Why Patagonia? It is unknown and mysterious, romanticized in movies, far from home, and Denise wanted to experience it. That is why between November 10, 2018 through the 28th we were there on a trip of our own design (organized by SouthAmerica.travel). It started and ended in the cosmopolitan capitals of Argentina and Chile (with cultures more akin to Europe than our own). The journey between Buenos Aires and Santiago took us into an exploration of nature's wonders. The trip also completed our stops along the Pan American Highway that started in Alaska and ended at Tierra del Fuego.
Buenos Aires
We arrived the morning of the now infamous soccer match between Argentina rivals, Boca Juniors and Lake Plata teams. The streets were already filling up with fans expected to riot, with riot police in the middle of it, - four hours prior to the start! Never before had we seen such fierce devotion. During our 3 day stay we toured the city, experienced an amazing Tango Show, did the tango, sailed up the Rio de la Plata to the Rio Parana Delta, and experienced Gaucho life on an estancia (ranch) with music, dancing, horse-back riding, including a delicious BBQ lunch served up by the Gauchos.
Esquel
Our entry into Pantagonia was via the town of Esquel, nestled in the foothills of the Andes. It offered us a base for hiking Los Alerces National Park, ride the Old Patagonian Express La Trochita, and explore the surrounding area with its many waterfalls and other natural wonders.
Bariloche
Anticipating a need for some relaxation after extensive hiking and touring we settled on a Charming (actual name) resort in the "Honeymoon Capital of Argentina", Bariloche. But, alas, we could not resist seeing beautiful Nahuel Huapi with its dormant volcano, black glacier (really a dirty glacier), and extensive lakes and waterfalls. Along the way we took a ride up El Gringa. And, I took the opportunity to get up close and personal with a bidet!
From the top of Patagonia we traveled to the southern bottom, the city of Ushuaia. On our first day there we explored Tierra del Fuego National Park by train and hiking. The next day we boarded the expeditionary ship, 'Stella Australis' to journey through the Straits of Magellan and the Beagle Channel to explore the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. First stop, Cape Horn aka the End of the Earth.
The Train - ( ! )
The Park - ( ! )
Santiago de Chile
Our last stop is a vibrant, charming city that appealed to us more than Buenos Aires. We had one full day of touring which we did on foot and with a driver and guide. Our memories are a blur of churches, parks, plaza, historical buildings and friendly people. We took the city pics from the tallest building (in altitude) in South America.
Isla Magdalena, Chile, lies inside the Magellan Strait just north of Punta Arenas. It is a small, uninhabited island that during the summer months (Oct.-March) becomes a breeding colony for some 120,000 Magellanic penguins.
In 1983, the island was declared a protected national monument, Los Pingüinos Natural Monument, and its only occupants are park rangers there to protect and monitor the penguin population, as well as educate the human population who drop in. Visitors walk on marked trails from the beaches to the highest point on the island, where a lighthouse serves as the island's Environmental Interpretation Center. Penguins are virtually everywhere.
Our last Patagonian hike was to see a glacier up close. The hike took us around a lagoon formed by the melting of the Aguila Glacier and through a virgin subpolar Magellanic forest.
Located in southwestern Tierra del Fuego province, over the borderline with Chile, this National Park is the southernmost example of the Andean – Patagonian forest. It was created in 1960
The Southern Fuegian Railway (or the Train of the End of the World)
is a 193⁄4 in gauge steam railway in Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina. It was originally built as a freight line to serve the prison of Ushuaia, and then to transport timber. It now operates as a heritage railway into the Tierra del Fuego National Park and is considered the southernmost functioning railway in the world. In 1994, the railway was rebuilt to serve tourists.
Sailing back across Nassau Bay, we anchor at fabled Wulaia Bay, one of the few places in the archipelago where the human history is just as compelling as the natural environment. Wulaia Bay was originally the site of one of the region’s largest Yámana aboriginal settlements, the bay was described by Charles Darwin and sketched by Captain FitzRoy in the 1830s during their voyages on HMS Beagle. This area is also renowned for the beauty and dramatic geography of the panoramic viewpoints overlooking the bay.
The hike was strenuous as we ascended the heavily wooded mountain through a Magellanic forest to reach the panoramic viewpoints overlooking the bay.
The mythical Cape Horn, an almost vertical 1,394 feet high cliff, overlooks the turbulent waters of the Drake Passage. Discovered in 1616, it was for many years the only navigation route between the Pacific and Atlantic, and was often referred to as the "End of the Earth." Cape Horn was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2005.
I confess to taking two “breathers” on the way up. Once you get to the top there is still a ways to go; mostly uphill. It was worth the effort!
Itinerary
Day 1: Afternoon departure Ushuaia
Day 2: Early morning arrive Cape Horn
Explored UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve
Sail to and explore Wulaia Bay
Day 3: Sail through Gabrial, Magdalena, and Cockburn Channels to Pia Fjord
Shore excursion to Pia Glacier
Sail by Garibaidi Glacier
Day 4: Sail to Agostini Sound
Hike to the front of Aguila Glacier
Day 5: Sail to Magdalena Island
Hike to 1902 lighthouse through hundreds of penguins
Disembark at Punta Arenas
