The Patagonia area, which lies at the
southernmost point of Chile and Argentina, is truly one of the last frontiers, inhabited primarily by small tribal groups, hardy fishing villages, and an amazing diversity of wildlife and natural wonders that will literally take your breath away. homes
The majority of visitors to Patagonia remain on either the Chilean or Argentine sides. But now there's a way to see both...in an unlikely combination of pure adventure and pure luxury.
On an eight-day tour of this wild area, Quasar Expeditions, a well-known Ecuadorean travel company, is teaming up with the iconic Jeep brand. Because of the 4x4 you'll be driving, you'll be able to see natural wonders like Torres del Paine National Park, Los Glaciares National Park, and the mighty Perito Moreno Glacier. And you'll soon discover that "adventure" and "luxury" are not mutually exclusive in the hotels where you'll be staying.
Your journey will begin in Puerto Natales, Chile. The Quasar team will greet you and hand you the keys to your 2013 Jeep® Wrangler Rubicon. The vehicle has a built-in Garmin GPS as well as an external GPS Ranger® that serves as a virtual tour guide, pointing out points of interest and ensuring that the pre-programmed hotels and destinations are reached each day. You have the choice of driving yourself when accompanied by a guide, letting the guide drive, or going on your own without a guide.
You'll go on walks, ride by catamaran (and on top of a horse) throughout the day, and even try sub-Arctic bird-watching. At night, you'll unwind in luxurious hotels with exquisite cuisine, wine, and even spas. The drives aren't very long, varying from an hour or three to four hours.
The journey begins in Chile, at the Singular Patagonia Hotel, a year-old (and already award-winning) 100-year-old former cold storage plant turned into a 57-room luxury retreat on the shores of the Fjord of Last Hope. Before retiring for the night, sample local cuisine such as guanaco and conger eel, as well as a selection of pisco sours.
The next morning, your party will cross the Argentine border and travel north through the Patagonian Pampa to Hosteria Helsingfors, a rustic retreat. Horseback riding or hiking up to a secluded blue lagoon at the edge of a glacier would be the focus of two days spent here, on the edge of beautiful Lake Viedma and across from the mighty Mt. Fitz Roy.
The following day, travel to the Perito Glacier and the "Iceberg Channel," before arriving at Eolo Lodge, an authentic Argentine estancia near El Calafate.
Then you'll return to Chile and enter Torres del Paine National Park, which is home to ice-blue glaciers and towering, pointed peaks that jut through the clouds. At an alpine lake named Toro, you'll spend the night at Patagonia Resort, Chile's first luxury tented camp.
The next day, you'll climb up the French Valley to the Paine Grande Massif's hanging glaciers. Dinner will be roasted Patagonia lamb cooked the gaucho (cowboy) way in the evening. The next day is spent traveling around the park, stopping to see Chilean flamingos and black-faced Ibis, as well as the three large mountains named after Torres del Paine National Park. Lunch will be served on the beach of a blue lagoon.
You will now see Patagonia as it was seen by the early explorers. But you can do it in a way they've never imagined.