El Calafate to Torres Del Paine...

El Calafate was a great spot for us to rest up after a couple long days riding down Ruta 40 along the eastern edge of the Andes. We stayed at a campsite along the river Arroyo Calafate just on the way into town. The facilites here where great and gave us a chance to get a bit of washing done..which was much needed.

The main reason people travel to El Calafate is to visit the Glaciar Perito Moreno which is situated at the western end of Lago Argentina (80km from El Calafate). The Glaciar is one of the few glaciars in the world which is moving. It decends to the surface of the water over a 5km frontage and the height of about 60 meters. The vivid blue hues of the ice, with the roar as pieces break off and float away as icebergs from the snout are spectacular. This Stunning scene is a must see for anyone traveling in Argentina.

We left El Calafate en route to Torres del Paine in Chile. This route took us across a bleak area of Patagonian Steppe...an enjoyable ride none the less which was great to share with the other bikers we had meet in the days past. Axel, Stuart, Martin, Lauren, and Helmet became apart of Los Colectivos for this section of the trip which was fantastic. We had been looking forward to meeting up with other riders and it has been very interesting listening to everyones stories. We had agreed to head south down to Ushuaia together before heading our separate ways.

Parque Nacional Torres del Paine was one of the destinations we had most been looking forward to, and our expectations where not let down. Blessed with beautiful weather and decent campgrounds we where set for a couple of spectacular days in the world renowned park. Nothing really prepares you for the stunning sites on offer. The glaciar-topped granite massif Macizo Paine, from which rise the vertical pink granite Torres (towers) del Paine was easily one of the best sites we had seen on our journey so far. A 20km trek into the centre of the park was really enjoyable. This was the first exercise we had done for a while...it was great to get off the bikes for a day and walk around for a change.

After three nights in the park we all took off south again for Puerto Natales. We spent one night here at a campground in the middle of the town. Puerto Natales is a decent little town, but it was only a stopover point for us to get some rest before heading down to Punta Arenas. We reach Punta Arenas late the following afternoon and managed to get a spot on the 5:00 ferry across to Tierra del Fuego!