Running Holiday in Patagonia, Chile

The name alone gives rise to feelings of wonder and awe, and once you are there, is does not disappoint! There are few places with such wild, raw beauty, and running gives us a chance to get up close and personal with this majestic landscape. The trails are quiet, endless and downright spectacular. The pace of life is as relaxed as it comes and the climate, though fierce at times, makes you feel alive as never before. You’ll witness glaciers, waterfalls, golden meadows and turquoise lakes. In other words…why not?

The price includes pre-trip communication & guidance, Puerto Natales airport transfers, all hotels & refugios, all meals/snacks from dinner on arrival day until lunch on departure day, entry fees, permits, transportation, drivers, experienced guides & logistics team, a glacier trekking excursion, guided runs/hikes  and a hat + buff.

In short, just about everything is covered from the moment you land until the moment you leave!

The price does not include flight, alcohol, transport to/from unscheduled destinations or tips.

Let’s be honest, we are all unique and your schedules (and originating airport!) are no exception. Come early, stay late. Drive, fly, sail, take a train, or arrive by horseback. Participants will be responsible for booking their travel arrangements and ensuring that they meet the specified requirements:

Participants should arrive in Puerto Natales by 2pm on arrival day and depart the same place no earlier than 2pm on departure day. Please note that if you are looking at flights well in advance, options to PN may be limited; more flights will be scheduled later in the year. Please don’t book flights until you receive more information from us, along with confirmation that we have hit the group size minimum (official group communication begins about 4 months out!).

If you prefer to fly in/out of Punta Arenas, we will be happy to offer guidance for booking your bus tickets to Puerto Natales.

There is no set requirement, but we recommend that you be comfortable with at least a 7 mile trail run for the best experience. Some runs will take place en route to the next destination, while others will be out and back. Most days offer full flexibility in distance, though one day requires 7 miles point to point as there are no roads to our destination. This is a hiking day and you will have all day to do it, but you *must* be capable of covering the distance on foot.

Consider this a trail running trip! There will be some dirt/gravel roads, some smooth single track and some pretty technical mountain trails – we have exactly zero miles of running on paved roads! Expect your paces to be significantly slower than they would be on the road, and to incorporate some hiking on especially technically and/or steep sections. For the best experience we recommend that you do some trail running in preparation, though road runners will do just fine if you show up with a sense of adventure. Trail shoes are highly recommended!

The time of day will vary depending on where we are and where we’re headed. We incorporate morning runs as much as possible, though there will be some afternoon start times. Flexibility is key!

When we aren’t running, we’ll have plenty to see and do! We’ll enjoy epic scenery from various boats, spot all sorts of wildlife, go glacier trekking, learn about traditional ranch life at the estancias, and of course we’ll be covering a bit of distance by vehicle (with well-timed rest/photo stops). Be ready for a drastically slower pace of life, and the chance to sit back, relax, enjoy long meals, gorgeous views and conversation with new friends.

If you’ve been keeping an eye on our Patagonia itinerary for a while then you’ll notice that we won’t be visiting the Base of the Towers area of the national park anymore. In our view the trail has become overcrowded, unsustainably busy and is no longer suited to our style of travel - we have plenty of hidden, quiet places to show you that we feel are much more rewarding for runners! If you are interested in visiting the Base of the Towers on the backend of the trip, we can point you in the right direction.

We don’t generally recommend this trip for a non-runner/hiker. They would need to be willing to hike 7 miles on one day as there is no road access to our accommodation and should understand that while each day will incorporate many different activities, the schedule is primarily structured around the planned run. Feel free to drop us a line and discuss whether this trip is a good fit for your non-runner.

The first two nights will be spent at an upmarket Chilean hotel – expect clean, modern double occupancy rooms and private bathrooms with all necessary comforts (yes - WiFi). Three nights will be spent at a private, boutique lodge where our group will have the run of the property and enjoy some amazing home cooked meals that are only outdone by the views out our windows! One night will be spent at a refugio within the national park, which offers comfortable shared bunk rooms (4-6 people per bunk room) and designated male/female bathrooms. The refugio we use is clean, modern and provides stunning views of the remote surroundings. The final night will be spent in a beautiful historical estancia (double occupancy). Everywhere that we stay will be welcoming, warm and memorable! There is WiFi of some kind everywhere we stay but we cannot guarantee it will be fast!

The weather in Patagonia is notoriously unpredictable, and it is quite common to experience all four seasons in one day. There will be periods of beautiful, sunny weather and there will be periods of rain and of ferocious wind – this is simply a fact of life at the bottom of the world! High temps in January & February are generally anywhere from 50-70F, and lows will generally be in the 40s (this is summertime!). The old adage that there is no bad weather, just bad clothing holds true here! We will provide a very detailed packing list to ensure that participants are as prepared as possible, and you must understand that the itinerary is subject to change due to weather conditions. As always, a flexible attitude is a must!