Patagonia at the Edge of the World

PATAGONIA

AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD

Wild, remote, dramatic, almost supernatural – Chilean Patagonia feels like another planet, discovers journalist and former TV presenter Peter Duncan

Towering highs The Cordillera Paine loom over the azure waters of the Torres del Paine National Park

CHILE

T here’s something to be said for reaching a destination late at night, and our arrival at the Explora hotel in Torres del Paine in Chile was certainly on the spectacular side of night-time arrivals.

We were well into our third week of traveling through the myriad landscapes of Chile when we flew from Puerto Montt, itself 655 miles south of capital Santiago, even further south to Punta Arenas. The latter city is the major gateway to Torres del Paine National Park, seen by many as the spiritual home of Chilean tourism.

Upon arrival at the airport around 7:30pm, we were greeted by a cheery employee from the Explora hotel who led us to a waiting car: a luxury minibus. Now, normally when confronted with the prospect of a four-and-a-half

‘IN CHILEAN PATAGONIA, A SPECTACULAR VIEW ISN’T AN OPTION, IT’S GUARANTEED’

hour drive after a flight, you rarely find many glaring positives. But then you don’t usually find yourself in the midst of an alien landscape. A low-lying full moon illuminated this extraterrestrial scenery and added to the extraordinary notion of feeling like we were at the end of the world.

We continued on towardsthe hotel, hugging the ocean on our left and the mysterious landscape on our right, and before long darkness descended. The only light left was that of the moon. Signposts flashed by intermittently until eventually we spotted the one we’d been waiting for: ‘Parque Nacional Torres del Paine’. From here the road twisted and turned and bumped, with gigantic shadows looming on either side until finally in the distance we spotted some twinkling lights. After a quick check

with the driver, we knew we’d arrived at our destination.

SETTING OUT

That first morning, waking up in what would be our home for the next few days, is one that I won’t soon forget. Rolling up our window blinds, we were confronted by the iconic panorama that is the Cordillera Paine. Moody-looking clouds weaved in and out of the mountains, which by no means demeaned the view, but in fact only heightened the peaks’ imposing nature. Happily, on our

Cowboy culture Riding with a gaucho is a great way to explore the national park

second morning, we arose to clear skies and a red sunrise dappling the famous mountains.

The hotel itself sits next to a glistening glacial lake, Lake Pehoé, which is a turquoise color due to the sediment contained within the melting glaciers that feed it. Here a spectacular view isn’t an option, it’s guaranteed. After a delicious breakfast, we had our first decision to make: which of the day’s tempting activities should we choose?

In the center of the hotel there’s a board that lists a selection of possible excursions.

There are more than 40 ‘explorations’ in total, running at various times during the morning and afternoon, although some trips last a full day. Explora’s guides wait by the board for guests who signed up the night before, and for any newcomers (like us) who’d like to join in at the last minute.

We first decided to try the Cornisas hike – named after the cliffs we were to climb – which saw us leaving the hotel on foot. With an ascent of 1,150 feet, a distance of threeand-a-half miles and multiple lookout spots,

Lake life The Explora sits on Lake Pehoé, and many excursions begin with a trip on a catamaran; breakfast is served at the Explora

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the hike provides an opportunity to see the park from many different perspectives, particularly the ever-changing blue hues of Lake Pehoé. After the hike (which was bracing – it can get pretty windy up high), we tucked into a well-deserved lunch and pondered our afternoon actions.

My son Arthur and I settled on a horseriding trip from a local gaucho’s stable. These are an excellent way to really sit back and take in the scenery. We hacked through forests, passed lakes and all the while had views of distant mountains. The highlight, though, was the condor circling above us with its distinctive white feathers. The ride ended with some traditional mate (a green tea made from the leaves of the yerba plant), taken with the gaucho himself back in his stable.

