If we were to have only one day with good weather, this is the one that would have the biggest payoff. Lucky for everyone on board National Geographic Resolution, the dynamic weather of Chilean Patagonia was in our favor, and we had incredible views of the torres (towers) and cuernos (horns) during our visit to Torres del Paine National Park. This is one of the most beautiful and iconic mountain ranges on Earth, and it served as a gorgeous backdrop for the day’s hiking, sightseeing, and dining. To top it all off, some of the guests spotted a puma, the park’s most famous inhabitant.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 20 Nov 2023
Torres del Paine National Park, Chile, 11/20/2023, National Geographic Resolution
- Aboard the National Geographic Resolution
- Antarctica
Justin Hofman, Undersea Specialist
Justin started working on expedition ships in 2008 after realizing that his new career in scientific illustration meant too much time inside. He has since worked aboard expedition vessels in numerous countries and filmed wildlife for major production...
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Can the weather get any better? March is mid-fall here, equivalent to October back home. It was still dark when we boarded buses for our full-day tour of southern Chile’s iconic Torres del Paine National Park. We drove north. A rosy glow at the skyline slowly transformed into golden light, casting slanted shadows as the sun rose over the hills to the east, illuminating the mountains in front of us. Some of us were on the panoramic tour, visiting key scenic lookouts and finishing at Rio Serrano for a traditional Patagonian asado, or barbecue. Whole lambs had been roasting over lenga wood fires all morning. The rest of us were on a slightly longer tour, with two lovely hikes breaking up the bus ride. (We still enjoyed the lamb barbecue!) We were blessed with blue skies, sunshine, and no wind, which is very unusual for southern Patagonia. Well, that is, until our second hike, up a high hill called Cerro Condor, where the wind was so strong that it was hard to walk…at times, even to stand! After our delicious barbecue, we headed back to National Geographic Explorer , where it was docked at Puerto Natales, ready to continue our adventure.
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