I arrived back in Santiago, and stayed for 2 days before going on to Punta Arenas, situated on the Magellan Strait in Chilean Patagonia. Immediately upon landing, I boarded a bus for the 3 hour trip to Puerto Natales. There is an airport at Puerto Natales, but it is open only during some months of the year, and then only on certain days.
After a good night's sleep, I joined a small group tour to Torres del Paine National Park, about 112 kms north, rugged up because of the cold, and headed off to see the stunning beauty of the towers and the rugged mountains of the park. Our guide, Sofia, was extremely knowledgeable about the geology and history of the area, and gave us so much interesting information.
We travelled through the park, soaking up the majestic beauty of the surroundings and being awed by the mountains and lakes, until we reached Lago Pekoe, where we stopped for lunch before moving on to Lago Gray and the Gray Glacier, flowing down the side of the mountain into the lake. It's difficult to describe the absolute beauty of the park - it is truly breathtaking.
On the way back from the park, we made a stop at the milodon cave, Cueva del Milodon, which is a natural monument. In 1895, the remains of a milodon, a giant sloth over 10,000 years old, was found in the cave in such good condition that it was thought to be a recently deceased animal. A small portion of skin and hair can be seen in the museum in Punta Arenas - the rest is in London (isn't everything?). Later bones of more animals and humans were found in that cave as well as others in the area.
A truly worthwhile excursion for the visitor to Patagonia.