The atmosphere in the hotel was very relaxed, and the guides and hotel staff were warm and friendly, as well as being very helpful. Explora’s architecture is focused on connecting the traveler to nature, with wood playing a fundamental role in the hotel’s design. We also took full advantage of the spa and outdoor hot tubs in our quest for relaxation after tough days out hiking. The food on offer was excellent too, with a new menu each day that covered both local and international cuisine. Paired with superb Chilean wine, it left us very satisfied.

TREKKING TRIUMPH

Our second morning arrived and after deciding to ramp up the difficulty, we settled on the 10-mile French Valley

trek to the heart of the Cordillera Paine. To reach the beginning of the hike we boarded Explora’s catamaran and proceeded to glide over Lake Pehoé towards the imposing peaks of the mountain range. Our timing was good, as we were treated to a whole day of glorious sunshine. The first part of the trek consisted of a semifarcical criss-cross of hikers, as different groups set off on different treks. However, as we all spread out, we were able to walk at our own pace, and at times we had the track almost to ourselves.

We skimmed along the bottom of the vast mountains, tracing our way through the plateau below with all manner of birds and wildlife surging into view before scurrying away. Eventually we began to

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CHILE

Happy hiker Peter takes in the view on the path to the French Valley

ascend through dense forest towards the distant sound of a raging river. We emerged at the end of a trail to a swinging rope bridge with a sign clearly stating ‘one person at a time’. Once safely across, we were told we had reached the Italian Camp, the final destination for some of the hikers – but not us. We had another leg to our journey.

Ahead was a steep 1,500-foot climb that culminated in sweeping 360-degree views of the towering mountains around us, the huge French Glacier and down into the valley below.As our group sat down for a picnic lunch in the sunshine, we heard a rumble growing louder and louder, which was not coming from our stomachs. In fact, a large avalanche came crashing down the glacier opposite from way up high. Once we had drunk in as much of this incredible scene as we could with our eyes (and cameras), we set off on our return journey.

The hike back was surprising in that it felt very different to the trek there. Whereas before we had the looming mountains ahead of us, on the return they were replaced by lake views and the vast landscape of the park laid out in front.

You can be certain our legs were grateful for a rest that evening. Once back at the hotel, discussions quickly turned to how to make the most of our final expedition.

EXPLORING THE ICE

We woke with a tinge of sadness that it was our last day at the Explora.

‘THE SHEER POWER AND IMMENSITY OF THE ICE IS THE MOST STRIKING THING IN THE SOUTHERN ICE FIELDS’

Nevertheless, we had a serious treat in store. We chose the Glacier Grey hike, which was another full day, albeit with a slightly easier distance of seven-and-ahalf miles and less elevation gain. The catamaran took us farther along the lake this time, to a dock. From there we walked towards the Grey Refuge.

Halfway up the ascent there are incredible views of the glacier, as well as the extraordinary extension of the Southern Ice Fields from above. The vast ice wall of the glacier is impressive enough froma distance, but happily we were able to take a boat up close to the towering walls, navigating through floating icebergs that stick out of the water like blue crystal shards.

The sheer power and immensity of the ice is the most striking thing. As we sat staring at the glacier, we wondered where else in the world has such bountiful variety of landscapes as Chile, and particularly this southernmost corner of the world, so far away from everything else.

Our last dinner was spent revelling in the experiences of the past three days, content in the knowledge that with dozens more explorations available, we could come back many times and still not do it all.

As the time came to leave, we thanked Explora’s guides and staff, who’d made our stay what it was and boarded our vessel back to Earth, hoping to return one day.

On ice The hike to Grey Glacier reveals striking shards and icebergs

Flight information: Flying from New York to Santiago takes 10 hours, followed by a 3 hour 20 minute domestic flight to Puerto Montt. When to go: November to March is when the region traditionally experiences its most temperate weather. Get me there: A 13-day tailor-made trip to Patagonia, including four nights at Explora Torres del Paine on a full board basis, plus time in Santiago, El Calafate and Buenos Aires, starts from $8,995pp. For more information, please contact our Chile specialists on 1-833-640-8095.

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