Torres del Paine Nationwide Park in Patagonia Chile is an unbelievable area with uncooked magnificence at each flip with ice fields, glacial lakes, distinctive wildlife, and excessive mountains. We had been fortunate sufficient to spend 4 days right here at EcoCamp and expertise a sampling of all of the park has to supply in 2012 and once more in 2025!
Understanding the Park
To get a grasp on Torres del Paine Nationwide Park, our guides gave us a driving overview, stating the varied peaks, obtainable hikes, lakes and animals. The terrain had us spellbound and so as to add to the magic, fall turned the grasses alongside the lakes a ravishing mixture of autumn colours.
Guancos Abound
Guancos are one of many few mammals able to deal with the intense local weather of Patagonia Chile they usually thrive right here in abundance. Maybe it’s as a result of they know they’re a protected species and irresistibly lovable, however they weren’t in any respect bashful. This one even batted her eyelashes at me.
The Torres Name
Run-off from the quite a few glaciers that crown Torres del Paine reduce via the panorama in snake-like trend. The three sharp skinny peaks jutting out within the distance are the “towers” that give the park their title and the place we’d be mountain climbing in days to return.
Day 2: Cruising the Park
Day 2 had us on a wild and bumpy boat experience towards the park’s second largest attraction: Glacier Gray. En route, the superb Almirante Nieto peaks had been calling us to climb them.
Crusing Gray Lake
Fortunate for us, our EcoCamp information Paulo was good pals with the boat captain, so he bought us VIP entry to the management room. After chatting it up in en Español for some time, the captain insisted that Anne take the wheel. With the texture of the sturdy winds and a glimpse of the upcoming icebergs, Anne rapidly handed again the reigns.
Glacier Gray
The face of Glacier Gray is cut up within the center with a big black island (which a few century in the past was totally engulfed by the glacier). This view is of the appropriate facet– the “daintier” part of the glacier.
Blue Ice
The blue hues of the glacier had been so intense they appeared surreal.
A Toast to Glaciers
For the sundown sail dwelling, we loved pisco sours and whiskey on the rocks (the “rocks” are icebergs, in fact). Within the distance you may see the island splitting the glacier in half.
Mount Almirante Nieto
On our return again to the mainland we marveled at these superb cloud formations hovering across the mountains. Later we realized this was no freak occasion, the lenticular clouds are the norm on this excessive local weather and the skies of gusty Torres del Paine by no means stop to amaze.
Lenticular Clouds
We had a tough time agreeing if this was a space-ship, a hen on a mattress of straw, or simply one other loopy wind-whipped creation from Torres del Paine. Enormous due to David Carillet who shared some data within the feedback beneath “They’re often called lenticular clouds, which usually kind at very excessive elevations and have been mistaken for UFOs at occasions”
Day 3: Mountaineering the Mirador Path
The Mirador Path to the bottom of the Torres is the park’s most well-known day-hike and the finale of the 4-day W Trek. It’s additionally hardest part at 12.5 miles and three,000-foot elevation acquire. Mountaineering up the Ascencio Valley, previous the glacial rivers, and into the icy boulder fields, we felt the burn however pressed on!
To see the namesake Torres replicate again within the glacial lake is just magnificent. The vista actually takes your breath away as you stare on the uncooked cliffs, lakes, snow peaks, and large boulders. Fourteen years later, we by no means forgot the fantastic thing about this hike and it impressed us to hike everything of the W trek this yr!
Torres del Paine Price Coming Again!
See our TikTok video beneath for our 2025 hike to the Mirador and our Fb gallery for the total 4-day W trek!
