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Patagonia in lovely April

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Patagonia has long been on my wish list, but other things always came along to push it further out – until this year. My husband, Tom, and I (both 60-ish) left Baltimore on April 1, flying from BWI to Houston to Buenos Aires using frequent flyer miles on United. Adventure on!

We planned the trip ourselves after seeking advice here, reading numerous blogs, and checking out the itineraries of tour companies. I found the logistics planning a bit daunting, and the April timeframe worried me a little: I was afraid the weather would be poor – rainy and cold – the transportation options would be limited, and things would be closing down for the end of the season. My fears turned out to be unfounded – the trip couldn’t have gone better. The logistics worked out just fine, the weather for the most part was decent, and Patagonia was absolutely breath-taking.

Itinerary:

Day 1 – BWI to Houston to BA
Day 2 – Arrive Buenos Aires
Day 3 – Fly to Ushuaia
Day 4 – Ushuaia
Day 5 – Fly to El Calafate, bus to El Chalten
Day 6 – El Chalten
Day 7 – El Chalten
Day 8 – bus to El Calafate
Day 9 – El Calafate
Day 10 – Bus to Punta Arenas, rental car to Torres del Paine
Day 11 – Torres del Paine
Day 12 – Torres del Paine
Day 13 – morning at TDP, drive back to Punta Arenas, spend night
Day 14 – Bus to El Calafate, flight to Buenos Aires
Day 15 – Buenos Aires
Day 16 – Buenos Aires – late evening flight home

After a 10-hour overnight flight on April 1, we arrived in BA late morning, exchanged money at the Banco de la Nacion (we’d brought more cash than we usually do, mostly in 100- and 50-dollar bills), and took a cab to our hotel. The taxi stand inside the airport accepts dollars or pesos or credit cards (there’s a discount for cash). Our hotel, Apart Hotel Shoshana, was excellent – reasonably priced and in the convenient and interesting Palermo area with kind of a hippie vibe. The room was quite large with a kitchenette, and the staff members were really nice. Breakfast was good - fairly typical. Fortunately, we were given an early check-in, enabling us to take a quick nap and showers before heading out to explore. We strolled around a mall area, where we picked up lunch at a stand and enjoyed sitting in the sunshine and watching the people go by. We explored more of Palermo – took pictures of some of the street art and made our way to an outdoor market. Dinner that night was a traditional steak restaurant. We got there at 7:30 when they opened (it would take us some time to get used to the late-night dinners).

The next morning we flew from BA’s domestic airport (very convenient to the Palermo area) to Ushuaia at the southern tip of Argentina, the “end of the world,” as they say. It was about a 4 hour flight on Argentina Aerolineas. We’d booked a 1-bedroom apartment BnB accommodation with a panoramic view of the Beagle Channel just a few short blocks from the main center of town. It worked out perfectly.

Although it was gray and drizzly when we arrived, the clouds parted and the sun came out by the time we checked in to our apartment. We wanted to visit Tierra del Fuego National Park and decided spur of the moment to rent a car and drive to the park. It was about $75 dollars for a basic (manual-transmission) car, which we used for about 4 hours. I’m so glad we did it that was. Driving/parking was super easy after navigating our way out of town – fortunately our GPS worked while in Ushuaia proper, but it quickly disappeared as soon as we were on the outskirts of town.

The park is gorgeous and well worth a visit, especially in the sunshine. We got some gorgeous photos of the Beagle Channel and beautiful views of lakes and mountains.

We made our way back to town, dropped off the car, and walked down the street to the Pira Tour operator to pay for the next day’s Isla Martillo tour to see penguins! Pira tours enable visitors to walk on the island among the penguins. They usually stop the tours at the end of March because most of the penguins leave for the season. I’d been in email contact with the company, and they told me they run tours through the first week of April – IF there are enough penguins. A couple of days before, I learned the trip was a “go” for the day we’d be there, so after Tierra del Fuego, we stopped by the office to pay for our reserved spots. For dinner, we enjoyed king crab at La Cantina Fueguina de Freddy – delicious and lots of fun.

