Torres Del Paine

From Punta Arenas, I drove north to Puerto Natales.

Driving through Chile, GPS track

The road there is well maintained and mostly empty, so it was fun to drive there, although I didn't stay all the way on highway 9, but did a bit of a detour along the scenic route through Rio Verde. (The sculpture near Rio Verde supposedly represents a canoe used by the Kaweshkar tribe. Although my first reaction to it was "they must really like Cthulhu here".) The birds in the third picture are probably Caracaras - sometimes seen on fences, but more easily spotted next to any piece of roadkill.

Tree in Patagonia, Chile Strange memorial, Patagonia, Chile Birds of Prey, Patagonia, Chile

This bridge crossing Rio Rubens is no longer in use. A safer looking bridge is nearby.

Old Bridge, Patagonia, Chile

Generic cat picture from Puerto Natales...

Generic cute cat picture, Puerto Natales, Chile

After arriving in Puerto Natales, the next day I drove further north to Terres Del Paine National Park. Except for the first couple of kilometers, the roads are mostly gravel and mud roads. I pretty much dislike driving on those, but at least the pickup was suited for this kind of driving. And even long before approaching the park, there were lots of nice views along the road.

Hill, Patagonia, Chile Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Street to Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Near Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

And a lot of wildlife next to and, unfortunately, in flattened form right on the road. Luckily, I didn't add any to the latter group. Though I had a rather close encounter with a skunk that was trotting across the road. I went round a corner, spotted the skunk in the middle of the road, hit the breaks and managed to stop two or three meters short of the skunk. It stopped its walk, looked at me, and I wondered whether I could get into reverse quick enough, in case it felt threatened and decided to spray the car. But then it ignored the car and just continued across the road.

Ostrich near Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Llama in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Llama in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Once inside the park, the scenery became even more spectacular.

Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

I drove to one of the trailheads and walked to the "Salto Grande" waterfall.

Waterfall in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Waterfall in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Waterfall in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Waterfall in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Waterfall in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Rock formation close-up from Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

From there, a short hiking trail led to a viewpoint overlooking Lake Nordenskjöld and the Cuernos Del Paine mountains. As is evident from some of the pictures, it was a windy day.

Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Me at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Dead llama at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Me on a windy day at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Me on a windy day at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Me on a windy day at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Going back to the car and driving down the road through this National Park until the very end of it, I came to the southern end of Lake Grey. At the north end of the lake is a large glacier, so the lake is a good place for iceberg watching. There is a boat tour to the glacier, but I arrived too late and was just in time to watch the last tour leave. But it was getting late anyway, and I didn't really fancy driving back along unmarked gravel roads in the dark, so I just had another small hike to the sightseeing point, before heading back.

Small icebergs at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Small icebergs at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Small icebergs at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Me and small icebergs at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Glacier at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Small icebergs at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Small icebergs at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Small icebergs at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Small icebergs at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Small icebergs at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Back at the parking spot at the end of the road, there were only two cars. My rented pickup truck and a camper van with german license plates. Somehow, at those places that promise to be at the end of the track, as far from anything else as possible, you'll find mostly Germans.

Cars at the end of the gravel track, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Driving back to Puerto Natales took me about three hours and I got there almost exactly at sunset, so I didn't have to drive in the dark. Phew!

Tree at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Rock at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Rock formation at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Road at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Bridge at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Road at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Landscape near Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Road at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Waterfall at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Bridge at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Horses

Onwards to Bernardo O'Higgins National Park.

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