Torres del Paine

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Tierra del Fuego

Torres del Paine

Torres del Paine, Chile
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Torres del Paine in Patagonia was all that we hoped for and more. The mountains were probably the most spectacular that I've seen in the world, with glacially carved snow-covered peaks and dramatic spires of granite. The first class Hotel Explora where we stayed was glorious, but exhorbitantly expensive (the much cheaper hosterias seem like a better bet). We took a long, strenuous hike up to the awe-inspiring Towers as well as a scenic horseback ride through the golden pampas. We were extremely fortunate to have calm, clear weather despite roaring winds on our arrival.

Just the everyday view from the window of our hotel room	The Paine Massif with the unique horns (or Cuernos)	Up-close views of the horns
Hiking up through a valley to the Towers	Our reward after a long, tough hike - an up-close view of the Towers	Closeup of the spectacular Towers
Lenticular cloud formations reminded me of Jetson-style space stations	Guanacos grazing amid the splendor	Guanacos (related to llamas) were common in the park
Guanaco with young	A fox resting near a viewpoint	Gigantic Andean condors soar the skies of Torres del Paine

Copyright © 2002 - Ann Mei Chang