Torres Del Paine – Geology and Hospitality

We crossed into Chile with high expectations and no reservations in the Torres del Paine National Park. The hostels were either closed or full, the famous hotels and lodges are crazily expensive, and the rain was rolling all over us. After a couple of phone calls, we found Hotel Tres Pasos that was not supposed to open for another week but, after sweet talking the staff and then the owner who drove 40 Km to talk to us, they opened the place just for us, threw more logs on the fire, opened the bar, and cooked us a stupendous salmon and steak dinner. The warmest possible welcome for a group of cold and dripping and tired riders.

The following morning, we brushed the new snow off our bikes and headed to the park to soak up the scenery. Spectacular doesn’t even come close. The mountains here are the result of sedimentary and granite layers being pushed up and eroded by glaciers and wind and ice and time; leaving a characteristic jagged landscape. Here you can see the Torres de Paine (Blue Towers) behind the Laguna Amara and the view of the Cuernos de Paine across Lake Pehoe from the Explora Lodge.