This trip combines the hidden gems of the Chilean and Argentine Lake Districts with off-the-beaten-track adventures in places you've never heard of, but once experienced will never forget. This is a journey for explorers and travellers who want to immerse themselves in the local cultures, flavours, ways of life and natural beauty of northern Patagonia. It's for those who want to immerse themselves in the landscape, be it walking to secret viewpoints, rafting down a lively river or raising a glass of crisp white wine as the sun sets over your vineyard cabin.

It is an adventure at its heart, but comes wrapped in a veneer of great comfort. You will stay in some of our favourite eco-lodges and cabins with wonderfully welcoming hosts. The food is genuinely outstanding and the roads here are mainly paved, smoothing out your travels.

The trip is therefore perfect for Patagonia first timers, or anyone who has seen the main sights down south (Torres del Paine, Perito Moreno Glacier etc.) and wants to go back and delve much deeper into the region.

As a tailormade trip we can adjust things to suit you prior to your departure. There is also much of this trip where it is up to you to set the pace. There is plenty of opportunity to get out walking on this vacation but equally, you have time to sit and stare at the landscapes.

At various stages in the journey, you have private guides who adjust activities to suit you. You also have the chance to kayak and horse ride should you wish to. Both are extremely safe, wonderfully relaxing and very enjoyable. Please see below for more details on the rafting, which is the most active of all the activities.

The activity which you most likely have the most questions about is the rafting in Futaleufú, for which we have put together its own Q&A:

Can anyone do the rafting?
Technically there is an age limit of 65 for the excursions. What that means in practice is that if you are above this age, you need to be in good health generally and be active enough to enjoy the experience. If you have any specific concerns, please relay these to us and we can discuss with our partners beforehand.

Is the rafting suitable for me if I have no experience?
As long as you have a good level of fitness, then absolutely yes. To be honest, once you've been through one rapid, you very quickly get the idea - when the guide shouts "forward!", you paddle as fast as you can and the guide is there to steer you through it. All you need to do is listen and react accordingly.

How demanding is the rafting?
The day is intense and gets tiring at times, but there are stretches of calm water where you can rest and enjoy the glorious views. It is physical, but then so are some of the bigger walks you might wish to do here - so it's all part of the adventure. One thing to keep in mind is that you're in a boat with four other rafters, plus the guide. It's the guide's responsibility to balance out the participants according to age, size, experience etc. So as long as you do your best and keep your ears open, you'll be fine.

What safety equipment do I get?
Each rafter has a helmet, full wet suit, life jacket and rubber boots. There is a safety kayaker and a safety catamaran to each raft, meaning if you do fall/jump in, there's plenty of people on hand to haul you back in.

Will I fall in the water?
It's unlikely, but if you do fall, you simply swim calmly back to your boat or the nearest kayak/catamaran, or they will come to you. It's not really as big a deal as you might think. The water is also very clean, so drinking it is perfectly safe, even encouraged. In fact, you will very likely be asked to jump into the calmest water at the start to practice getting back in. In truth that's a positive thing as you quickly then lose any fear of falling in then - once you're wet, you're wet.

Which section will I raft?
The stretch most people raft is the 'Puente-a-Puente', the classic 'Bridge-to-Bridge'. This is a 7-mile run of class III-IV+ rapids, a mix of gentle rapids and some bigger runs to get your pulse racing.

Are there gentler/livelier options?
If you want more action, subject to availability we could offer the 'full' run, which adds the biggest class V rapids over an additional 2-mile stretch. Again, there is no need to have prior experience, you just need to be game for an adventure.

For something more gentle, the Espolón River offers a mix of class II-III rapids. In truth, it is more of a nature float than rapids, but is a fun way to experience the waterways of Futaleufú and the beautiful forest along its shores.

This vacation is really very comfortable throughout. We've visited and stayed at every one of them, giving them our seal of approval for you.

The hotels and lodges in this part of Patagonia represent a wonderful selection of very high-quality small hotels for you to stay in. These are not luxury properties by any means but rather very clean and comfortable owner-run places where the welcome is as warm as you’ll find anywhere in the world.

One thing that many have in common is the quality of the food. The delicious, varied and usually quite healthy meals you eat in many of your hotels contrast markedly with the standard of food served in most provincial towns and villages, which is average at best. It's a really special part of the experience - we've seen as much from the hundreds of photos our clients send us of their dinner delights!

All in all, driving is a very safe, easy and enjoyable way to travel in Patagonia. It gives you wonderful freedom to explore and deepens the spirit of discovery that makes this trip so special.

Most of your driving is done on the two major highways running north to south either side of the Andes - the Carretera Austral in Chile and Ruta 40 in Argentina. Both are single-carriageway and traffic is usually very light. The roads along this trip are mostly paved - the exception being a part of the connection between the Ruta 40 and the Carretera Austral. Even so we provide a substantial vehicle to give you good clearance.

You stay two or three nights in most of your destinations before moving on. Most distances are between 120-200km so you would generally expect to be driving for three to four hours every second or third day. You have plenty of time and daylight to complete your journey and our Vacation Guide makes suggestions for stops along the way, places you can head off for short walks or stop to appreciate particularly fine views. It is rare that a day would be dedicated to driving, the norm would be that you set off in the morning and have the afternoon free to walk and explore.

The simplest way to navigate is to download Google Maps or Waze onto your phone and use that as a GPS - it's very accurate and easy in our experience.

We provide a complete driving guide to ensure you are fully prepared for your travels.

Being in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are the reverse and so our winter is Patagonia's summer. The season for travelling in Patagonia is therefore October to April, which equates to spring through fall. Days are long, meaning you have plenty of time to explore.

This trip encompasses dry steppe, cool rainforests and everything in between so chances are you'll experience a bit of everything, but you should have a good amount of sunshine along the way.

Not in Patagonia, no, you are at or around sea level.

No, typically your hosts will speak very good English but you should not expect locals to speak any English. You will be very well served to have at least a few words of Spanish under your belt, or tongue, before you go.

We can tailor your vacation in any number of ways, and will often have to play with the running order to find space for you, or to avoid your overlapping too much with other clients.