I flew to join the group tour from Buenos Aires; you can see that blogpost here
PATAGONIA FACTS:
About the same size as Venezuela or three times
that of Italy, Patagonia covers about 400,000 square miles. Its population of
around 1.75 million souls – – the same as Northern Ireland or Brussels – – is
largely settled in a few towns and small cities dotted along the Atlantic coast
and in the fertile valleys abutting the Andean mountain range. The name,
Patagonia, looks as confident as Catalonia or Transylvania, but this was never
a nation or a country. For 300 years it was largely ignored by the Spaniards
and was the last frontier land to be claimed and colonized by Latin America’s
two southernmost republics. For Argentina and Chile, Patagonia is not a single
province or country and only came to be regarded — tentatively — As a political
region during the last century.” (from PATAGONIA- A Cultural History;
author Chris Moss.) The map below notes the major cities from which parts of this tour were launched...
Good morning
Patagonia! Thanks to El Calafate for greeting me with your glaciers
looming upwards, and the shores of 100 km long Lago Argentino providing a milky-blue
contrast!
Because
of the gale-force winds in Buenos Aires that resulted in a full day of flight
cancellations out of that airport and into El Calafate, I had to catch up with the tour group and was
fortunate to find Miguel, a terrific driver and guide (photo of contact info
below, who for $80 drove me the 90 minutes from El Calafate to the restaurant
Los Nativos in the Los Glaciares National Park.
The drive is lovely and you
see the famous “shark tooth” mountain (Moreno Peak, almost 5000 feet tall) and
both sides of the Perito Moreno Glacier.
At 98 square miles, the Perito
Moreno Glacier is a bit larger than Buenos Aires city. The glacier is more
than 220 feet tall. From the restaurant, there’s a great view of the north side
of the glacier and they offer a number of drinks made with glacier ice! We saw
a significant “calving” of this glacier but it happened so fast that I couldn’t
catch it on video. So go to this YouTube to see an example of this marvelous
event: https://youtu.be/BZ-kPKzL-y0
TAKING A CRUISE NEAR THE GLACIERS –
The Upsala Glacier is
huge and fairly flat, 6 miles wide and 30 miles long, but the mountainous
glaciers on the side of the channel leading to it are very unstable, so boats
are not allowed to go close. Icebergs abound in the channel. In the 60’s, the
Upsala Glacier’s flat surface provided the Argentinian air force with a place
for ski-equipped planes to train for Antarctic exploration.
Spegazzini Glacier, at
half the size of Perito Moreno, has the highest wall of all the glaciers in the
park. All along our cruise on the various arms of Lago Argentino that wend
their way through the park, there are big and little icebergs, some of them
quite lovely with their folds and arches. Attached, the info on the cruise
company if you want to make arrangements for yourself in the future. It’s a
daylong outing that includes lunch and a stop to walk on a glacial moraine
beach.
We fly early in the morning from
El Calafate airport to Ushuaia… and “Good Morning Ushuaia! “Some say you
are located at the end of the world, but locals say this: “It’s the beginning
of everywhere.”... more exploration ahead!
Ushuaia is the southernmost
city in the world!
Time for an excursion before
we board our ship: to Tierra del Fuego National Park. Here’s the group at the park:
At the southern tip of the
Andes not far from Ushuaia, what is now Tierra del Fuego National Park was the
home of the Yamana Indians. It was probably their bonfires above the beaches of
the Beagle Channel, lit to keep them warm during hunts for sea lions and
harvests of mollusks, that the first European explorers saw and gave this area
its colonial name: land of fire. This is actually an archipelago and first
occupied by man some 10,000 years ago. The National Park was created in 1960.
Today I reached the end
of the road. Argentina’s route 3, the final leg of the Pan American
Highway, terminates in Tierra del Fuego National Park. It starts in Alaska and
goes through Buenos Aires.
Nothing like a little
political statement in a National Park…
The Falkland Islands/aka Malvinas... still a touchy subject here.,.and
they are not far away from Ushuaia.
We board the ship VENTUS AUSTRALIS.
