THE PLANNING BEGINS… 2019
Over 40 years had passed since we first met in middle school. After “re-meeting” over a cold beer at the local brewery, and many subsequent dates later, we decide on big adventure together. Sort of trial by fire if you will. The kind of thing that will make, or break, a relationship. A thing like a multi-week trip to the wilds of Patagonia, a place long on both of our bucket lists. So in December of 2019 the plan was hatched, that we would go to Patagonia the following year.
Now there’s no need to go into any detail as to what happened next, since we all lived it.
2020 came, and 2020 went. We bought Tess the Airstream instead of going to Patagonia, and did a lot of fixing up and traveling in her. Then 2021 came, and 2021 went; more Airstreaming, and then we planned a different trip to the Black Sea- specifically the Ukraine, for Feb 2022. Purchased and everything. Let’s just say that didn’t go as planned either….and the trip was cancelled.
PLANNING, PART 2 – 2023
After three years, our Patagonia plans are back on track. We knew we had certain destinations and experiences we both wanted to do; knowing that we might not pass that way again, we wanted to pack in as much as possible. Now our original plans were for about 18 days of travel, and we had planned for the early “shoulder season” because it seemed to balance costs (it’s less expensive than peak season of December-February) with the extreme weather of winter. So fingers crossed! We also know that, while we are both extremely fit, we are also well into our fifties and what was easy and fun in our twenties is less so these days- it’s just a fact of life you don’t really grasp when you are young. So while we both felt capable of doing the W and O circuits physically, the idea of backpacking and sleeping on the ground had limited appeal. Not to mention that while the hikes would be beautiful, they would limit the number of places and sights we could see.
Initially we looked at guided tours, which can be good sometimes- especially the kind that handle your luggage from point to point and hotel accommodations when you get there, but give a lot of freedom for hiking and exploring. But we wanted even more flexibility, more adventure and more experiences than a guided tour could provide- and the past three years of RV camping let us know it’s a way we absolutely love to travel! We briefly toyed with the idea of taking Tess all the way down to Tierra del Fuego, but our time frame was weeks, not months. So maybe sometime in the future…
So we have rented a small 4×4 RV, from Campanda. It’s a bit more traditional and roomier (and more expensive) than some of the converted minivans from Wicked Camper but we liked having four wheel drive and higher ground clearance (and did we mention more room?) and the additional cost seemed worth it. From what we have researched, free wild camping is readily available, but we assume we will stay in some paid campsites when we really want a shower, and a hotel if we just want a break. The problem is the camper has to be rented for a minimum of two weeks, which, if you have read carefully, should be no problem since we’ve allotted 18 days of travel, right?
Well no. The other important experience we wanted to have was to visit the end of the world, and we wanted to take a cruise around Cape Horn, so we have a five day cruise booked on the Australis Patagonia Explorer. We really wanted to hop down to Antarctica, since we were there, but just couldn’t justify the expense. And while we aren’t on a tight budget we are trying to save money when we can. We figured that renting and touring by campervan would save enough to cover some of the cost of the cruise, in addition to giving us flexibility. But the van rental is for 14 days, so that’s a minimum of 19 days, with no room for error- and that’s not a safe way to travel, we need a buffer day or two before the cruise at least. So that’s 21 days…also known as “scope creep”, when a project or event or vacation keeps getting bigger. And when we did our research on flights we realized we could save a substantial amount of money on airfare if we extended our return flight by a few more days. Of course we’d spend that money on lodging, but hey, at least we’re seeing and doing more…but still, scope creep. It happens.
Itinerary
So here is our itinerary we have put together before we travel, we’ll see how well it holds up as we go. We have added links if we have them, but have no affiliation with any of these companies and are not receiving any compensation for mentioning them, nor are we responsible for any problems you might have with them. We hate to have to say that, but lawyers and insurance companies rule our world…
Note that to do the Big Hike of Glaciar Perito Moreno you are required to be less than 50 years old. As two very fit hikers we have to admit we are not thrilled with the idea of age discrimination but see no way to challenge it.
Oct 25
- AA flight 2315 Charlotte to Miami, take off 0610pm, lands 0818 pm
- AA flight 957 Miami to Santiago, take off 1142pm, lands 0843 am
Oct 26
- Flight to Punta Arenas, LA 303, take off 6pm, lands 0929pm
- 1 night at Innata Casa Hostal, pay the hotel in CLP at the exchange rate on the day of payment.
