Last Day in Patagonia, Chile

We were picked up early and driven to Torres Del Paine National Park. In 1959, the park was created and declared part of the International Biosphere Reserve Network by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on April 28, 1978. Today it has an official surface area of 181,414 hectares, even though physically it is 242,242 hectares. This park is part of the 11 units of the National Wild Area Network protected by the Chilean government in the Magellan and Antarctic region.

Different microclimates create an interesting diversity of vegetation that includes Pre-Andean shrub and, Magellan deciduous forest, Patagonian Steppe and Andean desert (if you believe that I made the previous two paragraphs up, you need to see a professional really, really soon :). Below are some of the amazing views and wildlife. Another beautiful day and another amazing experience in Chile.

No excursion in Puerto Natales would be complete without a side trip to a Milidon cave. This prehistoric creatures bones were discovered in a huge cave in the 1800's...the only one to be found in the country so far. It has become an important symbol in the town, with a statue on the main highway.

Below: Entrance to the cave

Below: Inside the cave

Below: The Milidon statue and me (I'm the one in the blue jacket)

Below: Unusual bench outside the cave

On to the park......and on the way we saw many condor, closer than we ever would have expected.

Below: Guanaco

Below: Look closely and you will see three Rhea (think ostrich or emu)

Below: Andean fox, right outside the hacienda window where we had lunch

Up early the next morning for our bus/plane/bus trip from Puerto Natales to Santiago to Camala to San Pedro de Atacama and guess who came to say "adios"....my friendly horse trotted right up to the window and grazed while we grazed.

Adios Patagonia, buenos dias desert!!!

With love....