The Patagonia Experience (Private Group, Guided)

Thirteen nights from Osorno to Torres del Paine, fully guided and sold as a private group product, which is the condensed version of the operator’s Ushuaia expedition without the run down to Tierra del Fuego. The hire is included, with a long upgrade list.

Bariloche comes first through Puyehue and Nahuel Huapi, with the Circuito Chico as an optional loop, then Trevelin and Los Alerces National Park with its ancient fitzroya stands.

Puyuhuapi follows back in Chile at the head of the Carretera Austral, with Corcovado National Park, then Coihaique through the Queulat rainforest, and Puerto Tranquilo on Lago General Carrera, which is the twelfth deepest lake in the world, with a rest day and the Marble Caves reached by boat.

Los Antiguos and Gobernador Gregores come next on Ruta 40 among the guanacos, then El Calafate with Fitz Roy in view and a rest day for the Perito Moreno glacier. The border crossing at Paso Rio Don Guillermo leads to Torres del Paine, a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1978, with the Cuernos above the plain, and the route finishes at Puerto Natales, where the Cueva del Milodon holds the remains of a prehistoric ground sloth. Prices are quoted in US dollars. Stopping at Torres del Paine rather than pressing on to Ushuaia saves four nights and two ferry crossings, and keeps the trip inside a fortnight of leave. What it keeps is the Carretera Austral, the Ruta 40 pampas, the Moreno glacier and Torres del Paine, which between them account for most of the reason people want to ride Patagonia at all.