Seeing Patagonia was a lifelong dream of Eric’s so, while it’s a trek from the other places we’ve visited (or anywhere, really), it was a priority when planning our trip.

The region of Patagonia is split between Chile and Argentina, and we wanted to see some of each country’s piece. First up was Torres del Paine, a national park way, way south in Chile. To get there, you have to fly into Punta Arenas, the capital city of the country’s southernmost region, which includes territory in Antarctica (who knew!). While it seems like a sleepy fishing village, Punta Arenas is an important hub for the whole region. We spent two days enjoying local king crab and colorful, late-night sunsets before heading into the park.

One of the main activities in Torres del Paine is a five-day hike called “The W Trek,” named for its shape.  The park is well maintained with clear trails and an extensive refugio system similar to the huts in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Each refugio consists of a few bunk rooms, bathroom facilities and a cafeteria. Many of them also have adjoining campsites, which is where we stayed for two nights, splurging on the third for a private cabin for New Years Eve. Due to limited time and a three-day trekking max imposed by Laura after Machu Picchu , we opted to hike more of a backwards L instead of the whole W.

We started our trip at Refugio Torres, after spending much of the day on buses. We were pleasantly surprised to find our rented tent, sleeping bags, and mats already set up, and the nearby refugio complete with a bar. Since we opted for full board, we didn’t have to carry food. The communal dining provided the opportunity to talk to other hikers and compare routes and travel stories. Here, we met a father-daughter pair from Seattle who were trekking a similar route. They were incredibly friendly and warmly welcomed us to each subsequent refugio (they hiked fast!).  After dinner and a couple of locally brewed Austral beers we hunkered down for our first night in the park with beneath its snowcapped mountains.

The next morning, we sadly woke up to wind and rain. Lots of it. We forged ahead in spite of the weather and started hiking after a hearty breakfast in the refugio. The trail was mostly uphill, nothing compared to Salkantay, but still challenging in the wet and cold. The plan was to reach our campsite at Refugio Chileno, take a lunch break and then ascend the really steep part to see the park’s namesake: the Torres del Paine.

Since we were sopping wet and a bit beat, we decided to hunker down inside and hope for the weather to pass. The Torres del Paine are impressive granite towers formed by glaciers, and really hard to get a glimpse of when heavy clouds settle in. Once we got dry and the rain seemed to be letting up, we went for it.  Unfortunately, we never got a full view of the towers from the lookout point at their base, but the misty view was still beautiful.  We would later see them clearly from Chileno.  Check out the time lapse below.  The towers appear at about 15 seconds:

We also saw a condor.

The next day, New Years Eve, was incredible.  It included the most beautiful hiking either of us had ever experienced.  Not too much up or down, fairly flat along a ridgeline next to Lago Nordenskjöld.  It was a perfectly clear day, warm with a slight breeze, full of views for miles of lakes, glaciers, and snowcaps the entire time.  We agreed that this area was by far the most beautiful we’ve ever seen. Patagonia is often described as otherworldly. These descriptions seem entirely accurate.  The combination of the terrain, light, and flora combine for a special… something.  It was almost enough to distract us from the six hours of hiking we were facing.

We even saw a cool hawk and some potentially wild horses.

We finished the long day at Refugio Los Cuernos where we splurged for the private cabin. Since it’s the middle point on the W, this refugio tends to back up with folks coming from either direction. Normally this might be a bit much, but given it was New Year’s Eve we welcomed the party vibe and opportunity to celebrate with hikers from all over the world over a generous, meaty buffet dinner. We met a group from the States, drank the handmade bottle of wine we had been hiking with, and watched an incredible sunset, which lasted until almost midnight on the dot. Take a look:

We crashed right after probably at around 12:15. All in all, it was the perfect way to ring in the new year.

On our last day in the park we hiked out to catch a catamaran across Lago Pehoe to meet a bus which would bring us back to Puerto Natales. We witnessed some of the devastating aftermath of the 2011 fire. Torres del Paine has unfortunately been the victim of a few fires caused by careless hikers.  Park administrators work hard to educate visitors on prevention, but for us, seeing the long-term damage was as moving a lesson as any.

We spent a couple days in the town of Puerto Natales which is windswept and beautiful with pastel-colored corrugated metal homes, knotty wooden furniture, and geared-out tourists all over the place. The bay front, mountainside views were stunning.

Next up is El Calafate and El Chalten where we experience the Argentine side of Patagonia.

Here’s where we were:
(Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile)