Torres del Paine National Park – An Amazing Experience

Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a place of unspoiled nature. One day you walk along with glaciers
and floating icebergs, the other day you will pass stunning valleys, azure lakes, and massive
mountains. You hear birds, the cracking of icebergs in the distance, and feel the cold Patagonian wind
on your cheeks. When you open your eyes, all that is reality. Welcome to Torres del Paine National Park!

Where it all started

We, Ralph and Janice from Two Around the World, are passionate hikers. We have been on a long-
distance-hike before in the Himalayas mountains in Nepal. While we stayed in little huts back then,
this time, we had to carry our gear and supplies for 5 hiking days, 85 km, on the W-trek in the Torres
del Paine National Park in Patagonia. Luckily, we could rent the gear in Puerto Natales, the gateway
to the Torres del Paine National Park! Was it heavy to carry our backpacks for 5 days? Yes, it was,
because we did not train for this hike. Should we have trained more for it? Probably, but we made it.
Was it a great experience? One of the best we ever had!

Glacier ahead!

A ferry brought us to the beginning of our hike and treated us with great views of the mountains and
the first glacier. Even though the weather forecast did not look great, we were blessed with some
sun, mixed with strong winds that are typical for this area. Did you know that you can experience
four seasons in one day in Patagonia?

View similar Story 3 Days Hiking in The Laugavegur Trail – Els Voet

Our hike started through a green valley and climbing hills. From a vantage point, we first glimpsed a
miniature-like iceberg at the horizon. We rapidly continued our hike with one aim: To get as close as
possible to the glacier. When reaching the Grey lookout, an immense glacier lay before us. It was
extremely beautiful, which made us smile for the rest of the evening.

Far above the glacier

The next morning, our goal was to get a bird’s-eye view of the glacier. We hiked until the ‘2nd hanging
bridge’, which was connecting two mountains that were covered with deep-green trees. Before you
realize it, you find yourself high above glacier Grey. On our way to the next campsite, Ralph shouted
‘lookup, a Condor in the sky!’ Janice learned her first lesson: Do not look up while walking,
otherwise, you fall and injure yourself.

Look-out-days

The third day started with drizzling rain. Still, we were lucky because we expected a lot of rain! We
hiked alongside a blue lake with snow-clad mountains in the back. Soon, a steep path with loose
rocks led us along streams, a beautiful green forest with many birds, up to the Francés Lookout. Up
there, we found ourselves surrounded by grand mountains that were covered by glaciers. You were
able to observe avalanches in the far distance. We wanted more, so we decided to hike to the
Británico lookout. The view of Mirador Británico was superb; almost surrounded by mountains we
felt like tiny human beings being guests in nature’s realm.

Crossing the never-ending valley

Our fourth day was the shortest of all, but mentally the hardest. While the last three days surprised
us with many highlights, on day four, we walked along a breath-taking, but to our feeling, a never-
ending valley. Our batteries were empty. What to do on your most difficult hiking days? We started singing ‘toss a coin to your Witcher, Oh valley of plenty, Oh valley of plenty, ohohohoh…’ and, 6 ½
hours later, we reached our campsite.

The beauty of ‘Las Torres’

On our last day, we found ourselves climbing up a steep path to the highlight of the hike. Sometimes
we were unsure whether we were walking the right way because we had to find our way in an
ocean of stones. It is very hard to describe such a path; a picture says more than a thousand words.
While climbing up, Condors were patrolling the sky– the largest flying bird based on its weight and
wingspan. Suddenly, we found ourselves struck by one of the most spectacular natural beauties we
have ever seen: Las Torres. Four ‘towers’ with glaciers overlooking a blue lake. Simply WOW! While
having lunch for the last time, we kept an eye on a fox that was lurking around to steal food.
Excited for more (hiking) stories and travel inspirations? Visit our website and follow us on
Instagram!