The journey from Santiago to the National Park Torres del Paine was quite a long one. Getting up 4 am to take the bus to the airport were a plane (I still think it was one that easyjet discharged.) took us to Puerto Montt and then to Punta Arenas. From there we wanted to take the shuttle bus to puerto natales, the harbor to Torres del Paine. Stupidly enough you have to pre-book this bus which we didn’t. So we ended up taking the shuttle bus to Punta Arenas. Arriving there we were told all buses to Puerto Natalas were booked for the afternoon. At least we found one taking us there at 6:30 pm and we used the time to eat the last greasy Chilean meat for the next days.
Since we planned on a 8-9 days hike on the track around the Torres (tower) of Paine (Paine is the river in the National Park) we stocked up our supplies in Santiago to cover for the calories that we are going to burn during the next days. For the complete list see below.
Essentials 392 kcal coffee 910 kcal coffee mate (coffee whitener)
Breakfast 2665 kcal Müsli 1984 kcal milk powder 2143 kcal instant oats 778 kcal oats 117 kcal cornflakes 1152 kcal almonds 748 kcal rasins
Lunch 6006 kcal Wraps 250 kcal bread 960 kcal rolls 3007 kcal Salami 3103 kcal cheese 632 kcal coca cola 750 kcal ice creme 3125 kcal peanut butter
Dinner 1800 kcal Couscous 416 kcal tuna 480 kcal avocado 372 kcal butter 1156 kcal rice with champions 1104 kcal rice chicken 1112 kcal Asia instant noodles 369 kcal pumpkin soup 343 kcal broccoli soup 2052 kcal pasta 389 kcal bolognese sauce 680 kcal red wine
Snacks 768 kcal gran cereal bars 636 kcal trailMix bars 1610 kcal snickers 545 kcal chocolate 1020 kcal muffin max bars 606 kcal cookies 869 kcal creme 620 kcal milk
This gives a total of 45669 kcal for 8 days of hiking meaning 2854 kcal per day and person. We were never hungry, but we could always have eaten more.
Day one
Started just a little hectic. We needed some more money, the last packing and finally some breakfast before we jumped on the bus at 7:30 am. The view at the bus station was awesome. From every direction little Trekkers (terrercitos in spanish) were approaching the bus station and filled up numberous busses to be shuttled to Torres del Paine including us.
I am sure the bus ride was breathtaking but I slept most of the time until the 4 step entry process:
1. Filling the form with you details and the commitment not to destroy the park
2. Pay the fee (18.000 CLP ~ 25 USD)
3. Get a stamp from the ranger
4. Watch a 3 min movie about what not to do in the park
And then you are ready to go. Most people start their trek from here. We anyway took the bus to the western end of the park and hiked the 2 h to the tiny campsite las Carretas (no free camping in the park).
The first scenic view on day one of nine. Wherever you are in the park the scenery is rarely hidden by trees.
Day two
Started a lot later. We wanted to get up at 7 but first made it to 8:30 am. It’s really no wonder so many people come here. To me the most beautiful thing is actually the view you have constantly. Now trees blocking the sight of the rushing glacier rivers, lakes and snow capped mountains.
What was to become Tom’s favourite lake.
We arrived at the campsite of the day we found our neighbors to a little family hiking the W in 7 days. Pretty amazing considering the fact that their daughter is three years and their son four months old.
Campamento Italiano were in principle just a hundred coloured tents between even more trees.
Day three
Meant leaving the tent behind and hiking up „Valles Frances“ not knowing what was waiting at the end. The soundtrack was composed by the several avalanches coming down the glacier right next to us. Unbelievable how small they seem and how much noise they make. Anyway you will only see them when you look for them, when the sound waves finally reach you the avalanche is already gone.
And this is what was waiting at the end of Valle Frances. A long chain of mountain peaks. One man was enthusiastic enough to name every single one to his wife, who was more interested in her cheese sandwich.
View of Lago Nordenkjold from Valles Frances. Wonder which norwegian had his finger in the pie of giving this lake a name.
