Bariloche

San Carlos de Bariloche is a beautiful town set in between a lake and the mountains. The pine trees and wooden chalets reminds one of the Alpine ski resorts in Europe. It’s no wonder they call Bariloche the little Switzerland.

Bariloche is another city that has been very hardly hit by the eruption of Chilean volcano Puyehue since June. Over past 6 months, meters of volcanic ash have fallen on this city, forcing the city to close its international airport until February 2012.  Revenue from tourism has fallen by at least 50% with visitors in their tens of thousands cancelling a trip here.

As we walked around town we could not help noticing the number of businesses, especially restaurants that have closed due to lack of activity. Many of them are still in our guide books as great places to eat at or hang out but simply do not exist anymore.

View from our room

We stayed at the Barraca Suites hostel thanks to a great tip from Will and Archanna who had been there before. It’s a beautifully converted town house with a big garden, cosy en suite rooms, fully equipped kitchen and an unbeatable view of the lake. Clara is the lady of the house and her husband Cyril is French.

Weather in Bariloche especially in this period is very good. Warm sunny days bless this beautiful town. But as it happens we were there during the only three days in the past 3 weeks with a drizzle and temperatures under 15°C. So we made plans accordingly.

We went to the Cerro Campanaria and climbed the 1km up to the summit to have a good view of both lake and mountains. Sadly the summits were hidden by the menacing clouds. We then went to another site where there was a nice waterfall and a mirador also 1km up. On our way up a dog from one of the holiday houses there accompanied us all the way to the top.

Inside the Rapa Nui chocolate shop

The following day we stayed in a bit and went out only after lunch. We headed straight to a very nice chocolate store. Bariloche is famous for its chocolate and this store (Rapa Nui Chocolates) doubles up as a Viennese style coffee salon where one may choose from a long list of cheesecakes, muffins, shortcakes, Victoria sandwiches, pound cakes etc. We enjoyed a couple of thick hot chocolates and a chocolate cheese cake ... delicious.

During our stay in Bariloche we ate very well too. We enjoyed home grilled Bife de Chorizo, had take away empanadas and went out once to the Family Weiss Restaurant where we had Patagonian specialties which are Venison stew and Grilled lamb. My venison was just a little overdone but Roxana’s lamb was splendid.

After three nice relaxing days in Bariloche we take a bus to Cipolletti to finally meet up with Cecilia, Juane and Pedrito, our friends there. We are so excited!


For more pics of Bariloche

Puerto Madryn

It was an ordeal to get to Puerto Madryn. We had decided to take a LADE flight (Commercial Airline of the Argentinian Air Force) from Ushuaia. We got a phone call just a few hours before taking the flight to tell us that the plane would not fly all the way because the wind was blowing an ash cloud from the Puyehue Volcano in Chile our way. We would have to get off at Rio Gallegos and from there get an 18-hour bus to Puerto Madryn.

We diligently went to the LADE office to get refunded the leg that was cancelled and took the flight to Rio Gallegos. We then got on the bus to Purto Madryn and arrived in early afternoon. Our hostel “La Casa de Tounens” was only a stone's throw from the bus station . Vincent (from French Ardennes) welcomed us with a big "Bonjour!". He came to Argentina 4 years ago and started this hostel about 2 years later.

Incredible: orcas hunting sea lions on the beach

One of the reasons we came here is whale watching. Puerto Madryn is one of the best places in the world to observe these big mammals. They come here from May to mid-December and at the height of the season from July to November up to forty whales may be swimming in the gulf of Peninsula Valdes. They may be seen from the shore and orcas even beach themselves to hunt for sea lions only a few meters away.

But we were at the very end of the season, and we knew it. So we rushed to the car rental companies and drove to the Peninsula Valdes. The port had been closed the day before because of strong winds but we were hopeful. We arrived at the port and that morning it was still closed. As the weather forecast stated that it would only get worse we continued our visit of the peninsula in another direction.

Magellanic Penguins up close

Sea lions taking in the sun

We saw hundreds of sea lions and Magellanic penguins. We drove about 200 km on dirt roads and all in all spent a good day. Roxana checked again with a park ranger who confirmed that the port was still closed. It was 1.30pm. When we were about to leave we drove by the port again and saw boats coming in. We rushed to the tour agencies who told us that they got a green light at 2.30pm and boats who had gone out saw the last two whales, a mother and it’s calf. We were bitterly disappointed!