The next morning, we found a small coffee shop/bakery for breakfast – Ramos Generales – then strolled the town enjoying the shops and ambience before grabbing lunch at a café on the main street and heading down to the harbor to catch our tour with Pira. Although expensive, the trip to Isla Martillo was a highlight. We saw two kinds of penguins: dozens (vice several thousand during peak season) of Magellanic and also several dozen Gentoos.

We were taken by bus to Estancia Harberton, where we boarded a boat for the 15-minute ride out to the island. We had about an hour walking around the island seeing the penguins – first the smaller Magellanic ones, then the larger – and really funny – Gentoos, several of which popped up over a ridge about 100 yards from us and started running, as well as penguins run, downhill toward us. Evidently, they were concerned we might bother their nests. The time flew by and after a few hundred pictures, we took the boat back to the Estancia, where we had time for a hot drink before a short tour of a maritime museum. It was somewhat interesting – worth a quick stop. Then back to town, by which time it was dark (around 8:30). We found a bite to eat before heading to bed.

In the morning we'd be heading to El Chalten.

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After a short flight the next morning, we arrived at El Calafate about 10:30 and caught a taxi to the bus station. We’d made reservations for a mid-day bus with Chalten Travel to get to El Chalten. Unfortunately, the new bus station at El Calafate is about 6 miles from downtown, and there’s no food available in the terminal. We were able to get sandwiches, drinks, and chips at a small convenience store about a 5-minute walk across the way. We’d considered renting a car, but the bus turned out to be a great option. It was nice to relax and let someone else do the driving while we ate our sandwiches and chips and enjoyed the passing scenery.

Along the way, we spotted the first of many guanacos we’d see on the trip. The landscape was mostly flat and scrubby, with mountains off in the distance. After about 3 hours or so, we made a short stop at the small National Park Visitor Center for a park orientation and were dropped at the bus station a few minutes later at the entrance to the town.

Everything in El Chalten is within easy walking distance, so after getting directions at the information desk, we set off for our lodging - La Ribera, a small cabin we'd found on Booking.com. This place was a gem, and the owners were as nice as could be. They were waiting to greet us when we arrived at the dark green saltbox cabin, which was about a block off the main street. It seemed private and off-to-itself yet close to everything. The kitchen was well stocked and the view from the windows was fantastic. It felt like “glamping” and we loved it.

By the time we’d settled in and were ready to set out for an adventure, it was nearly 5. We thought we’d walk to the waterfall Chorillo del Salto, but after 45 minutes it became obvious we wouldn’t have time to get there and back to town before dark so we headed back. Despite the cloudy skies, wind, and cool temperatures, it was a great stroll. The run-off from the mountains creates a huge flat valley filled with rocks and multiple ribbons of water. It’s gorgeous. We reluctantly headed back to town for dinner and decided to try again the next day.
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Really enjoying your report - please continue!

Great report. Nice way to celebrate six years.

More of El Chalten

The next day we tried Chorillo del Salto again. The sky was mostly overcast, but no rain so off we went (and even if it HAD been raining, we were ready with our rain gear – lucky us, we never used it once!).

This time we made it all the way. We’d made a mistake the night before, staying on the road the whole time. We discovered in the morning that there’s a path at the end of town. If you head through what appears to be a parking lot toward the Laguna de los Tres (Fitz Roy) trail, it comes to a fork and you bear to the right for Chorillo del Salto. The trail paralleled the road much of the way, but it got you up higher and awayhttps://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0c30087d86.jpg
from the road, so you were actually on a trail rather than a gravel road. Much nicer. The route meandered across the road and back a few times. We really enjoyed the water flowing through the valley and climbing up a bit over the road for lovely views. Occasionally we'd cross a wooden bridge over a stream with a handrail on one side. The air was fresh, the temperature reasonably mild (in the 50s) - and somewhat windy, but not as much as we'd expected.

We arrived at the waterfall late morning and were wowed by the gorgeous autumn leaves - reds and golds - framing the falls. Although we’d seen very few people on the way, there were maybe about 15 at the waterfall. After several pictures (including one we asked an elderly man to take of us – expecting him to include the waterfall behind us but which showed us and very little of the waterfall!), we headed back to town, stopping for lunch at one of the first restaurants back in El Chalten – La Nana. After delicious sandwiches and our first taste of alfajores (delicate and yummy cookies filled with dulce con leche), we headed back to our cabin to relax.