Back on the campsite we hauled the heavy bags again on our backs and headed off for the next campground (this one charged us 15 USD each but at least offered hot showers :)).
Day four
Started with rain pouring down, so despite an early rise we decided to take it slow an prolonged our breakfast until it stopped half past nine (how wise ;)).
The path went along the mesmerizing blue lake until during a long left turn it went up the hill and up the hill. We reached Campamento Torres at 4 pm time enough to went up to the rock formation that gave the park it’s name. And who wouldn’t in this perfect sunshine. Alone our legs were moaning about the steep ascent, but getting around the corner and suddenly see the mountains „tower“ above a small mountain lake is paying off every step.
Torres del Paine in the shadow of the afternoon sun.
Despite the sun gave the strong and icy wind already a taste of what was to come the next day.
Day five
Started really early, and when I say really early I mean 3:30 am. We boiled water for coffee grabbed sleeping mattress, sleeping bag and the pre-prepared wraps and headed off for the towers a second time in complete darkness (I was really glad we did the track the day before because it got even trickier in the dark.).
5:15 wrapped in several layers of clothing and with a coffee in the hand we waited for the sun to rise. It should take another hour before the tower gleamed in red light. By that time the strong winds had cooled us down to freezing and we stopped taking pictures and crawled in the sleeping bags to just enjoy the view and escape the wind.
The towers before sunrise.
The towers after sunrise.
Tom and Steffi after 1 h waiting for the sunrise.
Then we made us on the long descent with a hotel, little kiosk and ice creme waiting for us at the end. For the last four hours of the day we pimped us with sugary calories that fueled us for ten of the twelve kilometers before we finally hit the wall feeling that it was a long day. 1.5 peanut butter wraps later we arrived at the lovely Campamento Seron. The only real low point, there is no cooking shelter making cooking in this windy conditions a real challenge.
Day six
Meant walking through endless Daisy fields surrounded by the river Paine and chains of different colored snow capped mountains.
Thousands of daisys teem with the icy antarctic wind giving this side of the park a very idyllic face.
Our first expirence with the real Patagonian wind waited one hour behind the campsite on top of a little hill. The valley here us so windy it’s blowing the snot out of your nose. In a constant up and down through more daisys we made out way until we saw from a little cap camp Dickson in the edge if a lake having the glacier Dickson in its backyard.
Camp Dickson showing off with it’s scenery.
Day seven
Was an uneventfull and short day hiking through the green woods along a rushing river that was finished off by some hours if relaxed reading in the tent and eating :).
Here we learned how all the supplies of beer, wine and chocolate reach the remote campsites, by horse and gaucho. No further complaints about cold showers.
Day eight
Turned out to be a bit too long for us. We got up early to go over the John gardener Pass that separated us from the last bit of our trip. We were surprised how easy we proceeded and how less wind there were (supposed to be very windy!). When we arrived at the top of the pass we were hit be the enormousness of glacier grey waiting for us on the other side spreading out over dozens of kilometers.
It’s huge, really huge. try to make out the two people standing on the edge.
The next hours we hiked along the glacier with ever new points of view. When we arrived at the next campground it was still early so we decided to walk another six kilometers to the next one, just after six kilometres there was no campground. The last four k became very long which we only survived on an extra wrap and more snacks. Therefore the day was celebrated in the evening with wine and cookies from the shop at Campamento Grey.
The last four kilometres were a good up and down, but we were not prepared for the climb through valleys on water pipes.
A few years earlier a bit part of the park burned down due to a camp fire that got out of control. Since then camp fires are prohibited and fireman train more regularly. But seriously, they are not very fast hiking with their water tubes.
Day nine
Was going to be our last day. A leisure hike offered some views if the glacier lake (rock walls blocking it most of the time) and than around the corner there was already the small landing for the ferry bring us back to the bus station and back to beds, vegetables and endless supply of hot water.
Looking back at glacier grey.
Waiting for the ferry with a hot coffee and the last salami wraps.
It’s a truly wonderful hike, even tough it gets quite busy during high season. At least my pronunciation of ‚hola‘ was perfect after greeting hundreds of trekker.