We phoned the car rental company to hire the car for a second day. Ruth and Paul, both from Scotland also agreed that we should come the following day to try our luck. The following morning we phoned at 8am and received confirmation that the boats were going out at 9.30am. We needed to move fast as there was about 120km to the Peninsula Valdes. We sped and gave that 1.4L, 85HP Fiat Uno the impression it was a Ferrari. We got there on time and boarded.

Is that a whale I see in the background? 
NO, not this time!

We went out 1 mile or so and started looking. But very shortly after, the crew informed us that according to them the whales had gone and that we needed to turn around. There was always one time in the season when they had to announce that the last whale was gone and it was with us that morning. We could not believe it, were heartbroken. No one could believe that we were on the first boat of the season to be unsuccessful.

The last day spent in Puerto Madryn almost felt as one of mourning. It even hurt to see posters or 2012 calendars of orcas beaching themselves or humpback whales jumping out of the water. This is the first big disappointment in our South American trip. 

A few more pics on Puerto Madryn

And as we like to torture ourselves a bit more, this is what we DID NOT see:

Ushuaia

Tierra del Fuego indeed

View of the harbour in Ushuaia

Ushuaia sits at the southernmost tip of the Americas, less than 1000km from Antarctica. The average temperature here in the warmest month of the year is 10.4°C and the lowest temperature ever recorded in summer was -6°C. So at least you know what to expect when you visit the southernmost city on the world.


We came here from El Calafate which is also in Argentina. The problem is that from El Calafate to Ushuaia, the bus needs to go through Chile and cross the Strait of Magellan which makes this (short) 550km trip endless.







An hour or so after leaving El Calafate you get to the Chilean border and everyone gets off the bus to be stamped out of Argentina and into Chile. Then there are the fearsome Chilean fruits and fresh products checks. Chile is a huge producer of fruits (grapes for wine, apples, pears, etc.) and they are absolutely paranoid about letting any plague into their country.

One of the most dangerous straits in the world

If you are caught with any fruits, cheese or raw meat (such as ham) you might be fined up to US$10,000 and go to prison. Their SAG squads from the Ministry of Agriculture with their x-ray scanners and their trained dogs don’t let anything pass. Well at least not at the border posts. I don’t see how a country that shares over 6000 km of border with Peru, Bolivia and Argentina can ensure nothing gets in but oh well.

The ferry actually beaches itself

Anyway that usually takes an hour. Then we drive off until we reach the Strait of Magellan. This is where Fernando (Ferdinand) de Magallanes, convinced there would be a way to circumnavigate the world, found his first passage around the southern tip of South America and the Cape Horn. We get off the bus again as it boards the ferry that brings us across. It’s only a 20 minutes ride during which small black and white dolphins (no they were not orcas) accompany the ferry.

Then we drive a little bit more and we have to exit Chile to re-enter Argentina. That’s when things yet again get complicated for me. As a general rule whenever we’re approaching a border I run to the front to be the first one out of the bus and in the queue. This time was no different. And as usual the Argentine border police had a really hard time figuring out what to do with me.

They never know which country I’m from and their system does not seem to help them much either. This time they proposed to “assign” me to Africa only to find out that their system does not cater for continents. Then they propose to put me down as Great Britain since we were once a British colony. At that point we do exchange some pleasantries about football and the Hand of God and all.

After a gruelling hour I’m the last person from our bus who has not been through. The bus driver is looking nervously at me thinking he’s got a schedule to keep. I finally manage to get the holy grail (a stamp into Argentina) for the last time. As from now, we stay in “The Land of Silver” until we cross into Brazil in January 2012.

Yep we're in the end of the world

We arrived to Ushuaia at around 9pm and took a taxi to our hostel (La Posta – free usage of washing machine, two big kitchens, Real Madrid vs Barcelona on their huge flat screen,  really nice). We checked our email to find out that Archanna and William who we met in Cusco were in town. We decided we’d go to the Tierra del Fuego National Park together the next day.

We're far far away from the rest of the world here

Lake view in the park

Sure enough the following day we met in the park to start our trek. It’s a beautiful park but after Torres del Paine everything seems a bit bland. We nevertheless walk 16km this day and decide we should not part company so early.

