Torres del Paine, Chile (January 2023)

After we left El Calafate by bus very early, we drove for six hours to reach our next destination, Torres del Paine in Chile. We had to cross the border, but it was a breeze.

At the border, we saw a couple on a bike. They have traveled from Lima Peru to here and will go to Santiago Chile. After that, they will fly to Turkey and do the bike tour before they return home in France. It was an amazing and strong will that kept them going.

Torres del Paine is the signature landmark of Chilean Patagonia. Torres means towers and there are three rock towers that have been formed by glaciers when they retreated a long time ago. The following picture shows the 

Even long before we arrived at the National Park where Torres del Paine is located, we were able to see the majestic scene.

When we reached the entrance to the park, the sign was visible with the peaks of the towers.

When we arrived at our hotel, called Las Torres, an all-inclusive resort, four horse riders welcome us with the Chilean Patagonia flag. It was the first time of being welcome into a resort. I took a selfie with one of them, a young lady rider. She joined us the next day when we went out to see other landmarks of the national park.

Las Torres was the best lodging of our entire trip. It is located inside the National Park and it is the only private facility within the park. The location right at the foothill of Torres del Paine was one thing, but the staff's professional service on top of delicious food presented with extreme elegance. Perfect! Not just for me but for all others in unison. 

At the store in the lobby, there was a painting that showed one of young staff who was sipping Mate tea. He looked so relaxed and peaceful.

 

The hotel hallway had a stuffed bird, called Ria. It looked like an ostrich, but a smaller version. 

The following young man is only one of many young professional staff we all admired and appreciated. 

In our group, we met many people, but we ended up spending a lot of time with Noris and Kate. Mrs. Choi was particularly close to them.

After lunch, we headed out to visit several places the first one of which was Cascada Paine. Our local tour guide Chris showed us the route we would visit on a large map. 

Chris warned us that we would experience the strongest wind we have ever encountered. We were half skeptical, but we later had to admit that he was right. The Cascada Paine was a few small-scale cascades in the river flowing from the glaciers on top of the mountain. On the way to the viewpoint, we felt we were getting blown away. Kris lost her hat to the wind.

On the way to our next destination, we ran into a group of Guanacos. They are all wild. In their family, they have cousins, called Llamas, Alpacas, and Viscunas.

Our next place to visit was Blue Lagoon or Laguna Azul. Wherever we went, we were able to see the Torres del Paine and its surrounding mountain peaks. The scenery was just panoramic!

The following day, we visited several places. As we were entering and exiting the national park inside which Las Torres was located, we were able to see the Torres del Paine. Depending on the angle, the scenery changed, but all of them were just beautiful. We were told that we were lucky because usually the tops are covered with clouds.

The first places we visited were Salto Grande and Paine Grande. Again, the wind blowing from the glaciers was amazingly strong and I could not take a video with stability.

One angle showed the rock mountain that was carved by retreating glaciers.

As we drove by Lake Poheho for lunch with a view, the scenery made us say "Wow!"

The next destination was Lago Grey where the wind was the strongest of all. We had to give up on walking the shore because the wind was too strong and hazardous with flying gravel. It is too bad that the still photos cannot convey the severity of the wind.

Many people were holding each other for mutual support.

On the last day, Mr. Yoon and I decided to do some hiking even halfway to the Mirador Base of the Torres. It was the prelude to my potential hike later on, Lord willing, to the W track that may take 3-4 days to complete. Along with the hike to the base of Monte Fitz Roy, it would be a beautiful memory.

We had a wonderful time at Torres del Paine and no wonder it is one of the most popular destinations for tourists. I was so blessed with the opportunity to visit this place. - Jeffrey