This morning woke up in our room at the Hotel Costaustralis (Puerto Natales) and had a magnificent view of snow capped mountains across Ultima Esperanza fjord. After a hearty breakfast we set off for a long day exploring the Chilean Patagonia, to the Torres del Paine National Park…..a 2 hour drive including a stop over at Cerro Castillo, a small town for coffee. The park is a 2400 sq km area that is now an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Early Morning View From Our Hotel in Puerto Natales
Puerto Natales
The drive was through vast Patagonian plains fringed with snow capped mountains of the Cordillera del Paine which is a small but spectacular mountain group in Chilean Patagonia. The highlight of this range is the Torres del Paine peaks that stand out like three towers. As we approached the gates of the park the Los Torres came into view and we stopped for a while to just stare at it.
First Stop - Cerro Castillo
First Sights of the Torres del Paine
The day was filled with minor treks and visits to the various lakes in the park namely Lago Pehoe, Lago Nordenskjold, Lago Sarmiento (Serpentine) and finally Lago Grey. There were hoards of Guancos grazing the valleys and so were wild horses everywhere. We even saw a few fresh carcasses of Guanacos left partially eaten by Puma/s (no Puma in sight though) and of course the Condor circling over head for its fill of meat for the day.
Grazing Guanacos
It was a fantastic day with bright sunshine and a slight chill in the air. The new leaves of spring gave the trees a fresh look and there was almost a ‘smile’ in the valley. We stopped at a little camping ground with a restaurant by the Lago Pehoe and had a great salmon steak cooked on the barbecue. Lying about in the grounds of the restaurant and looking up to the surrounding peaks is a delight.
Salto Grande
Lago Grey
At the Lago Grey we walked up to the shore to find three large (ish) ice bergs with an aquamarine tint floating very close to the shore – the contrast in colours was great. Spending an hour by the lake we started our drive back to the park entrance where we were picked up by the Hosteria Las Torres vehicle for stay in the park for two nights. Now here is an experience to write home about – the huge Ford people carrier that picked us up had to cross the 40 metre long Puente Negro over the Rio Paine on our way up to the hotel…..but….it took us more than 10 minutes to cross the bridge as due to its current condition the vehicle had to move at 1 mile an hour (literally) and this with barely a centimetre clearance on either side. With the bride swinging at every move, the gushing river below didn’t give me very good vibes, but it was over soon.
Hosteria Las Torres
Half an hour later at around 5.30pm we entered the estancia of the Hosteria Las Torres and were happy to step into a warm wooden hotel full of charm in every corner. A quick refreshing later we were walking to the Refugio Las Torres, another camping hostel 15 minutes down the mud road where the booze was cheaper and the food was wholesome. Here we met Natalie and Susanna from Holland who told us of their experience of their incomplete climb to the Torres del Paine base, preparing us for for what to expect on the way up tomorrow. We left them at 9.30 pm and stepped out into a pitch dark road and just realising the absence of the torch light we were supposed to carry…..and so at the risk of being Puma food we trudged our way through the muddy road to our hotel at the base of the mountains – I was simply trying to be brave! Time to retire and we have a challenge tomorrow, the 8 hour hike.
