Patagonia.. Torres del Paine!

Domingo 8 de febrero.. en la noche
Puerto Montt - Punta Arenas

After arriving at the airport, I begin searching for wifi.. but have no luck.. I check in, pass through security and then continue my search. I am told that the only place is the vip lounge.. With a cheeky smile I enquire.. and I am given the code! I get logged on.. ticket paid.. I am all set now for my bus to Puerto Natales tomorrow morning. With plenty of time still before my flight I have a pizza at the only airport restaurent. The pizza is delicious..well at least I think it is.. 

My hunger at first resulting in me rapidly eating through the first 3 slices.. only as I slow down to finish the final slice I begin to realise and taste the pizza for what it is.. too much cheese.. questionable tomato sauce and a burnt base.. !! 

Soon I am heading to my gate and boarding the plane. I have a window seat and around an hour into the flight I am treated to stunning views of Patagonia.. heightening my excitement for the week ahead. A shady looking drunk sat next to me.. continually filling his coke with a strong smelling spirit from a bottle in his bag.. cannot defer my attention!

On arrival to Punta Arenas I take the airport shuttle to my hostel for the night. The moon in the distance across the bay is a huge orange presence on the horizon.

Lunes 9 de febrero: Punta Arenas - Puerto Natales

I am up early for breakfast before walking to the Sur Bus Office where I collect my return tickets to/from Puerto Natales before boarding my 10.15am bus. IPOD on and I'm soon back to sleep. On arrival to Puerto Natales I head to my hostel for tonight (and also Friday night on my return from my 4D/3N trek) Hostel Kawasker. Here I meet the owner Omar who shows me around, a laid back guy. 

At 3pm there is a free informative talk about treking Torres del Paine at the nearby hostel Eratic Rock.. Base Camp. Beforehand, at my hostel, I meet Smita and Amit, an English couple who are also planning to trek the W Circuit in 4 days 3 nights starting tomorrow.. we head to the talk together.

On arrival to Base Camp, I again see two Finnish travellers I met in my hostel in Pucon last week.. they are planning on undertaking the 0 Circuit (which takes around 9 days). The talk, which lasts for nearly 2 hours, is very informative and engaging.. the expert is a Dutch girl who speaks English even quicker than me! Along with plenty of humour.

Right.. now I need to rent.. a tent/mat/walking poles/sleeping bag/boots(!)/store.. plus buy food supplies and a gas canister.. !!

First stop I decide is renting the boots.. a pretty important piece of equipment.. I head to a nearby hostel I am told rent out boots and find a good pair that fit well.. back at my hostel I then sort out the majority of the gear I need to rent.. except for the tent as they do not have any one man tents.. and Omar informs me that Base Camp have lighter 2 man tents.

When I get to Base Camp they do not have any lighter tents remaining so it will have to be the heavier 2.8kg 2 man tent.. Its the only option I have..! I first have to take it outside to the park opposite in order to set it up.. to check that it is in good condition. I am slightly clueless at first but help soon comes in the form of a worker from Base Camp and we quickly put it up and back down. I get my matt and gas canister there as well..

All that is left now is food supplies so I walk down to the supermarket where I buy pasta, soup powder (which I will use as a sauce with the pasta.. suggested in the talk) breakfast bars, lots of fruits & nuts, chocolate and salami! 

Back at the hostel I cook a slightly tasteless macarrón cheese from a packet, then its time to get packing..(unpacking my main bag to begin with.. I can leave the majority of my belongings in a locker the hostel for the next 4 days..) My bag is mainly taken up by the sleeping bag.. finally.. just before midnight me, Smita and Amit are all packed and just about ready for our 4 day trek ahead of us. Time to sleep before an early start..

Martes 10 de febrero: W Circuit Day 1

Up at 6.30am.. breakfast time.. whilst eating I realise that I only have 30 Mil left in cash.. I will need more for the next 4 days.. (Entrance fee = 18 mil, the boat ride = 15 mil, camping each night, if we are unable to use the free camp site on the final night, will be around 5-8mil per night.. ) I run down to the nearby ATM, get some extra cash then on my return to the hostel it is time to put on our heavy bags for the first time and walk up to the bus terminal. 