We get back into town and go buy stuff from the supermarket to cook dinner together. Archanna wanted to cook a fish pie but unfortunately fish was scarce, so we got chicken instead. We also chose two nice bottles of Argentinian red wine and headed back home. That evening we had a great time in great company and Archanna and Will left just after 11pm.

Oh the Argentines have a sense of humour alright

Will, Archanna and Roxana marvelling at the view

Entering the Beagle Canal

The following day we lazed around the hostel after having a hearty breakfast (thanks to Italian and French influence, croissants in Argentina are just as good as back home). Then we went into town to book ourselves a boat tour of the bay. We go into the famous Beagle canal to the “H” Island. It’s beautiful and we get to see a colony of sea lions up close. We also get extremely close to the nests of Cormorants. Their chicks just only hatched but they get to adult size after only three weeks.

We also saw some ancient settlements of the Yamana people who first settled in these regions around 7,000 B.C. They were essentially hunter gatherers. They lived naked and evolved a unique particularity: their body temperature was a constant 38°C to fend off the cold.

Flores de Fuego with nectar dripping

Anonymous - Looking away into the sea

Wild berries

An alpha-male and his harem of sea lions

Our boat "Tres Marias" on "H-island"

When they first saw huge European ships coming their way they raised the alarm by lighting fires and using smoke signals. The Europeans standing on the decks of their vessels saw hundreds and hundreds of fires and smoke columns rising everywhere and called this place “Tierra del Fuego”  (“Land of Fire” or “Terre de Feu”).

We got back this evening after the 4 hour tour and met up with Archanna and Will. We went to the southernmost Irish pub in the world (The Dublin) and used the vouchers for free beers that we got on the tour.  We stayed there and had another drink and some really good chips before parting company. We’ll see each other again in BA.

That's the plane

As for us we flew out of Ushuaia using LADE, a commercial company of the Argentinian Air Force. It's only a 30 seater and we already hear rumours of ash clouds around Puerto Madryn ... let's see.  

For more pics on: Ushuaia

El Calafate (Argentinian Patagonia) & Perito Moreno

The noise of breaking ice in the background is deafening

After the week on Easter Island and the 5 day trek in Torres del Paine only doing something exceptional would  do. Well how better to end a great fortnight than to walk on a glacier. For that we went to El Calafate in Argentina. 

To be absolutely accurate Roxana went ahead. I stayed behind in Puerto Natales because I had forgotten my camera in the restaurant we had had dinner in the night before. I had to miss the bus and wait for the restaurant to open. Fortunately I got my camera back and bought one of the last two tickets on the 6.15 p.m. to El Calafate.  When I finally got there, (I spare you yet another geography lesson on the Indian Ocean with the Argentinian border police), it was midnight and Roxana had already booked the tour for the following day.

60 metres over the water level - that's a lot of ice

The tour bus picked us up at the hostel (I Keu Ken - very nice btw) at 9.30 a.m. We drove 1.5 hrs to the Perito Moreno glacier. This is a huge glacier 30km long, 5km wide and an average of 240 metres thickness. By definition a glacier is compacted snow forced into a rock solid ice block under its own weight.

When we got there the sheer size of this glacier is what amazed us first. To think that this is solid ice from the lake floor to about 60 metres above water level is simply hard to comprehend. Remember this is not frozen water floating on a lake, this is a huge ice block running down the valley ripping mountains to pieces and grinding boulders to dust! 

In an ice crevasse

Roxana chit chatting with Leonardo, our guide

In the afternoon we go walking on the glacier. We take a boat to the other side of the lake and find ourselves as close as 300 meters from the glacier’s north face. As we get closer we speed past huge icebergs that have detached from the glacier.

Once on the other side our shoes are fitted with crampons and our guide gives us some summary instructions. Going uphill is fairly natural, very similar to when walking. Most important is going down when we are asked to keep our feet parallel and advance in very small steps. We are further instructed to always put the crampons flat on the ice so that all the spikes adhere properly to the slippery surface. In every other situation we should walk at a comfortable pace while keeping our feet far from one another as those sharp spiked can rip jeans, socks and skin like nothing.

Alone on the ice

Warm enough to be in t-shirt

Blue skies and bright sun - we're in luck

Regarding the weather, warm humid air is blown up from the Pacific Ocean and when it passes over this huge “popsicle” (30km x 5km) cools down and at best results in clouds and fog, but usually spills out excess moisture in the form of snow.

