“Good morning, good morning the time is 5 o’clock …” the expedition leader announces over the public address system. At this unearthly hour it takes a while to gather oneself and begin getting up. But, get up we did, and soon enough we were enjoying our early breakfast, some also prepared sandwiches to get through the long morning before lunch. As we disembarked our rucksacks were checked by local authorities for fruit, before heading for our respective buses. Today there are two groups: a nature walk, called the Aonikenk trail, and a bus tour with some short stops and limited walking; all in the beautiful location of Torres del Paine National Park.
The first leg of our journey proceeds on paved roads and along the way we stop to watch different wild animals. We see black-chested buzzard eagles, American kestrels, Darwin’s rhea, and of course the magnificent Andean condor. These huge birds were already plying the thermal air currents and giving us all a master class in flying. There were also herds of guanacos, one of the South American camels, grazing near the roadside and ever vigilant. In one group we even saw some tussling between males, some of these fights can become quite aggressive.
After a stop at a quaint coffee and souvenir shop we head off west and a little distance after traveling along the gravel road, we catch our first sight of the Paine Massif in the distance. The beautiful blue waters of the Sarmiento in the foreground complete this breathtaking experience. The weather today is in our favor and the whole of the massif is in view. Off to the left the towers rise majestically into the sky and over to the left is the highest peak, Paine Grande, 10,065 feet, but partly covered in clouds.
The hikers enjoy the beautiful scenery and weather. Along the way they enjoy many close encounters with guanacos, gray fox, Andean condors, and lots of plants in flower, one of the brightest is the mata guanaco (fire bush), ablaze with its red flowers. At the halfway point the rocks are all conglomerates and on the ceilings of caves a few paintings can be seen, these were painted by the native Aonikenk, some 9,000 years ago.
The bus tour groups make stops at Laguna Amarga where we learn a little more about the cyanobacteria that live there, before heading on again and enjoying many other views of the massif, which is ever closer to us. Particularly impressive is the stop overlooking the green waters of Nordenskjöld Lake, and then a little further on a stop to get views of Salto Grande waterfall. The walk to the fall is not far but becomes very challenging as the winds are very strong indeed.
The last part of the tour takes us along the Pehoe Lake and river with its turquoise waters that empty into the biggest lake in the region, Lago del Toro. We make a short stop at the interpretation center before heading for our luncheon engagement.
We arrive at El Serrano hotel and welcomed with a delicious pisco sour and a chance to wander over to the where the asado is being prepared. A number lambs, spread-eagled, are being expertly and carefully cooked around an open fire. There is great skill in cooking lamb in this way and it takes between four and six hours of work. The gaucho cuts a crispy sample for us to try; it melts in our mouths.
The lunch is sumptuous and accompanied by red wine coffee and desserts.
Tired from the early start to the day, sensory overload, and the abundance of the lunch helps most of us to nod off and get some sleep as we make our way back to the ship.
It has been a fantastic day and there is general agreement that the views of the imposing Paine Massif have taken all the plaudits. Maybe it is best to go to sleep recalling the parting words from one of our guides for the day.
“I wish you well on your journey, don’t forget your belongings on the bus, and don’t forget the wonderful things you have seen today.”
