Planning a Route to Torres del Paine

Following our first night in Cerró Castillo, we explored which route we would take to Torres del Paine, leaving our friends the dog and sheep behind. This road sign was the first indicator that we were near guanaco, the llama like animals that roam the pampas all through this part of Patagonia. Then, when the road turned to gravel, we saw the animals themselves, far more fleet and elegant than the Moroccan camels we had ridden in the Sahara the previous year. Take a look at the video. It shows you how beautifully they move.

Farther up the road we began to see the outlines of the Towers and stopped by stunning lakes with water the color of lapis lazuli. But it wasn’t yet time for us to go into Torres del Paine national park. We would do that tomorrow, partly because the road had closed at this entrance and partly because I just wanted to get the lay of the land. The next day we would swing around to the opposite entrance. And that would lead to a few misadventures we hadn't seen coming. Of course with misadventures, you never do.

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