As we showed you in the previous post, Torres Del Paine has some amazing scenery. And we were lucky that we got to see not only the scenery but some of the amazing wildlife that lives there.

At one of our first stops, we saw a pair of greyish-brown Andean Foxes that have made their home by the side of the road. Their usual diet consists of largely of rodents, rabbits, birds and lizards. According to the park rangers though, some careless tourist thought these foxes looked cute and decided to feed them. After that the foxes waited by the side of the road for more handouts, and since they got them, they stay there waiting for more. If people give them food, they no longer hunt or teach their children to hunt and thus can’t survive on their own.

Watching and waiting for food

While his partner naps

They seemed playful enough, and would look over at us while throwing all sorts of poses

Another animal that can be found all over Patagonia is the Guanaco. Guanacos look a lot like llamas and are from the camel family. On the way to Torres Del Paine, we saw several groups along (and on) the road, and once in the park there were plenty of them.

Farmers put these fences up (outside of the national park) but the guanacos just jump over them

The guanacos don’t seem to mind people much

This one was from the inside of a moving car. The guanacos were climbing a very steep wall of stone and gravel as if it was nothing but a flat plane.

And ever present in the skies above us was the Andean Condor. It’s really a glorified vulture, but it is the largest bird in the Western Hemisphere and it is truly majestic in flight.

We were so excited when we saw Chilean flamingos moving so gracefully in the lake and looking for shrimps. You can see their black big beak.

More flamingos! So gorgeous!

Another large bird is the nandu. It’s a bit like an ostrich or emu, and just like them, it can’t fly. These birds seem a lot more shy of humans than the guanacos, but you still see them along the roads in the fields.

2nd April 2008: The Torres del Paine National Park is one of the main reasons why we traveled to Puerto Natales. Torres del Paine is a Chilean National Park consisting of mountains, glaciers, lakes and rivers, and it spans an area of 2,400 km². It was declared a Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO in 1978. To get there, we went on a day trip with a guide and several others in a van. Since this park is located 112 km north of Puerto Natales, it took us around two hours to get there. Most of the way there we drove along unpaved roads, and every so often there would be a herd of guanaco blocking the road.
A huge portion of the park is made up of Southern Patagonian Ice Field mantles. Glaciers in the park include the Dickson, the Grey and the Tyndall. Most of the rivers and lakes of the park drain into Última Esperanza Sound via Serrano River.

This is one place you must visit at least once. It is unspoiled and truly amazing. We felt as if we were in a different world. Even once is not enough. If we do go there again, we’ll definitely rent a car, and spend at least a week exploring the park ourselves.

Shrubs, lakes, mountains in Torres Del Paine National Park

Snow-capped mountains

A beautiful green lake behind

Light-emerald colored Lake Pehoe

The whitish part is actually made up of calcium deposits

Pebbles, calcium deposits, green lake, snow-capped mountains

The guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is a camelid animal native to South America, and can be found in high altitudes. We saw so many guanacos here.

A stop sign with the majestic mountain behind the cabin which marks the entrance to the park

Curious and gentle guanacos turning to look at us

You must see it to believe it…

We got lucky and saw some Andean foxes here!

This magnificent setting is surrounded by high mountain peaks. Here you can see the impressive Paine’s famous horns (known as Cuernos del Paine).

A hotel in the middle of the lake..and the mountains and glaciers

Magnificent dreamscape

1st April 2008: After seeing the beautiful scenery at Seno Ultima Esperanza, we couldn’t help but see it again. This time though, we wanted to get away from the town and immerse ourselves in nature. And what better way to do that than taking a horse ride through the fields and meadows that touch the water.

The area we rode in is called Puerto Bories. This area was once a bustling port where sheep were sheared, slaughtered and shipped north. So while the packing plants, and even the sheep, are mostly gone, they have been replaced with cattle, horses and the odd visitor who comes to admire the beauty.

Behind me is the stable. Although most of the time the horses are left in the fields to graze.

Up and ready to go

For miles we saw no one, it was just us, our gaucho (cowboy) guide, and the occasional cow, flock of birds or sometimes a wild hare.

In the distance behind Grace, you can see some of the cattle and further behind are the mountain range leading to Torres Del Paine National Park.

The flat land reaching the sea was in sharp contrast to the mountains which rose around us.

At one point we had to cross through the shallows of the sea. Our horses were steady, but not enough for a clear picture

Once out of the water, we were lucky to come across Andean Flamingos which were migrating through the area and feeding in the shallows.

We wished we had more time to ride again, and again, and again. The scenery was breathtaking and on horseback we could see more of it while still soaking it in.

So if you like nature and want to see it all on horseback, you could consider getting a piece of land and some horses in Patagonia. According to the gaucho who rode with us, horses are cheap in Patagonia. A good horse can cost around US$500, but if you’re not too picky, you can probably find one for just over $100. Maintenance is pretty cheap too, most people just leave them in the fields to graze, and in the winter move them to winter fields that have been growing untouched all summer.

Only downside, you’re really at the end of the world. It’s a 2-3 hour drive to the nearest “proper” hospital or major airport, a 4+ hour flight to/from Santiago, Chile, and then over 12 hours of flying to North America or Europe.

The day we arrived to Puerto Natales, we took a stroll around town to get a bite to eat and a feel for the place. After satisfying our appetite with some of the dishes which we posted pictures of in our previous blog, we decided to have a look at the body of water the map calls “Seno Ultima Esperanza” which in English would be roughly “Sound of the Last Hope”.

On the map it didn’t look too impressive, just a body of water that came in from the sea, but once we reached there, we were mesmerized and couldn’t take our eyes off the beauty we had encountered. The stillness of the water; the mountains and glaciers reflected on it filled us with a sense of serenity and tranquility. It was as if we had stepped into some magical world, so different from the streets of the town we had just walked in.

The water was as smooth as glass - every time a bird would land, we would see the ripples stretch far away.

For a while we just admired the beauty, then we decided to take pictures of it.

Before long, we were joined by a friendly dog who seemed to enjoy the view almost as much as we did.

He didn’t like to hold still for too long though, and once he realized we didn’t have any food, he was off to enjoy the view with others.

Talk about a picture perfect location

Those wooden moorings in the middle of the sound look like some work of art. It looks almost as if they were made to guide the eye toward the mountains and glaciers behind them, not that they could be missed though.

We want a house with a view like this!

As the clouds parted, the sea seemed to glow where the light would shine on it.

When we finally managed to tear ourselves away, it was because the sun was setting, and since the streets of the town were poorly lit, we had to find our way before it got pitch black.