We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling around town, crossing the bridge next to our cabin to explore the other side of the river (nothing to see, really) and just soak up the atmosphere. We also found a place right on the main street to do laundry – we filled a plastic grocery bag, dropped it off early afternoon, and were able to pick it up that evening. I can’t remember the price, but we thought it was inexpensive. I’m thinking maybe it was about $8 for quite a few items.

Dinner that night was at a pub-like place on the main street – I think it was Cervecería Artesanal El Chaltén. Nice, cozy atmosphere and pretty good (although I don't remember the details of what we had).
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Looking forward to Laguna Capri the next morning…

xcountry - You're right! We've been together six years. (I don't recognize your screen name - do you remember our story?)

I’m colduphere’s identical twin. Your story is unforgettable.

Aww. COLD always warms my heart (and makes me laugh). :) We're as happy as ever. He maintains to this day that he really was just being nice at the time by sending the book (you'll recall he was still embroiled in his divorce). But it wasn't too long a time (although it seemed so then) before he definitely was interested (and still is).

El Chalten - Laguna Capri

After a good night’s sleep in our cozy cabin, we awoke to a chilly but beautifully clear day. The wind had subsided and it appeared the sun would grace us with her presence.

One of the nice things about April is that the days are long enough to have daylight into the early evening, but the sun doesn’t rise so early that you feel like you can’t sleep in a little bit.

We headed to the end of town, retracing our steps for the third time. This morning, however, we got on the Laguna de los Tres trail to head for Laguna Capri. But not until after a stop at La Nana to pick up sandwiches and cookies for later.

Because of a back injury a few years ago, I didn’t think I could make the full hike to Mt. Fitzroy with it’s really difficult last kilometer, so we thought Laguna Capri - about 6 miles round trip would be a good compromise.

The first hour hour was actually a bit tougher than we’d expected- a fairly steep climb out of the valley. We took our time, rested as needed, and plodded along. It was a perfect day. Within 30 minutes, the combination of the climb and the warming sun caused us to shed our jackets.

We stopped frequently for pictures, water breaks and just to admire the gorgeous scenery. There were other hikers, but it wasn’t crowded, which is another advantage to shoulder season.

As we came near to our destination, we turned a corner and suddenly got our first fairly close-up look at Mt. Fitzroy. We both gasped. In the sunshine with snow on the peak it was magnificent.

Soon the trail forked left for Laguna Capri and straight for Fitzroy. We hesitated but only briefly. The pull of that mountain was strong, but we were happy to be able to make it as far as we did!

In another 15 minutes we came to a little pit toilet (yay - reasonably clean) and the lake was just beyond. Wow, wow, wow. The trees were at their fall peak, the lake was blue, the sky bluer, and the mountains on full display with only a few wisps of clouds. Oh my. We were so fortunate.

After finding a decent place to sit, we enjoyed our lunch, then explored along the shore.

We got out our fill and headed back to town - jubilant at the day we’d had. When we got back down, we stopped at la Waffleria to reward ourselves with a waffle topped with three scoops of ice cream. Yum!

We then headed back to the cabin for a short rest before walking down to the bus station to arrange tickets back to El Calafate for noon the next day.

Dinner that night was at la Tapera, where we had excellent steak dinners. Actually, we ordered one steak dinner and one salad and still had more than we could eat. Portions were large everywhere we went. And sharing seems to be common.

Then it was off to bed for the next phase of our adventure- El Calafate.

Photos of Laguna Capri

The picture second from the bottom has such vivid colours. It almost looks like a painting.

Well actually, they all do.

Just following along now, and looking forward to me. The mountains look gorgeous with the foliage. And I sure miss those gentoos.

sf7307 and tripplanner - glad to have you along! I just discovered your Antarctica report, tripplanner- and let me add another wow.

Thank you. Antarctica is absolutely incredible. We're still high from it and cannot stop thinking and talking about the place.

Gorgeous..love the fall foliage in Patagonia.

Quote:

Originally Posted by althom1122 (Post 16731103)

sf7307 and tripplanner - glad to have you along! I just discovered your Antarctica report, tripplanner- and let me add another wow.

We're headed to Patagonia next January so I'm really enjoying this.

