Patagonia Part 5: The Carretera Austral Road (Chile)

After our extended stay in Villa O´Higgins we were ready to hit the road and head north on the beautiful Carretera Austral Road in Chile. During our rapid climb through the south of Chile we traveled by boat, bus and hitched to get through this sparsely populated region. It didn´t help that we were traveling on the cusp of winter during low season. In terms of landscapes, both Mariah and I were impressed with the many micro climates and ranging scenery from temperate rain forest to barren deserts, rolling hills to glacier topped mountains.

Due to low season and lack of traffic, many public buses were not in frequent operation during our journey north. We also knew with the onset of winter that we needed to quickly move north to get to El Bolson and Bariloche in Argentina to finish our trekking goals (Note: looking back we should have spent more time traveling this beautiful area... more on this in a moment). Due to these reasons, we found ourselves stuck a few times and had (were given the opportunity) to hitch in order to save precious time. In one such instance we found ourselves traveling with 6 Israelis and 1 driver (9 in total) in a small early 90s pick-up truck to the border town of Futulefu. At the time, riding in the back of the truck in the rain for close to two hours seemed reasonable (and like bit of an adventure) to save us 3 days of waiting time for the next bus to the same location.

The experience in the rear of the truck was shared with a new friend Roy (and more than 10 bags) as we fought the rain and dust on the dirt road and tried to avoid the many injections of water into the cab through the holes in the bed of the truck. We wound up in Futulefu half frozen and looking like we had crawled the whole way, but in the end it was worth it for the story and the views were certainly nothing to complain about.

While we didn´t get to spend as much time as we wanted exploring the towns and regions along the Carretera Austral, our journey did include some memorable moments. On the way Mariah and I stopped in Coyhaique - one of the larger towns along the route - and had a great experience staying at a hospedaje run by a kind older lady by the name of Yolanda. We found the place by suggestion of a guy we met and became friends with at the tourist info center (Tal from Israel) who raved about the hospitality of this little place and led us there himself. Also staying was a Chilean guy (Aldo) taking a year to bike around his country. The 4 of us were spoiled by Yolanda who acted as our grandmother, forcing food down our throats and trying to get us to use our Spanish to describe our families and travel plans. Now I know Mariah has been modest lately, but her Spanish improved exponentially during our trip on the Carretera Austral due to lack of English speakers. She had a great time communicating with Yolanda and other members of the family and formed a nice bond with her. This was an amazing experience in terms of getting immersed in the culture and a fabulous few days of TLC (the breakfasts she cooked us were amazing!).

Some Advice for Future Travelers to the Region: Now as many people have responded to us recently and said that traveling to Patagonia is a dream they have held for many years, let me take a few moments to highlight an amazing trip opportunity:

When to go: Dec-March
For how long: 10+ days

1. Fly into San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
2. Rent a car from a reputable company like Avis/Hertz (usually they have less problems crossing the Argentina/Chile border)
3. Spend a few days in the national park in Bariloche, Nahul Huapi, and in El Bolson (just 2 hours south)
4. Head south on Routa 40 in Argentina down to Los Antigues and cross into Chile via the town of Chile Chico. Take the well marked dirt road north in Chile through the many micro climates, snow capped mountains, temperate rain forests, estancias (farms) and lake districts. During this trip take the time to stop in a couple of the many estancias for local accommodation or stay at hospedajes (local homes open to guests, similar to bed a breakfast). And be sure to take time to do a few short hikes (or even some horseback riding) along the way.
5. If you want more info or suggestions, let us know!

Looking back on our time on the Carretera Austral Road, we wish we had been traveling by car so we had the time and flexibility to explore this beautiful region more completely - but, you can´t do it all (not in one trip anyhow). The people in this region are full of character and open to sharing their lives and culture with you, especially if you are able to get off the beaten track a bit.

Well on to El Bolson...and putting our packs back on to head for the mountains!