There are many people at the terminal boarding various buses heading to Torres del Paine. There are too many people to fit onto our JBA Bus but Smita manages to save me and Amit seats and we are the last to throw our bags underneath and jump on! My seat is next to Ming, a Chinese traveller who I met two nights ago when I arrived in Punta Arenas on the bus transfer from the airport. Soon my eyes are shutting and I'm falling back to sleep. 

My, very short, swimming shorts, t-shirt, and rainjacket is getting a lot of attention from the heavily clothed travellers around me. But I know the long days trekking with my heavy bag will warm me up.. plus it had been suggested in yesterdays talk that a t-shirt and shorts is a good choice.. no one else seemed to take up this part of the advice..!

When we enter the National Park we stop off at the entrance in order to fill out a form/pay the entrance fee and watch a short video regarding regulations in the National Park.. which mainly emphasises the strict policy of no fires.. only cooking stoves to be used in designated areas in the refugios/campsites. This is due to fires in the past that have wiped out vast areas of the park. 

Whilst paying for the entrance we try to get a reservation for the free campsite at the base of Las Torres (the only place where a reservation is required) for our final night but we are unable to. Soon we are reboarding the bus.. we have chosen to trek the W Circuit from West to East.. others have departed here and will either complete the W Circuit East to West or begin the longer O Circuit. 

The next stop the majority of the people get off, this is where we will be taking the catamaran to Paine Grande. It is extremely windy here, and the forecast is strong winds with some rain today, windy and very wet tomorrow but Thursday and Friday should be sunny with less wind. 

The catamaran arrives and soon gets filled up from the long queue of travellers, but there are too many of us.. we will now have to wait at least an hour for the boat to return and take us. There is large group of us left, we wait around nearby to the jetty, I then decide to go to the cafe to warm up. Finally the catamaran returns, we all board and through the wind we journey to Paine Grande.. the views are dramatic in the distance. 

We arrive at Paine Grande around 2.15pm.. we need to be setting off on our days trek to Lago Grey/Grey Glacier by 3pm as we will be returning here to sleep tonight. We set up our tents in the strong wind, I lose my pole case straight away.. but as me, Smita, Amit and Ming set off I find it on the path.. We will be walking 22km in total.. so I grab some supplies for the trek.


It is extremely windy on route! We pass people heading to the Glacier Grey Campsite carrying their large backpacks.. I'm glad that I am only carrying my small food/camera bag. The views of the glacier are impressive, despite the rain! When we arrive at the glacier grey lookout we only have a short amount of time before we begin heading back! Smita's shoes are falling apart 5 minutes into the return leg so we have to quickly get back to the Glacier Grey Rufugio where they are taped back together!!

Eventually.. after being blasted by 80km winds and heavy rain we arrive back at Paine Grande at 9.30pm (we are even jogging the final 20minutes in order to get back sooner!) We pay for our night and then head straight to the kitchen to cook our first meal of the trip! It is packed out..

Tonights meal is pasta with a powered tomato soup sauce.. (I will use the other half on my final night..!) a suprisingly tasty meal! The toilets are being cleaned when I head there before bed.. it is freezing weather and I am still in my shorts! My sleeping bag however is very warm and despite the strong winds hitting my tent throughout the night I sleep well! 

Miercoles 11 de febrero: W Circuit Day 2

It is a cold, wet and windy morning! After eating a breakfast bar and a few slices of salami in my tent, I get packed up.. everything is put into bin bags in preparation for the wet day ahead.. then I get my tent down. Ming greets me and helps to stop the cover flying away! She also gives me the remainder of a cartoon of milk she bought. Smita borrows Nicks tape to refix her boots.. both are now in need of repairs! I was hoping to get WiFi to find out the result of the Liverpool v Spurs game but it is currently down! We then begin our first trek of the day to Campamento Italiano, at the centre of the W Circuit.

