2014/01 Chile trip - Torres del Paine |
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Saturday January 25th 
Another healthy breakfast and we were off in a van to Torres del Paine with driver Roberto. We headed out past the airport and these spreads of broom and lupines. The only other passengers were Nigel and Bindi from London but living part-time in France; they’d made their way from England via Argentina. Their boat trip yesterday to see the penguins at Isla Magdalena had been cancelled because of the high winds; we viewed this as a good sign – yesterday’s winds weren’t normal.
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Punta Arenas to Torres Del Paine |
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We drove for three hours through mostly flat and empty country with straggly trees and half dead forests. At intervals, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, were these cute bus shelters – probably life-saving in the Patagonian winter. We stopped for lunch at Puerto Natalas, a small town at the head of Ultima Esperanza Sound, and a long ferry trip from Puerto Montt.
There were black-necked swans along the shore and this strange “flyer” sculpture; obviously windy here too! In the far distance we could see cloud-wreathed mountains, our destination. We were met by Karina, one of the Ecocamp’s 
guides. She was returning from leave and said she would be the guides’ manager during our stay.
After lunch we had a two hour drive to the park, but first we had a side trip to the Cueva del Milodon, a cave where the skin and bones of an extinct mylodon (giant sloth) were discovered back in the 1890s. We hiked up to and around the cave. The cave was originally created at sea level, but it was occupied in more recent years by humans and held the bones of dwarf horses and the sloth. The main exhibit is a full-size reproduction of the sloth. The kid was borrowed for the photo.
The road took us close to the Argentine border and then turned towards the park, giving us this spectacular and rare view of the entire Torres del Paine massif. According to Karina it’s usually hidden by clouds. The actual Torres (towers) are on the right; we’d be camping close to them. The Cuernos (horns) are on the left; the Almirante Nieto in 
centre.
The wind was up again and we passed this sad-looking Argentine car, which might have been flipped by a gust. We had glimpses of some of the local animals. There were tame llamas (yamas to the locals) and wild guanacos, rheas, and condors. (More about these later). 
Finally, we entered the park and we were soon at the Cascada Ecocamp and looking up at the towers. We were shown to our dome and left to explore and get acquainted with the rules and schedule.
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Cascada Ecocamp |
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We had a suite dome, a bit 
more luxurious than the standard domes, with a private bathroom for us oldies. Outside, the domes are large and green with canvas walls and plastic windows, with a deck facing the mountains. Inside there is a very large bed with an (unneeded) mosquito net, a woodstove, and a safe. Behind the bed is a narrow bathroom with a shower, propane heater, and a composting toilet. Toilet paper has to go into a bin, not down the toilet. It seemed much too warm in the dome despite the cold wind; in retrospect, we think that the staff forgot to turn the heater off.
At the hub of the Ecocamp are the lounge, store, and dining room, also built from dome components. Soon it was time for the cocktail 
hour, which meant pisco sours. It was also time for the guides to explain the next day’s hikes, one of which would be an all-day trek of maybe 15 miles, and the other would be a wildlife walk of less than five miles. We were signed up for the latter but could change our minds on any day. Dinner brought plenty of good food, but was always a bit chaotic, as there were different groupings and tables depending on the type of guests. As well as independent travelers like us, there were organized tour groups who were just at the Ecocamp for a day or two and had their own schedules and guides. Every day there’d be an exchange of people.
Back at our dome we found that some helpful soul had come in and started the wood stove which was now roaring! The windows could be zippered open but the rain was now coming down sideways. Better than being cold I guess.
This map gives an idea of where the Ecocamp is and where we traveled over the next four days (in red).