Patagonia Part 4: Lago Desierto to Villa O´Higgins

After our first few weeks in Patagonia, we were feeling an urge to get a bit off the beaten tourist track and into more rural parts. We had heard of a route where we could walk over the Argentina/Chile border to a remote lake and begin to gradually make our way north in Chile through lush and mountainous landscapes on the western side of the Andes. We thought this would be more interesting than taking the long and dusty Routa 40 on the eastern side of the Andes in Argentina through the vast and barren Patagonian Steppe.


After our several days of hiking in Glacier National Park (see previous blog), we took a bus about 50 km north to Lago Desierto where our adventure begins...

We were surprised that all our fellow passengers (about 15 in total) on the bus and boat were 60 plus years in age. There was one particularly boisterous fellow who got the conversation going when he saw the huge bags we lugged out of the minibus and onto our backs to board the boat. When we told him and the others (in our broken Spanish) that we were planning to hike 6 hours over the border, they were thoroughly impressed and immediately adopted us for the next 2 hours. As we rode the boat across the lake, they had us point out on the map our exact route. Enjoying the attention, we decided to ham it up a bit and went on to tell them about our year-long trip and island wedding. They LOVED it and got all excited and began sharing stories about their children and grandchildren getting married.

When we got to the far shore of the lake where we would camp for the night before beginning the trek, they were delighted when we suggested a photo in front of the border guard station. They grouped around us and happily posed as the guards took numerous photos with ours and all of their cameras. Before we set off to make camp, each and every one of them showered us with hugs and kisses to say goodbye (some of the grandmas hugging and kissing us at least twice!). They called out over and over again as they walked back to the boat, "Suerte! Suerte!" ("Good luck!"). I think we made their day...and they certainly made ours!

We set up camp on the edge of the forest alongside the grassy paddock where horses were grazing near the shore of the lake - it was picturesque. We made dinner on our little gas stove and then treated ourselves to some mulled wine...we had brought box wine, an orange, and cinnamon sticks to enjoy before our big day of trekking. Near dark, a group of about 10 Argentine guys showed up after having completed the trek around the lake and set up camp beside us. We shared some of our cooking gas with them and they gave us a quality dark chocolate bar as thanks. They were friends on an annual camping and hiking trip and were planning to stay to enjoy the lake for a day or two before heading back.

Fairly early the next morning, we packed up camp and headed to the guard post to get our passports stamped before setting out on the dirt path up the mountain side. I was carrying about 45-50 lbs in my bag and Eric was shouldering 60-65 lbs on his back (he was of course a gentleman and took some of my weight!). After about 2 hours, we reached the official border line with the signs showing the boundaries for Argentina and Chile. We thought there would be a guard post here for Chile, but learned later it wasn´t until the end of the trek where we would officially check into the new country.

Luckily, after the first major climb out of the valley, the terrain was relatively flat and easy until the descent at the other side down to Lago O´Higgins in Chile. I say flat and easy, but that would be without bags of bricks! We both weathered the walking quite well considering the weight and actually made really great time...I think we just wanted to get there and get it over with! We did make a few short stops for lunch and quick 5 min breaks to give our backs and legs a rest, but otherwise it was onward march! The scenery on the hike was nice...some lovely lakes, wooded areas, valleys and a great lookout to Mt. Fitzroy miles beyond where we had been a day before. When we finally descended down to Lago O´Higgins we were VERY happy to hand the guard our passports and walk the last 15 minutes to the small estancia (ranch) along the lake.

The family who owns the estancia were the original homesteaders years before. The daughter of the founder (a kindly woman named Justa) is now around 70ish and still keeps the place going with her husband Geranimo and one of their sons Ricardo. They provide camping and lodging to weary travelers for a reasonable price and also sell home-cooked meals and bread. I was extremely happy when Eric decided our strenuous efforts should allow us to splurge and stay in the house for a bit extra. It never felt so good to take off our shoes and socks and enjoy a hot shower. After we relaxed a bit, we spent the evening in the dining room and kitchen area where the large wood fire kitchen stove provided warmth, a place to cook and bake, and even heated the hot water heater. The only other place I´ve used a stove like this is at our cabins in Wyoming´s mountains...but we were soon to discover that many people still have and use these stoves in Southern Chile.