The staff is pretty friendly and, as they
say, “easy on the eyes.” We cast off from Ushuaia to coast down the Beagle
Channel and into the Chilean part of Patagonia.
Our first excursion
off the Ventus Australis is to Cape Horn island. First step: into the
zodiac rubber boats, then the long climb up rickety stairs (I made it 3/4 of
the way before my knee started talking to me), then zodiacs again back to the
ship. We departed at 7 in the morning before the famous winds picked up, and
returned by 10.
The afternoon excursion
was to Wulaia Bay. This bay was
described by Charles Darwin, and was once one of the largest settlements of the
indigenous Yaghan in the region. With 6500 years of habitation in this region, speculation
is that the Yaghan and others who inhabited the area came from Indonesia by
sea, a migration route similar to those used by people in the Galapagos. After
a walk on the beach, our guides explained their way of life, and took us to see
a partially-built shelter like those the Yaghan might have used. (The museum on
site had a photo of a Yaghan group in front of a shelter. There’s a pretty heartbreaking
story about 3 Yaghan and one Halakwalup youths who were captured and taken to
England; and the eventual return of the Halakwalup captive Jemmy Button”
(see https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/jemmy-button-orundellico for more details)
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| Jemmy Button |
It was cloudy and
drizzly as we navigated up the Beagle Channel and neared Pia Glacier.
One of the most active glaciers in Patagonia, it was quiet today and even the
water birds were hunkered down and silent. A lone fishing boat was plying the
waters of the fjord, and it brought to mind a poem I wrote several years ago
(screen shot below).
After four days of
looking at glaciers, I thought I was “glaciered out” and then today I saw the Garibaldi
Glacier. Because there was no wind in the Garibaldi Fjord, it was
possible for the ship to get quite close. Unlike most other glaciers, this one
is growing... almost 3 miles since 2001. In the sunlight, the blue streaks of
crystalline frozen water are spectacularly beautiful, enhancing the overall -
and overwhelming- visual effect.
Overnight the ship
left the Beagle Channel and spent a bouncy hour on the Pacific Ocean before we
entered the Cockburn Channel and ended up in the morning on Agostini
Sound* where we clambered onto the zodiacs and onto the beach near the Aguilar
Glacier. (*Agostini Sound was named after the Italian Salesian father who
worked with the local populace in the first half of the 20th century)
Blessed with another sunny but cold (41 F) morning, we walked along the
beach for little more than a mile until we saw this so-called “hanging” glacier
— one whose edge does not touch the water. Two small avalanches boomed into the
otherwise silent and beautiful area, where the Aguilar glacier presents a
mirror reflection onto the glacial lake
The air is pure here,
and hairy light green lichens grace tree branches of the primitive forest all
along the beach walk - lichens grow best in pure air.
Our night’s navigation over the Magdalena
Channel brought us to the Magellan Strait, discovered by and named after
explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1520. THAT IS 500 YEARS AGO!
We took zodiacs from the ship to Magdalena
Island, part of the Los Pinguinos Natural Monument which is
the location of a colony of Magellanic Penguins who nest here. We are
the visitors on this island, and there are strict instructions to stand quietly
if it appears a penguin wants to cross our path and head to the sea to go find
its next meal to feed the chicks and the mate who is incubating ages (both male
and female take turns).
End of the cruise, and
our Zegrahm group disembarked in Punta Arenas. Punta Arenas was and still is the center and launch
point for Antarctic exploration, with stately buildings that hosted and housed
many famous names from history: Shackleton, Scott etc. Today it receives
visitors from trips like ours, scientists on research trips, and those who take
Antarctic tours too.
The steppes of
southern Patagonia, en route to Torres del Paine park by bus.
The most wonderful
clouds in this region, unlike nothing I’ve seen anywhere else on earth. (I took these photos with my old iPhone6!)
And then along the roadside, a fair number of the flightless Lesser Rhea,
and lots of groups of wild guanacos. Guanacos are the iconic animal of
Patagonia, just as kangaroos are iconic in Australia.
