Travelers' Tales: Chile & Argentina

TRAVELERS’TALES

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The tip of the travel iceberg? Getting up close to Patagonia’s ice fields

PATAGONIA

Mary Drury & Richard Dibling traveled to Chile & Argentina with Audley

Panoramic photos of Torres del Paine

on a calendar were what inspired our trip to Patagonia, and we were not disappointed.

We started our journey with two nights in Santiago. We found plenty to explore in the one-and-a-half days we had there and were delighted with our boutique hotel, Le Reve – a lovely green oasis of calm in a very busy city. The first day we visited the house and museum of poet Pablo Neruda. On the second we joined a walking tour with a very knowledgeable guide.

From here we flew to Puerto Montt and were then escorted to our hotel, Casa

Molino, by Isabel, our guide, and our driver, Manuel. Our room had views through the floor-to-ceiling picture window overlooking Lake Llanquihue and the Osorno Volcano. We spent four nights here, and each day we were taken on a wonderful excursion. Isabel was a delight – full of local stories and a wide knowledge of the local flora and fauna.

On the first day we walked in the Alerce Andino National Park rainforest, stopping to watch the birds and enjoy our picnic. On the second day we visited the Vicente Perez National Park and saw the beautiful Petrohue Falls and then hiked through the forest to the Green Lagoon and on up the

slope of Osorno. Our last day was spent on a day-long trip to Chiloe Island – the land of the seals – where we stopped off to visit some of its ornate and beautiful wooden churches and the famous palafito homes built on stilts over the sea. We had a delicious seafood meal one evening overlooking the lake, and on another occasion we had the best steak of our whole trip – together with a surprise birthday cake, as Isabel had tipped off the manager that it was Richard’s birthday.

On our final day we said our goodbyes and were driven back to the airport for our flight south to Punta Arenas. Here we were driven

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TRAVELERS’ TALES

to Patagonia Camp deep in the Torres del Paine National Park – the highlight of our trip. We stayed in luxurious yurts dotted among the trees and overlooking the lake and the twin peaks of Torres del Paine. The central point was a well-appointed lounge/ dining room/meeting room, and here we met in the evenings for wonderful cocktails and enjoyed delicious three-course meals – nothing was too much trouble.

The scenery changed all the time with the weather and we were never short of photo opportunities – hopefully we managed to take some shots worthy of a calendar! A lamb barbecue was held on at least two evenings and this was a great opportunity for travelers to swap stories. We stayed here for five nights in total and met people of all nationalities and made some lasting friends, too.

INSPIRATIONAL ICE

From Patagonia Camp we were transported by road across the border into Argentina to El Calafate. Here we were based in the Design Suites overlooking the piercingly blue Lago Argentina. The main purpose of this part of the trip was a visit to the Perito Moreno glacier – and it didn’t disappoint. Who’d have thought you could spend nearly two hours looking at ice? It was

dramatic, too, as great chunks of ice were regularly falling off. It’s 230 feet high and, after a boat trip to take you close to its face, you’re left with plenty of time to wander along the raised walkways to view the glacier from all different points. The weather was a mix of sunshine and clouds, making for some very dramatic photos.

Buenos Aires was a great way to end the trip – huge and very varied. As we had a limited amount of time here, we picked out one or two things to do each day, but you could spend a lot longer here. We walked in the parks, visited bustling indoor markets and wandered by chance into the (free) Museo del Bicentenario. This is built in a space once occupied by the city’s fort and later by its

customs office. Exhibits trace Argentina’s history since its first cry for independence, with plenty of bilingual guides to help you out. We also discovered an excellent (free) railway museum with a guide who was keen to help us get the most out of our visit.

Our final evening here was the best way to end our trip: the Argentine Experience. The evening was a light-hearted mix of fun and food. First, there was a quiz, then a lesson in cocktail making with plenty of drinking as well. This was followed by a lesson in making empanadas and a little competition for the best design – which somehow I managed to win! Finally, there was a delicious three-course meal with as much wine as you wanted. The two girls who hosted the event were worth their weight in gold. They made the whole evening fun but still informative, and during the meal we chatted to our fellow participants, all of them at different stages of their own trips. It was a memorable evening before we tumbled into a taxi back to our hotel ready for our flight home the next day.

This was a beautifully organized and varied trip, and we picked up lots of tips on our way from fellow travelers. You just can’t see everything in one trip, and I’m sure we’ll be back to explore more of this fascinating continent.

Color shifts The shifting tones of Patagonia offer some tantalizing photographic opportunities

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