There are several shorter easier hikes. As suggested check at the visitors center. Plus you can hike portions of the longer hikes which we did. You can easily get an overview of the entire park driving in less than a day. But if you want to get out and see various areas, hiking or not, you need more time. We were there in March and had good weather by and large. We rushed around the first day in the sun fearing that we wouldn't have sun the remainder of the stay, but that was not the case.

If you get lucky and feel that you have had a good day at TdP seeing what you wish, I recommend taking the day cruise cutter operated by Turismo 21 de Mayo from Natales up the Seno Ultimo Esperanza. It includes a parillada lunch at an estancia and a walk to a glacier. I booked it directly at their offices in Puerto Natales, but I would think most of the hotels and travel agents can also do this for you.

http://www.turismo21demayo.cl/ultima_esperanza.htm

Thanks for great suggestions!

Actually, I like the idea of a full day tour. However, we would love to poke around by ourselves too...
I think Las Torres uses a smaller van for a full day tour, rather than a bus. I appreciate all these hiking ideas...

Mlgb, I opened this website, and I immediatly saw a photo of a bunch of Chilean flamingos. Did you really see flamingos on this trip?

For some reason, I really want to see flamingos... Can you see them in TdP or El Calafate?

I did see a few flamingos, at Laguna Cisnes! Our guide (from Las Torres) seemed to think we were lucky. I was there in early January.

Fantastico Sur has some birding experts associated with their touring groups, maybe looking through their tour itineraries you can get an idea of your chances

http://www.fsexpeditions.com/torres_...e_explorer.php

Exactly four years ago I was watching the inauguration on a tiny B&W TV at the Punta Arenas airport, at the cafe!

Photos from the south side of the park, mostly.

Not sure how green it is now, this was pre fire.

http://picasaweb.google.com/kiwifann...lPaineCuernos#

Fantastic views and fantastic pics! And I can see flamingos!
I am sure these view definitely made up for not be able to see inauguration in color. :)

I was also wondering if there is any need to use travel agents to book flights/transfers/tours or anything. Do they offer any discounts or good suggestions?

I normally book everything myself via Internet, but at certain destinations I liked working with local agents that can help with trip logistics.

Do you have any opinions on this one?

I was not successful in my attempts to find a local TA. For some parts of the trip we used an agency from Ca. The owner was from Chile. frankly I could have done just as well booking the whole thing myself. The TA was fine, but really didn't add any value. I booked all the internal flights myself as he didn't deal with Skye. He could get some breaks on LAN flights, but they were more expensive then the flights u could get on Skye. He had a few suggestions, but nothing outstanding.

I did contact Say Heque at one point. It cost me a week because they didn't reply in a timely manner, and they didn't come up with anything useful. I booked everything myself.

Thanks helen63.
I also did not have much luck finding a helpful US travel agent. Same situation where they said they'd call back and did not.

I wound up using a Lan South American airpass since I also went to Peru on the same trip. But I would definitely look into Sky.

I was able to book all of my own lodging by a combination of email and in some cases phone calls. Attempts to book the busses were unsuccessful, I had to wait until I got there.

The lodging that I used in Punta Arenas (La Casa Escondida) has two owners fluent in English, they were very helpful.

I took the "Full Paine" tour offered by Las Torres hotel since it was the least expensive way to get to the Glacier Grey departure by myself, that was when we saw the flamingos.

BTW when I was there, the Las Torres hotel has a nice educational exhibit about the park, should be open to everyone. They also have some nature guides for sale. They are all related companies (FS Expeditions, Fantastic Sur & Las Torres) and seem to have some expertise in wildlife if that is an interest to you.

Thank for your replies! It looks like we need to go our usual route - book everything ourselves...

Thursdaysd, it is interesting you mentioned Say Heque. I actually saw a lot of good reviews about them, and considered emailing them.

Last night, I posted a question on Tripadvisor about trips around Peninsula Valdez. And one of their people saw the post, and contacted me immediatly, and answered some of my questions. So, I will talk to them. Will see if they are any helpful.

This question is for people who drove in Torres del Paine. Did you rent a car with manual transmission in Puerto Natales? So far, no one can confirm a car with automatic transmission. Now, I am thinking to rent a car in Punta Arenas (I am not sure if they have automatic in there either), but they do charge one way drop off fee.

We had a manual car for,our drive from PN to TdP.

I see. I think my husband has to go to a driving class :) He drove a car with manual transmission years ago,

It really comes right back to you if you know the concept. I guess it's like what they say about riding a bike.

Well, maybe. I know that saying about riding a bike, and it turned out not to apply to me. I also had trouble the last time I tried to drive stick (I started out driving stick in the UK, but have been driving automatics for decades in the US). Both my knees and the gear box complained.

I started out driving stick back in Russia years ago as well, and I would never attempt doing this again...
We tried to avoid driving stick shift for many years, always paying premium for renting automtic, but Patagonia left no choice...So, hopefully, my husband has some memories of how to do it. It will be a good skill to have for future trips.

Definitely a worthwhile skill. Maybe he can find a local rental that has a manual and practice a bit. Although I heard rentals in the US don't usually have manual. Or perhaps a driving school? Good luck. As I recall the drive to TdP was pretty easy driving with little traffic.

I would think every major driving school should be able to teach stick shift driving, but this is not the case. I found one school here in Chicago area that just introduced stick shift hourly instructions on request. So, we are thinking 1-2 sessions should be enough to refresh, and then he can practice a little with his friend whos has a stick shift car.

We need this for TdP and penninsula Valdez (another place with no automatic cars)