Torres Del Paine

The Torres del Paine National Park - an area of 2,400 km² - was declared a Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO in 1978 and is a popular hiking destination. There are clearly marked paths and many refugios which provide shelter and basic services. Views are breathtaking. Hikers can opt for a day trip to see the towers, walk the popular "W" route in about five days, or trek the full circle in 8-9 days.

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The view across Lago Pehoe at Sunrise... and at sunset from one of the many "miradors".

Torres means "towers" in Spanish and you will see pictures of the 3 granite towers after which the park is named below. Paine does not have a translation that I can find. However, Susana (our Peruvian "Andes Trail" guide) is a linguistic specialist who studies lesser known and dissappearing South American dialects and she tells me that the word Paine means "Blue" in one of the local dialects in that region of Chile... so now you know and when you visit the Park yourself, you can let the Park Rangers and Guides know that the name of their park means "The Towers of Blue"!

We cycled in from Cerro Castillo, a small border crossing from Argentina into Chile and below are some of the views that we were met with..!

We camped at Lago Pehoe in the centre of the Park and naturally I suggested a swim in the lake... it was approximately 5-6 deg C

Tomas, Rob, Kirsten, Wil, Bene, Micko, Susana, Ewald, myself and Cees (Case) having a (very) quick dip...

We did 2 day hikes, the Vallee Frances and the hike to the base of the 3 towers where there was a glacial lake. Yes, I went for a swim there too but the others were too cold to come down and take a photo of my efforts. Water temp was about 2-3 deg C

From left, Wil, Susana, Kirsten, Bene, Mick, Colorado Grande and Tomas

On the way by so we hiked up to the Salto Grande which is a waterfall between Lago Nordenskjold and Lago Pehoe. There is over 100 ft in elevation difference between the 2 huge lakes and the torrent in the narrow gap has to be heard to be believed. Mick and Tomas would not allow me to swim.

Sean Mick and Tomas waving. That was as close as we dared as the wind was howling from our backs.

...a little side story about Sinterklaus

The Dutch have an amusing tradition which is like the Chris Kindle idea. Everyone draws a name from the hat in secret and then buys a gift from "Sinterklaus" anonymously. On the 5th Dec Sinterklaus delivers his gifts which may be accompanied by a little poem or story which the recipient must read out on opening the gift...

As Torres Del Paine is a national park, hikers are not allowed to stray from the paths. Camping is only allowed at specified campsites, and wood fires are prohibited in the whole park.

In 2005, a Czech backpacker camping in the park used a gas stove and caused a fire that destroyed 160 km² of the park. Replanting, with assistance from the Czech Republic, was set to begin in September 2005.

I drew Tomas, a cardiologist from Prague in the Czech Republic and could not resist referencing the fire. I had been told by Kirsten that he wanted to learn Spanish and was looking for a phrasebook. So his present was a lonely planet Spanish phrasebook with ... a lighter and a box of matches. I also wrote him a little letter from the Parque Nacional Bomberos (National Park Service Fire-fighting unit). The letter went like this:

5th Dec 2008

Los Bomberos

Officina Nacional

Parque Nacional Torres Del Paine

Snr. Dr. Tomas,

Muchas gracias por su recente visite del la Parque Nacional de Torres Del Paine.

However, we note with some regret that you were unsuccessful on this visit. As an expression of our sincerest gratitude for the past 7 years of continuous overtime, we would like you to have these small gifts which we hope will assist you in your excellent work on your next visit to the Parque...

We also enclose a Spanish Phrasebook which may be useful...

I included some sample Spanish phrases such as "Donde Estas los Arbos?", "Soy hacer una pegunia fuego!", "De que mi accusado?", "Soy innocente?" and "Necessito mi consulate i abogado per favor"... My Espanol is basic but he got the idea!! All good fun!

Perito Moreno Glacier

We stayed in El Calafate for a rest day so that we could visit the Perito Moreno glacier which I must admit, I had never heard of prior to this trip - so firstly, some of the facts...

The Glacier is located in the Los Glaciers Nacional Park in the south west of Santa Cruz province, Argentina. It is one of the most important tourist attractions in the Argentine Patagonia.

The 250 km2 (97 sq mi) ice formation, and 30 km (19 mi) in length, is one of 48 glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field located in the Andes system shared with Chile. This icefield is the world's third largest reserve of fresh water.



The view of the Glacier from the top viewing deck. From the face to the mountain slopes behind is approximately 14 km.

What makes it particularly interesting to visit is that the Perito Moreno Glacier is one of only three Patagonian glaciers that are not retreating.



The face of the Perito Moreno Glacier is 5 kilometres (3 mi) wide, with an average height of 60 m (197 ft) above the surface of the water, with a total ice depth of 170 metres (558 ft). It advances at a speed of up to 2 metres (6.56 ft) per day (around 700 metres (2,297 ft) per year), although it loses mass at approximately the same rate, meaning that aside from small variations, its terminus has not advanced or receded in the past 90 years. At its deepest part, the glacier has a depth of approximately 700 metres (2,297 ft).

Large piece of ice collapses as the glacier advances. The view of the glacier is accompanied by loud creaking sounds as the glacier advances right before your eyes. Then there is silence and then suddenly a loud crash as a tower block size piece of ice shears off the face and crashes into the water. As the resulting iceberg(s) pop to the surface a huge wave radiates out into Lago Argentina perhaps 20 ft high before it dissapates its energy across the lake which is almost 600 ft deep at the face of the glacier... spectacular!




It is also possible to hike on the Glacier and sure it would have been rude not to...




The Perito Moreno glacier, located 78 kilometres (48 mi) from El Calafate, was named after the explorer Francisco Moreno, a pioneer who studied the region in the 19th century and played a major role in defending the territory of Argentina in the conflict surrounding the international border dispute with Chile.