El Calafate and the Perito Moreno glacier

For our last morning in El Chalten, we had planned to hike up to Los Cóndores and Las Águilas. It appeared the weather would cooperate, but we ended up sleeping in and taking it easy. We went to a late breakfast, packed up our stuff and walked around town for a last look.

After checking out with our delightful hosts (they were so cute), we headed to the bus station for the return trip to El Calafate. At the El Calafate bus station, we booked tickets to Perito Moreno the next day.

We’d debated whether to do the mini-trekking on the glacier but because we’d already done glacier trekking in Iceland, we decided to skip it this time.

We took a taxi to our hotel - Hotel Kosten Aike, about a block off the Main Street. We were quite happy here. Not fancy, but a solid hotel, clean and well-located. (You’ve probably noticed we tend to look for bargains.)

We had dinner that night at a pub that was actually part of a hostel right across the street. Good - and huge- burgers. Good selection of beers.

In the lobby of the hotel was a box filled with yarn and knitted squares. Guests were invited to make a square to contribute to a blanket, which were then donated to needy children. We thought that was a great idea. A couple of women were sitting in the lounge area chatting and knitting their squares.

We walked up the main street after dinner to check out the shops. This was far more touristy than anywhere we’d been yet. Lots and lots of stores. Hiking gear. Souvenir shops. Restaurants. Ushuaia was somewhat like that. El Chalten was more of a backpacker town.

In the morning we again headed to the El Calafate station to catch our bus to Perito Moreno glacier. We were in a fairly small bus (CalTur), and the trip took about 90 minutes. No need to book far in advance- at least not in April.

It was overcast and windy the day we were there. Probably the worst weather we had the entire trip. Still, we considered it a must-see if you’re in the area.

Although we’d trekked the glacier in Iceland , this was completely different. Seeing it up close, straight on to its face was mind-boggling. It’s huge. Really huge. Sadly, we couldn’t see the mountains we knew were in the background because they were shrouded in clouds. As we walked up and down the boardwalks - grated metal, actually - we’d hear an occasional loud crack, indicating a calving was imminent. We were fortunate to see a couple of decent-sized chunks fall into the water with a large splash. The cracks on the face of the glacier are the deepest blue - such a beautiful color.

We decided to skip the boat that gets you a bit closer and content ourselves with walking the various levels of walkways.

Despite the weather with its occasional drizzle, we had an enjoyable time.

The bus picked us up mid-afternoon for the drive back to town. That evening we had our favorite meal of the trip - T-bone steak at Mi Rancho. Delicious, tender beef, perfectly cooked, and paired with an excellent Malbec. Enough said.

Tomorrow - Torres del Paine.

Pictures form El Calafate

Quote:

Originally Posted by althom1122 (Post 16730893)

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Those are fantastic photos. Nice spots!

Enroute to Torres del Paine

Thanks, Norene!

In the morning, we enjoyed another good breakfast at Hostal Kosten Aike before setting off for the long bus ride to Puerto Natales (not Punta Arenas as I indicated in my itinerary - need to fix that) where we had a rental car reserved for Torres del Paine.
the morning, we enjoyed another good breakfast at Hostal Kosten Aike before setting off for the long bus ride to Puerto Natales (not Punta Arenas as I indicated in my itinerary - need to fix that) where we had a rental car reserved for Torres del Paine.

A short taxi ride to the by-now-familiar El Calafate bus station and we were soon on our way. When we first arrived about 30 minutes early for our bus, about a half dozen dogs were sleeping in various spots throughout the station - under benches or even in the middle of the floor. We settled on a bench as few people were around yet, and a few minutes later a uniformed man, a policeman or security guard entered the building. As soon as they saw him, the dogs one by one got to their feet and left the station, without him saying a word. It was as if they knew the drill: we can sleep here at night but when the man in the uniform shows up, we need to skedaddle. What a hoot.

For this segment of the journey, we’d booked in advance via internet with Cootras, the only bus company we could find that did the trip to Chile on the days we needed. Some of the other companies quit daily service at the end of March.

Unlike the bus we’d taken to El Chalten, this was not a double decker, but it was a full-size, long-haul bus. We were seated in the front, just behind the driver, which turned out not to be a good location because a curtain behind the driver blocked our view out the front window. Oh well.

