A day sail to Patagonian glaciers

Heading away from the areas most commonly trodden by tour groups, this adventurous day trip from Puerto Natales visits the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers by boat, with opportunities to hike in the pristine wilderness of Bernardo O'Higgins National Park.

Sailing up a narrow channel flanked by jagged banks of ice and rock, you'll first pass colonies of cormorants and sea lions before disembarking to explore on foot. You'll reach panoramic viewpoints over Glacier Serrano, a sprawling mass of ice lying resplendent at the edge of an iceberg-strewn lake.

Returning to the boat, you continue to Last Hope Sound and the Balmaceda glacier, where views of pristine and abundant vegetation seen from a lakeside beach offer a surprising contrast to Serrano.

You may also opt to enter Torres del Paine National Park via this route.