We left Punta Arenas by bus in the afternoon. Our next stop was Puerto Natales and then onto Torres del Paine Park and the cave of Cueva del Milodon. Puerto Natales is about 250 km north, on the shore of a Pacific Ocean bay. After three hours of driving we arrived there and found our hotel. It was not very easy because of wrong GPS information on the hotel's website. But finally we managed to find it. After that we set up a day bus excursion in Torres del Paine with an English speaking guide and went to buy tickets for the bus tomorrow. According our plan, Puerto Natales would be our last stop in Chile. After it we planned to return in Argentina.
We took a walk through town after it. The town is really small and it's main industry is tourism. It is a gateway to national park Torres del Paine. Every minute we met here groups of backpackers. Every other house we saw was a hostel or restaurant. The weather was cool and windy, and we were hungry. For this reason our walk was finished by a lazy supper in a warm restaurant. The waiter there spoke English very well.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.