My first trip to Patagonia was in 2004, when I visited some friends at their estancia in Chile. We flew over the Andes and saw some of the remotest settlements in Patagonia and I got a chance to grasp the immensity, and the undeveloped nature of South America as well as the sheer beauty and dramatic rugged scenery.
So, when invited a second time, two years later, I decided to make the trip of a lifetime. I contacted Adventure Life and bundled a trip around Cape Horn with a hiking trek through Torres del Paine, Chile's largest National Park.
As the trip began to take shape, it became clear that it would be fourteen days of memorable experiences highlighting the wonders of the Southern part of South America.
We landed in Santiago and met a friend and explored some of Santiago for the day. There my son was introduced to Chilean hospitality and we day tripped to the Mount of Santiago and then boarded our flight to Buenos Aires.
In Buenos Aires we walked the downtown district, and then took great pleasure in watching the Tango and other Argentine artists perform. Buenos Aires has a beat all its own and what a perfect introduction to a country for my then twelve year old son!!
From Buenos Aires we flew to Ushuaia, the southernmost city on the continent. A shipping port and jump off point for Antarctica, Ushuaia is a hillside town that was a remote outpost built in the late 18th Century by the Spanish as a part of their shipping route through the Magellan Straits. Later that day we boarded the Via Australis, especially designed and constructed for the route to Cape Horn and through the Beagle Channel.
My son and I breathed a sigh of relief after having traveled three days, finally aboard our small ship in comfort.
Soon we were watching a Tango show in the ship's lounge as the crew readied the ship for departure, and the lights of Ushuaia faded into the distance, the propellers of the Australis churned up the cold water of the Magellan Straits and we turned to, knowing that in the morning we would be anchored off of Cape Horn.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.