This trip begins and ends at Santiago de Chile (SCL).

Torres del Paine is famous for encompassing all of Patagonia's ecosystems. But really, it's a park of two halves - one half (the west) is dominated by the icefields and the associated weather, the other is desert steppe largely dominated by sheep farming on vast estancias. In that sense, it doesn't feel like a single national park. The truth is that most of the iconic views and landscapes and hikes (with the very notable exception of the Torres themselves) are to the west. That's why we feel it's important to give you time to explore that side of the park.

However, for the east side of the park, those landscapes stretch for many, many miles so the division between national park and not national park is not meaningful. Indeed, the further from the park you get, the more you are likely to see guanacos and rhea. That's why we like to take you out from the park and beyond into the vast lands of Cerro Guido and the Sierra Baguales. It's like a different world and a completely different experience to what is inside the park. You may want to return to visit the park but it's by no means certain that you will feel that way once you arrive here - most people appreciate the wonderful views of the Paine towers but then want to simply explore 'out east' where they are. Fear not, you are always with guides who curate your experience with a long list of activities and excursions.

Some time between October and April is the time to catch this area at its best. Patagonia is moving from late spring through summer and into early autumn so is always beautiful.

Santiago should be warm and sunny.

In Patagonia, the weather will be whatever it will be. Torres del Paine is effectively a wind tunnel which runs east-west between the dry steppe and the icefields.

You are on the same relative latitude as London or Quebec, so on a still summer's day the temperature can be comfortably in the mid 20°s, in theory... In reality, hot, dry, cold, wet, snowing, raining, blowing a gale, flat calm can all happen in a single day.

On paper, the weather here will be better in January than in October or April. In practice, the best weather we've ever had was in early October and very late April so don't sweat the weather in Patagonia, bring the right clothing and embrace it.

January through February is the busiest period as that's when South Americans are on their summer vacations. We make sure to steer you away from crowds so the trip still works well in this period.

This is conceived of as a walking vacation which has you out in the great outdoors, with your boots on, most days. That said, as a tailor-made trip, the degree of exertion is completely up to you.

Down in Torres del Paine, you will also be able to enjoy the park with routes of 7-14km on most days, the hike up to the towers is longer. While altitude isn't an issue in the south (you are at about sea level), the walking is demanding due to the more mountainous nature of much of the terrain.

Unlike most tour operators, we have complete freedom to work with whichever hotels we wish to in Chile. The joys of being independent! We spend a great deal of time getting to know the best options and returning to make sure they still meet our exacting standards. They're not just places for you to nod off each night. They need to be memorable and enjoyable places to spend time. A great view or particularly good food always goes down well.

The hotels we choose to work with in and around Torres del Paine are very comfortable with welcoming hosts, a great location and often lots of local charm. We tend not to go in for the flashy 5* chain hotels as they rarely deliver the experience we want for you. We prefer a bit of heart and soul, not luxury for the sake of it, but nice 3-4* standard.

The first hotel in Torres del Paine is is a simple hotel in an exquisite location. It is imperfect, but it makes absolute sense when you are there. You then move to your final hotel, which is a very special place indeed - a 12-room working sheep ranch which doubles as a premium hotel.

We're happy to share full details of the places we suggest for your trip, so please get in touch for full details.

Driving in Southern Patagonia in the area around Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine is typically easy, the vast majority of the time you are on good, paved roads with simple navigation and good signage. Within Torres del Paine and in the far south beyond Punta Arenas, roads are not paved but they are prepared surfaces - essentially these are high-quality dirt roads. You are likely to be travelling slowly to appreciate the magnificent views, as long as you don’t go fast it's comfortable driving.

Not in Santiago or Patagonia, no. Those areas are all at or near sea level.

The focus of this vacation is undoubtedly the landscapes and exploring on foot, however, there is much more to Chile than just the great outdoors. We want you to leave Chile feeling like you know the country and more than anything, that means its people.

Down in Patagonia, you will be looked after by a team who are normally from across Chile rather than being local to Torres del Paine - there aren't many permanent settlements in these parts! To this day it is a place of gauchos, cowboys, who live solitary lives riding across vast estancias. And yet, hospitality runs deep and sipping mate whilst sitting round an open fire is one of the great memories of southern Chile.

Absolutely. We can tailor your vacation in any number of ways, from switching to self-drive in Patagonia to adding a visit to the Lakes or Rapa Nui (Easter Island).

Adding in another country by land, you can cross over into the vast Uyuni salt flats of Bolivia from San Pedro de Atacama. From Torres del Paine, it is easy to cross into Argentina and the Los Glaciares and Fitzroy National Parks. Or you can take an expedition cruise along the Beagle Channel to Cape Horn, ending up in Ushuaia.