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| Heading north from Punta Arenas on Chile's Route 9 |
Another repeating theme (like “Tips for Cruisers”)
that will appear regularly is “Road Trips and Tips”. These posts take us away from ports and
(often) into the heart of Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean.
I’m beginning with one of my of my top three
favourites: the drive from Punta Arenas, Chile, located on the Strait of
Magellan, four hours north to Torres del Paine National Park, truly one of the
world’s most spectacular and pristine natural settings.
We flew into Punta Arenas and as were met by one
of the hosts at “La Casa
Escondida”, a lovely lodge with cabins near the airport. We were late (delayed flight) but the
excellent owner/chef managed to put a mouth-watering Chilean sea bass dinner in
front of us within 15 minutes. The main
house and cabins are all built with local wood and their rustic charm had us
regretting we had only one night.
The next morning the car rental rep appeared with
our 4X-drive and we headed north. The drive is easy, over an excellent highway,
paved for all but the last hour. The landscape is endless, windswept, and
mostly barren with Patagonian grass. Sheep and the occasional rhea (South
American ostrich). We pass a large lake with hundreds of pink flamingos. You can see Argentina to the east for much of
the way and, at one point through the border control building. 
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| Mama Rosa's Restaurant with the Ultima Esperanza fjord through the window. |
There are two entrances to the park, one on the
eastern side and the one we were aiming for on the southwestern side. Had we continued north we would have come to
the eastern entrance, then would have had to cross the park to reach our hotel.
Still, it was a fortuitous error because there is an east-west road that is wide,
gravel, and well-maintained through sheep estancias
(ranches; “stations” in Oz; haciendas
in Mexico).
A stop at an estancia
that also hosts tourists confirmed the alternate route and the reward was stunning scenery that most
tourists never see—and the first condor. Nearing our destination we passed the crystaline Lago Porteño with the Toro Mountains as backdrop. We also got our first view of the jagged peaks for which Torres (towers) del Paine (pronounced PAY-neh—an indigenous word) are named.
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| Lago Porteño and the Toro Mountains. |
We stayed at the Hosteria Lago Tyndall and were given a
large, comfortable room with floor to ceiling windows and sliding door facing the
mountains. Heaven! (While the room and
view and service were terrific, the food was only adequate. The hotel caters to
many bus tours and breakfast is a large buffet—but don’t wait until the end of
the breakfast hour to eat, else you will be scrambling for crumbs if the hotel
is full. Dinner is prix fixe with a limited menu. One must remember that all
food is imported except for fish and lamb or mutton.
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| Our first view of the Lago Tyndal Hosteria (foreground centre, blue roof). |
Our first adventure began the next morning. We had previously decided that our one big
outing would be by large zodiac-type boats to a series of glaciers that span
not only Torres del Paine but also Bernardo O’Higgins National Park to the
south. (O’Higgins is the father of
Chilean independence in the early 19th century.)
First, we had to suit up in European-designed, well insulated jump suits
which is also a built-in life preserver—in other words, survival suits. I felt
like Charlie
Brown dressing for a romp in the snow! Five of us headed to the boats and our
show-off but superbly skilled boat driver took off with a roar and sharp turn
to port that brought the starboard side of the boat out of the water. A 15
minute ride later, we arrived at the first dock and had to hike for about 10
minutes up and over a hill to the next dock.
Within moments of leaving Dock #2 we saw the reason for the hike:
serious rapids that would have tested the most skilled white-water rafter.
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| The end of the portage |
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| The Rapids and River |
As we set off once again in the zodiacs it began
to rain and blow. We felt like we were
being pelted with wet BBs. Result: we
huddled to protect our faces (our jump suits weathered the barrage) which meant
we saw nothing of the spectacular scenery. Forget photos. This continued for more than four hours of
the six hour trip, during which we covered a distance of about 50 km. (24 mi.) each way. Returning to the hotel, short
of a medical emergency, was not in the cards.
I will refrain from sharing my scatological thoughts that continued
throughout this experience.
After 40 minutes of being assaulted by nature we
arrived at our first and longest stop--the Serrano Glacier.
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| Serrano Glacier. The lake is 1.8 km long. |
Larger,
more protected boats from Puerto Natales arrived with other visitors. This area is straight up a fjord from the
town.
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| Sightseeing boats from Puerto Natales. |
Mercifully, it stopped raining while we were
here. The Serrano Glacier sits at the end of an
oblong lake and it is possible to walk up close to the glacier. There are also
small boats that will take you up close and personal. We opted to walk a
distance along the trail on the south side but decided against going the full distance.
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| Up close and personal at the Serrano Glacier. |
Back to the zodiacs and another 15 minutes down
river, again accompanied by pelting rain, brought us to the Balmaceda Glacier,
whose recession, unlike the Serrano, is dramatic. High waterfalls raced down the mountain sides
into the river and I struggled to get some shots and keep my equipment dry.
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| Balmaceda Glacier. Note the extent to which the glacier has receded in the last 20 years. |
On the return our driver stopped to greet a Huaso
(guacho in Argentina) who lives alone
with his cattle along the river. He reminded me of Don Eusebio, the 80-something Argentine guacho in Corrientes who lives alone on his estancia (see the “Esteros del Iberá” post). The difference: This huaso is totally isolated with only 60 head for company—and the occasional passing boat-load of tourists who stop to chat for a couple minutes.
On our return we were treated to a typical Chilean
asado--meat grilled over an open,
wood fire. It almost made up for the torture Pachamama had inflicted on us for
the previous six hours.
DAY 2 -- The Heart of the Park
We headed into the park in our 4-wheel
drive truck. Nature decided we had been
punished enough the day before and rewarded us with blue skies, puffy clouds
and stunning scenery. We spent eight
hours going from wonder to wonder, after first stopping at the administration
building to pay an entry fee which, at the time was 15,000 pesos or $30 per
person for non-Chileans. I will let the images speak for themselves.
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Paine River, Upland Geese
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| Paine River with Torres del Paine in the distance |
In addition to frequent stops to enjoy the
scenery, upland geese, guanacos, condors—and sheep—we paused at a ranger’s
station mid-way through the park for a quick consult on the best route to
follow, found the Estancia
Laguna Amarga (bitter lake) that cooked lunch just for us. There was no
menu but the cream of choco soup and chicken that followed were delicious.
The estancia’s owner, Juan Goec, is the son of
Croatian immigrants and has owned the ranch since the early 1980s. He has 6,000
hectares (14,826 acres) and 4-5 thousand sheep, which produce both meat and
wool. There are also ten guest rooms
with private bath.
While we were eating, Mr. Guanaco leapt the fence
and strolled by the restaurant window.
The base of the wagon, right, was made in England.
It was used for lodging in far reaches of the estancia.
On our return we passed by Lago Amargo, where
guanacos were resting, saw herds of guanacos in an area that was leveled by fire in 2005, rheas, and more condors floating on thermals.
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| Lago Azul |
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| Waterfalls on the Paine River |
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| Lago Grey with the Gray Glacier in the background. |
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| Mother and two young guanacos grazing. |
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| South American Rhea |
We ended our tour with a late dessert at the Hosteria
Pehoé, built on an island in Pehoé Lake and connected to shore by a foot-bridge.
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| Hosteria Lago Pehoé. The red building on the right is the restaurant. |
Up early the next morning for our drive back to
Punta Arenas, we were treated to a magnificent sunrise, which turned the Torres
del Paine pink-gold. A couple hours later a rainbow greeted us as we headed south—both a fitting end to an unforgettable trip—and one we hope to
repeat.
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