After disembarking from the ship, joined by a Brit and an Aussie, we decided to rent a car and make the most of our time in the national park. Our first morning we headed off with clear skies to hike to the base of Torres del Paine (Towers of Paine), three granite pillars that soar up in the park more than 2000m vertically. The hike is 19km round trip, up and down terrain, over bridges, and through wooded sections.

The weather was perfect for the day, with full sun and blue skies, we welcomed the shaded areas for water and snack breaks. Along the trail the views and the landscape are spectacular! When I wasn’t watching my feet to be sure not to trip on rocks...I was completely distracted by the beauty of our surroundings. There is a refuge along the way for those camping as they complete the “O” or the “W” trails in the park. With every turn the towers peek out at you and keep you moving forward. The last section of our hike was a kilometer of rocks and boulders that wind upwards toward the base of the towers...the toughest portion of the trail. The towers are the motivation!

As mentioned in a previous post the weather and winds are unpredictable in this area...with the possibility of experiencing all 4 seasons in one day...proven a few days before our arrival where winds were 130km/hour closing the park and leaving hikers stranded for the night...(no worries mum...all good). We didn’t experience the height of those winds however within a few turns of the trail it was obvious that as we climbed we would experience wind and cooler temperatures. Armed in our mitts and hats at the top, we reached the base 4hours into our hike.

On our second day we headed toward Lago Grey and the glacier that Chile and Argentina share...although they call it different names. We decided on a loop that would take us to the mirador of the lake and glacier with views of some of the ice that had fallen in recent years. Again the weather cooperated with clearing skies and manageable winds. We celebrated at Hotel Grey with a glass of wine after lunch and headed back to town, wishing our travel mates a safe journey to Argentina.