Ian Mackenzie

Dominated by the Cordillera Paine mountain range, by far its most distinguishing features are the three granite Towers of Paine (or Torres del Paine in Spanish). View of the Cordillera Paine from the Y-290 road View of the Cordillera Paine from the Y-290 road Having entered the park via the Serrano entrance, we arrived at the National Park Administration Centre where the Y-290 becomes the View of Lago Grey and Grey Glacier from the Mirador Ferrier View of Lago Grey from the Mirador Ferrier Having returned to our camper van after lunch, we retraced our route back to the Administration Centre and then continued on the Y-150 towards Lago Pehoé and the centre of the park. View of Lago Pehoé from the Mirador Salto Grande trail View of Lago Pehoé from the Mirador Salto Grande

A tiny village of sandy streets and just 300-or-so people, Raul Marin Balmaceda sits at the tip of the Rio Palena delta some 1500 kilometres (930 miles) south of Santiago. If you’re travelling by car or camper van along Chile’s notorious Carretera Austral, you’ll turn off at La Junta and take the X-12 route towards the coast. If you’re travelling by camper van (as we were) and like to wild camp then head along the dirt track, just past the Naviera Austral jetty, until you arrive at a small opening on your right (marked as Sendero el Churcao on Google Maps). A visit to Puerto Raul Marin Balmaceda is all about exploring the pristine surroundings, spotting the wildlife and enjoying a couple of days of crowd-free relaxation.

Of which by far the largest is Isla Grande de Chiloé, characterised by the large amounts of rain that batters the western coast and the consistently foggy mornings that only serve to enhance the island’s mystical reputation. If you’ve rented a car, you’ll find it easier to combine visiting the churches with an extended road trip around the remote eastern coastal villages of the main island and the smaller Isla Quinchao. If you’re visiting Chiloé between October and March, you should head towards the northwest of the island and sign up for one of the penguin tours at Puñihuil. You’ll be taken by boat to a group of three small offshore islands (Monumento Natural Islotes de Puñihuil) that are home to Magellanic and Humboldt penguins during their breeding season.

In fact, if you have the time, we reckon it’s worth hanging around in El Calafate or elsewhere until the weather forecast for El Chalten is a good one. Of course, you could always grab a taxi from El Chalten to El Pilar first thing in the morning, climb to Laguna de los Tres and then return via the other trail to El Chalten. Mount Fitz Roy lit up in the early morning Nicky looks on to Mount Fitz Roy Panoramic view of both Cerro Torre (left) and Mount Fitz Roy Photograph courtesy of Kai Sulzmann View of both Cerro Torre (left) and