From Santiago, we flew early this morning three hours south into Patagonia, to Puerto Natales. The airport is very small, and immediately coming off the plane I felt an appreciation for how big Patagonia is.
We took a shuttle from the airport into town and got off at the Plaza de Armas.
It was about 11:00, and we sat for a coffee and sandwich while we sorted out our plans. We had a rental car booked for 12:00 to take us into Torres del Paine National Park, but we needed to get laundry started and buy a few things before we left town. Diana enjoyed a little window shopping while I found a lavanderia to drop the laundry at. I picked up the car and we bought a few groceries and then headed north on Highway 9, part of the "Fin del Mundo" route, towards the park.
We stopped briefly beside the Señoret Channel because we found the scenery so compelling.
There's Diana beside our rental car.
About twenty minutes north of Puerto Natales, we turned off the highway northwest along an only-sometimes-paved, regularly-potholed, and often-gravel road for 65 kilometres to the park gate. Despite a rough road, the scenery is spectacular, and along a good stretch I took a photo to give a sense of what the views are.
At the park entrance there is a little visitor's centre where you show your ticket and can get maps and info on the park.
I took this photo and one second video from the parking lot at the visitor's centre. The video's audio gives you an inkling of how strong the wind is!
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