We docked in Punta Arenas the Chilean Patagonian capital and explored a little I already knew the city having lived there a long time ago! It was as grey as I remembered!
The buildings around the central Plaza were unchanged... overseen by the monument of Magellan
It took about 3 hours to reach Puerto Natales where we got our first glimpse of the Torres del Paine
The hotel where we stayed overnight was great! The Costaustralis hotel was owned by the same company as the boat.. can absolutely recommend!
Leaving very early next morning ensured that we got to the national park in time to enjoy a few fabulous hikes. The countryside en route was fairly empty.......
Just wildlife.....in the air and on the ground!
Our first close up view of the Torres del Paine mountains was magnificent........
And our first hike was unbelievably scenic and quiet......... we seemed to be alone in the world!
The next hike was to a waterfall and the mountains beyond. Fortunately the wind wasn't at 80+km per hour!
It was extremely windy around the waterfall! Somewhat dangerous to get too close!
But the hike to get a close up view of the mountains was definitely worth the effort!
After two long strenuous hikes we were happy to arrive at our hotel, the Rio Serrano......with a view of the mountains to die for!
Our next hike on the following day was not as great.......we were hiking to get close to Glacier Grey but had to battle 60-90km wind gusts! It felt perilous crossing a causeway with very cold water either side.
However we had blue skies both days there......our guide told us that it was often overcast and many people never got to see the actual Torres!
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