Justa spent her time doing household chores, cooking, making fresh bread (she taught me how), and tending to the needs of the several other guests as they arrived. Geranimo is not quite as mobile and seemed a bit grouchy at having all these tourists in his kitchen, so he mostly sat and observed or scowled from his chair by the stove. I made some attempts at conversation with him and Eric gave him cookies and chocolate, so he warmed up to us after a bit. Ricardo, the single son around 40ish, takes care of the horses and livestock and also rents out their horses and his services to tourists who don´t want to carry their packs over the border. He arrived just after dark with a young couple from Norway and brought in a fresh cut of beef from outside for dinner. We learned that the other siblings in the family all live in the general area - one of Ricardo´s brothers runs another part of the ranch further away and the sisters are married and live in the tiny settlements nearby. They are a lovely family and their way of life is rustic and simple - we personally found it refreshing and wonderful. With the exception of a few modern amenities (e.g., a TV, a radio for communication, a washing machine), it felt like we were back in the Wild West 80 years ago.

The next day, the once-a-week boat showed up at 1PM to take us across Lago O´Higgins to the tiny village of Villa O´Higgins (population: 500). The village is at the very end of the Carretera Austral - a long, winding, dirt road that connects the sparsely populated southern part of the country with the more populated north. Most of the people in the village were relocated here after Chile and Argentina shifted the borders a number of years back. The inhabitants receive generous government subsidies and, as a result, are not the most motivated people you´ve ever met.

We stayed at the El Mosco hostel´s camping ground, owned by a Spanish guy named Gorge who moved to Patagonia about 4 years ago and since has become the town´s local entrepreneur. He is quite the character - a bit narcissistic and money-oriented, but overall friendly and helpful. Gorge informed us on our arrival that we had four options to get out of town to travel north: 1. wait 4 days and take the weekly bus to the next "sizable" town 6 hours north, 2. hitchhike, 3. charter him and his van for an ungodly price to take us to a small town 3 hours north where there are more frequent buses, 4. wait 2 days and take the small, questionably safe plane. Since we couldn´t gather enough people to make chartering the van financially feasible, and the plane seemed a bit risky (plus, 4 fellow travelers gobbled up the remaining seats within a couple hours), we decided to try option 2 and hitchhike.

We got up early the next morning, packed up our tent, and went to post up by the only road out of town for our first Patagonian hitchhiking experience. Gorge had informed us the evening before that all vehicles leaving Villa O´Higgins must take a car ferry (that leaves twice daily) across a channel, so it´s really only worthwhile to hitch between 8-10AM and 2-4PM. We sat down by the side of the road, made ourselves bread and honey for breakfast and waited. As we sat patiently (with a tinge of boredom), we were entertained by a variety of local stray dogs (and a few horses) roaming about looking for food and testing territorial boundaries. But it was Sunday...and cars were scarce. We saw only a military truck, which refused to take us, and the neighbor whose truck was filled to the brim and packed with people. So we returned to the hostel to sit and read until the 2-4PM shift. But again, no luck...only a guy in a blue truck who passed us about 10 times, but never went more than 5 blocks from his house before returning, going inside, coming out and doing it all over again in a different direction. Very odd. So our hitchhiking adventure wasn´t much of an adventure at all and we went back to set up our tent for a second night.

