Hiking the Torres del Paine "O" Trek 3/9

If I had to give one piece of advice that everyone should know before traveling to Patagonia, it would be “never trust the forecast”. We were pretty worried about the weather that morning as the forecast was predicting pouring rain all day long. It would not have been surprising to get some wet weather as this area of the park is the most humid. The reason is simple: the Perros forest is located just a few kilometers away from the Southern Patagonian ice fields, the world’s 3rd biggest freshwater reserve. The forests here are basically southern rainforests and receive precipitation all year round.

Leaving the Dickson campsite in the early morning

We were lucky that day. The Perros section may be the easiest of all, with only four hours of hiking through pretty easy terrain. The difficulty here is the weather, with a high probability of rain (and snow), hence the importance of bringing good weatherproof equipment with you (a waterproof jacket, shoes, gloves, and external backpack cover are all necessary).

If you like native forests this trail was made for you!

We hiked through a dense forest with some trees that were more than 400 years old. After three hours we reached the Perros Glacier, a quickly retreating glacier with a beautiful green lake at its feet. Then the rain started and destroyed the amazing reflection that made this epic landscape look like the setting of a fantasy movie. It did not take long to reach the Perros Campsite, a 10-minute walk from the glaciers’ viewpoint. We took shelter in the tiny refuge, a wet place in the very heart of the forest. This could not be a more unusual place to rest before the most difficult day of the circuit.

The Perros Glacier is one of the wettest places in the park