The drive was fairly long, made longer by the fact that we had to take a detour because of a road closure due to construction - and made worse by the fact that the toilet was unusable. About 2-3 hours into the ride, people started going back to use it, but each one came out immediately without using it. Turned out, it was almost completely overflowing with nasty stuff and was sloshing around as the bus moved. Totally disgusting. Someone asked the bus driver if we were stopping at some point for a bathroom break and he said no!

Finally a woman explained the situation to him and he nodded. We were totally in the middle of nowhere. We hadn’t passed a town or anything in miles and miles. At one point he stopped the bus and got out himself but closed the door and wouldn’t let anyone else off.

About the time I thought there’d be an uprising, a small gas station appeared and he pulled over. Whew! Everyone waited in line for one of the two restrooms. It took awhile, but what a relief.

In another hour or so we arrived at the border. And two and a half hours after that, we were finally in Chile. At the Argentine border, we all got out of the bus, lined up single file and waited for passport inspection. With just two windows, the process took nearly an hour and a half. We then got back on the bus, drove about 2 or 3 miles, and arrived at the Chilean border. (What country are you in between borders? What if a baby is born there? What nationality is she? we wondered.) We all trooped out of the bus a second time, only here we had to get our luggage for inspection to enter Chile. Again, this took place in a small building with limited modern infrastructure. After they checked our passports, we put the bags on a counter for inspection, but there was no X-ray machine. Instead, a man donned rubber gloves and ran his hands through the bags one by one, searching primarily for fresh fruit. Avocados, apples, bananas, and even tomatoes appeared from some of the bags - despite the card we’d all filled out in advance clearly warning about the requirement to declare any produce. They immigration officer asked one man why he checked no, he didn’t have any fruit when in fact he had 3 or 4 tomatoes, a couple of avocados, and a banana. The man just shrugged. I was surprised he got off without a fine. Finally, we were finished and traveled the last 40 minutes or so to Puerto Natales without incident.

From the bus station, which Is a bit out of town, we took a taxi to Europcar and were soon underway. We’d reserved a mid-size SUV, similar to a Subaru Forrester, which worked out great. Because of the road construction on the main route between Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine, we had to make a major detour. It was odd - the road was completely closed during a significant part of each day. But Europcar gave us alternate directions, and it worked out fine. The drive was mostly on a one-lane road and much of it was unpaved. Traffic was sparse, however, so we made reasonable time.

As we approached the park and got our first look at the mountains, we were both relieved (to finally be there) and excited to see them!

We splurged and stayed at Rio Serrano just outside the park border. The location was fantastic - all of the rooms are on the mountain side of the building- so all have mountain views. The rooms were a little tired given the price - the mattresses could stand to be replaced - but everything was clean and otherwise comfortable and the breakfast was decent. But it was all about the view and the large windows that framed it. That alone made it worthwhile as far as we were concerned. The fact that we could stay right at the park entrance for three nights without having to drive all the way back to Puerto Natales every day was icing on the cake.

After checking in and unpacking, we went downstairs for a stroll around the lovely grounds. There was a large grassy area just outside with a river and the craggy mountains off in the distance. The air was clear and much of the sky was blue, although cloud formations turning lovely shades of orange hung above the mountains. We walked along the gravel road (with the absolute worst potholes we encountered the whole trip) and stopped to pet the horses. Afterwards we went inside to have dinner at the bar, which was cheaper than the buffet in the dining room and served mainly soup, salads, and sandwiches/burgers. It suited us just fine.

Settling into bed with that amazing picture window right next us, we fell asleep gazing at the darkening sky and eagerly anticipated the next day.

A short taxi ride to the by-now-familiar El Calafate bus station and we were soon on our way. When we first arrived about 30 minutes early for our bus, about a half dozen dogs were sleeping in various spots throughout the station - under benches or even in the middle of the floor. We settled on a bench as few people were around yet, and a few minutes later a uniformed man, a policeman or security guard entered the building. As soon as they saw him, the dogs one by one got to their feet and left the station, without him saying a word. It was as if they knew the drill: we can sleep here at night but when the man in the uniform shows up, we need to skedaddle. What a hoot.

For this segment of the journey, we’d booked in advance via internet with Cootras, the only bus company we could find that did the trip to Chile on the days we needed. Some of the other companies quit daily service at the end of March.

