One of the world’s most iconic destinations, Torres del Paine National Park in Chile lives up to all expectations. Many people visit to hike the famous ‘W’ or ‘O’ trails but there are other sightseeing options by car that can be just as rewarding.
Laguna Azul
Camping is no longer allowed at Laguna Azul sadly, but hit the weather right and it is one of the most beautiful places in the park: early morning produces a picture postcard view of the three Torres towers with their reflections in the waters of the lake. They look perfectly beautiful from the lake shore, but if you are feeling energetic, there is a 2km climb to the Sierra Masle lookout, 400 m higher. Another lovely walk is to Lago Cebolla, 16 km and 4 hours return.
It has the added advantage of being at the top end of the park, so it is fairly quiet, apart from the odd private mini bus tour. It is a nice drive to get there too, rolling hills with scattered gorges and rocky outcrops and somewhere where you will see heaps of guanacos. There were many young when we were there, favourite puma food, but unfortunately we didn’t see any of these. I did examine a dead guanaco carcass which was crowned by a huge turd which I think may well have been left by a puma though.
We also saw a fox sniffing round the carcass and later an inquisitive cub in his den by the edge of the road. A drive further north out of the park, following the Rio de las Chinas, led to a dead end in wild west landscape. However, on our return we noticed a juvenile guanaco stuck in the wire fence: he had obviously tried to jump it and failed. Simon flipped him over and freed him and he staggered off with his hovering mother – our good deed for the day.
Returning towards the Laguna Amarga entrance, we paused at Cascada Paine on the Rio Paine, a spectacular high volume waterfall and a popular picnic spot. Unbelievably, we enjoyed about 20 minutes of intense sunshine here.
Porteria to Porteria Trail
In the afternoon, we headed out on what is called the Porteria to Porteria trail: a 6 km trail that joins Porteria Laguna Amarga to Porteria Lago Sarmiento. Insider tip here: drive 2km up the hill from the Laguna Amarga entrance and look for the pull in on your left: it connects to the walk and cuts out about 2 km of steep hills. From there it is a pleasant stroll through undulating country, with dramatic escarpments and rocky ledges which again look like prime big cat country.
Indeed there are notices to that effect, advising on how to react if encountering one: don’t run, make yourself look as big as possible and back away. You are not supposed to hike this trail outside daylight hours, but frustratingly, although we saw lots of guanacos and indeed lots of guanaco remains, the puma remained elusive.
The real delight of this trail, apart from the fact that it led through some beautiful remote country, is that we were the only ones on it. Having hiked the Las Torres lookout trail the previous day and encountered an unending procession of people going in all directions, I doubly appreciated having it to ourselves.
Keep an eye out for the signs to the cave paintings, or rather a little collection of red primitive art clustered under an overhang in the face of a huge conglomerate rock cliff. There is a figure, a couple of guanacos (possibly) and a hand. The artists enjoyed a fabulous spot with superb views in all directions, as did we, far removed from the madding crowds on the W circuit.
Lago Grey
This area is at the far western side of the park, accessible by a scenic drive through open grassland. There has been some money spent on the spot recently, with a smart new designer cafe, clad in neat wooden panels. It probably has some of the best food in the park too, with a three course set lunch for 23,000 CPL.
This is a good option on a rainy day and can be combined with a boat trip on the lake to see the two faces of Glacier Grey with the Island in the middle. You could even take the boat to Refugio Grey for a night there, with the possibility of taking a kayak out or even doing an ice hike on the glacier.
Even if you don’t take the boat, it is worth crossing the suspension bridge over the Rio Pingo and following the short wooded path down to the beach to see the lake.
The magnificent Cerro Paine Grande mountain towers above it, the highest in the park at 3,050m.and there will probably be some icebergs floating in the water. It is an almost surreal sight. The vast gravel and black sand beach, which can be crossed in 20 minutes to a more distant, elevated viewpoint if wished, is left over from the glacier and gives a good idea of how big it once was. The further along the beach you go, the more the glacier will be visible: it is hard to believe that today it is actually 8km away.
Also leaving from the cafe area, there is a steep track leading up to Mirador Ferrier. It takes about 1.5 hours and climbs 500m but you will be rewarded by a superb view of the icefield and the lakes.
Hosteria Pehoe & Around
This little hotel must have the most beautiful location in the entire park: on a tiny island in Lake Pehoe with stunning views over the lake. Although the motel type units look a little dated today, and you might not want to stay there, it is worth taking a picnic over to the island just to enjoy the view.
Nearby, near Camping Pehoe (the best and only campsite actually in the park that can be driven to) is the Condor Lookout, another short sharp 45 minute climb where you will find super lake and Los Cuernos views .
A short drive away is Pudeto, from where the boat leaves for Paine Grande. It would be easy to do a return boat trip and fit in a lovely day walk to Grey though it would be a long one – about 4 hours each way. Grey also has a nice refugio with good accommodation, restaurant and bar.
Just above Pudeto , there is a short walk which will take you to the Salto Grande waterfall where the Rio Paine runs between Lago Nordenskjold and Lago Pehoe. It is not that high but an astonishing amount of water runs through it so it is quite spectacular.
If you walk on from here for a gentle undulating hour, you will be rewarded with more great scenery: the rugged shoreline of Lago Nordenskjold with its incredible azure colour and at the end, breathtaking views of the Los Cuernos mountains looming above, the Frances valley and its glacier visible in their midst – on quiet days rumbles and cracks like distant artillery can be heard as pieces of ice break off.
Torres Lookout
The lookout under the Torres towers can also be done as a long day walk, though you could alleviate the pain a little by taking a horse ride from Las Torres to Chileno campsite (and back), leaving only another 2.5 hours to walk to the viewpoint, the last 45 minutes very steeply uphill.
We did the entire route on foot and took 10 hours return with stops and waiting for the clouds to lift. It is a frustrating walk as the weather is so unpredictable that it is never certain whether there will be a view or not. It is also a very busy trail, what with day walkers and ‘W’ hikers. If you get to see the view it will be worth it, otherwise you might just be left cursing that all your efforts have been in vain – do this one under a clear blue sky if possible.
Of all the shorter walks we did, I most enjoyed the Porteria to Porteria one, for its wildness and isolated beauty. It just goes to show that there are other places to explore in the park other than the W and O circuits. If short on time, it is always tempting to go for the obvious attraction, yet it does not always mean that it will be the nicest experience. We thoroughly enjoyed our few days bumbling around in a car, seeing a different view of the park.
Entry
Puerto Natales is the closest town to the park, 1.5 hours drive and 129 km from the Laguna Amarga entrance. If going this way, be sure to check out the cool roadhouse at Cerro Castillo, the junction near the Chilean/Argentinian border: it has a cafe and a good store with a great selection of t-shirts and alpaca jumpers.
The southern entrance approach at Rio Serrano, 80 kn from Puerto Natales, will take you past the Milodon Cave, which is well worth a look. It is then a very scenic drive through wild rugged country, though it is twistier and involves some gravel. I would suggest going in one end and out the other.
There are plenty of accommodation options in and around the park. The Las Torres and Lago Grey hotels are popular choices. Entry costs 21,000 CPL per person and lasts for three consecutive days – get it stamped on purchase if you intend going in and out.
Exchange Rate $1 = 593 CPL
