Sarmiento Lake

From a viewpoint, our eyes printed the first of many postcards that we will treasure of Torres del Paine Park. It’s Sarmiento Lake which proudly displays the 90 square kilometers that crown it as the biggest lake of the sanctuary and, unlike other glacial lakes in the park, it owes its origin to the rains that gave it the deep blue that we now admire.

Here it seems that the wind never gets tired of blowing, blurring the reflection that Paine massif and snowy Almirante Nieto Mount try to print on this lake. Can you notice that white border around its shores? Those are the thrombolites, living calcium carbonate fossils that began to form with the last ice age about 10,000 years ago and that each year grow just one millimeter.

If you dare to continue walking, just two hours from here is Laguna Amarga. It is a simple straight path known for its rich animal wildlife, something we shouldn’t miss. During our walk, we can spot red fur guanacos and the imposing rheas almost a meter high, together with eagles and hawks from the area. We may even get a puma sighting, the mountain lion, which rarely makes an appearance for tourists.