We had a spectacular 4 days of comfy-chic yurts, amazing hikes, delicious picnics, intense wind, unique wildlife, early morning snow, Hanukkah celebrations, and spectacular vistas in Torres del Paine, a Chilean national park in Patagonia.

Our exciting Torres del Paine adventure began on our drive from Calafate to Patagonia camp, where we saw fox, hare, sheep, caballos, cattle, rhea (Chilean ostrich), condors, and guanacos (a local llama): 

We all loved the cozy tarp covered yurts – modern and luxurious yet rustic – at Patagonia Camp where we stayed:

DAY 1 HIKE: LOS MIRADORES

Our first full day at the camp, we took a scenic and fairly easy “Los Miradores” (look outs) hike, which began with a stop at the Salta Grande (Big Water Fall):

And then a climb up to the amazing look out of the Cuernos (Horns):

On our way back, we passed through a forest of burned out white trees.  The fire which was started by a tourist at the end of December 2011, burned almost 40,000 acres of the Torres de Paine National Park.  The white and black tree trunks which curved and twisted through the bright red and green grass were an amazing foreground for the stunning milky-blue glacier lakes and snow capped mountainous peaks:

Our next stop was a delicious lunch of warm soup and tasty sandwiches in a lean-to in the national park.  After lunch, the kids got a chance to have some fun:

After the kids rode up and down on the most scenic see-saw, we set off on our windiest hike of our Torres del Paine adventure, where the winds rose to about 120 kilometers per hour at the peak:

The views along the hike up were breathtaking:

And the flowers along the trail were amazing:

On the way down from the hike, we passed through the Lengua (the local tree that was lost in the fire) forest rejuvenation area:

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DAY 2: MIRADOR CONDOR CLIFFS HIKE & TROMBOLITES

The second day, we went for a hike along the cliffs to see the nesting area of the condor (a huge vulture like bird with a massive 3 foot wingspan).  On the way to the cliffs, we passed a gaucho herding sheep:

After about an hour and a half drive, we arrived at the cliffs:

Our guide Stephanie was great with the kids and really kept them motivated:

Once we made it down the extremely steep slope that the kids easily descended, while the grownups followed at a much slower pace, we were very excited for our gourmet picnic beside a rock at the base of the cliff:

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After the delicious homemade tart for dessert, we went back to the Torres del Paine National Park to visit the trombolites – light, white porous rocks that resembled white lava but described as coral from the sea.

There were some beautiful wild flowers here as well:

DAY 3: FRANCES TRAIL HIKE

Our 3rd day, was everyone’s favorite hike: the Frances Trail (part of the famous “W” trail of Torres del Paine):

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After a ride on the ferry across Lago Pehoe

We started hiking across wooden bridges and foot paths.

With spectacular views of the pointy mountain range

Through the forest:

Taking some stops for snacks along the way:

Until we reached a very rickety bridge that only allowed 2 people to cross at a time, which led to the Italian Camp:

So, we decided to find a good lunch spot:
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Before we headed back down.  The total hiking time was 3 hours up and 2.5 hours back:

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Of course, we managed to find some beautiful flowers: