Torres del Paine National Park gained global notoriety when it was named an 8th Wonder of the World. We decided the best way to explore this park was doing the 5 day W Trek from East to West, walking through Torres del Paine National Park.
Best Thing I Ate This Week
Centolla Parmesana y Disco de Cordero Patagonico at La Disqueria Restaurant
After 5 days in the mountains, we were excited to go out for a nice dinner to try the Patagonia traditional food of the Magallanes y La Antartica Chilena region. This region is most known for its fresh seafood and lamb dishes. A common cooking method is to prepare the food in circular cast iron dishes known as “discs”, and La Disqueria Restaurant in Puerto Natales specialized in this method.
We started our dinner with Centolla Parmesana, which our waiter informed us was their chef’s take on preparing King Crab that is fished from the nearby water. For our main, we ordered a Disco de Cordero Patagonico to enjoy the locally raised lamb. Both dishes were rich and delicious, an excellent meal to experience the typical flavors of the region.
An Interesting Fact I Learned
Milodon is an extinct giant sloth that used to roam Patagonia
On our first day in Puerto Natales, we decided to walk around the small town that serves as a gateway to navigate through Torres del Paine National Park. At the entrance to the town, there is a life sized statue of a Milodon welcoming visitors or wishing them well on their journey.
While this animal used to live throughout Patagonia, it has a special significance to this region due to the Cueva del Milodon. During the end of the 1800s, explorers discovered remnants of an unknown animal, which had been particularly well preserved by the conditions of the cave. This led them to believe there was an enormous species lurking in the depths and inspired numerous future expeditions searching to find this new animal.
Eventually, it was understood that the initial findings were from the extinct Milodon. Today, the Cueva del Milodon is a tourist attraction and the town of Puerto Natales has embraced this extinct creature. Besides the statue at the entrance of town, smaller depictions can be found around shops, houses, and even painted on some of the buses.
My Travel Tip of the Week
Check Torres del Paine lodging 45 days before your trip
Many people book their lodging to walk through Torres del Paine National Park months in advance, and if you wait too long to reserve there may not be availability at the campsites and refugios located within the park. In order to do the W Trek, you need to book lodging from two different companies (Vertice and Las Torres) across 4 locations in the correct order. Many tour companies handle the logistics of your lodging for a fee, and we decided to book the accommodations ourselves to avoid the upcharge.
Both lodging companies have policies that allow for cancellation up to 45 days before your reservation. Since we knew we would be in the region at the end of January, we strategically worked backwards from that time period by 45 days to book our lodging. Using this approach allowed us to find availability for all 4 nights of our trek going from East to West a month and a half prior to our trip.
My Additional Anecdote This Week
Disconnecting for 5 days in nature was a wonderful experience
Going into the W Trek, I knew I would be without cell phone service and Wi-Fi for 5 days, which was the longest I could remember being disconnected as an adult. I was a little apprehensive and worried before leaving, but the experience was greatly enriched without the constant pull of modern life.
Each day, we would wake up sore from the previous day of hiking, and our only focus for the day was preparing for the next hike. While out on the trail, we could truly appreciate the beauty of nature and have conversations uninterrupted by the continuous notifications of technology. In the evenings, we had free time to go to bars or food halls in the lodging facilities where fellow travelers would be hanging out. Everyone was present and off their phones, which led to excellent conversations and new friendships.
When I arrived back in Puerto Natales, my phone was overwhelmed by texts, group messages, emails, and notifications. The world had kept spinning during my absence, but it was nice to be back. However, the peace of truly disconnecting was enjoyable and something I will pursue in the future.