Paine Grande Circuit with Kayak or Hike on Ice (9 days)

Program (November 15, 2016 to March 15, 2017):

• Group between 2 and 5 people:
• For Chileans and resident foreigners in Chile: CLP$ 1.850.000 per person.
• For non-resident foreigners in Chile: US$ 2,995 per person.
• Group between 6 and 9 people:
• For Chileans and resident foreigners in Chile: CLP$ 1.720.000 per person.
• For non-resident foreigners in Chile: US$ 2,745 per person.

Optional activities:

• Hike on Ice in Glacier Grey: CLP$ 95.000 per person.
• Kayak in Glacier Grey: CLP$ 60.000 per person.

1. Select the departure date from the calendar.
2. Select the number of people.
3. Click on "Add to cart".
4. Pay the full price of the tour online.

• Transportation:
• Normal bus transport round trip from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine National Park.
• Connection transport from reception of Laguna Amarga to Las Torres area.
• 6 nights’ accommodation in shared room shelters (includes sleeping bag or sheets according to the availability) and 2 nights' accommodation in a campsite in shared tents (includes sleeping bag):
• 1st night in Campamento Serón (campsite).
• 2nd night in Refugio Dickson.
• 3rd night in Campamento Los Perros (campsite).
• 4th night in Refugio Grey.
• 5th night in Refugio Grey.
• 6th night in Domos El Francés.
• 7th night in Domos El Francés.
• 8th night in Refugio Torre Central
• Meals:
• Breakfast (coffee, tea, milk bread, eggs, jam, juice and fruit).
• Box-lunch (cold sandwich, cereal bar, chocolate bar, dried fruits and fruit).
• Dinner (everyday menu with starter, main course, dessert and water).
• Bilingual guide (Spanish or English).
• Bearers.
• Dry bags to carry personal articles and clothes in the route.

• Entry ticket to the Torres del Paine National Park (CLP$ 6.000 for Chileans and CLP$ 21.000 for foreigners).

• A 40 liter backpack for all the circuit.
• A 20-25 liter rucksack for during the day treks.
• Waterproof jacket and pants.
• Polar warm clothes (Polartec or similar).
• Thermal clothing (first layer).
• Short and long sleeved T-shirts.
• Trekking shoes.
• Enough batteries (energy is produced in a sustainable way, so there are no sockets to charge batteries).
• Earplugs.
• Sandals (for showers and rest).
• Flashlight.
• Lock.
• Towel.
• Winter hat and gloves for cold temperatures.
• Cap to protect yourself from the sun.
• Sun block.
• Sunglasses.
• Ziploc bags or similar (to store the garbage).
• Hiking poles.
• Sleeping bag.

Beginning: Day 1 at 7:30 am in your hotel in Puerto Natales.
Ending: Day 9 at 10:00 pm in Puerto Natales Bus Station.

Day 0: Arrival at Puerto Natales. The day before the beginning of the program, we will meet at the local offices of Puerto Natales with our guide, who will make a short introductory talk about the circuit and will give us all the necessary recommendations and instructions. Also at the office, we will receive the dry bags so we can keep our clothes and other elements or personal items that we will need during the next days in them. This bag cannot weight more than 7.5 kilograms and it will be handled to the bearers the next day, once we arrive at the Torres del Paine National Park. The baggage that we won't use, we can keep it at the offices until the end of the journey. This night accommodation in Puerto Natales is not included in the program.

Day 1: Transfer to the Torres del Paine National Park and Campamento Serón Trek (8.9 kilometers, 4 to 6 hours, 200 meter high). The journey begins in Puerto Natales, from where we will go out in a bus to the Torres del Paine National Park at 7:30 am. After 2 hours, we will arrive to the park's reception desk, in Amarga Lagoon, to register and buy the entry ticket to the park. After the entry procedures, we will board a shuttle that will take us to Las Torres area, place from where will begin our trek. Once there, we will meet our bearers and we will give them our dry bags. We will begin our trek from this place, in a track that will guide us through ancient glaciers moraines. The walking will be by the hillsides of the Cerro Paine and its beautiful grasslands, crossing a great forest of Nothofagus (lengas, coigües and ñirres). In this route, we will have the chance to see cachañas (Enicognathus ferrugineus, from the family of parrots), various species of gooses, and occasionally guanacos and foxes. The accommodation this day is in Campamento Serón.

