Back to Chile! After a wonderful overview of Torres del Paine during our day trip from El Calafate we decided to head to Puerto Natales, Chile, a common homebase for travelers planning to spend time in Torres del Paine. The bus from El Calafate was easy and we didn’t have any difficulty crossing the border from Argentina to Chile. The town of Puerto Natales felt much larger than El Calafate and lost some of the quaint (though often touristy) charm that we had found on the Argentinian side of the border. We spent several gray and rainy hours wandering the streets and strolling by the lake that bordered one side of the town.
Our main reason for staying in Puerto Natales was to spend more time in Torres del Paine. We made the decision, back in September when we started our travels that we wouldn’t bring sleeping bags or tents on our adventure. We knew we would mainly be sleeping in hostels and the extra weight of any non-essential items didn’t seem worth it. Torres del Paine, however, only offers limited options if you don’t have either camping equipment, a car, or a large budget to pay for hotels within the park. Since we had none of these, the famous W-circuit (a five day trek to the most famous views of the park) was out and we opted for one of the few day-hikes that we could reach by bus. Lucky for us, it was one of the most spectacular hikes in the park.
The bus picked us up before sunrise and drove us a couple hours to reach the gate of Torres del Paine. Fortunately, we were able to use our stamped entrance tickets from our last trip to Torres del Paine a few days before to gain admission to the park. We then hopped on a shuttle that dropped us off near the trail head. You would think that due to the popularity of the park that there would be a huge sign pointing out the trail head from where the shuttle drops you off, but we either missed it or it didn’t exist because soon we were wandering aimlessly with a group of 4-6 other day hikers trying to figure out where to go. Eventually, we were pointed in the correct direction and we headed off down the road in the direction of the trail.
The hike up to the Mirador las Torres, the lookout point that gives the best views of the iconic granite towers of Torres del Paine, was as beautiful as we had hoped. The trail was about 8-9km in each direction and passed long the sides of mountains, across rivers, though valleys and heavily forested areas until we reached the final stage of the hike which required climbing up and over the final mountain ridge made entirely of rocks and boulders. Needless to say, we were very happy that we only had small day packs as we watched many fellow hikers lugging huge packs up the trail.
The hike was amazing and gave us plenty of opportunities to climb on massive boulders and take photos from different vantage points. We found a boulder at the edge of the lake that made the perfect picnic spot. After exploring the area around the lake we decided to make our way back down the trail.
Our first glimpse of the lake and towers from up close
Lisa doing some impromptu rock climbing
Kevin had been hoping to see a wild fox throughout our travels in Patagonia, luckily on our last day in Torres del Paine we were paid a visit
As often happens when we hike, we completed the trail much quicker than we had anticipated. When we got back to the lodge near the base of the hike we decided to sit and rest for a bit before making our way back to the park entrance. “Lodge” might not be the best word to describe this building as it felt (and looked) more like a resort. It had a beautiful airy lounge with curved windows providing panoramic views of the mountains. We relaxed on the plush couches for about an hour until it was time to head back to the entrance of the park and catch a bus for Puerto Natales.
We were told that the park entrance was around an hours walk from the hotel. We were sure that giving ourselves an hour and a half would be plenty of time to make it before our bus left. Unfortunately, without knowing which trails would cut through the valley and provide a direct route to the gate, we were left following the road which took significantly more than an hour. We kept thinking that we would see the gate around the next bend in the road. A little over an hour into our walk we began to get worried. The sun was setting and we still didn’t know how far we had to go, so we started to run. We eventually came across a local trekker who had worked as a guide in the park for many years. He assured us that our timetable for the bus was incorrect and we had plenty of time to get to the entrance. Luckily, he was right, and the bus stop came into view around another bend.
From Puerto Natales we made our way down to Punta Arenas. We only had one night in Punta Arenas so we spent our time exploring the town. The town was very colorful with many building painted bright and bold colors. We walked up to a mirador (vista point) that let us look out over the colorful city. We also tried to visit a brewery that is based in Punta Arenas to see if we could go for a tour (a suggested activity we found on one of the tourist sites online). We weren’t sure if it was just the day of the week, or the time of day, or if the facility is no longer open to the public, but it was all locked up when we tried to visit. So Lisa had to settle for trying some of the local beer at a restaurant later that day.
The view looking down on Punta Arenas from the mirador
Our final destination in Patagonia was Ushuaia. The bus from Punta Arenas took us to a ferry crossing where we all crossed onto the island of Tierra del Fuego, then across the border into Argentina, and finally down to Ushuaia, a trip totaling between 10 and 11 hours. Ushuaia has the distinction of being the southern-most city in the world and serves as a jumping off point for people heading to Antartica.
The ferry that transported us and our bus to the island of Tierra del Fuego
Hanging out at the end of the world!
Our first full day in Ushuaia it rained all day
The weather during out time in Ushuaia was mostly rainy and dreary. We scrapped our plan of venturing into the Tierra del Fuego National Park in favor of hiking closer to town. We did a muddy hike to Lago Esmeralda. It was beautiful and very peaceful but required some fancy footwork to circumvent the puddles and mud pits.
Our time in Ushuaia flew by and it was hard to believe we were finished with the Patagonia portion of our trip. It was a section that both of us had looked forward to for so long and we had not been disappointed by the natural beauty we experienced in the past few weeks. This also concluded the long road down the western side of South America. We have reached the southernmost tip and are now ready to head back north along the east coast.
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