The towering granite "cuernos" or horns as they are called in Torres del Paine National Park (pronounced tore-race del pie-nay) are perhaps the best known image of Chile. For years a distinct part Chile's national tourism campaign abroad consisted of simply one large photograph of these granite towers with the underlying caption "There is a place on earth where if you were any closer to your creator you could shake his hand."

The majesty of this park effortlessly stands up to the metaphor The entire zone north Puerto Natales with its low altitude and proximity to the Pacific ocean enjoys a very particular microclimate. For its relatively extreme southern latitude it is notably temperate though unpredictable in its weather pattern. Good wind and rain gear to protect you against the elements is a must traveling here. More importantly though, do not dishearten when rain threatens because the weather here changes often. As one of our guides once aptly commented "if you don't like the weather just wait fifteen minutes." Enormous glaciers mark the northern boundary of the park. This is the southern extreme of the Patagonia Icefield-- the world's largest. Glacier Grey melts slowly into Lago Grey providing spectacular crashing ice and tremendous green and blue icebergs. The park is also home to a great deal of unique wildlife from guanacos to Nanus (a relative of the Ostrich) as welt as hundreds of species of birds including the Condor.