Feeling a bit discouraged about hitchhiking, we decided the next day to join a few others on a couple day hike up to a refugio (i.e., hut) several hours into the nearby national park. This was a much better decision. The hike provided great views of the local area with lovely lakes, river valleys, forest and glaciers. The refugio was a simple log cabin with a make-shift wood stove made from a barrel, wooden table and benches, and enough floor space to sleep 6. We spent the evening enjoying the company of a Norwegian couple (Espen and Magni) and an Australian guy (Ralph) while cooking, reading, conversing, and huddling around the fire as it got dark and cold. The next morning, we opted not to do the several hour side trip to the El Mosco Glacier and instead headed back to town. I forgot to mention that I had taken my turn twisting my ankle after our border crossing when running from the estancia down to catch the boat. I´m not quite as tough (or motivated) to walk through pain as Eric did in Torres Del Paine...though I think he´ll agree that I was a trooper to do even the shorter trek to the hut.

When we got back to the hostel, the five of us had the place to ourselves for our last evening. Gorge had left with the plane to go out of town for a few days and just asked his girlfriend to stop by and check on us and collect payment. So we all enjoyed long hot showers, cooked nice meals, did our laundry, and used the computer to check our email for free. Before bed, we stoked the wood fire in the living room, played Gorge´s eclectic mix of CDs and chatted as we sipped glasses of red wine and beer.

The next morning, we headed to the bus to begin our journey up the Carretera Austral...

Patagonia Part 3: Glaciers National Park

After our time hiking in Torres Del Paine and a long and bumpy bus ride back across the Argentian border, we arrived to the area known as Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. Our first stop was a very touristy town called Calafate. We probably would have skipped over this town if it wasn´t for the access to Glacier Perito Moreno, one of only three Patagonian glaciers that are not retreating, but in fact occassionally advancing.

We had met a trio of fellow travelers from the US and Germany in Torres Del Paine (Dylan, Dave and Sandy) who we decided to partner with to rent a car to go and see this natural wonder. Unfortunately, it was Easter weekend so finding an available car was quite the task...but we eventually prevailed and got ourselves and true POS (piece of S!$&*) to make the 100 km trip. While the car (with half a bumper) wasn´t the best deal in town, it did get us from A to B and allowed us more freedom (and a cheaper price) than taking the tourist bus.

When we arrived, we understood why this attraction is indeed a "must see." The glacier is a mammoth river of ice that pours down from several huge valleys and ends at the base of its glacial lake. The sheer size and awe of the thing is hard to put into words...and it´s constantly cracking and calving off into the water. If you sit there and stare long enough (which we did) you can see chunks breaking off into the water followed by what sounds like deep grumbles of thunder. We spent several hours walking along all the board walks to get a variety of views and to watch the glacial show. It was pretty awesome.

After our return from the glacier, we treated ourselves to a "tenedor libre" (all you can eat buffet) at a local restaurant which included unlimited access to the BBQ (Eric´s favorite), rows of salads and potatoes, and a mulitude of desserts (my favorite). Since we had no reason to hang around too long, we left the next day to the tiny town of El Chalten, which is at the main entrance to Glaciers National Park and a variety of cool hikes. El Chalten is also a popular destination for Argentians and since it was Easter weekend, there wasn´t a bed in town. But no problem, we have a tent. Once we found a place to store our extra stuff, we set off on a 4-day excursion into the park.

The first afternoon of hiking was relatively easy after we climbed our way out of town and into the park. We camped by a rushing river near Lago Torre and spent the next morning exploring the area of the glacial lake and enjoying the serenity of the nature. On Easter morning, we had the pleasure of seeing a huge Condor cirlce and dive through the air above us on the ridge above the lake - a nice reminder to pause and reflect on life and creation. In the afternoon, we made our way over a small mountain, through a valley of lakes and to our next camp site near the base of the famed Mt. Fitzroy. This rocky peak (popular with experienced mountain climbers) towers above all others and is surrounded on all sides by glaciers. We were lucky to have great weather for most our time in the park that allowed outstanding views and photo ops of Mt. Fitzroy.