Unlike the bus we’d taken to El Chalten, this was not a double decker, but it was a full-size, long-haul bus. We were seated in the front, just behind the driver, which turned out not to be a good location because a curtain behind the driver blocked our view out the front window. Oh well.

The drive was fairly long, made longer by the fact that we had to take a detour because of a road closure due to construction - and made worse by the fact that the toilet was unusable. About 2-3 hours into the ride, people started going back to use it, but each one came out immediately without using it. Turned out, it was almost completely overflowing with nasty stuff and was sloshing around as the bus moved. Totally disgusting. Someone asked the bus driver if we were stopping at some point for a bathroom break and he said no!

Finally a woman explained the situation to him and he nodded. We were totally in the middle of nowhere. We hadn’t passed a town or anything in miles and miles. At one point he stopped the bus and got out himself but closed the door and wouldn’t let anyone else off.

About the time I thought there’d be an uprising, a small gas station appeared and he pulled over. Whew! Everyone waited in line for one of the two restrooms. It took awhile, but what a relief.

In another hour or so we arrived at the border. And two and a half hours after that, we were finally in Chile. At the Argentine border, we all got out of the bus, lined up single file and waited for passport inspection. With just two windows, the process took nearly an hour and a half. We then got back on the bus, drove about 2 or 3 miles, and arrived at the Chilean border. (What country are you in between borders? What if a baby is born there? What nationality is she? we wondered.)

We all trooped out of the bus a second time, only here we had to get our luggage for inspection to enter Chile. Again, this took place in a small building with limited modern infrastructure. After they checked our passports, we put the bags on a counter for inspection, but there was no X-ray machine. Instead, a man donned rubber gloves and ran his hands through the bags one by one, searching primarily for fresh fruit. Avocados, apples, bananas, and even tomatoes appeared from some of the bags - despite the card we’d all filled out in advance clearly warning about the requirement to declare any produce. They immigration officer asked one man why he checked no, he didn’t have any fruit when in fact he had 3 or 4 tomatoes, a couple of avocados, and a banana. The man just shrugged. I was surprised he got off without a fine. Finally, we were finished and traveled the last 40 minutes or so to Puerto Natales without incident.

From the bus station, which Is a bit out of town, we took a taxi to Europcar and were soon underway. We’d reserved a mid-size SUV, similar to a Subaru Forrester, which worked out great. Because of the road construction on the main route between Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine, we had to make a major detour. It was odd - the road was completely closed during a significant part of each day. But Europcar gave us alternate directions, and it worked out fine. The drive was mostly on a one-lane road and much of it was unpaved. Traffic was sparse, however, so we made reasonable time.

As we approached the park and got our first look at the mountains, we were both relieved (to finally be there) and excited to see them!

We splurged and stayed at Rio Serrano just outside the park border. The location was fantastic - all of the rooms are on the mountain side of the building- so all have mountain views. The rooms were a little tired given the price - the mattresses could stand to be replaced - but everything was clean and otherwise comfortable and the breakfast was decent. But it was all about the view and the large windows that framed it. That alone made it worthwhile as far as we were concerned. The fact that we could stay right at the park entrance for three nights without having to drive all the way back to Puerto Natales every day was icing on the cake.

After checking in and unpacking, we went downstairs for a stroll around the lovely grounds. There was a large grassy area just outside with a river and the craggy mountains off in the distance. The air was clear and much of the sky was blue, although cloud formations turning lovely shades of orange hung above the mountains. We walked along the gravel road (with the absolute worst potholes we encountered the whole trip) and stopped to pet the horses. Afterwards we went inside to have dinner at the bar, which was cheaper than the buffet in the dining room and served mainly soup, salads, and sandwiches/burgers. It suited us just fine.

Settling into bed with that amazing picture window right next us, we fell asleep gazing at the darkening sky and eagerly anticipated the next day.

These pictures are amazing. Just one more of the people rushing off the bus to get to the restrooms would have been ideal.

My apologies for the messed up post. I posted from my phone and I don't know how it has sections in there twice. I thought there was a way to edit a post, but I can't seem to find it. (Not used to the updated board.)

Torres del Paine - first full day

Thanks, xcountry!

