No tags yet.
On one hand, group trips are a blessing because everything is pre-planned, so I can purely enjoy the trip without worrying about the hassles of bookings or getting lost. On the other hand, during out GW Chile trip to Patagonia, I deeply missed the freedom and flexibility that I had while traveling south on Aventura Sur with my friend Kaitlyn. I know that if I would have had the opportunity to plan my own trip, it would have been quite different. I was ready for more hiking, backpacking, and outdoor activities, but instead we went on what I consider a relaxing retirement vacation. By no means am I ungrateful, the views on the trip were extraordinarily breathtaking and I am beyond lucky to have had such an experience. Nonetheless, I am motivated to go back one day, possibly with my mom or dad, in order to go on a thorough backpacking adventure in the most famous national park in Patagonia: Torres del Paine.
Patagonia is incredibly far south, and perhaps this is the biggest reason why the trip didn’t feel as satisfying as our group trip to San Pedro de Atacama last semester. We left early Thursday morning, took a three and a half hour flight to Punta Arenas during which for a minute we were able to see the towering mountains of Torres del Paine and Glacier Grey far below, and then we took a three hour bus ride to Puerto Natales, the town closest to Torres del Paine. The whole day was spent sitting, getting from one destination to the next. Even from Puerto Natales, the distances to points of interest are lengthy, so it was important to have patients and dedication.
On Friday, we took a ferry tour through the Seno de Última Esperanza, a tantalizing fjord to go through on a rainy day. It was good that I took an anti-motion-sickness pill because the wind and rain made the waters choppy. But I did not mind the rain because it wasn’t uncomfortably cold and it created hundreds of waterfalls of varying sizes along the lush green mountains on either side of the fjord. After a couple hours we reached Bernardo O’Higgins National Park, and we hiked about half an hour to encounter the spectacular Glacier Balmaceda as well as Glacier Serrano. At some points the hike was practically in a creek because the trail became saturated in the rain. Seeing such epic glaciers from so close I found myself thinking about how merger humanity is relative to the geological processes that occur on earth, and how unbelievably lucky I am to be part of something so grand. On the way back, we were served whiskey with glacial ice and we stopped at Estancia Perales to eat “cordero” which was the most delicious grilled lamb I have every had in my life. Even the rain stopped and a vibrant rainbow dazzled the landscape.
The next day, we got up early to head to the famous Torres del Paine. After an entertaining bus ride with wonderful views, good conversations with our Chilean tour guide, George, and plenty of strong Matte tea, we arrived at the park entrance. Paine in the indigenous language of the region means blue, and I must say the mountains were named accurately. Although most of the time in the park we sent in the bus, we did stop and do small hikes along the way. The longest hike of the day was from Mirador Salto Grande, which is a magnificent turquoise waterfall, to Mirador Cuernos, a mesmerizing blue lake surrounded towering mountains.
On this walk we witnessed the aftermath of a tourist-made fire that burned down more than 21,000 acres of the park. The undergrowth had regrown, and the Guanaco grazed happily and freely, but the black and white stubs of trees left a stark contrast. These trees had been immensely old as it’s not easy for trees to grow in the harsh windy conditions, and unfortunately they will not regrow on their own. George told us that this area of the park is nearly always extremely windy, but we lucked out with a beautiful sunny day with minimal wind compared to usual. We ate lunch with a view of Glacier Grey, which leads into yet another lake with a distinct grey-blue color (we saw the same area two days earlier from our plane).
After a relaxing nap on the bus, we arrived to the Cueva del Milodón, a cave that had formed in the conglomerate rock by the receding sea thousands of years ago. It was home to the prehistoric Milodón, or Mylodon in english, which was a giant ground sloth, a herbivore resembling a large bear. It would have been nice to hike or climb more in that area to explore some of the other caves, but our group headed back to Puerto Natales for our last night in Patagonia. Sunday consisted of nothing more than packing up and taking the long journey back to Santiago.