March Reviews

The first view of the Horns in Torres Del Paine.

The highlight (and hardest part) was the remoteness of the area and bushwacking and cold river crossings. The scenery was unbelievable and not like anything I've seen before. Even though we were very remote and rustic and not on a trail, I always felt in good hands and safe with our guides Diego and Christian. Always upbeat and you felt they could handle any situation that arose. The surprise was the difficulty of the terrain and navigating without a trail! It was magical to not see another human being other than our group for our entire trek!

Torres Del Paine hike to Base of Towers, Chilean Flamingos, Perito Moreno glacier, penguins

We did the w trek west to east, so we were able to hike las Torres at sunrise which was definitely the most magical and memorable moment.

Impossible to choose one. During our Whalesound trip we had a young whale approach our boat and swim very close to check us out. We were also lucky enough to see a penguin colony that hadn't migrated yet. During our Eco Camp treks there was never a dull moment, around every corner was another spectacular view. Every bit of our trip was memorable.

The guides are knowledgeable, kind, and friendly. One guide in particular made the trip for one of us life changing. Javier Lagos helped her summit Torres del Paine one step at a time. He never give up and did not let her give up on herself and ability to complete the trek. Putting one step ahead of the other she completed the trek with a smile on her face. He helped her find her WILL POWER.

Having Chucao Tapaculo and Black-throated Huet-Huets cross our paths on trails as they fed; spotting a pygmy owl feeding on songbird prey; and 7 Andean condors circling us at a glacial lake - all highlights of my birding opportunities.

Arriving at Explora and seeing the view for the first time and then getting in the catamaran the next morning at sunrise and seeing how the light is constantly changing the majesty of the view.

The grandeur of the setting in Torres del Paine while staying at the Explora lodge is the scene that repeats in my mind when recalling our time in Patagonia.

80 knot winds, beautiful scenery and great food.

Las Torres, French Valley, Easter Island

There were several. As an older male, I did not know if I had the stamina to complete the climb associated with the Torres del Paine. The guides were encouraging and a long held wish was accomplished. Secondly, for many years I have wanted to experience the cultures of Chile and Argentina. The trip far exceeded my expectations. It was wonderful to listen to the stories of local guides and listen to their dreams and passions. Thirdly, Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil was breathtaking. Never have I seen such a commanding sight. The enthusiasm of our guide Emanuel will remain in my memory.

Two moments - one was getting to the top of the mountain to see the base Towers, the other was watching a Puma dragging his catch a guano down the mountain.

Relationships developed with our guides

The highlight of the trip was arising to the wonder of a firey early morning sunrise on the day we were trekking to the Three Towers of Torres del Paine National Park. The mountains were lit in shades of red, pink, hints of blue–setting the stage for the most perfect conditions to hike. We were bathed in sunshine and experienced very little of the infamous Patagonian winds. What a day!

There were so many moments I look back on, but I guess one highlight was meeting with our guide Flo in the bar to discuss the adventure we just had and to plan the next day. Of course, a delicious Pisco Sour (or 2) was enjoyed during this time. The bar was buzzing with everyone else talking about their day as well! We would then move on to dinner with more laughs and stories of our day!

Hiking in Patagonia

Lunch our final day -- on the Cuernos leg of the W trek, westward from our Eco Camp lodgings, with a tight group of fellow vigorous travelers. Something about that look-out, looking at the central, highest, most geologically gorgeous section of the Torres del Paine massif, and with the full map of the W trek emblazoned in my brain (having covered 3 fragments in the 3 previous days' hikes), marked a culminating high.

The breathtaking view of the towers after a challenging hike up!

A lot of the scenery was stunning of course… while this isn’t a positive, I wasn’t able to see the towers—they were completely concealed by clouds—and that whole first day experience really sticks out in my memory. I had tried to switch the day of the hike but was told that was all they had available… had I been able to rearrange days of the excursions I probably would have gotten to see them. That hike was also dampened (not by the rain/snow which it did rain/snow the entire day, which I didn’t mind) by the other guests who were a group all in their 70s who really struggled with the hike/elevation gain (I’m 34). We had to stop about every 200 feet or so…. For me it was just an average/standard hike. I learned later that it’s not really required to be in a group/go on an excursion/have a guide. I had gotten that impression previously… I would probably approach a trip to Torres del Paine much differently based on the recent experience.