Torres del Paine - Day 5: Exploring Drive-In Areas of TdP
By the time morning finally arrived, the rain had finally stopped although the wind continued to blow and gust throughout the day. Not as hard as the night before, but still more blustery than we had experienced to date other than perhaps on our boat journey on Lago Grey. And Las Torres were also obscured from view from the low-hanging clouds that covered the valleys. It was a slow morning as we grabbed breakfast and headed out to the waiting van to take us on a drive around several other regions of the park separate from the "W" trek that we had wrapped up yesterday.
My foot was bothering me today as on the final descent of the Ascensio gorge I had a blister form on the little toe of my right foot. So I was glad we weren't going to be walking a whole bunch this particular day. We crossed the Rio Paine over the narrow one-lane bridge to the Laguna Amarga Guarderia. A bus was disembarking a fresh set of trekkers to experience the majestic sights of Torres del Paine. I felt a pang of regret that I would be leaving this beautiful location in less than 24 hours, but at the same time was excited to see the further sites across the border in Argentina.
Our first stop was a viewpoint not far from the Guarderia overlooking the Rio Paine and Lago Nordenskjold. This was another spot that we were told that condors often put in appearances. Alas, I was to be disappointed once again as none decided to grace us with their presence. But there were other sights as wildflowers were abundant in this area of the park in the southern hemisphere spring. We wandered about the overlook for a bit waiting before returning to the van to head to our next destination.
Our second and third destinations were a combined excursion. We travelled on the same road that we had used on our entrance to the park on Tuesday morning (the 20th). Instead of continuing around Lago Pehoe, we stopped at the parking lot for the catamaran to Refugio Paine Grande. But we weren't taking the catamaran shuttle either. We grabbed our lunches and took off on a short walk to a mirador overlooking Lago Nordenskjold right in front of Los Cuernos. The hike was mostly flat but my feet (or really my right little toe) was screaming. Even encased in moleskin there was no way to keep that toe from rubbing. But oh well, just had to tough it out. The end of the trail was a steep climb up to the overlook. The overlook was extremely exposed and as we were informed once we reached the top one of the windiest locations in the park. And boy was it ever. While 300 feet below the wind was probably blowing 25-30 mph up on the overlook we were probably exposed to 60+ mph winds. Everyone performed their hurricane reporting poses and we admired the view of the lakes and mountains before fairly quickly returning to the more sheltered areas.
Heading back we had lunch on a sheltered beach trying to get out of the wind somewhat for a while (easier said then done). A short walk on a side trail on the return to the van brought us to Salto Grande Rio Paine. This large waterfall of the Paine River connects Lagos Nordenskjold and Pehoe through a very short channel. An impressive sight in its own right although after the views the past several days somewhat underwhelming.
Back in the vans we were headed back to the east. We had our final close-up views of Paine Grande and Los Cuernos for the trip as we departed the area. Driving back to the east we went back through "Guanaco Central" where the animals were present all over the place. Going around one corner we very nearly ran right into one just standing out in the middle of the road. Our final sight-seeing stop was another "waterfall" on the Rio Paine. The Cascada Rio Paine was a smaller but wider cascade waterfall as opposed to Salto Grande but another interesting sight nonetheless.
And with that we followed the Rio Paine back to the one lane bridge into the park central and back to EcoCamp, our last afternoon in Torres del Paine complete. Back at the camp we had a huge feast prepared for our final dinner. Lots of wine and pisco sours were consumed and everyone enjoyed the final evening of companionship before we would go our separate ways in the morning. Gradually people headed back to their tents. I had an early morning call to head to Cerro Castillo (the Chile/Argentina border crossing) and pick up the bus going from Puerto Natales, CL to El Calafate, AR. But knowing I had nothing much planned for the morning and a long bus ride where I could get some sleep, I was among the last stragglers to head to my tent after finally saying good-byes to those that I would not see in the morning.
The agent had great response to questions and coordinated well to create an itinerary that met our expectations.
Bob Sunshine
1 day ago
Very responsive to all questions
Teresa Cardoso
2 days ago
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
2 days ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
3 days ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.