The Far South: Patagonia Austral

Rich and Cat, southern Patagonia, Chile, winter 2014.

THESE PHOTOS WERE TAKEN on our trip to Chile (Santiago to southern Patagonia) during the winter month of June 2014. We drove a 4x4 self-contained camper throughout southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego - logging 1,200 miles; over 600 of those miles were off-road. The climate varied on a daily basis, typically: from sunny, clear and extremely cold (sub-freezing), to snowy and a tad warmer when the clouds thickened and added a layer of thermal insulation. Heavy winds occasionally kicked up over night and rocked the camper, despite the fact that during the wintertime, the winds are less violent. They often reach 75 mph in Tierra del Fuego during the summer season. The road conditions can be more hazardous on paved roads. as black ice is sometimes difficult to spot. Off-road driving, of course, has its own set of challenges in a harsh environment, but generally you can get from point A to point B unless the road is steep-to and deep with ice-covered snowdrifts, or if a pass is blocked by a rock slide (we did have to make a couple of detours due to road conditions). 

For us, winter represented the best time to make this trip. The Chilean national parks, lodging facilities, and most support services in southern Patagonia are all shut down during the winter season. As a result, there are virtually no tourists to speak of in southern Patagonia during the winter; at least we didn't run into any, for the entire time we were there. There must have been some, but Patagonia an immense place and the odds of running into anyone else, in the winter, are low, particularly when it comes to off-road camping. The opportunity for experiencing raw nature, at perhaps its most stark and astounding, is there for the taking. 

Sweeping landscapes and prolific, roaming wildlife open up at every fold of the road, each turn seemingly more dramatic than the previous. And since the national parks and reserves are technically closed, for the winter season, there are no fees charged for entry. Yet the roads and passes throughout the park are not gated and access to the remote areas is still permitted - at your own risk. With a 4x4 truck and self-contained camper, wherever you stop for the night you are at home. There are no limitations to where you can go, or camp, other than the ability to get there on your own. And this is what we love about southern Patagonia. It is unrestricted and for the most part wild, remarkably clean and free of litter. It is Chile, yet it is another world unto itself.

We stayed in a neighborhood near the Bella Artes
Museum, in Santiago, Chile, upon our arrival from Ecuador.

On our first night in far south, a few days after arriving in Santiago,
we pulled off onto the side of the Strait of Magellan, in our 4x4, 50 km
south of  Punta Arenas. Camping is free and unrestricted in the far south. 

The Puerto Natales, Chile waterfront, gateway to Torres del Paine N. P.

On the approach road to Torres del Paine N.P., Patagonia.

Our 4x4 camper on the entrance road to Torres del Paine N.P.
Still not within in the park boundaries - you'd never know it.

The way through Patagonia consists of broad, endless,
sweeping landscapes; we are now actually in the park itself.

Horse estancia (ranch) near Torres del Paine.

Glacier ice at Lago Grey, Torres del Paine N.P.

The only inhabitants of Torres del Paine,
 during the wintertime, are wildlife, including
horses, guanacos, foxes, birds of prey, sheep,
and puma at the top of the food chain..

The Torres (towers) of del Paine N.P.

Cascading falls along the way, in Torres N. P.; one of our camp sites.

Native Chilean flamingos at Laguna Amarga, Torres N. P.

Laguna Amarga's mint-green water with a slick of ice on top.

Serious 4x4 off-road Patagonia camper: The extreme Mercedes Unimog.

Fin del Mundo (end of the world) highway signage
points the way to Tierra del Fuego, via a cargo ferry.

Our ferry to stark, Tierra del Fuego.

Sheep ranch along the vastness that is, Tierra del Fuego.

Estancia along the Strait of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego side.

Work sheds and lancha, along the Tierra del Fuego coast.

Sheepherder and his dogs round up the flock in the morning.

Sheep estancia, along the windy, whitecapped
Strait of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego side.

Gaucho working along the fence at his estancia.

Gauchos work the herd along the coast.

Herds of graceful guanacos roam the grasslands of southern
Patagonia... puma are their predators.

A fisherman's crude home, at a small cove
65 km south of Punta Arenas. 

Small skiff at a work-boat cove,
65 km south of Punta Arenas.

Our friends Timo and Olga live off-the-grid, along the
Strait of Magellan, 45 km south of Punta Arenas, Patagonia.

