Torres del Paines National Park
Happy 4th of July everyone! I'm wondering if anyone can provide details about Day 4 of the Patagonia trip, which is described below. Any clues as to exactly which lakes or areas were visited? I'm trying to plan the following free day with a possible custom tour, but I'd like to get an idea of where the regular tour goes in the Park. Thank you.
"Torres del Paines National Park
Journey north from Puerto Natales to the heart of one of South America's most spectacular nature preserves, a photographer's paradise of glacier-carved fjords and valleys, steppes, and sub-polar forests, dominated by the grandeur of Torres del Paine, a range of twisted granite peaks sculpted in startling curves and serrated edges that includes a trio of rock formations known as Cleopatra's Needles. The vivid colors of the lakes, shades of emerald and turquoise, are caused by rock flour settling from the restless grinding of the mountains by glaciers, a palette offset by rolling plains covered with red wildflowers. The rugged landscape is populated by foxes, pumas, guanacos, rheas, and large birds of prey, which you'll have a chance to view on frequent photo stops, rest stops, and short hikes. After lunch at a local restaurant, continue touring the park throughout the afternoon. Head back to the hotel for dinner at your leisure this evening."
Comments
We did this tour in 2016, so things may have changed. Bear in mind that it's about an hour and a half drive from Puerto Natales to the park entrance. Most of the visit was a drive through the park. It was a very windy day (a tour bus from another company was blown over on its side that day). We missed at least one photo stop because of the wind. After lunch there was a hike on the shores of Lago Grey (Gray Lake). If you want to see where we were on Google maps, look for the Rio Pingo Restaurant, that's where we parked. We were supposed to hike to the spot shown on the map as Mirador Lago Grey, but the winds were so bad that people had trouble keeping their footing. The hike was cut short as a result.
Hope this helps. Read my review from 2016, if you haven't already. Here's a picture of the lake:
Thank you Ken, that is helpful. Do you or anyone recall going to Lago Azul? It looks quite beautiful, especially in the sunshine. I'll for sure send a message to Tauck in a couple of months to try to get more details about that specific day, once they get their plans firmed up for the next tourist season.
Yes, I am aware of the distance from the hotel to the Park. My husband was complaining about that until I reminded him that we cover that distance every time we go to Yosemite.
There was almost universal agreement in our group that we would have liked to do a second day in the park, so even though it may be a lot of driving, I think it's a great way to spend your free day!
Based on the research I did to label my photos, these are the major sights you'll see in the park on the Tauck day (as of Feb 2023):
We drove past many lakes and features but didn't stop at many - mostly hop out and photos aside from the Salto Grande walk. If your private tour is going to Azul you shouldn't have much overlap with the Tauck day. Even if there is a bit, weather is so changeable your views may be different from one day to the next
Thank you, PGH. That is really helpful.