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| Lago Pehoé and the group of mountains known as Cuernos del Paine in the background. |
After the incredible beauty of Lago Toro and Lago Grey, it was hard to believe that the most stunning scenery was yet to come.
From Lago Grey, the views kept getting more and more spectacular - from unusual rock formations to majestic mountain peaks to water so green it was absolutely gorgeous.
We were driving by pretty fast but I was really lucky to have a window seat. I was able to take a photo of the entire Torres del Paine massif! Even with a few of the peaks shrouded by clouds, it was easy to match what I was seeing before me to the image in the park brochure.
The milky green waters of Lake Pehoé soon came into view. Wow, what a sight!
Thank God for a lens with vibration reduction otherwise, it would have been impossible to capture this view from a moving van!
We whizzed what looked like pieces of green plastic strewn about the hillsides. According to Gustavo, one of top beer breweries in Chile is sponsoring the replanting of trees in the region. So for every beer that is bought, a certain amount goes towards the purchase and planting of a tree. Great idea!
The road wound its way down the hill towards the water.
A few small buildings and a bridge, crossing over Lago Pehoé came into view. I spotted a large tour bus parked nearby. I figured we were heading to the same place. At first I thought the buildings were situated on an island in the middle of the lake but it's not.
Alex parked the van alongside the bus and we all piled out. We were heading across the bridge but I was not ready to leave the water's edge quite yet. The majestic view was holding me captive.
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| Part of Cuernos del Paine to the left and the vertical face of Monte Almirante Nieto to the right. |
Quick photo op for the two of us. For how easy it is for me to snap photos of Bro I have to consciously remember to have the two of us pose for photos together :-)
Eventually, I made my way across the bridge. I was pretty much the last person left on the other side of the lake. So beautiful, who wants to move from this spot?
The red and white building turned out to be a restaurant. Apparently, some of the folks in our group had lunch included in the price of their tour so they got seated and fed. The rest of us would have been able to buy our meal at this place had there been table space but it seems that the large tour bus took up all the spots. So, a few of us were relegated to either no meal or a picnic lunch of whatever we had brought with us. Bro had packed along some leftovers from dinner last night so we had something to eat and thankfully, I had stuffed myself at breakfast. Even so, I was a bit upset that the tour company did not tell us to pack a lunch. I made a mental note to make a comment to that extent in my feedback form. Food or no food aside, I think we had the nicest picnic spot for miles around!
I only nibbled a few bites but truth be known, it was such a gorgeous day and our surroundings were heavenly - I couldn't sit still so I decided to wander about. We had quite a bit of time to kill. So, here are some of the shots I took as I wandered about.
I walked back up the road that we had driven down from for a higher up vantage point of the lake and the mountains.
What a magnificent view!! All that was missing was a bench to sit on and I could've easily been up here all day.
Bro and I eventually met back up and we found a spot to our own by the lakeshore. Of course, Bro found his spot conveniently next to a lupine bush with ripe seed pods. He's always collecting seeds!
Eventually, it was time for all us to board the van and leave. By now, it was early afternoon and I so I knew there could not be all that many more sights to see before we head back to Puerto Natales. So far, this is my favorite place that we've been to in the park. For all the writing that I do, I am always at loss for words to describe Lago Pehoé and Cuernos del Paine. I think I've used all the adjectives - beautiful, stunning, spectacular, majestic. Maybe I forgot awesome? It's awesome here. More beautiful, stunning, spectacular, majestic vistas to come!
