Grey Glacier is a massive glacier inside the park. It’s 6 km wide and 30 m high.
The van picked me up from my hotel at 8:30. When I woke up this morning to the wind howling and saw that 65 kph gusts were expected, I wondered if the trip might be cancelled. I checked WhatsApp and had no messages so assumed all was well.
We spent two hours in the van, checked in at the park entrance, and then went into Hotel Grey to confirm that the boat would still be running. Evidently the trip was in question due to the wind.
At 12:00 the announcement was made that the trip was to be canceled. We were all (about 100 people) crushingly disappointed.
The van was silent as we returned from the park back into Puerto Natales.
Travellers Tips and Observations
- It is expensive here, close to prices in the US. Many restaurants have sprung up to cater to tourists, and they are packed. But they are expensive. I had local salmon lastnight for about $15 and that was cheaper than many things in the menu. It was excellent!
- Anywhere you go, whether it’s a fancy place with a view or a cafe, wine and empanadas are very reasonable.
- The Torres del Paine park entrance is good for three days.
- For anyone considering this itinerary, I would recommend doing both Puerto Natales and Calafate and staying in each at least 5-7 days each to allow for weather and cancellations. Also, for those wimpy hikers like me, I would’ve skipped the bus tour and taken the local bus to the park and gone on my own hike. I may need to come back someday.
Leave a Reply