Day 22: Torres del Paine
Breakfast at the hotel. Today, a group excursion awaits you to Torres del Paine National Park with an English-speaking guide. Soaring almost vertically over 2000 meters above the Patagonian steppe, the granite spires of Torres del Paine (Towers of Paine) dominate the landscape of the best national park in South America. Before its establishment in 1959, the park was part of a large sheep pasture, and it is still recovering from almost a century of excessive use of pastures, forests, and wildlife. Most people visit the park because it is simply considered a highlight, but once you are here, you realize there are other attractions: azure lakes, trails wandering through emerald forests, tumultuous rivers, fragile bridges, and one big, shining blue glacier. As part of UNESCO's biosphere reserve system since 1978, the park is home to rhea ostriches (known as ñandú), Andean condors, flamingos, and many other birds. The star of the park is undoubtedly the guanaco, which grazes on the open steppes, where pumas cannot approach them unnoticed. After more than a decade of effective protection against poachers, these large and growing herds don't even pay attention when approached by people or vehicles. This full-day excursion includes a visit to the marvelous Torres del Paine National Park, including the Milodon Cave located on Benitez Hill, 25 km from the town of Puerto Natales. In 1895, the skeletons of a saber-toothed tiger, an American horse, and a giant-sized sloth were discovered here. The name Milodon comes from the ancient animal Mylodon Darwini, which lived in this area 8–10 thousand years ago. To imagine the appearance and size of this enormous herbivorous fossil, there is a sculpture of it at the entrance to the cave. Upon entering the park, a biosphere reserve covering more than 242,000 hectares, the landscape changes radically - dozens of lakes with birds and huge granite mountains appear. Emerald-colored lakes, waterfalls, and ice-covered mountains are typical landscapes of this area. A 15-minute walk is necessary to see Salto Grande, a waterfall that connects two lakes – Nordenskjöld and Pehoé. On the return journey, we will follow a beautiful route, passing the Rio Serrano River and Toro and Porteño Lakes. Overnight at the hotel.