We got up early (7am!) to get to the Condor lookout by sunrise at 830. It was below zero so we rugged up well. We needed our headlamps to guide us up the gentle gradient to the lookout.
Watching Mt Fitzroy the accompanying peaks slowly getting illuminated by the rising sun was spectacular. Made us realise what we had missed on our first day’s hike to Laguna de los Tres. We then walked to Mirador de las Aquilas – with a view of the lake and surrounding plaines.
We got the 1pm bus back to El Calafate after which we spent an hour or so walking around rhetoric town centre. The town was a bit bigger than we expected with a lot of outdoor equipment shops!
Today we did the Laguna de los Tres trek starting from the village of El Chalten to the lagoon lake below the triple granite peaks of Poincenot (3,002m), Fitz Roy (3,375m) and Mermoz (2,732m).
The majority of the trek was on easy paths with not too much climbing. Both Deryn and I were wearing 4 layers of clothing as well as gloves and beanies for most of the trek. The landscape varied from lovely shady beech forests to quite bleak alpine meadows. We got some spectacular views of the three peaks on the way up but unfortunately never without some cloud.
The last 2km was a tough 450 climb up a very icy path. It was also made more challenging through having to pass overly cautious trekkers on their way up and avoid sliding trekkers on their way down. The lagoon was impressive but unfortunately we did not get the view of the peaks because of the cloud cover.
It started snowing a but heavier on the way down which made for very picturesque landscape. Much like the other treks, the cold water from the glacier rivers was incredibly refreshing. We were both tired by the end of the trek but 25.8km and over a 1,000m of climbing explains why.
We stopped and had dinner at a local restaurant called Padrilla La Oveja Negre – along the main road to the walk. The food was incredible and so cheap. My fresh trout pasta was perfect – an for only $A10.
It was wet and cold when we woke up which gave us some comfort in our decision not to hike the 22km to Grey Glacier.
We caught the 11.30 boat to Pudento and then jumped on a bus back to Puerto Natales. It was sad saying good bye to the spectacular Torre del Paine.
We also said goodbye to some fellow travelers who we met and really enjoyed on the journey – Mike and Robyn the Japanese American couple, Jason who was travelling with his American family for a year and finally the two American sisters Lorraine and Dotty.
We had a great feed back in Puerto Natales at our favourite cafe – Hamburgeuseria https://www.wearepatagonia.com/es-es/dining while all our trekking gear was cleaned in the local lauandromat. Ah, the simple pleasures.
The next day was 2 bus trips – 5.5 hours from Puerto Natales to El Calafate and then 3 hours from El Calafate to El Chalten. Leaving Chile was easy(ish) whereas the first thing you noticed on entering Argentina was the much heavier police presence. Two girls in front of us got dragged off the bus for carrying some unknown substance.
Walking through El Chalten in the freezing dark trying to find our house was a bit of a challenge but after knocking on a few doors we found our home.
We had our first experience last night of communal living. Swapping stories with a cross section (albeit mostly older travellers – relative to those sleeping in the tents that is. We got an amazing list of places we need to see on the rest of our adventure. However the night did not end so well in the communal 8 person Dome. What with the white noise being played from an iPhone (sounded like a cistern filling) and the snoring, it was a terrible night sleep.
We got away early at 8am so we were waking in pretty poor light. Dropped off one bag at the Italian Refugio and then headed to the Brittanico Lookout Point. 20 minutes in we got to see at least 4 avalanches high up in the mountains. Pretty cool.
Once again walk was 800m longer than expected, including a brutal 50 climb at the end. It was worth it thoug at the views of Paine Grande, Castillo and Catedral was amazing
The 13km walk to our hotel for the night – the Paine Grand Refugio – was relatively easy. Part of the trip was through a portion of the park that was burnt in a fire back in 2011. 83,000 acres were badly burnt – the dead trees make for an interesting landscape.
