PERFECT DAY ITINERARY - PATAGONIA, CHILE

As our fall turns into winter and a chill descends, the Southern Hemisphere is just beginning to blossom into spring. The extraordinarily beautiful region of Patagonia, for example, is at its prime during our coldest months, making for an ideal winter escape. Once you’ve journeyed to Chile’s remote Tierra Patagonia Hotel & Spa, here’s how to spend three perfect days exploring this area’s breathtaking landscape and culture.

DAY ONE

7:00am

With the sun up before 6:00 am, it’s easy to be an early riser in Patagonia. From your cozy but spacious two-story suite at Tierra Patagonia Hotel & Spa, enjoy enviable views out over Torres del Paine National Park. After a hearty breakfast of fresh fruit, scrambled eggs and toast with Mantecoso cheese, prepare for a day of hiking by dressing in layers (this region’s weather can be notoriously unpredictable), packing a windbreaker and ensuring you have plenty of water.

8:30am

Led by an experienced guide, your first big Patagonian adventure is an iconic one: a full-day hike to the base of Torres del Paine’s Three Towers. Famous the world over, this legendary route is on the bucket list of many avid hikers and will take you across greatly varied terrain. You’ll hike through native forest, cross a river and navigate massive chunks of stone before being rewarded with a commanding view of the Three Towers.

5:45pm

Dinner is yet another way to experience the unique environment of Patagonia. At the lodge’s restaurant, chefs create dishes featuring local delicacies like lamb; wild hare; and king crab caught in the Strait of Magellan. Other ingredients, including herbs and berries, are foraged from the land.

DAY TWO

8:45am

After a breakfast of waffles and fruit, layer up once again and meet with your guide. Today you’ll be exploring by horseback from the Entre Lagos section of Estancia Cerro Guido, a nearby ranch established at the end of the 19th century. After donning chaps and hard hats, you’ll mount your steeds for a ride along an unmarked trail towards Lake Sarmiento, where yet more exquisite views of the surrounding mountains await.

2:00pm

After your half-day trek, unwind by visiting Uma, Tierra Patagonia’s spa. Like the lodge itself, Uma is understated but luxurious; its heated indoor pool is encased entirely by glass, so you have the chance to spot animals in the surrounding wilderness while enjoying a hydromassage. The rest of the temperature-controlled spa circuit includes a steam room, plenty of dedicated relaxation spaces and an outdoor open-air whirlpool. Soothe sore muscles even further with a massage, body wrap or scrub; each of which use all-natural ingredients and aromatherapy oils.

6:00pm

Rehash the details of your day over Calafate Sours – the lodge’s signature cocktail. Native to the region, calafate is a shrub with pulpy purple fruit that must be harvested by hand from the plant’s spiny branches. Then, after an amazing tomahawk steak dinner, it’s early to bed in anticipation of tomorrow’s exploits.

DAY THREE

6:50am

Rise early to enjoy breakfast before a full-day kayaking expedition. After traveling to Lake Grey – a body of water that’s proglacial, meaning it formed behind a moraine or ice dam – you’ll hop into your kayaks and paddle past towering ice formations that have cracked off Glacier Grey. Weather permitting, you’ll also head down the river towards the equally-scenic Serrano area.

6:30pm

Hungry from your time on the water, dinner is a satisfying spread of grilled melon with papaya yogurt sauce, sea bass with thyme and cochayuyo – a type of Chilean kelp – and a nutty slice of nougat almond cake to finish it all off.

8:00pm

At the end of the day, cozy into your suite’s second-floor lounge with cups of tea to admire Patagonia’s dusky skies – a great time to reflect on the three days you’ve spent in this unique and remarkable place.