It snows even in summer on the glacier, and in fact it is overcast 330 days of the year on Glacier Perito Moreno. But we’re really in luck. It’s a gorgeous day with blue sky, almost no clouds to be seen and a hot sun. The guide jokes that we should go out and buy lottery tickets today.

We set out on the ice. It’s easier to walk than I thought and soon we have our first big climb. We fare pretty well. Then we have to go down and there a few more slips but no major falls. We walk around for about an hour and admire the surreal landscape. There is ice everywhere and there are water streams running down its melting face. Sometimes when you are walking you actually see water running under your feet but the 30 cm of ice is strong enough to support your body weight.

Great end to a great day!

We finish behind an ice hill where guess what : a small table with whisky is waiting for us! They help us with some welcomed whisky (or should I write whiskey since it’s Irish). And for people who want ice or water, no worries at all there’s plenty all around us.

For more pics: El Calafate

Torres Del Paine (Chilean Patagonia)

Torres del Paine is a trekker’s dream. Anyone who takes this activity seriously knows about the beautiful lakes, razor sharp gorges and amazing glaciers that make up this national park. But of course amateur trekkers like us also go there. We covered 1500km in a day with a flight from Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas and a bus to Puerto Natales. We're going on the big “W”. And with places having names such as Valle del Silencio (Silence Valley), Cerro Catedral (Cathedral Peak), Aleta de Tiburón (Shark's Fin), Fortaleza (Fortress), La Espada (The Sword) or La Hoja (The Blade), we're really curious. 

We stayed at the “Tin House Hostel” which was a super cosy place. Laura came to Chile 4 years ago from Texas to teach English and sure enough she met David who is from this town. They got married and opened the hostel. What's great about this place is that it actually feels like a home rather than a hostel. Firstly instead of being a bit of an industrial type building it’s actually a house converted into a hostel so it has a very nice living room and a fully equipped* kitchen with dining table, low yellow (warmer) lights and wooden plinths and furniture.
(* not seen a dishwasher so far in S.A). 

Secondly Laura and David really go the extra mile to make you feel comfortable. They make a great breakfast, they are ready to help in any way possible (booking tickets, laundry, calling to find out stuff) and they are full of very useful and trustworthy advice when prompted. Laura has the foreigner perspective and David is a mountain guide so he speaks about the "W" from experience.

Huge icebergs detached from Glacier Grey

We attended the 3pm information session at Erratic Rock Hostel. It was a great idea to do that. Koen (Dutch guy) gave a very comprehensive 1.5hrs long presentation and happily took questions at any moment. On top of clearly being a passionate and being very knowledgeable, he made it fun, which kept all 30 listeners hung to his lips till the end. And oh yeah, they serve coffee and tea before the talk. We advise people considering to trek to attend this session. 

 

So back to the actual trek. The “W” is the nickname given the trek most commonly done in Torres del Paine simply because the path you take describes a “W”. Most people do it in 4 nights / 5 days. Some people link the two open ends of the “W” by walking 3 extra days behind the mountain formation. There are others who decide to do the “W” in only 4 days but that adds quite a few hours of walking to the remaining days. Since we are not "these people" we stuck to the first option.

We had also already decided not to camp and therefore not carry any additional cooking equipment such a gas bottle, pans, cutlery and plates. We had already booked the lodges (refugios) and meals. The only thing we still needed to decide upon was whether to bring some walking poles and waterproof pants or not. We had gone into town to look for equipment to rent the day before. Renting the poles seemed a bit expensive (2500 Pesos/ US$5 per pole per day). Gloves and hats obviously had to be bought. After the talk we decided not to take anything extra with us and go with the hats and gloves we already had.

We did take a trip to the supermarket to buy biscuits, dried fruits&nuts and chocolate. I even got myself 5 different flavours of powdered juices. These are big in South America. You simply add a small packet of powdered juice to 1L of water and voilà!  Since water is drinkable and readily available in the park I knew I would not have any problems shaking up these juices.

The promise of astounding scenery

Back home we packed a big backpack and a small day pack. We brought some medical supplies: Rhinofebryl, Iso-Betadine, sewing needle in case of cut skin injuries, gauze, etc. We also brought our Swiss knife, a lighter, a compass, our head lamps, the iPods, the camera, the mobile phones + all the chargers. My bag probably weighed 11kg and Roxana's 9kg. 