We camped for 2 nights at this site and used it as a jumping off point for a couple nice day hikes. One hike was up the rocky river valley boulder hopping to Laguna Sucia at the base of Mt. Fitzroy and surrounding peaks. We sat at the base of the lake in awe as we watched the waterfalls tumble from the glacier and then looked above to admire the sheer and towering rock mountains. Amazing. Our second day hike was to another nearby glacier called Pideras Blancas and then down the main river valley for a couple hours...again, wonderful views and lovely scenery. On day four, we decided it was time for a bed so we made our way back to town and settled in at a very cozy hostel run by an older Argetenian guy who resembled Santa Claus. The fireplace, wooden table, and comfy chairs and hot shower made this place perfect for some R&R.

When we were in Ushuaia, a fellow traveler recommended a route from El Chalten to Villa O´Higgins (in Chile) that is off the beaten tourist track. He sparked our interest and after some research we found it would be possible to make the journey and hike over the border (more in the next blog), but that we would have to wait a couple extra days in order to time the trip with the once-a-week boat across the gigantic Lago O´Higgins in Chile. In the end, the delay was quite enjoyable because on our return to El Chalten we were delighted to meet again our couple friends (Dorit and Yaron) from Israel. We spent our couple extra days here doing a day hike with them, sipping wine, going out to dinner and meeting for dessert. It´s been great to run into this fun couple a few times so far on our travels...we hope we will encounter them again up north.

On Thursday (March 27), we said our goodbyes and parted ways as they boarded a bus to travel the famous Route 40 in Argentina heading North, and we took a bus to Lago Desierto about 50 kms away where we would begin our next adventure...stay tuned.

Patagonia Part 2: Torres Del Paine

Let me set the scene for our first real trek in Patagonia...On our marathon bus ride from Ushuaia (Argentina) to Puerto Natales (Chile) I was explaining to Mariah that if we wanted to get a good flavor of Patagonia, we should do 20+ days of hiking over the course of the next 4-5 weeks. We spent the bus ride debating the multi-day hikes we wanted to tackle and day dreaming about all that we were going to experience and see. Then, while exiting the bus at our destination, I sprained my ankle and we watched over the next couple hours as it swelled to the size of a tennis ball...all hopes and dreams flashed before my eyes...

Well, needless to say, we took a day or two to discuss what we wanted to accomplish in South America (and especially in Patagonia) while I rested up and began to recover. Thankfully, my ankle seemed to be healing relatively quickly, so I decided to grin and bear it and get started exploring this special place. In Puerto Natales (the base town of Torres Del Paine National Park) we geared up, bought our trekking food rations and decided to wrap the ankle, take a handful of anti-inflammatories and head to the mountains.

In the National Park, there are a few multi-day treks. We decided to do the popular ¨W¨ route, starting at the eastern end of the park to hike up to the "Torres" and eventually making our way to the western end to see Glacier Grey. As most well planed trips go, it turned out nothing like we planned for both good and bad reasons:

Weather - The first day we climbed for 4 hours in beautiful weather and arrived at the Torres lookout (large rock pillars rising out of the mountain) to find the tops hidden by clouds. The third day of trekking after leaving our camp ground (Los Cuernos) and heading up the center arm of the ¨W¨(Valley Francais) we encountered severe wind and rain. We thought, ¨No problem, we have rain gear and are warm so let's keep going.¨ Like champs we made it to the top of the vista and have some amazing photos to prove it... but the next 4 hours back down the valley and across to Campamento Pehoe we encountered 60km winds and rain (a great way to wrap up our marathon 9-hour day). That night while we slept restlessly in our tent, it dropped below freezing and ice covered our rain fly. We also had a few friendly mice visitors that kept trying to get cover from the weather between our interior and exterior tent walls...we had to knock them off several times. The next morning when the rain and sleet still hadn´t let up, we had second thoughts about heading up to Glacier Grey to finish the trip. When we saw the fog cover and learned the forecast was bad for the next few days, we opted to go pack to Puerto Natales and have a hot shower...we may not have finished the ¨W,¨ but it was a very impressive ¨U¨!!!

