Torres del Paine, Chile (Salto Chico)

After leaving Rincon Chico we drove to Puerto Madryn to spend the night, closer to Trelew, to be able to catch a morning flight.  (stayed at Territorio Hotel)  We had to fly north 2 hours to Buenos Aires, wait 5 hours, then fly south 3 hours to Calafate to spend the night.  In other words, YOU CAN"T GET THERE FROM HERE!  (Stayed at Kosten Aike Hotel)

It is a 6 hour drive to Torres del Paine.  It's probably 100 miles as the crow flies, but you have to drive around the mountains.  We only got lost once.  Remember to stop at every gas station you see, they are few and far between.  There are no towns, but the scenery is beautiful.  The massif mountains are amazing.  We had to drive on dirt roads a couple of hours.  We are driving to Salto Chico Hotel.  Salto Chico means "Little Waterfall", which is next to the hotel.  The park is 600,000 acres and not populated.  There are a few estancias outside the boundaries.  Here is the view out of our hotel window every morning with the sun on the mountains.

This is the Chilean border

The little waterfall next to our Hotel Salto Chico

The roads across Patagonia

Along the drive to Torres del Paine

Guanacos along the way

Incredible scenery

It is now Friday, March 23.  Our first excursion was an 11 mile hike up to the towers.  The first part was across open plains gaining elevation, then through a forested area, and the last up over big boulders.  Going down was hard on the knees.  It took us about 8 hours.  We went with a young guide from our hotel.  Each day you choose an excursion and go with a guide.  They are all very knowledgeable and nice.  We took a lunch with us.

The Towers from a distance

The hike to the Towers

On top at the Towers

You can see that you have to travel in layers.  It is usually very windy and cold in Patagonia.  We have been lucky to have some blue sky.  On top it is cold and you have to keep adding layers.