Every time we think we will not see anything more amazing than what we’ve just seen, nature surprises us yet again. Torres del Paine on the Chilean Patagonia is stunning. Every way you turn there’s lush green fields, snow capped mountains, bright blue sky and fluffy white clouds. But the weather can get pretty harsh too. Stong winds reaching up to 150km per hour, heavy rain, and snowstorms can turn it into a harsh unwelcoming place. Every guide that we spoke to reminded us that there’s no predicting the weather here. A perfectly clear sunny day could into a windy wet one at any moment.
Our first hike in Torres del Paine National Park was to the Condors’ nesting ground. To get up to the nesting area, we followed the “sheep path”, little tracks made by the animals as they make their way up the mountain to graze. Where there are animals, of course there will be droppings, much to a little person’s disgust 😆. She complained the whole way up, saying “so much poo, so disgusting!”
It was cold and windy but thankfully not wet.
Halfway point
Peering over to peek at the condor’s nest. Sent shivers down my spine watching him perched precariously like this!
My gorgeous boy.
Not sure if that hiking stick was a help or a hindrance. So busy poking at everything she saw!
Having a taste of the edible flowers that the guanacos love eating.
Daddy is appearing in more photos now that the kids are starting to get more interested in taking photos.
Patagonia’s birds of prey. The black crested buzzard eagle 
And the Caracara
Can’t lose a challenge! Racing to the top with Chris, our guide.
We made it! Highest point on the mountain.
And now, the walk back down.
Where there’s life, there’s death. We came across the carcasses of many dead sheep as we walked down the mountain.
So difficult to keep walking when this is what we see in front of us! 
A little help from Daddy on the long walk down.
No complaints at all as she was coming down. Why? She was too busy looking for and counting dung beetles! She counted 60, and that’s not including the dead ones! 
This is the picture I will keep in my memory. These monkeys so happy out here in this beautiful surroundings.
Driving back to camp was like being on safari. We spotted so many animals along the way. This armadillo was determined not to be the fox’s dinner and sure put up a good fight! 
This Fox was so busy devouring his feast, a Rhea (native to South America and related to the ostrich and emu) that he didn’t even look up as we drove nearby.
The dreaded puma, the top predator in the Patagonia mountains. This one was taking a rest in the shade after feeding, we could see his prey lying about 10m from where he was. 
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