We were awake before the sun came up. From our picture window we could see the sky just beginning to lighten over the mountains. Breakfast was served buffet-style in the dining room, and the selection was good. I think the huge windows looking out at the spectacular view must have made everything taste better!

Our goal for today was the Mirador Cuernos day hike, about 2 hours round trip and mostly easy. I’d worried about road conditions and also about getting lost (I worry a lot!), but driving turned out to be quite simple, and we were really glad we had the car. It gave us total freedom, and for the most part, the roads were good - unpaved, but packed hard. Some areas had quite a few potholes (especially the road to Lago Grey), but we could usually travel 30 to 40 mph.

From Rio Serrano we set off for the park entrance, where we paid the 21000 Chilean peso entry fee per person (about $34), good for three days. We got a free park map and were quickly on our way. Although I’d bought a detailed map in advance, the park freebie turned out to be perfectly adequate. Roads were well-marked - and there are only a few roads anyway, so it’s easy to find your way around. Traffic was light, perhaps because it was shoulder season, and with numerous pull-outs and parking lots in the more popular areas, parking was easy.

Our first view of Lake Pehoe was awe-inspiring. Despite the clouds over the mountains, the scene of the white-capped, turquoise lake, the footbridge out to the small island and Hosteria Pehoe, and the craggy, black-tipped Cuernos (or Horns) as a backdrop was spectacular. We parked and crossed the footbridge (that had a sign warning maximum of 4 persons) to check out the hotel/hostel. Although we didn’t see the rooms, the setting is spectacular. From there we headed to the parking lot for the Mirador Cuernos/Salto Grande hike, but we were disappointed to discover that the trail was blocked off because of high winds.

Plan B. We drove a few more miles and saw more and more guanacos. At one point, we stopped and strolled out a path toward a large herd. We came to a sign warning of pumas in the area, with directions for what to do if you encounter one (basically, maintain eye contact, don’t run, pick up a small child, and back slowly away). Tom had hoped to spot one - although the warning sign gave me pause - but we never did. We decided to turn around and go back to Lago Grey.

The clouds over the mountains had thickened, such that by the time we arrived at Lago Grey, we couldn’t see much in the background. Nonetheless, we took the short hike to beach, crossing another footbridge (this one with a sign saying maximum of 6 persons!), and making our way through a lovely little forest decked out mostly in yellow and down to the wide open sandy beach. We couldn’t see the glacier from there, although we did spot a few small icebergs in the lake. We had a late lunch at the cafeteria in the visitor center before heading back to the hotel to relax a little while before dinner. We ate at the hotel bar again that evening and then hit the hay.

Haha - yes, a picture of the people running to the bathrooms would have been great.

Don't want to "Frigger" a puma attack!

Wow! Fantastic photos and great report. Makes me want to return to see what we didn't see. I always regret skipping El Chalten. Patagonia is one of my favorite places on earth.

mlgb - HAHA - we laughed at that, too.

yestravel - thanks. And YES :-) I know what you mean. Patagonia has become one of our favorite places, too. We definitely want to go back. El Chalten is definitely worth seeing, especially if you're a hiker.

Patagonia too has a special place in me. Would love to go back to do some hiking in the bits we missed. I must say, judging from your photos, foliage season is the time to go.

Congratulations!

Terrific report and unbelievable pictures!

Torres - second full day

The next morning we decided to check out Laguna Azul on the far side of the park. Since we weren’t able to hike to the Torres, we thought this would be the next best thing. If we were lucky, the skies would clear enough to give us a good view, albeit from a distance. We set off after another good breakfast at the hotel, and although there were some clouds over the mountains, the weather looked promising. As we drove, we made several stops for photos - hiking up the hillside at a Lake Pehoe pull-out for a spectacular view with the sun hitting the Cuernos, then a climb later down the road on the other side.

At one point we came to a steamroller that was busy repairing the road. They dump long sections of dirt and then roll it down with a large steamroller to get the hard-packed effect that minimizes potholes and washboard ruts. A car in front of us was stopped just before the construction zone with a flat tire. They had trouble changing it because it was a rental car and the wrench provided by the company didn’t fit the nuts on the wheel. Tom checked ours and it didn’t work either. Fortunately, the construction guys were able to come up with a wrench that worked and we were soon on our way.

