Patagonia: Turquoise Lakes & Torres del Paine

Arrival in Puerto Natales

Land in Patagonia, get yourself to Puerto Natales, and drop your bags at the hostel. This is the gateway town for Torres del Paine, so if you need to rent any hiking gear, do it tonight—shops close around 8 or 9pm. You'll meet the rest of the crew in the evening, usually around 6pm at the hostel, before the real adventure kicks off tomorrow.

First Look at Torres del Paine

The trip starts for real today with a drive into Torres del Paine National Park. Your first taste of the park's scale is a 14km trek to the Serrano River Lookout, a solid four-to-five-hour hike with views across the plains to the mountain range. You'll see the landscape shift from grassy steppe to the jagged peaks the park is famous for. The day ends at Serrano Campsite, where you'll have dinner with the group and crash in your tent.

The Towers Hike

Today is the big one: the 22km trek to the base of Las Torres. It's a full-day effort, climbing through the scenic Ascencio Valley to the three iconic granite towers and the turquoise lake at their feet. The final section is a steep push up a rocky moraine, but the view is the reason you're here. You'll eat a packed lunch on the trail before hiking back down the same path. Afterwards, a short drive takes you to Laguna Azul Campsite for another night in a tent.