Next Stop

From Punta Arenas I headed 3 hours north on bus to Puerto Natales, the jumping off point for visits to Parque Nacional Torres del Paine and also Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, in El Calafate, Argentina. (In that area I was so close to Argentina that my phone kept roaming back and forth.)
To maximize what I could see down there and still have a few days up in the Lakes District, I did the one day quick tour of Torres del Paine. I do regret a little going all the way there and not staying longer, but it is what it is, I still have a lot more of Chile to see! The good news is that there are a lot of bus tours available so that people like me can see a lot in one day. 
I was lucky to get a clear day in Puerto Natales since it rains here a lot, but I wish I could have arrived a day earlier to have this day in the park...

The ferry that you see pictured above is an option that many people use to head north or south through Patagonia since bus travel is difficult down there and it's also an amazing way to see that part of the country. I opted for my favorite method of travel, the airplane, so I could later fly from Punta Arenas to Puerto Montt for the last leg of my trip.
After a good night's rest at Casa Cecilia, I woke up to pouring rain and a gloomy outlook about what I wouldn't be able to see in the park. Unfortunately the most unique part of the park is the "torres" or towers, and those are only visible on clear days. Torres del Paine does have its own micro climate, so it was a little clearer once we got closer and the day went on, but still not clear enough to see the towers. Even on a cloudy day without the towers this is an AMAZING place!!! I guess that means I'll have to come back at some point so I can see everything...

Cordillera del Paine and Lago Sarmiento, still pretty cloudy when we arrived

guanacos

The light is so different in so many of these pictures since it seriously changed like every 5 minutes...

Los Cuernos del Paine (horns)

Lago Pehoe

In case you wanted to swim in a glacial lake

Lago Grey and Glacier Grey

Laguna Azul

Caught a rainbow out the bus window as we were leaving

My Uncle Tom's picture, the amazing towers that I couldn't see