By this time there was a backup of about eight cars. As we drove uphill through thick, soft dirt that hadn’t been fully steam-rolled, the guy with the newly changed tire started having difficulty - weaving and spinning. We went around him, as did the other cars. We could see behind us that he’d gotten completely stuck. We dared not stop for fear that we too would be stuck, and we hoped the construction crew would help him out.

When we came to the turn-off for Las Torres hotel, we decided to take a look. Along the way were beautiful views of the Towers - almost fully visible. At one point, I stopped in the road to step outside for a picture. We’d seen no cars at all since turning off the main road, but as luck would have it, as soon as I walked around to the other side of the car for the picture (I was driving), two cars came along and had to go out around me.

Unfortunately and unbeknownst to me at the time, I had stopped right next to large and somewhat deep puddle. As they went around and through the puddle, they gave us what Tom refers to as “the stink eye," and I can’t blame them. If I’d tried, I couldn’t have found a worse place to stop. I was just so excited at the beauty of the scene, that I couldn’t wait any longer to get outside and take a photo!

We drove on to EcoCamp Patagonia and enjoyed seeing the domed tent-like structures up on the hillside. We skipped Las Torres and pressed on for Laguna Azul, stopping at the waterfall Cascada del Rio Paine, with views of the Torres behind it. We couldn’t believe our luck with the weather. Although it was still somewhat windy, it was nothing like the day before, and the mountains were gorgeous - with blue sky in the photos. The waterfall is definitely worth a stop, although the road down to the parking lot was a bit rough.

Before long, we arrived at our destination, and as we’d hoped, dozens of guanacos were grazing in front of the deep blue Lake Azul, The wind was strong, creating white-caps on the lake, but the blue sky and red foliage made for a picture-perfect scene. We wandered around the lake shore and took numerous pictures before heading back. We decided to stop at the Mirador Cuernos trail, which fortunately was open today, but since it was getting late in the afternoon, we only went as far as the Salto Grande waterfall - about 10 minutes or so from the parking lot.

We wanted to do the Cuernos hike in the morning, but we were starting to worry we might not have enough gas to get back to Puerto Natales. We’d heard that some of the hotels will sell you gas, so when we got back to Rio Serrano, we asked at the front desk and were told that the small hostel across the road might have some. We went over and managed to understand that if we came back in an hour, he might have some. When we pulled the car over an hour later, two women had arrived just in front of us and got the last of the gas. The guy told us to come back in two hours and he’d have more. We thought this was really odd, but sure enough when we returned, he came out with a 5-liter clear plastic bottle and a spout that he used to pour the gas into our car. We ended up getting two 5-liter bottles just to be on the safe side. It was really expensive - more than $20 US dollars, but hey, better that than run out of gas in the middle of nowhere. We only hoped it was really gasoline!

After our final Torres del Paine dinner at the hotel bar, we strolled around the grounds of the hotel and went to bed - hoping to do the Mirador Cuernos hike in the morning, now that we had plenty of gas, before leaving for Puerto Natales.

Here are some pictures from this day.

The sun hitting the peaks was stunning this morning.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4e3c42879f.jpg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...979f2d7c55.jpg

Spotted this guanaco silhouetted against the sky.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...22b00002ce.jpg

We could see most of the Torres from the Cascada del Paine waterfall, although there were still a few clouds.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...23b35f2724.jpg

Later the clouds parted enough that we were treated to a full view!
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...650a31bb76.jpg

We saw a few condors during the drive today. I was super lucky to get this shot.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e33f472ec9.jpg

At Lake Azul, we had a nearly unobstructed view of the Torres. And look at the foliage!
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d201c9da67.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ed2fc10272.jpg

The sun created a lovely little rainbow over Salto Grande.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...42c1ae76fd.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7f2961f0f2.jpg

I nearly forgot to post this one! https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...998324e844.jpg
I loved the way this one posed for me.

Your pictures are fabulous!

Karen, I just stumbled across your wonderful report and photos. I'm very much enjoying it. Patagonia is on my list.

Thanks, yestravel!

And hi, Kathie! Great to hear from you. I remember so well the help you gave me on my first trip to Asia with my daughter three. Hope you’re doing well.