Patagonia: Torres del Paine, Glacier Trekking & the Last Great Wilderness

Patagonia occupies the southern cone of South America — a shared territory between Chile and Argentina that encompasses approximately 1 million square kilometers of mountains, steppe, glacier, and coastline at the windiest, wildest extremity of the inhabited world. The light here is different from anywhere else: low, saturated, changing by the minute as weather systems cross the Pacific from Antarctica and break against the Andes.

The granite towers of Torres del Paine — three quartzite monoliths rising over 2,500 meters from the Patagonian steppe — are among the most photographed natural formations on earth. When the morning light catches them at the precise angle that turns the stone from grey to copper to gold, it is one of the great visual experiences that travel can provide.

Where to Stay: Wilderness Luxury

Explora Torres del Paine (explora.com) is the gold standard of Patagonian accommodation — a sprawling cedar lodge built directly above a turquoise glacial lake with an unobstructed view of the Torres. The all-inclusive model — covering guides, horses, kayaks, and 30+ curated daily excursions by foot, horseback, and boat — is designed to make the wilderness accessible without compromise. The cellar holds some of the finest Chilean wines available, and the chef sources local lamb, king crab, and Patagonian trout from surrounding farms and waterways. Rooms from $1,800/night all-inclusive. explora.com.

awasi Patagonia (awasi.com) offers a more intimate version of the same experience — 14 private villas each with a dedicated personal guide and vehicle for the duration of the stay. The guiding model means your itinerary is entirely customized, not following a group schedule — a meaningful difference when accessing remote sections of the park. Villas from $2,200/night all-inclusive.

Espacio y Luz (espacioyluz.cl) outside Puerto Natales is the most architecturally ambitious lodge in Patagonia — a series of glass pavilions with floor-to-ceiling views across the last cordillera ridge, designed by Chilean architect Mathias Klotz. Rooms from $500/night.

The W Trek: Patagonia's Iconic Route

The W Trek — a 5-day circuit through the most dramatic sections of the park — is the defining Patagonian walking experience. It passes below the Torres, through the Valle del Francés, and around the hanging Glacier Grey, covering approximately 80 kilometers with 2,000 meters of daily elevation change. The trek can be completed in luxury mountain lodges operated by EcoCamp (ecocamp.travel) and Las Torres — or with Explora guides who carry equipment and prepare camp.

Crossing to Argentina: Perito Moreno Glacier

From Puerto Natales, a 3-hour drive crosses the border to El Calafate in Argentina and the Perito Moreno Glacier — the world's most active and accessible advancing glacier. At 250 square kilometers of blue-white ice, the glacier calves enormous ice blocks into Lago Argentino with a continuous sound like distant cannon fire. Trekking on the glacier surface with a local guide — wearing crampons across the crevassed ice, pausing for whisky poured over 1,000-year-old glacial ice — is one of the most otherworldly physical experiences available to travelers.

Getting There

Fly to Punta Arenas (PUQ) from Santiago (2.5 hours) with LATAM or Sky Airline. Transfers to the lodges are by private vehicle. The most dramatic arrival option is the 3-hour ferry across the Última Esperanza fjord from Puerto Natales.