Leaving the Milodon cave we drive north via the one horse town of Cerro Castillo. We spot 9 or 10 condors wheeling high above. First views of the Torres del Paine are spectacular; the horns clearly visible in the distance - the sky is blue but clouds loom behind. Will it stay clear as we approach?
We stop by impossibly blue lakes for photos. In the wind it is hard to hold a camera still and certainly not good for the ladies' hair.
Some friendly baquianos (cowboys) stop and say hallo, their dogs at their feet and knives tucked into the back of their belts.
A large herd of guanaco, the variety of lama common in this region, provide great foreground interest for more shots of the mountains. The alpine flowers are beautiful and the matta negra, a black gorse, fills the air with a rich scent.
At Lago Grey we walk along a very windy beach - gusts of over 100 kph blow spray from the lake. The icebergs from the distant Grey Glacier are an amazing blue.
The next day we walk up the eastern edge of the park and watch a family of grey foxes, investigate cave paintings and see many more guanaco.
The following day the weather is filthy but we don survival suits for a bracing Zodiac ride down the Serrano river. The rain stings our cheeks as the driver zigzags to avoid debris and shallows in the fast flowing river.
We see the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers and disembark at the entrace to the Bernardo O'Higgins National Park to view the glacier flowing into the fjord.
Other highlights include Vicky, Diane and Nick's riding trip (left) and Ross's run to the Pingu falls (right).
After great stays in both the Serrano and Lago Grey Hotels we pack our bags and set off for El Calafate in Argentina.
Leaving the Milodon cave we drive north via the one horse town of Cerro Castillo. We spot 9 or 10 condors wheeling high above. First views of the Torres del Paine are spectacular; the horns clearly visible in the distance - the sky is blue but clouds loom behind. Will it stay clear as we approach? 
We stop by impossibly blue lakes for photos. In the wind it is hard to hold a camera still and certainly not good for the ladies' hair.
A large herd of guanaco, the variety of lama common in this region, provide great foreground interest for more shots of the mountains. The alpine flowers are beautiful and the matta negra, a black gorse, fills the air with a rich scent.
At Lago Grey we walk along a very windy beach - gusts of over 100 kph blow spray from the lake. The icebergs from the distant Grey Glacier are an amazing blue.
The following day the weather is filthy but we don survival suits for a bracing Zodiac ride down the Serrano river. The rain stings our cheeks as the driver zigzags to avoid debris and shallows in the fast flowing river.
Other highlights include Vicky, Diane and Nick's riding trip (left) and Ross's run to the Pingu falls (right).