TORRES DEL PAINES
NATIONAL PARK
The three “towers” of
the Torres del Paine park are one of the most visually dramatic views you’ll
ever see, ranging in height from 8530 to 9350 feet. The color change between
sedimentary and granite layers is always eye-catching. These mountains were
shaped by the movement of glacial ice over the last few million years. Erosion
of ice took advantage of fractures in the rock and thus separated various
pinnacles into what is known as the “Torres” or towers, from which the park
takes its name.
“One of the great
Mountain views of the world”, said our guide Tom Sharpe, who said “I am always
excited to see this!” This park is said
to be one of the world’s most scenic natural wonders, with beech forests and
turquoise lakes set amidst mountain peaks.
EcoCamp was a
wonderful place to stay, and all kinds of interesting architecture therein. The
yurt-like accommodations are remarkably comfortable and the wood-burning stove (which
is fired up by the staff while we dine in the geodesic dining room) keeps them
toasty. You can access the internet in the reception area, if you must. But the opportunity to stand outside one’s
geodesic-dome room and see the Torres: priceless experience!
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| When lit up at night, the yurts are gorgeous from the outside |
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| This is what it looks like inside; note stove on the right |
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| This is a promo photo: I think it could in fact be COLD in Patagonia... |
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| A discrete space between Domes/rooms |
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| The plank walkway down to the dining area |
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| Group leader Tom Sharpe outside the reception area |
ABOUT THE ANIMALS
IN PATAGONIA’S TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK: There are 26 species of mammals in the park and the Puma is
perhaps the best known but most elusive. It’s pretty easy to spot the
llama-like Guanaco as they are widely dispersed.
We see Andean Condors from
afar every day, soaring in the strong wind’s currents, which allow them to
glide their 35-pound bulk using their 10-foot wingspan. Once in a while, we’ll
spot Chilean Flamingos. We commonly see the Southern Crested Caracara as
they like to hang around tourists hoping for a handout. Ibis, swan, geese and
various ducks are common sights, and birdsong is lively in the mornings and
evenings although the singers are hidden in the brush. There are 118 different
types of birds in this park. The red-headed Magellanic Woodpecker
appears in Patagonia, but further south.
An excursion to the
part of the park where the wild horses roam. Along the way, we see typical
gaucho outposts (although this one was built for use in a film…)
The herd of wild
horses, known as “baguales”
are descendants of horses used by local cowboys (baqueanos) that escaped into
the park generations ago. There are only around 120 horses in the herd as the
Puma takes about 80% of the helpless foals. We were fortunate to see the herd
cross from one low-lying pass to another, outlined in single file against the
dramatic clouds of Patagonia.
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photo courtesy MICHAEL TYLER, a member of our group (great photographer!)
We took bag lunches to
allow us to have a break in this four hour hike. Then when we returned to the
HorsesPath outpost, we were greeted by a wonderful treat of cider (yes,
alcoholic), beer, and homemade bread with salsa and cilantro to put on top. A
really exceptional experience!
Our trip leader Tom
Sharpe is a geologist and he waxed eloquent when we stopped at the Nordenskjöld
lookout point of the Cuernos Mountains. As you can understand, Patagonia is
a geologist’s dream come true! Otto Nordenskjöld was a Finnish-Swedish
geologist and explorer who, among other accomplishments led mineralogical
expeditions to Patagonia in the 1890s. So many places in Patagonia are
named after explorers and geologists, that it’s difficult to keep track. But
this man had quite an interesting career, and here is the link to the Wikipedia
article about him: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Nordenskjöld
We went to look at the icebergs close to the
beach at Pehoe Lake. Getting there involved crossing a swaying bridge —
weight limit no more than 6 walkers at a time! Luckily we had our local guides
for encouragement and moral support because it was pretty scary to cross with
the Patagonia winds coming down the river at a very high rate!
The Cascada waterfalls
of the Paine River are a bit off the
usual tourist track. They are beautiful waterfalls where you can see the towers
of the Torres del Paine Park in the background.
