WINTER BREAK

OOVER

OVERVIEW

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Join us for a two week winter break adventure in Patagonia! This experience will start with a flight to Punta Arenas in the far southern tip of Chile, which is where we’ll officially kick off our adventure. From Punta Arenas we’ll head north by vehicle towards Puerto Natales, which is one of a few gateway towns to Torres del Paine National Park. From here we’ll prep for what will be an unforgettable 8 day trek on the O Circuit through the heart of Torres del Paine. This classic trek circumnavigates the entire Torres del Paine range and starts with fabulous views of these iconic mountains, before traversing you around glaciers and icefields, beautiful lakes, valleys and the landscapes that make Patagonia one of the most recognizable and treasured wild places in the world. This is a popular time of year to visit Torres del Paine, and with that we can expect to have plenty of opportunities to meet and interact with like minded travelers from all over the world.

 

After completing this roughly 75 mile circumnavigation of the park, we will be picked up by our local operator and taken back to a hotel in Punta Arenas to clean up, relax, repack, and enjoy a night of sleep in a real bed before the journey back north to the US. A quick transition will have us back on a plane, flying north to start the spring semester with memories from this trip that will surely last a lifetime.

 

January is the heart of the summer season in the southern hemisphere, and with that will come the traditionally better weather by Patagonian standards. Weather in Patagonia in January is more mild than other times of the year, but its unique geography and climate means that participants should be prepared to experience challenging weather including intense wind, rain and even high elevation snow showers. Participants should prepare to come ready for adventure, challenge and the fulfillment that tends to come from spending time in nature with good people. This trip is not a suitable trip for beginners, and trip participants must come with prior experience hiking and the ability to hike for multiple days on uneven, rugged established trails while carrying a backpack of 30-40lbs (13-18kg) for up to 12 miles (20km) at a time with up to 2,000ft (600m) of vertical gain/descent. Trip participants will be required to participate or show record of participating in a minimum amount of backpacking trips with OEL prior to the start of this program.

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