Chilean flamingos 65 km south of Punta Arenas, Patagonia.

Small fishing boats laid up along the Strait of Magellan,
the one on the right is getting a new coat of bottom paint.

Aerial view of approach to Puerto Montt, at the northern end
of the Chilean channels - the start of of the inside passage,
by boat, to southern Patagonia. There is no road through
the Chilean Andes from northern to southern Patagonia.

Marina in Valdivia, Chile, located a few miles up-river from
 the Pacific coast entrance - the water at the marina is fresh, not salt.

Edificio (building) in the historic section of  Valparaiso,
Chile, an important port, two-hours by bus from Santiago.

Santiago is surrounded by the snow-capped Andes.

Santiago is a relatively modern city, and the new
skyscraper, Costenera, in the center of the photo
exemplifies the trend of growth in Chile's economy.
Chile is expensive, however, as compared to, say, Ecuador.

Public funiculars are a convenient way to
ascend the steep hills, in cities like
Santiago and Valparaiso.

In the Bellas Artes district of Santiago, a classically-trained
street musician entertains the crowds on their way
in and out of the busy Metro station during the
evening rush, which lasts from 6 to 9 p.m.

Logistics

We left Bahia de Caraquez, Ecuador, and Anna, to take a 5-hour bus ride to Guayaquil. We then continued on to Lima, Peru with a connection to Santiago, Chile, six additional hours by air (Avianca). After three days in Santiago we flew (Sky Airlines) to Punta Arenas, in southern Patagonia, where we picked up our 4x4 camper. We drove it 2,500 km across southern Patagonia, north to Torres del Paine national park, and then south, into Tierra del Fuego, crossing the Strait of Magellan by cargo ferry. 

Two weeks later we flew from southern Patagonia to Puerto Montt in northern Patagonia - there are no roads through the Andes, in Chile, connecting northern and southern Patagonia. The option is to either fly or take a boat or drive through Argentina. Since Argentina charges citizens of the US an expensive 'reciprocal fee' to cross the international border (it's reciprocal to the heavy fee levied on Argentine citizens entering the US) we opted to remain within Chile (who, by the way, recently dropped a similar 'reciprocal fee' for US citizens). From Puerto Montt, we took a bus to Puerto Varas (in the Lake District), then another bus to Valdivia, along the Pacific coast (we were visiting the marinas along the coast, in key places where we thought Anna might be able to moor for a while if we decide to visit Chile, under sail, from Ecuador). From Valdivia we took an overnight, 10-hour bus ride on a  semi-cama - a first-class bus with an almost fully reclining seat, to Santiago, and then visited Valparaiso, twice, by day-tripping on the local 2-hour bus. After another few days in Santiago we flew back to Guayaquil, Ecuador, via Bogota, Colombia - a 6-hour, one-connection redeye. Another 5-hour bus ride later and we were back in Bahia de Caraquez, where Anna was happy to see us again.

The buses, semi-luxurious, were great for day travel but less than comfortable for long-distance overnight rides. This was contrary to what we had heard, that is, the economy and extreme comfort of the 'cama' experience... we definitely had a different opinion.

On the other hand, we found that air travel in South America was reasonably inexpensive, completely luxurious, efficient, and pleasant. Both airlines that we had tried (Avianca and Sky), served excellent hot meals and free wine (really quite different than the US airline experience - where, unless you travel first class, a handful of peanuts or some other such snack will be your breakfast, lunch or dinner). And the seats in coach were not cramped; leather, with built-in entertainment centers, too. After comparing prices, we found that air travel was actually less expensive than bus travel over long distances, which would have been grueling on the Ecuador to Chile run, sixty hours, one-way. Compare that with an easy six-hour plane ride over the Andes... actually, there is no comparison. 

As far as city transportation is concerned, we never once took a cab in Santiago. The public transportation system consists of city buses and Metro light-rail that were inter-connected, on-time, clean, safe... a city planner's dream. The Metro is undeniably busy, at all hours of the day and night. Yet it is astoundingly efficient. You can get virtually anywhere in the greater Santiago region, easily, on the Metro system. 

We had an unusually positive experience with everyone we had met in chilly, Chile.

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To see 100 more of our photos of Chile and southern Patagonia, in slide-show format, you can download and open our "chile-patagonia-winter-2014.pdf " file. It is compressed to only 38 MB and should be a reasonably quick download.