Torres del Paine

The Paine massif rises straight out of the steppe: the three granite towers, the dark horns of the Cuernos, and lakes in every shade of blue below them, Nordenskjöld, Pehoé and Grey, the last one fed by its glacier. Puerto Natales, on the Última Esperanza sound, is the town that serves the park, and the port for boats that sail up the fjords to glaciers such as the Bernal.

There are two ways to do it. The W circuit takes four or five days on foot, sleeping in refuges or lodges: up the Ascencio valley to the base of the towers, into the French valley, and along Lago Grey to the glacier. The other is three or four nights at a lodge inside the park, with a different walk or ride every day. A winter version of the W, from May to August, is guided and quieter, with snow on the trails. El Calafate is five or six hours away by road, across the border.

The season runs from October to April, with the longest days and the strongest wind from December to February. Autumn brings colour and calm.