Day 1: Paine Grande to Refugio Grey (16.5km - 4h20min of walking)

Close to Pudeto entrance

The following morning the bus picked us up at 7.30a.m. to bring us to the entrance of the park. It’s a 2.5hrs drive and the last hour is already spectacular. We got off at the second stop (Pudeto) and took a catamaran to cross the lake and start the trek at Refugio Paine Grande. We walked up a little over 4hrs to Refugio Grey where we could see the Glacier Grey. This was brillant. That’s a whole glacier running down from the mountains several dozens of metres thick. It’s the first time I’m actually seeing a glacier, impressive. That night we finish the sandwiches we brought with us and go to bed ready for a long next day.

Glacier Grey

Day 2:  Refugio Grey to Refugio Paine Grande (16.7km - 6h10min of walking)

Lunch with a view

We get up, have a big breakfast, pack our bags and go. We’re not going straight back down. First we head up towards the glacier to see it from closer. About midway we meet Maibritt and Niels who were camping 1.5hrs higher than us in a camping site. They tell us that it’s not worth going all the way up. We decide to turn around and go to camp for the night in Paine Grande. We walk the next 4 hours in the company of this very nice Danish couple. When we get there we actually ask to cancel one set of dinner/breakfast/lunch-pack as the portions are enormous and one will suffice for both of us. 

Dribbling and swerving

Niels and Maibritt continue on to “Campamiento Los Italianos” 2.5hrs away where they will camp. In the meantime a football game is about to begin with some local people and I cannot resist. I undo the top eyelets of my trekking boots to get some more ankle flexibility and we kick off. The game goes on for just over one hour but that’s enough. We obviously win :-) and let's just say that according to football protocol I should have received 2 footballs from the ref and a magnum of champagne from the highest ranking official  on site... the connoisseurs will understand what this mean!

Day 3:  Refugio Paine Grande to Refugio Los Cuernos (27.5km - 8h of walking)

The famous "Cuernos"

The following morning after yet another hearty breakfast we set out for our third day. We want to see the “Cuernos” (horns). These are impressive rock formations made of minerals of two distinctly different colours. The shape of the formation and especially the pointed tops look like horns, hence the name. The walk is amazingly beautiful and terrain is relatively flat : not more than 100 meters difference in elevation between start and finish.  When we reach the Refugio that evening the sun is shining and it feels very warm:  the ozone layer in this part of the world is very thin and the sun is felt more intensely.

It's "not that cold"

All of a sudden I see another trekker coming back from the lake at the edge of which this refuge lies. He assures me that the water is “not that cold” … from his accent I can tell he’s Scandinavian. Should I go or not? Can I trust a "not that cold" from a guy who comes from a country so cold that literally hundreds of lakes and rivers freeze over in winter time? I decide to go find out. I walk down to the lake in my swimming trunks and go in very carefully…It’s cold! But not as cold as the lake in the French Alps with Jean-Yves. Here it must be about 10°C. I manage to stay in over 6 minutes which beats the 45 seconds in France.

Valle del Frances

Day 4:  Refugio Los Cuernos to Refugio Los Chilenos (22.8km - 8h15min of walking)

From L to R: Niels, Maibritt, us and Martin.

The following morning we set off after breakfast with Martin, a French guy living in Hong Kong and Niels and Maibritt. We have yet another long day to our last refugio. This is Patagonia, with 200 days of storm per year and winds that casually blow over 100 km/h. But so far we have been very lucky with the weather. We got some blue skies in the mornings and some clouds in the afternoon. And today is a gorgeous day. Bright sun, blue sky and almost no cloud. It's already warm and we cream up for protection! 

Last view on the "Cuernos"

We should walk "only" 14-15km to our refuge and see off Niels, Maibritt and Martin who will continue up another 3 km to their camping site. But we already decided we will leave our bags at our refuge and walk up with them to their camping site. The reason for this is that the following morning at 3 a.m. (!) we need to walk up that way (and further) in the dark to watch the sunrise at the famous Mirador of the Torres. From the camping site to the summit there will be reflectors which will be picked up by flashlights but from our refuge to the camping site it's a 1h15 walk in the pitch dark forest - so we better do some reconnaissance in anticipation of the following morning. 