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Carbon dated to 5600 years
ago, the Cueva de las Manos (Cave of Hands) has evidence of the nomads
who passed thousands of years ago through Torres del Paine .... the trail was
too steep and scrabbly for me, but if you are sure footed and take the “Fauna
Trail” in the park, you can see it. These nomads were succeeded by the Aonikenk
(“people of the south”), hunter-gatherers who lived in small groups.
Zorroito, the “little fox”,
visited the welcome dome of EcoCamp today. I took the morning off (sometimes a
group tour is too much of a good thing) and was happily finishing the Chris
Moss book “Patagonia a Cultural History” when I saw movement near the open
front door, and in snuck the juvenile member of the on-Camp fox family,
sniffing for a lunch bag that was near the door. Coincident because I had been
reading about Julio A. Roca who served two terms as the president of Argentina
in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s, and whose nickname was “little fox”.
On our tour bus to
Puerto Natales, we stopped at the
lookout at the east side of Sarmiento Lake (just a quick pullout from
Chile Highway 150) to get our last good view of Torres del Paine.
Then, in a show-stopping
briefing, our tour leader Tom
informed us of the curfews imposed today in cities of any size in Chile due to
the escalating protest that started a few days ago with the 90 peso (15 US
cents) increase in public transit fares in Santiago. That’s not only a
regressive tax that hits poorest people hardest, but a substantial amount in a
country where the MEDIAN INCOME is $2260 per month but many folks are trying to
make ends meet on a minimum income of $305 per month. The increase has been
rolled back but the protests are continuing. Now it seems that the
government has imposed martial law on October 23, 2019, (including mobilizing
the Chilean army to the streets of the cities) and the 8 pm to 6 am curfews
may consequently affect flights countrywide as airport workers are likely not
going to be able to get to their jobs. And the latest I’ve heard is that the
entire country might be headed for a general strike. So, I prepared myself
mentally for a few unplanned extra days in Chile.
But on we went… more
to see. And we were in for a treat at the beautiful Hotel Singular in
Puerto Natales, which was opened in 2011 and incorporates some astounding
architecture. It is set on the bay across from Puerto Natales. The hotel
started life as a cold storage plant for produce and beef. The architect
incorporated elements of the original cold storage equipment in picturesque
factory rooms that connect the guestrooms and the restaurants, which overlook
the bay.
The next morning, we hopped
onto the boat that docks at the Singular Hotel and took an invigorating 30
minute ride over to the dock at Estancia La Peninsula, a ranch with
activities that demonstrates just how excellent agro-tourism can be. The
morning starts with greetings by gaucho Marco and his sheep herding dog, then a
demonstration of sheep shearing.
Afterwards a
Barbara-special tour of the ranch by Land Rover, and then a terrific roast lamb
lunch prepared for the group.
The boat trip on “the
Singular”, which is outfitted for touring the glaciers near Puerto Natales,
takes us to a dock at Bernardo O’Higgins National Park, a park
which includes all the southern Patagonian ice fields in Chile and is 10
million acres in size. This is the Serrano Glacier, and the walk to
begin the lookout trails is only accessible by boat. Sadly, Serrano glacier is
retreating quite rapidly.
So now, Pippi
Longstocking (the strongest girl in the world, and my constant travel companion…)
and I are traveling across the Patagonian steppes from Puerto Natales to
the airport at Punta Arenas. Sheep grazing everywhere you look, and some cattle
too. On the flight to Santiago, we bade farewell to the Straits of Magellan
(seen over the jet engine) and the snowfields of Patagonia. We flew over
part of the Torres del Paine Park that we had visited by land. There
were lots of small icebergs floating in the lakes and rivers there, as well as
in the Strait of Magellan. Interesting journey, but we are not likely to
reprise this vigorous trip...
Finally, evening in Santiago, Chile!
Things went according to my planned itinerary.
I checked into the Holiday Inn at Santiago airport, which is 80 steps
away from where I picked up my baggage in arrivals. There were a few army
people at the airport in Punta Arenas but I did not see any here at Santiago
airport. My onward flight to Bogota is
still scheduled with no glitches.
NOW ~ Onward to
explore a bit of Colombia!