Oct 27- Oct 31
- Cruise from Punta Arenas, Chile to Ushuaia, Argentina
- Check in is 2-5pm, boarding at 6pm
Oct 31-Nov 1
- Ushuaia, 2 nights at Aves del Sur
Nov 2
- Bus from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas, 12hr
- 1 night lodging in Punta Arenas
Nov 3
- Pick up the campervan in Punta Arenas .
- Drive to Torres del Paine (4.5hr). Stay near the park to be ready for hiking.
- Buy entrance ticket to park before going, $49pp, ASPTicket CONAF Ticket Sales System
Nov 4-8
- 4 days of hiking Torres del Paine + buffer day
- Pudeto catamaran ferry: ticket ($27,000 CLP ($30 USD) one-way), pay on board, can only be purchased using Chilean pesos, cash only. Itineraries & Rates | Hipsur
Hikes:
- Mirador Condor – 3k, 2 hrs, Camping Pehoe
- Mirador Cuernos – 6.5k, 2 hrs, easy, car park at Pudeto catamarán, Salto Grande waterfall
- Glacier Grey – 24k, 7-8 hrs, medium, take catamaran across to trailhead (option to do ferry to Grey Glacier from Lago Grey Hotel: $126USD Navigation Grey III – TorresDelPaine )
- Valle Frances – 25k, 8-9 hrs, medium, take catamaran across to trailhead,
- Mirador Las Torres – 20k, 7-8 hrs, hard (3000ft elevation gain), car park at Centro de Bienvenida, pick the clearest best weather day for this one
- Laguna Azul – 20k, 5 hrs, easy, car park at Porteria Laguna Azul (do a sunrise or sunset)
Nov 9
- Drive to El Chalten: drive time is 6hrs but the border can get quite busy so factor waiting time at the border (up to 2hrs).
Nov 10
- Hike Laguna de Los Tres, (base of Mount Fitz Roy). Can drive 18km north to a trailhead at Hosteria El Pilar. From here you start hiking through a beech and ñires tree forest along the Blanco river. After an hour you reach the first viewpoint with great views of the Piedras Blancas Glacier. After another 45 minutes of walking you get to the Poincenot camp where the 2 trails converge. Or start from a trailhead in town. On this one, the Chorrillo del Salto waterfall is at the sign marking km 5 of the trail. Take a detour right; there is no real trail to get there, but it’s fairly easy and all you have to do is follow the roar of the water. After Poincenot camp, cross a hanging bridge across the Río Blanco. There are only 2 kilometers left to go, but 400 meters to ascend! This is the equivalent of climbing approximately 1,300 feet in 1.3 miles.The view at the top of the Fitz Roy Massif, the lagoon and the glaciers is breathtaking. 17.5m, 8 hrs, hard
Nov 11
- Buffer day – weather or rest
Nov 12
- Hike to Laguna Torre: After Fitz Roy, this is the other most popular hike in the area. It is slightly shorter than the Fitz Roy trek. 15m, 6/7 hrs, difficulty moderate.
Nov 13
- Drive to El Calafate: 4 hrs.
- Kau Yatún ranch is located in the converted main buildings of an old estancia
- Punta Walichu, a cave network that’s home to 7,000-year-old cave paintings.
- Glaciarium, with a range of informative displays, focusing on the Southern Patagonian Ice Field It’s 6km west of El Calafate in the direction of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, but a free, hourly minibuses shuttle visitors between the car park of the Secretaría de Turismo Provincial (1 de Mayo, between Av. San Martín and Julio Argentino Roca) and the museum.
Nov 14
- Boat trip, Walkways & an ice hike on Perito Moreno Glacier.
- NOTE: Must be under 50 for the Big Ice Hike
Nov 15
- Buffer day to place anywhere to adjust for weather or rest
Nov 16
- Drive to Puerto Natales: 3.5hr drive plus time at the border. Relaxing day in the town.
Nov 17
- Drive to Punta Arenas: 3 hours, turn in vehicle.
Nov 18
- Flight to Santiago, LA 300, take off 0242pm, lands 0605
Nov 20-21
- AA flight 912, Santiago to Miami, take off 1015pm, lands 0500am
- AA flight 1675, Miami to Charlotte, take off 0809, lands 1016