Torres del Paine and Bernardo O'Higgins National P

My "hidden gem" recommendation for Torres del Paine is the Mirador Ferrier trail, which was suggested to me by my hotel's activity concierge. This relatively short but steep hike starts near the Lago Grey hotel and provides 700 meters of elevation gain. It wasn't a very popular area; I only saw a couple other people on the trail, compared to the hundreds on the Mirador Torres hike. The view from the Ferrier mirador is spectacular -- possibly the most impressive vista I've seen anywhere in the world: Pinnacle, pinnacle, pinnacle. Glacier, glacier, glacier. Lake, lake, lake,..., each a slightly different shade of blue. Easily worth the pain I caused my knees by rushing up and down a little too quickly.

I spent three days in Torres del Paine in November of 2017. Regretfully, my schedule didn't leave me quite enough time to do the W trek, but I experienced some wonderful day hikes. The highlight was the hike to the Torres Mirador, a challenging 19 km trek. I was by myself, but there are lots of people hiking, so it's pretty easy to fall in with a group going your same pace for some camaraderie. I was well-rewarded for the effort with some spectacular views of the Torres at the small lake that's at their base. On other days I also did smaller hikes such as to the Mirador Cuernos which passes the very nice Salto Grande waterfalls and visited Lago Grey for the very worthwhile boat trip to …

I’d like to describe what a DIY day trip to Torres del Paine National Park on public transport involves. Starting from the hub of Puerto Natales, there are two things you have to book beforehand: the bus tickets (both ways) and the park entrance ticket. The latter is not available at the park gate anymore, you need to acquire it beforehand via the park website. This seems to be part of the digitalization wave that has hit Chile (customs has one as well when you enter the country), not a way to limit visitors.

For my bus rides, I choose BusSur leaving for Torres del Paine at 7.15 am and returning at 2.30 pm. It’s important to make a choice about which part of the park you want to see: the bus makes 4 stops and the travel times (and costs) of the bus tickets to each of those vary. The first, Lake Amarga a.k.a. the Park Administration, is where most people get off to start the W-trek, but the later stops are better for day trippers as they bring you deeper into the park. I went for Pudeto, which lies some 120km from Puerto Natales. The park provides a downloadable map that shows which trails can be done in which area.

When walking to the bus station early morning I encountered many other travellers with heavy backpacks going in the same direction. We all ended up at the busy terminal, where buses to the park leave every …

All we needed was for the icy Patagonian rain to stop pelting down. The morning’s climb would be tough enough without leaning into the face of a squall. And even if we did brave the storm, would we be able to see anything from the summit? The moment it looked as though the sky was starting to clear we moved, yanking on waterproofs, lacing up boots and hoisting packs onto our backs. Leaning into the last remnants of the squall we set out. But it was hard to keep our heads down for long. The shapes of the encircling mountains started to solidify behind the clouds. The rush of the Rio Ascensio was visible far below to our right. And the woodland through which we passed seemed fresh and alive. Our path switchbacked as we climbed a slope of stones and boulders. And then we summited. A wooden sign leaned askew: ‘Fin del sendero / End of trail’. As if we needed telling. Beyond the sign scree dropped away into a col, a jade green tarn at its heart. The back wall of the col rose sheer. And above were the three thrusting towers we had come to see, grasping granite fingers pointing skywards, their peaks playing peek-a-boo with the misty clouds. The weariness of three solid days of hiking and the last pitiful night shivering in a storm-battered tent were forgotten in an instant. We had reached the Torres del Paine.

So, to get this out …

If you want to understand why Chile has so few sites, a trip to Torres del Paine is quite illuminating. This is the one iconic national park of Chile, printed on their 1000$ bills and known to hikers throughout the world. And they still haven't gotten around to submitting it.

Torres essentially sits at the very end of the Andes, just opposite of WHS Los Glaciares. It has several steep mountains rising from large lakes giving a great scenery. Unfortunately, repeated fires in Torres caused by visitors have destroyed plenty of the local forests. The trunks of the trees bear witness to the destruction that took place.

In addition the Bernardo O’Higgings National Park is also included. Getting to O’Higgings seems fairly difficult and requires planning and probably some money.

I visited Torres on a day trip from Puerto Natales. Clouds were hanging on the mountain peaks, so I did not get to see the full vista. We hiked to Lago Grey, though, and I got a great view of the glacier and the lake. And I was blown away, literally, as the winds were so strong.

OUV

I feel confident that this would be inscribed. The nature is amazing. Personally, I found Los Glaciares more accessible and less overrun than Torres. An argument could be made that this shoud be one WHS (Southern Patagonian Andes).

Getting There

Most trips to Torres del Paine will start from Puerto Natales. So Step 1 …

I visited Chile in November 1995. From Puerto Montt, I flew to Punta Arenas, the most prominent settlement on the Strait of Magellan (due to its location and size it is sometimes considered the southernmost city in the world), and visited the nearby penguin colony at Seno Otway. From Punta Arenas, I visited Torres del Paine National Park, where I stayed at Hostería Pehoé, spectacularly located on a small island in a lake with views of the Cordillera del Paine, the park's most recognizable natural feature.