Day 2: Refugio Dickson Trek (18.5 kilometers, 6 to 8 hours, 204 meters high). We will begin this long trek day at 8:30 am from Domos Serón. The track will take us from high and low points, where the land, in general, is flat. We will walk through the Cerro Paine hillsides, going around the Paine Lake. If the weather conditions allow it, we will see the northeast top of the Paine Range. Finally, we will arrive at the Refugio Dickson, located at Dickson Lake's shore, a glacial lake at the edge of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Here we will camp.

Day 3: Campamento Los Perros Trek (8.7 kilometers, 5 to 7 hours, 350 meters high). This day we will go to the John Gardner pass. The activity starts at 8:30 am from the Refugio Dickson. In our way, we will appreciate the Dickson Glacier pouring itself in the lake with the same name. We will enter an old Nothofagus forest, moving forward to Los Perros River. Just before arriving at the Campamento Los Perros, we will pass in front of Los Perros Glacier, where we will have incredible views of the glacier and its lake. From this point on, we will make the last half hour of hike towards the Campamento Los Perros, located in a quiet, old forest.

Day 4: Grey Glacier Trek (22 kilometers, 10 to 12 hours, 1,000 meters high). Probably, this will be the most exhausting day of our journey, and at the same time, the most spectacular. We will leave the Campamento Los Perros at 6:30 am and we will go up to the John Gardner pass. Once on the top, we will have an amazing panoramic view of one of Southern Patagonian Ice Field tongues, full of pointy ice and cracks. After this unique moment, we will begin our descent through the woods, in a very steep land (downhill), with a lot of logs in the area. Once the descent is completed, we will go on to the Grey Lake to the Refugio Grey, where we will spend the night.

Day 5: Day off in Grey Glacier. This day we can relax and recover energies from the exhausting walk from the previous day, having some free time to enjoy the area. After breakfast, we will make a short hike to the Grey Glacier viewpoint, from where we can enjoy a spectacular view of the glacier, the floating ice floes, the mountains and woods. If we are lucky, we will see some glacier ice releases to the lake. In the afternoon we will have some free time to rest or make one of the next optional excursions, to then return to the accommodation in the Refugio Grey:

• Optional 1: Grey Glacier Ice Hike (5 hours). At 8:30 am, after breakfast, you will have to go to the operations base, where you will get the full equipment: ice ax, crampons, harness and helmet. Besides, you will have a talk with the ice guides. The excursion begins with the Zodiac sailing and a 1 hour hike to get to the thousand-year-old glacier that you will explore for 3 hours. The return is by the same way (hike and Zodiac), to then begin the trek to the Pehoé area and board the catamaran back.
• Optional 2: Grey Lake Kayak (2 hours and a half). The journey begins at 9:00 am in the land operations base, where the kayak instructors will give you the equipment and instructions. Once in the lake, you will use the kayak to explore the ice floes close to the Grey Glacier. After we go back to the coast, begins the hike to Pehoé to take the catamaran back.

Day 6: Domos el Francés Trek (21.6 kilometers, 8 hours, 183 meters high). This day we will continue our circuit to the south, going around the Grey Lake, with stops in various viewpoints, from where it is possible to appreciate the glacier and its ice floes floating in the lake. Arriving at Los Patos Lagoon, we will begin going downhill to the Paine Grande Campsite, located in the beautiful Pehoé Lake's shore, characteristic by its turquoise color. Going on the track, we will pass in front of the French Valley entrance and by the Italian Camp, to finally arrive at the Domos El Francés, our accommodation place.

Day 7: French Valley Trek (17 kilometers, 8 hours, 579 meters high). This day we will go back to the Italian Camp, at 1 hour from our starting point. After arriving in the camp, we will continue for one hour and a half more by the track until the French Glacier viewpoint. In this area, we will see the hanging glacier, and if we are lucky, we will see some ice releases from the Paine Grande Hill. After that, we will continue crossing a Nothofagus forest, to the British Viewpoint, considered by many as one of the most extraordinary viewpoints of the circuit. We will go back by the same track to the Domos El Francés, where we will spend the night again.

