Torres del Paine Scenic Cruise to Grey Glacier

The Grey Lake sector of Torres del Paine

Grey Lake lies in the western part of Torres del Paine National Park, about two hours by road from Puerto Natales, at the end of the road that passes Lake Pehoé and the Cuernos del Paine. The sector has a ranger post, a car park and a small lodge area, and it is the only place in the park from which boats sail to the glacier. If you are planning how to get to Grey Glacier, this is where every visit begins, by day tour, rental car or park shuttle.

The lake itself is long and narrow, about 6 kilometres wide at the glacier and filled with milky grey water, which gives it its name, from the rock flour the glacier grinds off the mountains. Along its eastern shore the Paine massif rises above the water, and the icebergs that calve from the glacier drift the full length of the lake until they ground on the beach at the southern end, where the walk to the pier begins.

The walk across Grey beach to the pier

From the car park a footbridge crosses the Pingo River into a short stretch of forest, and then the path opens onto Grey beach, a wide spit of gravel and sand that separates a small lagoon from the main lake. The walk to the pier is about 3 kilometres and takes around 45 minutes at an easy pace, with the whole lake and the distant glacier in view ahead and the Paine Grande massif to the right. Stranded icebergs often sit on the beach, close enough to touch.

The beach is exposed, and this is where you feel the famous Patagonian wind at full strength; on strong days the walk is harder than its distance suggests, which is why the cruise is not suited to wheelchair users or people with mobility impairments. Allow time for the walk before the departure hour, since the boat leaves on schedule. Sturdy shoes, a windproof jacket and sunglasses make the beach crossing comfortable.

Sailing across Grey Lake

The vessel leaves the pier and heads north up the lake, with the main cabin heated against the cold wind and the outside deck open for anyone who wants to stand in the fresh air. The first part of the Grey Lake boat tour runs along the eastern shore below the forested slopes and the grey cliffs of the massif, with the glacier growing larger ahead. After about half an hour the first large icebergs appear, floating blocks of ice the size of houses in deep blue, white and streaked grey.

The crew explains how the glacier moves and calves, points out the colours in the ice and slows the boat near the biggest icebergs so that you can photograph them from the deck. The crossing to the glacier takes about an hour, and the water is normally calm because the lake is sheltered, although the wind can raise a chop near the ice. Condors are sometimes seen above the cliffs on the way.

The front wall of Grey Glacier

Grey Glacier is the largest glacier in Torres del Paine, a tongue of ice about 6 kilometres wide at its snout and roughly 28 kilometres long, flowing from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the largest expanse of ice outside the polar regions. Its front splits around a rocky island called the Nunatak into separate lobes, and the boat approaches to a safe distance from the ice wall, which rises more than 25 metres above the water in cracked blue towers and caves.

From the deck you hear the glacier as well as see it: creaks, cracks and the occasional boom as ice shifts, and sometimes a block breaks away and falls into the lake. The boat lingers for about 30 to 45 minutes along the glacier front, moving between the lobes for different views, before turning for the return across the lake. For many visitors this is the best part of a Grey Glacier tour, and the reason to come to this side of the park.

Return to the pier and Grey beach

The return crossing takes about an hour and gives the view the outward leg could not: the full Paine massif ahead of the boat, with Paine Grande and the Cuernos del Paine above the lake, lit from the west in the afternoon departure. The icebergs you passed earlier now float against the mountains, and the crew is on hand for questions about the park, the ice field and the wildlife.

Back at the pier, the cruise ends and you walk the 3 kilometres back across Grey beach to the car park, another 45 minutes or so, which brings the whole experience to around three hours plus the walk. The morning departure fits before an afternoon drive back to Puerto Natales, while the afternoon sailing suits visitors staying inside the park. Either way, the cruise pairs well with a scenic day in Torres del Paine.