All photos here!
Oh where do I begin! Being a 10 year old kid, watching National Geographic, seeing Torres Del Paine on TV, this was my Harry Potter moment. I'd wanted to visit Patagonia for way too long. And finally I did!
I start my trip by flying out of San Jose, California to Santiago, Chile. While getting closer to Santiago, I could see the Andes among the clouds towering like a majestic king looking over it's continent! I was lucky to have a good old friend living in Santiago, hence I had a place to crash at!
Day 1: The next day, I had a early morning flight to Punta Arenas. It was a short 3-hour flight. I didn't want to depend on public transportation as I had a lot of stuff with me, from camera gear to the usual clothes etc. I rented the car (automatic because I've stayed in the US for a bit too long :P ) from Southland Rent a Car (http://www.southlandrentacar.com/). A guy name Juan Pablo brought the car to the airport, I filled the necessary documents and I was set to go. The car was Nissan Xtrail 4x4 with tires with little spikes on them for snow driving (didn't encounter any snow). To cross the border you will have to pay extra for the permit etc. The rental car guys will take care of it all. I used my California drivers license.
The drive to Torres Del Paine was about 5 hours long. On the way to the national park, I stopped by Puerto Natales to get gas and get snacks etc for my time in the park. The road to park was pretty well laid out (at least the highway parts). Once I got into the park, the dirt road began. Not too bad, but a little bumpy. All the tourist buses and vans drive like maniacs over there, so pay extra attention to the road!
I got into the park during sunset and man, what a view it was! I entered the park from the south entrance and saw the Cuernos right away! Finally I reached Hosteria Pehoe which is a little hotel on an island on Lake Pehoe! I would highly recommend to stay in this hostel/hotel which had an amazing view of the Cuernos right out of the windows!
Day 2: Woke up really early in the morning to start the hike to Mirador Torres. Since it was the onset of winter, it was really cold in the morning, I'm guessing below 0C or 32F. The trailhead was about 45 minutes from Hosteria Pehoe right beside Hosteria Torres. Early morning, when the sun wasn't up yet, I started the hike with my heavy camera backpack (was close to 25 lbs), which in retrospect was a terrible decision on my part ( had an accident 4 months prior to the trip and had not trained enough). The hike in itself was nice, but steadily increasing in elevation. I think the 1st 3rd and the last 3rd of the hike are the most challenging. My heavy backpack really slowed me down and I could see sunlight breaking, even though I was barely done with 75% of the hike. I messed up. I was panting hard, with my back killing me! I caught a glimpse of the days first sunlight hitting the peak of the Torres. It was such a gorgeous view!
I started the hike around 5:45 and I reached by around 9:45, and I missed sunrise by more than 40 minutes. Oh well. However, the view was so gorgeous! Mirador Las Torres was amazing! I had a sandwich, walked around the lake taking photos. It was really cold up there, so staying still would start feeling really cold. And then on my first day of the trip, my tripod got knocked over and my lens smacked against the rocks in the water. Fortunately, the lens did not break, but the zoom ring was stuck at 14mm. Bad start to a day. Took some photos and I was on my way down.
One of the best things about visiting Patagonia in May is the fall colors! And it is all over! Orange leaves, blue water, snow capped peaks, it was out of this world.
I ended up reached the trailhead by 4:30pm that evening. The sun was beginning to set, hence I started driving back to my hotel hoping to catch a good sunset. Man, I tell you, the whole park lights up really well during sunsets and sunrise! I was really fortunate to see a crazy fiery red sunset nearby to Lake Pehoe by my hotel. I ended up having dinner at Hosteria Pehoe as it was the easy thing to do. The food was alright, nothing to write much about! The hotel staff were very nice and helpful with sharing info on the park.
Day 3: Woke up early and started driving to Lake Nordenskjold to catch the sunrise! Man the view of the lake and towering Cuernos in the background is amazing. Since this was winter time, there was barely any wind and the water was really calm too. Days first light hitting on the cuernos peak is such a lovely sight! I got some good shots of the Cuernos during Sunrise. Then I hiked back to Salto Grande waterfalls. Man I'm such a sucker for waterfalls! Gorgeous waterfalls with the Cuernos as the backdrop. Got lucky and saw a rainbow too! I took a ton of photos here as this is what paradise must be like!
Once I was done here, I drove towards Hosteria Grey to take the Grey Glacier Boat ride. The boat ride was about a 2 hour boat ride start around 3 and getting us back by 5. They took us close to the Glacier and talked about it. However, since there was only one boat running starting May, I couldn't get off the boat near Grey Glacier. Had to do with taking photos from the boat. After the boat ride, I grabbed dinner at Hosteria Grey and then head back to my hotel to nap!
Day 4: Woke up again before sunrise, drove towards the Hosteria Torres as I wanted to get a photo of the sunlight hitting the Torres Peak! I found a good spot and parked the car by the road and took a lot of photos. Got lucky as there were a lot of Guanacos around chilling with the Torres in the background. I got lucky with a shot! Once I caught sunrise, I started driving towards El Calafate in Argentina. I did a quick stopover in Puerto Natales, filled gas, stopped by the border immigration control. Since I am a Indian national, I had to get multiple entry visas to both Chile and Argentina. The officers on duty were very cordial and took care of the stamping pretty fast. The road that I took to enter Argentina was a dirt road and extremely bumpy. I'd heard not so good things about Argentina and was wondering if these roads were a sign of things to come! But soon enough, I reached a highway and all was good!
