Chilean Patagonia · New Year Expedition · One Departure
Cross into the new year on living ice
Witness ice in every state nature grants it: suspended, calving, flowing, and written into the land, across 11 intimate days along the wild Carretera Austral, celebrating New Year´s Eve where the glaciers begin.
11 DAYS
10 NIGHTS
UNFORGETTABLE
CELEBRATION AMONG NATURE
LOCAL MULTILINGUAL GUIDE
What’s Included in Your Patagonia Expedition
Meeting Point & Airport
Balmaceda Airport (BBA)
Patagonia, Chile
All Activities & Equipment
Including all guided tours and national park entrance fees
New Year’s Eve Tour
Departure:
Dec 27, 2026 Return:
Jan 6, 2027
Culinary &
Meals
Full board
incl. wines, beers & non-alcoholic beverages
Fully
Guided
Local hosts,
certified guides & captains
A single promise:
the complete life of a glacier
DISCONNECT TO CONNECT
Along the legendary Carretera Austral, one of the most pristine regions remaining on Earth, glaciers cling to the jagged spires of Cerro Castillo National Park, descend from the Northern Patagonian Ice Field into the fjords of Laguna San Rafael National Park beneath Mount San Valentín, and feed the turquoise rivers that wind through the rewilded valleys of Patagonia National Park. Their meltwater gathers in the vast inland sea of General Carrera, sculptor of the Marble Cathedrals. Farther south, beneath Mount San Lorenzo, you step onto the living ice of Calluqueo Glacier itself.
Eleven days of intimate travel return you to what truly matters. By the last crossing, you have witnessed ice in every form nature grants it: suspended from mountain spires, breaking into remote fjords, flowing through wild valleys, and resting beneath your feet.
Laguna Cerro Castillo National Park
Every guide,
every lodge, and
every table is local.
Your journey directly
supports rural ecotourism and
helps keep Patagonia wild for generations to come.
WHAT YOU WILL SEE
What ice makes you feel
Cerro Castillo
National Park
The lenga forest thins, the wind
finds you before the lagoon does
Under your boots, ice older than
memory holds a blue the sky can't
Calluqueo Glacier
Turquoise water moving fast
enough to feel in your chest
Baker, Neff & Cochrane Rivers
Light turns liquid inside a
cathedral of blue stone
Marble Cathedrals
Natural Sanctuary
A valley handed back to the wild…
and the wild has taken it
Patagonia National Park
Tamango, Chacabuco & Jeinimeni
The last signal drops away,
and the road becomes the point
The Carretera Austral scenic route
You hear the ice wall calve a
breath before you see it fall
Laguna San Rafael
National Park
An inland sea so still it
holds the mountains twice
General Carrera Lake
The guanaco family crosses the trail,
leading your steps
Wild Life of Patagonia
DAY BY DAY
The Itinerary - Nine States of Ice
Day 1 · Balmaceda → Cerro Castillo Ice on the horizon
We welcome you at Balmaceda Airport and journey south to Villa Cerro Castillo, your home for the next two nights. A Chilean welcome dinner opens the expedition as the first mountain peaks appear on the horizon.
Day 2 · Cerro Castillo National Park Suspended ice Alternative experience
A hike through lenga forest leads to a lagoon fed by hanging glaciers, with a picnic along the trail.Or exchange the hike for a gentler day: a panoramic photography tour around Cerro Castillo in the morning, followed by the Paredón de las Manos rock-art site in the afternoon.
Day 3 · Marble Chapels & General Carrera Lake Ice transformed into water
We follow the Carretera Austral to General Carrera Lake and navigate into the Marble Cathedral. The day closes in an orchard in the Exploradores Valley, with a dinner prepared from ingredients grown on the land.
Day 4 · Laguna San Rafael National Park Ice in motion
A full-day navigation takes us to the San Rafael Glacier beneath Mount San Valentín. We drift among newly calved icebergs as fragments of the immense wall of ice break away into the lagoon.
Day 5 · Cochrane & Tamango, Patagonia National Park Ice as a river
We continue south to Cochrane, our base for four nights. We navigate and walk beside glacial turquoise rivers through the territory of the huemul.
Day 6 · Los Ñadis Valley Ice that sustains life
We share a traditional Patagonian barbecue with a local family beside the Baker, Chile’s most powerful river.
Day 7 · Calluqueo Glacier Ice beneath your feet Alternative experience
You walk with crampons across living ice at the foot of Mount San Lorenzo, with lunch served on the glacier itself.Or choose your own experience: rafting on the Baker River, kayaking on Cochrane Lake, fly-fishing, a photography tour around Cochrane Lake or yoga in the open air.
