Fellow travellers warned us that Patagonia can often experience four seasons in a day, and they were soon proved right. We flew from Santiago, which is roughly in the centre of Chile, down to Punta Arenas, which is almost at the southern tip. The flight takes about four hours, which gives you some idea of the length of the whole country.
Early the next morning, we crept out of our guest house before anyone was awake to get a lift to a boat. It was a chilly start and they packed us in like sardines. Pretty apt really, as we were off to see penguins! We skirted an island first which housed a sea lion colony. They’re fascinating (and smelly) creatures to watch. The huge male sea lions spend their time basking on rocks while the females dip in and out of the water catching their dinner. Typical 🙂
The boat landed on the nearby Isla Magdalena, which was completely packed with penguins! Obviously there are strict rules about not getting too close, but they’re certainly not afraid of humans and they don’t really bat an eyelid when you walk past. They’re definitely one of my favourite creatures; they mate for life, which is very sweet, and you can spend hours watching them walk/waddle, which is hysterically funny. I could’ve spent all day on that island, although I suspect Rob wasn’t quite as keen on the little black and white birds who’ve forgotten how to fly.
That afternoon we took a three hour bus to Puerto Natales and stayed at Hostel Amerindia, which was a very welcoming and cosy find. Our guide for our Patagonia hiking experience, Victor, picked us up the next morning. We headed to Torres del Paine national park to do The ‘W’ Trek, so called because the shape of the hike spells out the letter on a map.
Stepping out of the van in the park, we were hit by Patagonia’a infamous wind. We hiked up through a valley with incredible views, although several times the gales threatened to push us over the cliff! Rob wasn’t feeling well again and just as we reached the toughest ascent of the trail, he suddenly and violently threw up on the path. Luckily he managed to power through and we made it to the top, where we got an absolutely breathtaking view of the three towers which give Torres del Paine its name. Their jagged shapes contrast with the beautiful turquoise pool below; it’s a complexly striking and unique view – absolutely incredible.
We stayed in a refugio, which is essentially like a hostel. Although we were in a six-bed dorm, it was far more luxurious than we expected and the staff provided delicious and plentiful food; essential for hiking!
After a speedy trip in a catamaran across a crystal clear lake, we began our second day hike. In contrast to day one, the weather was hot. We trekked along a gorgeous trail, drinking the best water we’ve ever tasted from mountain streams and watching condors soar overhead. We met an awesome Canadian couple, Lana and Steve, who were hiking with their seven month old baby. Impressive. After crossing an incredibly fast flowing glacier river, we climbed high over rocks and slippery tree roots to reach the summit. It was worth it; we had the huge French Glacier to our right, the back of the towers (Torres del Paine) to our left and a stunning lake in front. The scenery in Patagonia is truly amazing.
We stayed in a different refugio that night, which was slightly more rustic than the previous one….! Although at the sunset the weather was lovely and still, the wind dramatically picked up overnight, rattling the windows violently and ensuring we got very little sleep! We had been pretty lucky with the weather up until this point, but the heavens opened on the third day. As we hiked towards our final destination, we were drenched within a couple of minutes. Victor was a fantastic guide, but he certainly went at a fair old lick and we were pretty tired. However, the bad weather cleared briefly as we reached Glacier Grey at the end of the Grey Lake. Magical.
We absolutely loved Patagonia; it was a real highlight for us. Combine some of the best scenery in the world with some fantastic trekking and that should give you some idea of the uniqueness and incredible unspoilt nature of the place. Patagonia; we’ll be back.
J & R xxx
Jess & Rob's Travels 