Deryn and I were both feeling the effects of 60km of hard trekking over the 3 days. It’s forecast for snow tomorrow so we’re not heading up to the glacier and will get back into Puerto Natales mid-afternoon rather than 10pm at night. We’re both relieved!!
Not so an early start this am. We headed away at 9 for our 5 hour 13.5 hr hike to Doma Frances. Typically Deryn and I took the wrong track and ended up following the horse trail for the first 5km. Meant our 13.5 km hike turned into a 17.7km hike.
We walked along the edge of the Norsdenkjold Lake most of the way with incredible views of Los Cuernos, the lake and some high altitude hanging glaciers.
It took us a bit longer than expected due to our early misstep so we were glad to finally arrive at our domo at around 3. The domes are basic but a plank of wood would be fine.
This blog starts with a lesson. If the time on your iPhone and iPad has not changed due to the end of daylight saving, then the time has not changed. We turned up to our 230pm bus to Torres del Paine, only to be told it left an hour ago at 230pm. $200 later and we had our own vehicle for the 2 hour drive our hotel Hotel Las Torres. The hotel room was a free upgrade from the shared Refugio we were meant to be staying in. It was luxurious.
Early breakfast next morning and away on our trek by 8am. It was barely light and cold. The weather gods were on our side however and it wasn’t long before we were peeling off layers under the warmth of a stunning day. It was was great watching the colours of the mountain change with the light.
We made pretty good time to the first stop at the Chileno Montain Refuge, a really cool campground the heart of a beautiful beech forest. It was basically a climb from there for the next 2 hours, at times quite challenging through a very rocky trail. We arrived at the Las Torres Base Lookout Point just before midday. The view of the lake and Los Torres de Granite was spectacular. Mind blowing to think people climb the towers. Torre Sur is the highest at 2850m.
We spent a leisurely hour enjoying the view and having some lunch before heading back to our hotel. We were both buggered by the time we crawled onto our beds for a well earned rest. 20km and 7.35 hours of waking does that.
We spent the day wandering around Puerto Natales, reading and generally chilling.
Had a great feed at Cafe Artimaña- although we were surprised at the 55,000 peso bill ($120). The two double whiskeys didn’t help (bought a decent 750ml bottle in the supermarket for $25). I won 4 cribbage games on the trot to take it to 6 each.
The dogs again were very cool. Deryn and I chased the dood below several times over the course of the day trying to get a photo. He looked like a lion.
We spent a very lazy day wandering around the town. The town was bigger than we expected and we found some useful stores – a shop to buy a portable speaker and a supermarket in which we bought supplies for dinner and breakfast. First home cooked meal in a week.
It was a cold, cloudy and windy day but occasionally when the clouds broke we could see the snowy mountains in the distance, hinting at the beauty to come.
We headed out early evening to go have dinner at the Nam en el Cerro Santa Lucia – a festival of produce from around Chile. And also to see the sun set from the Castillo Hidalgo at the peak of the hill.
The produce was amazing and the view of Santiago spectacular. It was fun exploring the nooks and crannies at the peak. We bought some free range eggs from a local who had spent 2 years on a dairy farm in Geraldine .
We grabbed an Uber to the airport the following morning and found out on route that Ubers are not allowed at the airport. 10 minutes of Google translate and a friend on the drivers phone resulted in us agreeing we were familia and would be discrete in the payment of cash (Uber would not work)
After a 3.15 flight, we landed in Punta Arena (53.10 Deg South) – the most southern part of our journey – or in fact as far south either of us have ever been
We decided to walk the 5km down Catedral to the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. The first couple of km’s took us through the main shopping precinct before crossing over the Autopista Central and into the grungy part of town.
We were walking through a part of town that had certainly had better days. However the former glory was still evident in quality of the buildings, although today the graffiti was competing for attention.
The Museum itself was confronting, particularly when you think that the military regime only ended in 1989
In memory the regime victims
And to finish – another photo of these crazy Santiago dogs…