Day 8 · Chacabuco Valley, Patagonia National Park The memory of ice Alternative experience
A restored steppe alive with guanacos, pumas and condors, together with the park museum created by the Tompkins Foundation.Or choose a panoramic photography tour through the Chacabuco sector of Patagonia National Park or an outdoor yoga session.
Day 9 · The confluences & southern shore Ice as an inland sea
A sweeping scenic journey takes us to the confluence of the Baker and Neff rivers, the El Maqui waterfalls and the southern shore of General Carrera Lake. We close the day by sharing a traditional Chilean once in Chile Chico.
Day 10 · Jeinimeni & the Valley of the Moon Ice’s oldest work Alternative experience
We explore the painted desert of Jeinimeni before sharing a final dinner in a historic Chile Chico residence.Or choose an afternoon of wellbeing with Ayurvedic medicine, aromatherapy, Reiki, sound therapy or massage.
Day 11 · The final crossing The cycle is complete
We cross General Carrera Lake by ferry to Puerto Ingeniero Ibáñez before continuing to Balmaceda Airport.
THE COMPLETE EXPEDITION
Discover the journey in full.
Schedule a private video call with Rossana to receive
the complete expedition brochure and explore
which departure is right for you.
THE JOURNEY, TAKEN CARE OF
What’s included?
Handpicked ecolodges and locally owned accommodations (10 nights)
Arrival and departure transfers in Balmaceda
Certified local guides throughout the journey: a multilingual host who is an occupational therapist and botanist, high-mountain guides, and a boat captain, all Patagonia locals
All excursions and boat journeys, including the ferry crossing on Lake General Carrera
All national park entrance fees and full expedition equipment
All private transportation between destinations and to and from every activity
All meals: breakfasts, lunches and dinners, including beverages, local beer and Chilean wine
Patagonia is wild.
Your logistics don’t have to be.
Not included
International flights to Santiago
Santiago · Balmaceda · Santiago flights
Travel and medical insurance
Premium imported spirits
Visas, where applicable
Personal expenses
Gratuities for your host guides, at your discretion
Single-room supplement
Travel insurance
Joining a Rayen expedition requires a minimum level of travel medical and emergency insurance. We’ll be happy to help you arrange suitable coverage before departure.
Unforgettable
experiencesWalking with crampons on the ancient blue ice of the Calluqueo Glacier.
Welcoming the New Year by the Cochrane River. Sailing to the ice wall of the San Rafael Glacier. Discovering the Marble Chapels and their countless colors.
The reddish hues in the Valley of the Moon.
The Patagonian
tableA Chilean welcome dinner in Cerro Castillo. Picnic lunches in extraordinary landscapes. A whisky toast in front of the San Rafael Glacier.
A farm-to-table dinner in the Exploradores Valley. Patagonian lamb prepared with a pioneer family.
A traditional once (afternoon tea) with mate in Chile Chico.
Discovering
the wildCenturies-old forests.
Glacier-fed rivers.
The biological corridor of the huemul.
Condors, pumas, kingfishers, cormorants, and hundreds of other species. The conservation legacy at the ReWilding Foundation museum and its network of national parks.
Millions of stars under pristine skies.
THE JOURNEY MAP
The Route Along the Carretera Austral
One continuous line south
through the wild heart of Aysén…
road and water, from Balmaceda
to the living ice and
back across the inland sea.
How your journey
keeps Patagonia wild
Guides
All guides and hosts on this expedition are from Patagonia. From high-mountain guiding and navigation to hospitality: the work and income remain in local hands.
Every guide, lodge, and table is local and every reservation
plants a native tree.
Together, these choices do more than carry you through Patagonia: they help keep it wild,
and keep it that way for the generations to come.
Accomodations
Ten nights in family-run
eco-lodges and valley guesthouses, never in a hotel chain.
What you pay for your stay remains with the families who live here.
Conservation
The route crosses extraordinary protected areas and gives back to nature through local foundations. With every booking, a native tree is planted in Patagonia through Fundación Reforestemos.
GOOD TO KNOW
Fitness & Pace
You choose
your rhythmThe three hikes last between four and six hours. Those who prefer a more relaxed pace can explore the same landscapes by vehicle. Join the full program or simply rest when you need to, taking it day by day.
Luggage
Prepare for
Patagonian summerBring warm layers, a windbreaker jacket, hiking shoes, and, preferably, a soft duffel bag or a backpack. You will find the complete packing list in our frequently asked questions (FAQs).
Connectivity
Wi-Fi at
every lodgeAll accommodations feature Starlink internet so you can stay connected every night... although many travelers ultimately end up cherishing the silence and the stars of the long summer nights above all else.
One day, someone will
ask you what Patagonia
was like before it changed.
A journey this intimate belongs to those who choose it in time.
Schedule your private call with Rossana and begin preparing for your Glacier expedition.
rayenmawidatravels.com
contact@rayenmawidatravels.com
+56 9 8468 6393