Puerto Natales y Torres Del Paine, Chile - 19-26 December 2008

Above: The majestic ranges of Parque Nacional Torres Del Paine

Above left: Torres Del Paine; Above right: Flags of Chile and Patagonia

Returning to Chile to the town of Puerto Natales on Dec 19 (El Calafate, Argentina to Puerto Natales, Chile was a 5-hour bus ride away), I immediately felt a sense of relief and belongingness – strange, but true. Although Puerto Natales was the gateway to the Torres Del Paine National Park - hence a somewhat touristy town for outdoorsy folks – the locals here did not convey a shark-y attitude but were instead genuinely friendly, providing great service with a smile. What a welcome change! :-)

I settled nicely into Residencial Temuco, located at Ramirez 310, for a mere 5,000 Chilean Pesos (~US$7.50) a night, with breakfast included. What I adored most about this place was the ever-so-smiley and gracious elderly host at the establishment. I felt right at home here at Residencial Temuco in this remote outpost of Puerto Natales, located close to the end of the world. I rented my camping equipment (tent, sleeping bag, mattress, small cooking stove and aluminum pot) for 6,500 CLP (~US$10) a night from Javier at a tour agency next to Turismo Zaahj along Arturo Prat. A knowledgeable and super-friendly Chilean, I was sold on Javier’s bubbly personality. He ran his business like one would loan things to a friend – it’s heartening (and faith restored in humanity) to run into good people like him.

The round-trip bus transportation from Puerto Natales to Parque Nacional Torres Del Paine was pricey at 15,000 CLP (~US$23.00), considering the 1.5hr ride each way. The park entrance cost another 15,000 CLP, which was fine by me except that when you had paid for a service, you would expect some basic needs met but I was irritated by some of the signs on the park that had fallen off or the paint worn off.

I walked a total of 52KM in my 4 days and 3 nights stay at Torres Del Paine NP, following the westbound trail of the W-circuit. In the first night, I camped at the free campsite at Campamento Torres, an hour from Mirador Las Torres, where I was lucky to have caught the 3 Torres Del Paine peaks at sunrise on the one fine day we had in the four days I was at the park. The second night, I camped at Refugio & Camping Los Cuernos where I paid 4,000 CLP to set up tent. I was in no shape to walk a further 2.5hrs to the other free campsite at Campamento Italiano at the French Valley. My entire body (calves, toes, ankles, knees, shoulders) was screaming murder. I camped my final night at Campamento Italiano where I stayed in-tent most of the day to dodge the cold wind and rain on day 3 – missing much of the French Valley, unfortunately. Turned out, I was not the only one as other hikers stayed in as well at the campsite. Day 4, I walked 7.5KM to the Mountain Lodge Paine Grande where I caught the 12:30PM Catamaran ride back to Pudeto where the bus awaited travelers returning to Puerto Natales. 4 days - it was the longest I’ve gone without showering or washing my hair...gross, but heck it was all part of the experience.

This entire experience would probably count as the hardest trek I had done by far and for two reasons: 1) I did it solo and 2) The super-heavy pack I had to carry on my shoulders and back, over the 4 days in varying weather of gusty wind, incredible sun and cold rain. Hiking was one thing but to also be able to set up tent, cook and carry the camping equipment on the trek had all but taken my outdoor hiking experience to a whole new level. Now that I have accomplished this challenge solo, I must admit with pride that it felt darn great to have ‘conquered’ the Torres in Chile’s Patagonia. I’m ready to move on to new challenges.

Photos of Parque Nacional Torres Del Paine:

Above: The Torres of Torres Del Paine