trading centre for wool, hides, mutton and timber produced in southern Chile, as evident by the multitude of sawmills, tanneries and facilities for processing frozen meat and canned fish. It is also the supply centre for the oil industry on the nearby archipelago of Tierra del Fuego. Punta Arenas was founded in 1849 for the purpose of reinforcing Chilean claims of sovereignty over the Strait of Magellan. The name came from 'Punta Arenosa', which means 'Sandy Point'. The city was a major refuelling station for ships before the opening of the Panama Canal. In your free time here we suggest that you climb the short distance to the top of the nearby Cerro Mirador, where the lookout offers fantastic views over the city and straits. This is best followed by a stroll around the historic heart of town and a visit to the indigenous and colonial museums. The main municipal cemetery is also worthy of a look and the names on the opulent headstones are testament to the diverse nationalities of the early pioneers that settled in this remote city.

We have a long bus ride ahead of us today as we skirt the bottom of the South American continent before crossing the Straits of Magellan to the archipelago of Tierra del Fuego and the Argentinean town of Ushuaia. This unique place on the Beagle Channel lays claim to being the world's southernmost city and much of its development in the early 20th century was due to its development as a major penal colony. Today the old prison houses the Maritime Museum, which also contains interesting exhibits on Antarctic exploration. Today Ushuaia is the departure point for many expedition cruises to Antarctica.

Tierra del Fuego National Park was set up in 1960 and covers an area of 63,000 square kilometres, only a small part of which is open to the public. We travel by 4WD mini-van or Landrover. Our half-day excursion is designed for those who enjoy walks along easy and undemanding paths before sailing on a rubber zodiac on the Beagle Channel. We are picked up from our hotel between 9:00 and 9:30 am and travel westwards. After arriving at the national park gate we pay our park fee (this amount is not included and is approximately US$13) and proceed on a three-hour walk along the coast. This seven kilometre walk is doubtlessly the most beautiful in the park, as we come across a great variety of vegetation including high deciduous beech, low deciduous beech, evergreen beech, winter's bark and firebush. At beautiful Ensenada Bay we board an 18-person zodiac and navigate our way along the Beagle Channel to Redonda Island, where we view rock cormorants nestling on rocky cliffs. We then disembark on the island and enjoy our lunch in a refuge. Lunch is usually homemade pasta and drinks include red wine, sodas and mineral water. After lunch we have some free time to walk around the island, which is a natural reserve only opened to tourists a couple of years ago. Here we have the choice of two paths to walk on, both 20 minutes long. We board our zodiac and head to Lapataia Bay, where along the way we may see some of the beautiful seabirds of southern Argentina including albatross, petrel, snowy sheathbills and sometimes penguins. Beautiful Lapataia Bay marks the end of the Pan-American Road. It contains evidence of the Yámana people who used to live in huts around this bay and ate shellfish. 90 species of birds live in the park including many water birds as well as the Andean Condor, the bird of prey with the longest wingspan in the world. It is also home to 20 species of land mammals, some of these are introduced animals such as Canadian beaver, rabbits and grey fox. On the outskirts of the park can be found an old steam train known as 'Tren del Fin del Mundo' (End of the World Train), which was used to transport prisoners down to this remote location in the days when Ushuaia was a penal colony. At the completion of our tour we travel back to Ushuaia and arrive back at our hotel around 1:30 pm. In the afternoon, subject to weather conditions we embark on a 2.5 hours boat ride to the Sea-birds, Sea-Lions and Les Eclereurs Lighthouse Islands where we may see some of the beautiful seabirds of southern coastal Argentina including cormorants, rock cormorants, steamer-ducks, kelp geese, albatross, petrel and snowy sheathbills. You may even see some penguins during the excursion.

We enjoy a full day visiting the different areas of this beautiful national park. Short walks take us to Salto Grande Waterfall and the iceberg landscape of Grey Lake. In the late afternoon we transfer to Puerto Natales, a picturesque fishing village on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. With a population of 18,000, it is today a major tourist centre for anyone visiting Torres del Paine National Park or catching the ferry from Puerto Montt. The area was originally inhabited by Alacaluf and Tehuelche tribes before the first Europeans came in 1557. Subsequently, sheep farming became the main industry and attracted a large number of pioneering settlers to the area. These were largely immigrants that included people from German, British and southern Slavic stock, giving rise to a unique cosmopolitan mix that can still be seen today.