Create your Trip Journal [click here]Checked in early morning to well located hotel. Went for a walk nearby. Got pick pocketed near cathedral by couple who approached us to ''clean the pigeon poop'' off the back of our clothes. Highly recommend the under garment pouch which saved our passports, cash and credit card, but they got the iPhone in my side pocket.
Took the 3 hour 14 stops double decker bus ride. You can get off at any stop and catch the next bus every 20 minutes. Nice itinerary. Pity the Teatro Colon renovation is not quite finished. It was open for performances later, but closed to visitors during the day.
Nice view of low mountains coming in to Ushuaia. Hotel was new, modern, clean. Nice seafood restaurants in town.
Guided tour of town and surrounding area. Strange zoning if there even is any. ''expensive area'' has a small A frame built on the lot next to a large house. Squatters up the hill from a nice rural neighborhood have cleared the forest and built log cabins. Best views are looking down on town and water.
Hiked all morning through the pristine park. Guide and driver cooked a delicious chicken BBQ lunch. Later, rafted back to the bus pick up point.
Boarded the 170 passenger Mare Australis at 5 PM.
We found this 170 passenger ship right sized, comfortable, excellent food and plenty of it, crew and tour organizers really friendly. Pity the ship is going to the Chilean coast, but we got the benefit of the last voyage.
Daily excursions ashore from the zodiacs they loaded us on to at the stern. Crew were very attentive to passenger safety.
Cape Horn was very windy, and we were fortunate with the Captain's last hour decision to go ashore in the zodiacs.
A must see, 70 thousand pairs of penguins on one island. Before going ashore, the crew gave a very good penguin documentary talk and slide show.
People walk around the periphery in a roped off area, though penguins have the right of way to get to and from the water.
The penguins walk up so close to you, you could reach out and touch them.
Later that evening, the ship came briefly out of the Magellan Straight and experienced a peak wind speed of 96 knots (110 mph) in the Pacific for about 20 minutes.
Just a quiet little town with not much going on except 100 km/hr winds. You had to time your street crossing carefully, holding on to a lamp post till the light turned green.
Bus is the only way you can access this pristine park. The ride got more interesting the closer we got.
Glad we upgraded to the Dome Suites, which had own bath room and wood burning stove. Close up views of the Towers from the camp.
Home cooked meals at the camp were delicious. Staff was very friendly.
We got a bus ride around the Torres del Paine Park, with stops to admire the views in rain and fog. Made us appreciate the nice following day even more.
Unlike Denali Park Alaska where you get bused in to the middle and don't see much else, Torres del Paine is smaller (only 225K hectares), but we saw every part of it thanks to our little bus.
The hike was about 6 miles through pristine nature, flora, fauna and unforgettable scenery. The guides were full of information and friendly.
We left the Eco Camp very early for another 6 hour bus ride to El Calafate. Over an hour of passport checking at the border from Chile to Argentina.
This estancia is remotely located and a distinct opposite choice from the busy town of El Calafate. Lakeside tranquility with bird watching, sheep herding, and horse riding.
Once you start the climb there is no turning back, but the picture at the top was the reward.
Keep your feet at least a foot apart, and you will not fall. Snap or tie the bottom of your pant leg to keep from catching it on the crampon.
Seemingly endless lines through security.
Arrived home early morning and started organizing about 700 pictures.