Animals - Rats and camping don´t mix. Out durable tent has done a fabulous job with a little ducktape at keeping the little bastards at bay, but we have multiple times in Torres Del Paine woken up to the sounds of them gnawing at the tent. In the morning when we assess the damage, we have found patterns that look like a 5 year old had taken a whole punch to our tent. But we have overcome and we our proud to have a tent with many ducktape patches.

Friends - During our time in Torres Del Paine, we met several friends who made the trip very enjoyable. We had great conversations over hot meals and wine and had fun meeting along the trail to exchange updates and advice. There is a certain "we´re all in this together" feel that makes it easier to pass the moments when your wet and cold, or huffing and puffing up a steep climb with 40 lbs on your back.

Yaron and Dorit - An fun Israeli couple that we met on the bus from Puerto Natales to the National Park. We became fast friends and had a great time hiking and camping together. What we didn´t know at the time is that we would end up traveling with these guys off and on for the next couple weeks. As we say to each other on each goodbye, "Our time is not yet finished." We hope to meet them again further north in Patagonia.

Dave and Dylan (USA, Washington), and Sandy (Germany) - Another group of friends that we originally met on the bus from Ushuaia and that fate would have it we would meet again in Torres Del Paine and later in Calafate to travel with, sight see and enjoy a great all you can eat buffet.

Scenery - While we did encounter a number of weather and animal obstacles during our journey, the incredible scenery and amazing views made it all worthwhile. The hike was strenuous in parts and easy going at other times. The surroundings were constantly changing from impressive peaks and mountains, to green valleys and expansive grasslands, to peaceful lakes and raging rivers. We found we constantly had our breath taken away.

All in all, our time in Torres Del Paine was amazing...and in the end, the challenges made it all that more memorable. Now that we have our first big hike under our belts (and a couple days rest to continue to heal my ankle), we are ready to head north to Glacier National Park back over the border in Argentina!

Southern Patagonia Part 1: Ushuaia

After our week in Buenos Aires, we were in need of some rest and recuperation and Ushuaia was the perfect place. It is the Southerly most city of the world and the jumping off point for many cruises to Antarctica. Truth be told, it´s not really that exciting of a place...it´s mostly filled with tourist and outdoorsy shops, cafes and restaurants, and chocolate shops (which we thoroughly enjoyed). It is set among some pretty glacial mountains, alongside the Beagle Channel (south of the Strait of Magellan) and has a nice national park – Tierra Del Fuego – nearby. However, compared to some of the other spectacular scenery we´ve seen in Patagonia since we left Ushuaia, we would not classify it as a “must see” place. But for what we wanted and needed at the time, it was perfect.


We were able to rent a double room in a 2-bedroom apartment, which was more homey than a hostel. One of our flatmates while in town was a guy named Bob from Alaska – he owns a successful construction business and spends his months off traveling the world. He was a very interesting guy and we had several intriguing conversations about travel, the state of the world and American politics. We also had a couple nights without roomates, which was wonderful because it felt like we had our own place and could cook, drink tastey Argentian wine, and study Spanish at our leisure.


During our 5-day stay in this city, we both took turns recovering from a nasty cold and spent a day in bed resting and reading. We also spent time in the internet cafe catching up on some emailing and “to do” items, did some shopping to get the right gear for our upcoming trekking trips, and indulged in some of the local cuisine. We also spent a day hiking in the national park, and on another day Eric ventured up to the local glacier in the rain and sleet (the day I was sick in bed). He came back drenched, but enjoyed the views from the top of the mountain...and we managed to dry him off well with our little heater. Had it not been for full buses, we probably would have left Ushuaia a day or two sooner, but we were glad for the time to relax and prepare for our upcoming Patagonia adventures.