Patagonian Splendour

The weather today is much improved, which is good as the plan is to enter Torres del Paine National Park and see some of the spectacular scenery. On our way there we receive a call from another guide that he has found a puma. Of course we have to investigate. A puma is lying in the scrub and watching a group of guanacos across the valley.

It is early and cold on the slope where we are standing but the view is quite something. It is very reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands but on a much grander scale.

There does not look like there will be much action for a while so I walk back up the hill to where the rising sun is providing a little warmth. The view from here is breathtaking with the sun illuminating the huge granite massifs.

We return to look at the puma who is now lying down. This looks like a Mexican standoff. There is no cover for the puma between him and the guanacos so it is not about to move any time soon. They will need to come to him. We do not think that likely – they are grazing but very aware of where the danger lies.

We decide to leave but not before photographing the cushion forming shrub and a beautiful slipper orchid.

As we depart a small group of guanacos are grazing by the side of the track.

The entrance to the park is teeming with people – buses bringing in day-trippers and lots of hikers. There are pumas here but the odds of seeing them will be low. I am so glad I did my research and found a private guide with access to Estancia Laguna Amarga. It is where all the recent puma documentaries have been filmed. There are only 20 guides allowed to operate in it and yesterday we were the only ones there, so it is a real wilderness experience with the ability to go off road and track on foot. Despite the people, the park is a real wow. The views are just stunning.

Victor is taking us to see the Salto Grande waterfall with its impressive water flow from Lake Nordenskjöld. We park the car and are warned to open the doors carefully. It will be very windy. Caracaras are common here. They are handsome birds – quite eagle like. They are opportunistic and are scavenging the carpark edges.

We head off along the path to the waterfall. Until now we have not really experienced the Patagonian wind. Oh my! To say it is windy is somewhat of an understatement. It is seriously powerful. The board below indicates the wind is between 50-80 km/hr and we estimate verging on the 80km/hr limit.

When the falls come into view we gasp. They are powerful and stunning. The immense wind makes it hard to hold the camera steady or even stand. It just adds to the intensity of the experience.

A board describes how the massif was formed. Magma forced its way through sedimentary rock. Over the years erosion has just left the granite core protruding. Strictly speaking Torres del Paine is not part of the Andes but an independently formed geological formation.

The view looking over the lake is also amazing – in fact every direction affords gorgeous scenery. We continue on our tour around the park and the views just keep coming! Lake Pehoe and it’s waterfall are also spectacular.

Victor shows us the outline of a large fossilised scallop on the rock, proving that all of this land was originally beneath the ocean.

When we head back for lunch the cloud has completely lifted and we can see the towers and landscape in their full glory. We also see a few flamingos on the lake edges.

The afternoon’s drive turns out to be uneventful. All is very quiet apart from an armadillo crossing the road. They are surprisingly fast but we capture a little video and one decent shot though it is a shame about the barbed wire!

We have had a lovely day but our guide is sure that he can still find us a puma. It is 20.15 and the light is poor. He says “Yes – puma!” Well all I can say is he has awesome eyesight. We peer at a hill a mile away and he says look at the bush half way up. Now all I can see, even through binoculars, is a beige dot beneath the bush and a beige spot above it. Nana is standing on top of the hill and walks down to get a closer look. She reports that there is a male puma with a kill and there are also two females. Do we want to go? It will be a hard half hour climb uphill on slippery wet shale. It is late in the day and we decline. Who knows though? They might still be there in the morning…..