The winds are again very strong, it is wet, and today we are carrying all of our bags and belongings. This makes for a more difficult journey. The route consists of many steep climbs, with little protection from the winds! When we arrive at the camp site it is cloudy and freezing! We drop our bags and then continue up the middle route of the W to the French Valley. Due to the weather we are unable to go the whole way.. it is snowing and hailing as we make a brief ascent. The views are covered by clouds and soon we decide to turn back. 

After a short rest it is time to continue with our heavy bags to Rufugio Las Cuernos. Before leaving we have enquired about reserving two tent spaces at the free camp site at the base of the torres and this time are successful! A free night and only a 45min-1hour ascent from there to Las Torres. 

On route Ming stops at a French Rufugio where she will be staying, me, Smita and Amit continue for another hour to our camp site for the night. After setting up my tent I have a much needed nap! I awake at 7 and find Amit who has already eaten with Smita. I head up to the kitchen, full of hungry travellers, where I cook my 2nd meal of the trip.. pasta with a thick mushroom soup sauce.. plus I buy a can of beer as well!

Jueves 12 de febrero: W Circuit Day 3

Another night sleeping at an angle due to the uneven ground but with my head higher than my feet I have been able to sleep okay.. the exhaustion from the day a key factor! Here we have been more sheltered from the elements so less wind than the previous night. The views this morning of the snow capped mountains are superb.. it is clear day with blue skies above.. a big contrast to the last two days! 

As I am sitting waiting for Smita and Amita an American traveller.. staying in the Rufugios, offers a big pack of cheese and crackers.. yes please..breakfast sorted! I offer it out to other travellers around me, Smita and Amit enjoy the new food when they appear.

The sun is shining and ahead of us we have a long days trek ahead.. around 7 hours to hike to Las Torres campsite! We set off, and throughout the trek take many much needed breaks after many continuous steep ascents!

After around 3 hours we reach the 'short cut' and ahead of us we have many more steep ascents to tackle! The sun is blazing down upon us, the wind has died away today meaning a sweatier trek! We also need longer stops and plenty of water refills.. (the water from the streams are fine to drink from.. although today they are less frequent to come by). When we finally make it to the joining trek and the end of the shortcut we are shattered! I literally throw my bag off and fall to the floor.. finally relieving my back from its weight! Ahead of us we still have an hour to Las Torres Rufugio followed by around an hour to our campsite! 

The main incentive to continue now is the chance to buy a coke/fanta at the refugio.. this thought/rewards gives me renewed determination and energy.. 

The views down the Valley with the mountains in the distance are fantastic. We make it to the refugio..

Fanta has never tasted so good..! 

The final part of the trek to Campamento Torres is not as bad as the previous leg and we finally arrive at our final destination for the day at 5pm.. what a great feeling! 

We then preceed to set up our tents.. tonight could well be an interesting sleep as my tent is at a sideways angle.. I have a nap.. slowly rolling sideways! Then I cook my final meal.. pasta again with the remaining tomato soup.. delicious! (Our lunches throughout the last three days has been a continous munching of nuts/dried fruits/breakfast bars/chocolate biscuits/salami .. every half hour a little snack..)  Amit decides to head off to see the Torres in the evening.. Nick (crazy fast walking energetic English Nick..a joke we all have!) also arrives at our campsite to say hi, he is staying at the Rufugio campsite with Stefan. 

Tomorrow we will be getting up at 4.45am in order to make ascent to Las Torres and see them during sunrise!

Viernes 13 de febrero: W Circuit Day 4

A bad sleep (due to the uncomfortable angle.. making sleep difficult) and no lie in.. the alarm is off at 4.45am and after packing my sleeping bag and matt, me, Smita and Amit are leaving the campsite in darkness (our head torches shinning the route ahead for us) to take the steep ascent to Las Torres, which takes about an hour!

The rocks are large and it is a tiring climb! When we arrive we locate an area to get out our matts and back into our sleeping bags whilst we wait for the sun to rise and light up Las Torres (taking our sleeping bags was another suggestion from Mondays talk!) We stop Ming.. she has been up since 3.30am in order to get here from the refugio!! 

