Puerto Natales

Puerto Natales is the gateway to Patagonia and provides easy access to the Parques Nacional Torres del Paine and Bernardo O'Higgins. I took a 3-hour bus ride from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales, where I would eventually depart for the Torres del Paine circuit.

Fiordo Ultima Esperanza

The little town is next to Fiordo Ultima Esperanza (Fjord of Last Hope), where snow capped mountains can be seen. 

Ruta 9 next to Cerro Dorotea

From Puerto Natales, I trekked to Mirador Cerro Dorotea (to warm up for my TDP trek). I happily relied on the Tourist Information Centre's officer who told me it would take 1 hour to walk to the hill. In the end it took me 2 hours and I discovered it was 11km from the town. I was even more annoyed later when I discovered it cost only 3,000 Chilean pesos (or US$6) to take a taxi there.

Along the way, I saw some birds but otherwise, the lead up next to highway Route 9 was quite boring.

Highland geese

Ibis

Eventually, 2 dogs adopted me. They appeared from nowhere and started to scrutinise me. Then they did their own thing. When I reached the farm house where I started my trek up Cerro Dorotea, the dogs decided to trek with me up the hill (the people from the farm house thought they were my dogs). The dogs would run ahead. If I stayed behind too long (such as taking a picture or sitting back just to test their patience) or called out to them, they would come running back to me and sat and waited. They were so sweet!

The trek was fairly simple and it was so windy on top of the hill that I could not stay there for too long.

The dogs which adopted me

View of Puerto Natales (white patch on left of picture)
and Fiordo Ultima Esperanza
from Mirador Cerro Dorotea