Day 8: Las Torres Area Trek (13.5 kilometers, 5 hours and a half, 200 meters high). We will go out from the Domos El Francés at 9:00 am, to begin a trek that will take us through a lot of high and low points, always going around the Nordenskjöld Lake. In our way, we will pass down the hanging glaciers of the Altamirano Nieto Hill, towards the Refugio Central, our accommodation place of the day. Once there, the bearers will give us our belongings and we will say good bye to them.

Day 9: Las Torres Base Trek and Transfer to Puerto Natales (13 kilometers, 7 to 8 hours). We will go out at 9:00 am from the Refugio Torre Central, to begin the trek that will take us to the eagerly awaited Torres del Paine. We will make a 1 hour and a half ascent, with beautiful views from the surrounding lakes and the hanging glacier of the Almirante Nieto Hill, until we arrive at the Refugio El Chileno. After that, and for 1 hour, we will continue the hike crossing a thousand-year-old lenga forest to the Moraine Base, which we will climb for 45 minutes until we reach the most important point of the national park: the Las Torres Base Viewpoint. From there, we will have an impressive view of the South Tower, Central Tower, North Tower and Nido de Cóndor. We will return by the same track to Las Torres area, where we will board the bus that will take us back to Puerto Natales, arriving at 10:00 pm to the Bus Station.

• How much time in advance should I book the program?
  Due to the program's complex organization that includes availability and coordination of accommodations, guides and bearers, our recommendation is to book at least one month in advance. If you want to know the program's availability before booking, e-mail us to reservas@denomades.com.

• Is this a group program together with other groups?
  No, each group makes the program individually. It is true that it is a guided trek, but there are no previously formed groups to which you can join.

• Should the non-resident foreigners in Chile pay some tax not included in the program price?
  No. In Chile there is a tax law to promote tourism that allows non-resident foreigners get an exemption not to pay 19% tax. For that, at the moment of the check-in in every refugio, they must present their passport and their immigration card (delivered by International Police at the moment of entering Chile). In case of not presenting this documents, the tax will be charged in cash (Chilean pesos) in every refugio.

• How is the infrastructure in every refugio?
  All refugios have the same level of infrastructure. They have mixed gender rooms, with 4 to 8 beds each (2 to 4 bunk beds) and have heating 24 hours a day. Bathrooms are segregated and have warm water in showers and washbasin 24 hours a day.

• Is it possible to buy food or other items in the refugios?
  Yes. All refugios have cafeterias and grocery stores where it is possible to buy food, personal hygiene items and objects for your trip, among other things. Paying methods accepted by the refugios are cash (Chilean pesos) and credit or debit card.

• Are there sockets available to charge electronic devices?
  Rooms don't have sockets available. There are a limited number of sockets in the dining rooms, so they might be unavailable when you need them. That's why we recommend you to optimize the battery use and take external batteries with you.

• Is there Wi-Fi in the refugios?
  Yes. The Wi-Fi service is not included in the program price and it is payed directly in every refugio. Depending on the speed and usage time, the price goes from USD$ 4 per 30 minutes.

• Can I cook in the refugio?
  In all shelters, except the Refugio El Chileno, it is allowed to cook in the camping surrounding areas. These areas have the necessary facilities to cook; however, the kitchenware must be brought by every passenger.
   
• What are the transport options to go from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales?
  There are different bus companies that make the route every day. To get to know the departure times you must check the information published in their websites (Bus-Sur, Buses Pacheco and Buses Fernández). Also, you can make the trip in a private transfer service. To check the prices of the private transfer service, write us toreservas@denomades.com.
   
• Is it possible to make the program with private room accommodation?
  It is possible to change the accommodation to a superior one just in some nights, if there is room availability. If you want to check the program with superior accommodation, e-mail us to reservas@denomades.com, indicating departure date and number of people.