The mountains behind us blocks the rising sun meaning we have to wait nearly two hours before the orange light hits the rock formation! We are lucky as it is a beautiful morning.. a great way to end the week after experiencing every type of weather possible during these 4 days! We are able to capture some great photos.  We also spot Nick and Stefan, and catch up with them whilst enjoying the views in front of us.. I joke with the group.. renaming the place.. 'Torres del Paine.. in the #*#*...!' For me it has been an incredible experience but I am happy that today is our last trek out of the park.. no more crazy long days carrying our heavy bags! 

Our final route today will take us to a hotel and from there we will take a shuttle bus to the entrance of the park and then the bus back to Puerto Natales at 2.30pm. The majority of the route is downhill.. and extremely steep.. I would not have wanted to begin my trek the opposite way round.. We see many people who are.. they are having to climb this steep ascent with their bags at the heaviest.. full of food etc.. two particular girls catch our attention.. fully packed bags and carrying their tent between them.. one of them also has a smaller rucksack on her front.. crazy!! 

Again we have bought a can of fanta from the refugio to enjoy half way to our end point. When I see the hotel closeby on the horizon I have an extra spring in my step to complete the trek! We are all nackered and fall asleep on the short 20 minute drive to the park entrance. The bus ride back is 2 hours.. more time for sleeping! 

On our return to Puerto Natales I return my tent (I have to put it up one last time in the park opposite so that they can see if it is suitable for the next people renting it), I then crash back at my hostel.. I return my gear here then put my dirty stinky clothes into a bin bag, trim my beard, shower and finally appear civalised again! (I really should have taken a before and after photo.. quite the transformation!) 

My American friend, Megan, who I met at my Spanish School in Santiago and whom I have planned to head to Valparaiso next weekend with, has messaged asking if I want to head to La Serena/Valle de Elqui together in the week beforehand after I had told her of my plans to head there before Valparaiso. A final adventure in Chile before I fly onto Ecuador at the beginning of the final week of February.

In the evening me, Smita, Amit, Nick and Stefan all head out to a well regarded pizza restaurant for our first proper meal after 4 days of pasta.. it is delicious.. the beer tastes extra special too.. well deserved! For desert we have a chocolate/banana/mashmellow sweet pizza.. and an after meal Pisco Sour! A great end to my Torres del Paine adventure, once again I have been lucky to meet and share my time with other friendly travellers.. enhancing the experience. 

Before bed, I have a big clear out (much needed) of my bag and then repack my belongings. Then it is time to sleep.. ahhhhh.. a comfy bed.. bliss!

Sabado 14 de febrero: 
Puerto Natales - Punta Arenas - Puerto Montt

After a good nights sleep.. much needed.. plus a tasty breakfast in the hostel I spend the morning finishing up another blog entry before saying my goodbyes and heading to the bus terminal where I take my bus back to Punta Arenas. I plan to meet up with Stefan later this afternoon as he too will be heading to Punta Arenas. I quickly grab a sandwich at the terminal and then fall alseep of the majority of the 3 hr journey.

In Punta Arenas I head to, what I thought was, Stefan's hostel.. but no one has checked in here with that name.. or nationality..! I walk back to the bus office, where there is free wifi, via the main part of town, and try to get in contact with Stefan and also arrange my airport transfer. By the time I meet Stefan I am having to get my shuttle bus so we are unable to get food and a beer together. A very brief meet up!

The airport is busy and after some time spent waiting around for my plane I am boarding my flight back to Puero Montt.. another window seat and again awesome views of Torres del Paine and the surrounding area. 

On arrival to Puerto Montt I take the airport bus transfer to the bus terminal and then walk to my hostel where I stayed previously in P.Montt.. Casa Perla. It is close to midnight when I arrive and for me time for bed. Two Dannish travellers are drinking heavily and along with a Dutch guy head off for a night out. We are later all woken up no their return to the house at 5am!! Tomorrow I will be heading back to Concepción and staying with Carlos and his family in Tomé for a couple of nights before continuing onto Santiago and then North to La Serena!