Spectacular views on the way

So we go on our walk to the refuge and by the time we reach there, the weather is still splendid. So much so that not only do we accompany our friends up to their camp site but we also will attempt the full ascent this afternoon itself. After the camping site it's steep and we're in the open on a barren face of the mountain. Without the shelter of the forest, we are at the mercy of the wind. It's blowing only moderately strongly so that's a relief. I cannot imagine this ascent with a gale force wind whipping rain or snow in your face and up into your jacket from underneath.  

Los Torres del Paine! 

When we reach the top we are amazed by what we see. The three towers rise 3 km straight up against an intense blue sky. In the foreground is a lake with a milky greyish green colour. It is amazing. The wind is picking up now but we soon find some cover behind some rocks the size of a minibus! Andre, Lorenzo and Raj, all three from Portugal are also up there enjoying the view. We take some pictures and then decide to walk back down. While going back down we meet Artur the fourth member of that lusophone group. He comes from Brazil. Artur points out that the sky's changing and so it is. Menacing grey clouds are coming this way. We hope we get back down home dry. And we do!

Follow the instructions!

Despite adding 8.4km to this day trek, the climb to the Mirador de las Torres was completely worth it. But it's not over, we're back for more the following morning. That evening we go to sleep early and set our alarm clocks to 2.45 a.m.! We're lucky that out of the 6 people sleeping in our dorm, 5 are going up. So no worries about waking everybody else. 














Day 5:  Refugio Los Chilenos to Mirador Las Torres and down to Hospedia La Torre (13.1km - 4h15min of walking)

The team of 8 going up

The alarm rings at 2.45 a.m. and we get up and out of the room at once. We had already prepared everything beforehand and gear up. From the refuge we are a group of 8 going up. We end up leaving at 3.15 a.m. It's completely dark and the sky is filled with stars. Having done this the day before and looking for our way with 8 flashlights we find and follow the path with ease. We get to the camping site in 1 hour. From there we have 45 extra minutes and we are well in time. 

Picture at 5.10am

The day is breaking and it is lighter than we thought in the open. It's rather simple to follow the orange reflectors. When we get up there, only two other early birds beat us to it. It's 5.05 a.m. and the three towers offer a completely different but equally spectacular view. Soon more people arrive, including Niels and Maibritt. We had already arranged the day before that they would bring their gas stove and we water so we could cook tea up there. We get to it. It takes a long time because of the wind, but we manage. By the time the sun comes up, we each have a welcomed hot beverage in our hands. It's 5.39 a.m.

Picture at 5.45 a.m.

The spectacle is truly magic. There is a certain mystery to these towers which is difficult to explain. It has to be witnessed. At around 6.30 a.m. we start our descent and reach our refuge a little before 8 a.m. We quickly wash up and sit intently in the eating area with the others who only just woke up. We've been awake and exercising for 5 hours and we are starving. The coffee, orange juice, toasts, porridge and scrambled eggs are gluttonously swallowed. We feel better and get our bags ready for the "final push". (and I don't mean the loo!).



Niels, Maibritt and Martin come down from their camping site at around 9.30 a.m. and we set off one hour later. It should be a piece of cake now: it's mostly downhill and only 1h15 long. After walking more than 80km over the last 4 days we are confident. But the wind who had been almost non-existent so far has decided to show us how hard walking in Patagonia can be. 

It is blowing at about 70km/h with gusts going well over 100km/h. Its direction is changing all the time and because of the deep, steep gorges the wind sometimes seems to be coming straight up from underneath us. We are being bullied left and right by the wind. The gusts seem to be punching us in the face or at the back of our head.  The extra surface area offered by our big backpacks is increasing the effect the wind has on us. Sometimes we are forced to stop, lie low and hold fast to a rock or branch if we are not to be blown off our feet and into the deadly precipice. 

We are more relieved than tired

We actually run down the last kilometre, pushed by the wind. We reach the luxurious resort at the entrance of the park and enjoy a big cold beer to celebrate the end of this 5 day adventure. We walked about 97 kilometres and had near perfect weather conditions all the way. And we made it without a scratch! That evening after a long hot shower and a good shave (for me), we meet up with Niels and Maibritt and enjoy a huge burger and in-house brewed dark ale at Baguales restaurant in Puerto Natales. 

For more pictures on Torres Del Paine