Mini-bus day tour through the national park, boat cruise to Grey Glacier, bus ride to Moreno Glacier, cruise down Serrano River. These are the standard tours on offer in Puerto Natales. And they all look great. But it wasn't until we walked in to the log cabin office of Bagualesgroup.com and met Juan Pablo that we found something really different. Visiting a lesser-known glacier on private land, kayaking through icebergs, camping at private homesteads. We were sold.

We weren't due to meet Juan Pablo until evening, so we made the most of a day to ourselves in Torres Del Paine National Park. On the three hour bus ride to the park, we were glued to the window as condors soared overhead, guanacos (llama cousins) grazed on the low shrub and wide lakes twinkled in the morning light. On foot, we quickly came to the cleverly named Salto Grande, or 'big waterfall' and another hours walk past low shrub and green lakes brought us to an amazing view of the snow and glacier topped mountain and rock towers that give the park it's name. We picnicked in near solitude, getting excited for the few days that lie ahead. At 6pm, we met up with Juan Pablo and our two other companions for the trip, Michael and Ben, who as our great luck would have it, were hilariously fun British guys. We all jumped into the small Zodiac boat which would be our transport down the Serrano River for the next two days. It took us to our first camping spot, a quiet ranch with lovely views of the mountains. We had a great night getting to know each other over wine and spaghetti in the home of the ranch family before getting cozy in the great two man tent and sleeping bags that Juan Pablo provided for us. Tomorrow was a big day.

Day 1: Our next home was further down the river, outside of the national park, on the private land of Juan Pablo's friend, Juan Luis. We were welcomed like old friends by Juan Luis's family, and introduced to our other guides for the day, the horses. Being amateurs at horse riding, Juan Pablo gave us a quick but very effective lesson and we were on our way. Before we knew it, we were not only horse riding but galloping and horse trekking, I mean, extreme horse riding! We took our very intelligent and well-trained horses up and down cliff and mountain sides, weaving through forests and galloping through the countryside. On the way, we ate wild berries, drank wine from the soft cowboy canteen called a bota, and spotted a woodpecker and three bulls. As we came over the last cliffside, we were rewarded with a mind-blowing view of Geikie Glacier, a sight that very few get to experience since the glacier is on Juan Luis's private land. At the bottom of the mountain, on the 'beach' of the glacial lagoon, we celebrated with Chile's favorite cocktail Pisco Sour, chilled with million year old ice from the glacier. We were exhilarated from the intense horse trekking, the crisp mountain air, the company of great people and the surreal sight of icebergs and glacial flow before us. Back at Juan Luis's ranch, his father-in-law and wife had a barbeque feast ready for us, and his beautiful 5-year-old daughter, Ignacia, charmed us all.

Day 2: We washed up with water from the river as usual, it's fresh flow very refreshing and perfect for drinking straight from the source. Ciao to Juan Luis and his lovely family, and we were off again on the Zodiac, down the last part of the Serrano River leading to the Serrano Glacier. Unlike Glacier Geikie, the Serrano Glacier is well known, and many tour groups were there with us. But unlike the other groups, we set up camp near the glacier and had it all to ourselves when the crowds left. Our camp area sat ideally between the Serrano glacier and the Serrano River. We relaxed on the river, spotting a sea otter swimming past, then kayaked and canoed amongst the icebergs in complete solitude, the only sound being the occasional detonation of a chunk of ice off the glacier, sounding like a shotgun being fired in a canyon. We were able to go all the way up to the front face of the glacier, something that can only be done by kayak (see top photo). Juan Pablo started up the campfire and grilled us some amazingly succulent meat fresh from Juan Luis's ranch. We drank delicious Chilean wine, shared stories, and enjoyed the wilderness. It was amazing to think that this was just another day in the life of Juan Pablo, but a huge adventure and unforgettable experience for us.

Day 3: Still a bit sore from our big day of horse riding, we were happy to cruise back to Puerto Natales in a bit of luxury on the 21 de Mayo boat. From the huge windows of our own little seating cabing on top of the boat, we viewed more glaciers, waterfalls and endless mountain vistas. Lunch was a grand affair of lamb and potatoes served to us at the Estancia Perala ranch, and then it was a couple more hours of cruising in comfort back to town...the perfect way to end our adventure. If you go to Puerto Natales and want to experience more than the standard, go talk to Juan Pablo at Bagualesgroup.com. This company, which is a combination of two tour companies, Rio Serrano and 21 de Mayo, wants to show you how they see the land, how they live on it, and why they love it.

Back in Puerto Natales, we were welcomed at Knudsen Hostel, where we could have laundry done, use the kitchen and relax in a nice room. The owner, Eduardo, and his family live at the three storey home, run the tour agency inside, and are always busy making sure that all the guests are taken care of. Located right in the center of town, Knudsen was a comfortable, convenient place for us to spend our last night in Puerto Natales and Southern Patagonia.