The drive to El Calafate from Torres Del Paine was close to 6 hours. There are parts of road which are winding down the mountains. A lot of aggressive drivers and many really slow drivers! I couldn't see a happy medium! I reached El Calafate around 8pm I think. Checked right into my hotel (Hotel Rochester). Then I had some amazing grilled lamb (Parilla de Cordero). Patagonia is known for it's lamb! If you are ever there, please eat some lamb there! It is out of this world!
A little about El Calafate, it is a very touristy little town with upscale restaurants, wine bars etc. It is not cheap! Souvenirs are pretty expensive too. I spend a lot in this town, mainly because the souvenirs were really cool and the food was extremely good, pricey but really good.
If you've noticed by now, I have not stayed in a hotel or a dorm. I am a light sleeper and have had terrible experiences staying in dorm rooms with people snoring like lions. Also the hygiene of a lot of backpackers/travelers is questionable, I really value a good nights sleep with no smell of smelly feet! Once again, this is not a knock on any backpackers, it's just been my unfortunate experience! Also if I can afford it, I like to try out nice things in life!
I booked a little mini hike for Perito Moreno Glacier for the next day. I booked it through Hielo Adventures (http://www.hieloyaventura.com/). I think they are the only one in El Calafate who can take you to the glacier. However, if you don't intend on getting onto the glacier, then you can drive to the park by yourself and see the glacier from a distance. The entry to the park was about 30USD.
Day 5: Early morning bus ride to Perito Moreno Glacier. I'd to pack my own lunch, basically a sandwich from a cafe in El Calafate. The little tour was very well organized. The lady in charge explained many things about the glacier and it's history. Once we reached at our destination, we got off the bus, onto a boat to the glacier. We docked by the glacier, put on snow chains (?) on the boots and our guide started the mini hike on the glacier. The whole group was split into 2 groups, English speaking and Spanish speaking. The guide talked a lot about the glacier, different ice formations etc. Was fascinating to say the least! At the end of the little hike which took about 1.5 hours, we all had a shot of whiskey and a chocolate!Yummm. And that was it! After a little while, the boat came over to pick us up. And we started heading back to El Calafate. That night, I had some really good grilled lamb and local beer! Lot of lager beer here. Highly recommend it!
Day 6: After souvenir shopping, I started my journey to El Chalten! The drive was really nice with huge expansive views, Guanacos everywhere! The view while entering El Chalten was spectacular! Huuuge mountain range far away at the other side of a never ending road! It was crazy! I stayed at a place called Hem Herhu (http://www.booking.com/hotel/ar/hem-herhu.html) in El Chalten. The owner is a very quirky hippie kinda dude! Very friendly and full of life! The room was a very comfortable one with heat and hot water! The area was a little dirty on the outside, but the room was very clean and well taken care of! I highly recommend this place! Another plus is that this is 200ft from the trailhead to Mt Fitz Roy.
Day 7: Started the hike early morning to Mt Fitz Roy. This time, I did the smart thing by using another backpack, and carrying only one lens and the light tripod. The hike up was fairly easy. The last 1 km stretch was a stretch! Just stairs! 1 full kilometer of just climbing steps, uneven rocky steps! It was quite fun! Reached the top before sunrise, got some really good shots. The lake however was solid frozen! And the whole area was very cool! The hike down was really nice as I got to see things I couldn't see in the dark. But I made a mistake of taking a wrong turn and I ended up on the Cerro Torres route. I however ofcourse didn't go to Cerro Torres as I was getting cranky! I passed the Laguna Madre/Hijo. Amazing colors all around! The view of Mt Fitz Roy from different sections of the hike is better than the view of Mt Fitz Roy from the top!
I'd read many reviews that Mt Fitz Roy hike is better than Mirador Las Torres hike, and I completely agree. Much better landscape views! If you even have a choice between the 2, do Mt Fitz Roy! I ended up hiking around 26 km that day which was not planned due to my detour. Tired and hungry, I got back, ate some pizza ( I know) in a nearby restaurant and then started driving towards El Calafate. My idea was to drive to Puerto Natales or closer to the border. But I was very sleepy and didn't want to risk it. I decided to spend a night in a hotel in El Calafate.
Day 8: Woke up at 5 and started driving towards Punta Arenas directly. I took the route down via Rio Gallegos and entered Chile back on a proper highway! One of the nice things about this route is that you get to drive close to the coast and see the ocean! I did come across a abandoned building on the way to Punta Arenas with some really shady stuff in it. It was spooky to say the least. Seemed like homeless people might have been squatting there or a bunch of teenagers smoking weed there every day!
I grabbed a really good Lomito Sandwich filled with guacomole, onions , tomatoes, mayo in a restaurant in Punta Arenas called Lomitos. The chefs there don't use gloves while making the food, so don't look at them while they are making your sandwich, but I assure you that the food is really delicious! Finger licking good!
I did see a bunch of Penguins hanging out in Punta Arenas by a dock! Quite a sight! And that was it. I returned my car at the airport and took the flight back to Santiago.
Notes: Parilla de Cordero (grilled lamb) is amazing! Beer in El Calafate is really good! Do the glacier hike! Torres Del Paine is amazing! if you have to choose between hikes, then Mt FItz Roy is amazing. If you can, do a trip towards April end, so that most things are open and you get to see fall colors and no wind!