Ushuaia, the tip of South America - Jan 2020

After driving the entire length of Tierra del Fuego and seeing the dry, windswept, treeless scene with only one small town,  we entered the forested coastal mountains as we approached Ushuaia.  Suddenly, it looked like coastal Alaska and we entered the small city, estimated at about 75,000.  The downtown was filled with midsummer visitors.  The port was impressive, and is the base for nearly all of the cruise ships that visit nearby Antarctica.   In the winter season, downhill skiing and dog sled racing are very popular.   We had 3 nights to sample the many restaurants for the regional seafood and lamb.  Our 1st day was a full day tour, which took us along the coast to the west to the park entrance  for the Tierra del Fuego National Park.   Our small group of about a dozen had a very knowledgeable guide.   We drove further into the park and down to the waters edge.  There we started a lovely hike west along the coast for about 6 km.  The trail closely followed the water and wound up and down the mountain sides.  Then we hiked away from the coast back to the road for  a short trip to the little lunch lodge.   After lunch, we boarded two rafts to paddle down a river into a large lake, which we crossed near its end.  We then took photos of the sign at the very end of the Pan American highway, now just a narrow dirt road.  After a 35 minute drive, we were back at our nice little hotel near the waterfront in the center of Ushuaia.
The next day we took an all day boat trip east along the Beagle Channel from the port.   It was wonderful, with a first stop at an island that was covered with thousands and thousands of cormorants.  Most were a large Imperial Cormorant that looked like a big penguin at first.  However, they have longer wings and can fly.  There were also some black and green headed cormorants that looked more like the ones we have here in coastal Alaska.  There was a huge elephant sea, pulled out on the island also.  Next we traveled to two other small islands where we viewed many sea lions.  We were able to get very close and see the huge bulls and the many females around each big bull.
Finally, we docked at the historic Harberton Estancia, founded in 1826.  Then our first group of 22 took a 15 minute ride out into the channel to the penguin island, for an incredible hour on the island, wandering among the countless penguins.  We were able to walk everywhere among the penguins.  We saw huge numbers of Magellan penguins and their holes or dens that they burrow into the ground.  There were also many of the larger Gentoo penguins and even a few of the much larger King penguins.  I was able to take many great photos , some from just a couple feet away from a penguin.  Then we returned to the ranch for a nice lunch and a tour of the historic estancia, its museum, and the large organic gardens.  We then took a bus back to Ushuaia for our last overnight there.  On our final day, we flew back north to Buenos Aires, and that night we enjoyed a wonderful Argentine tango dinner show downtown in the city center.  Sadly, our great adventure trip had ended and the following day we headed out to the big international airport.  There I started my long trip back to Alaska and my travel companion flew back to Europe.  We both agreed that it had been an unforgettable experience and had been a far better adventure than we had imagined it would be !

The National Park and the starting point for our 6 km hike west along the water.  The trail wound  up and down along the coast

One of many beautiful view points along the coast.  It looked just like coastal Alaska.

Some of the colorful geese that are common in the area during the summers.

The beautiful, lush shore line along the coast during our 6 km hike. 

Walking in to the tour company geodesic dome and a hot lunch & even some nice wine after our ocean shore 6 km hike.   We then had a short hike to a river where we paddled two rubber boats down the river and across the end of a lake to the end of the Pan American Highway to be picked up.

The cozy geodesic dome that the tour company had located in the park to serve their hiking and boating tours.   We had lunch there.

Me posing with our two rubber boats after we paddled down the river and across the lake to the end of the Pan American Highway

After crossing the lake, we pulled up here at the very end of the Pan American Highway !!  Now I have been on both far ends of the Pan American Highway !!

Truly the "end of the road"  !!   The Pan America Highway, starting in Alaska and ending here, almost  18,000 km from its northern end.    It is a dirt road that abruptly ends at this sign almost at the waters edge.

The Ushuaia port and some of the cruise boats that go across the Drake passage to Antarctica.

Another view of the tour pier as our boat left.

Our first stop on the island with thousands of the "penguin-like" in appearance Imperial cormorants.  They look and walk like a penguin, but have much longer wings and can fly.

More of the Imperial cormorants and a huge elephant seal, hauled out on the island.

View looking back to Ushuaia, a coastal, Alaska like scene on the very tip of South America.

Our next stop, two small rocky islands with many sea lions everywhere.

Another view of the sea lions.   We were able to get very close and hang out watching for some time.

A  big bull surrounded by many females

 The historic light house dating back to pre Panama Canal days when all the boats going from the Atlantic to Pacific or reverse had to pass this channel around the tip of South America.

A small humpbacked whale who came right up to our boat.

A sign dating the 1886 establishment of this historic Harberton Estancia.

The restaurant where we had a nice lunch overlooking the ocean

Some of the spectacular lupine along side the restaurant building

A view from the restaurant on a knoll back to the dock , small hotel and other buildings.  They had horses for riding for the guests.

The big organic garden used to provide the ranch and restaurant during the summer season

Another view of the oceanside estancia buildings

the view looking back from the end of the estancia dock

Our first view as we stepped ashore from our rubber boat on penguin island

The island was home to thousands of penguins of 3 species.

My big smile after landing on the beach and realizing what an experience this was going to be !

 A very tame Gentoo penguin, who let me get up to within a couple of feet without moving

the beach scene with penguins all the way to the top of the island

This handsome guy let me crawl almost next to him to get a close up photo

Another view, showing how the penguins and the Magellan Penguin dens covered the entire island

a handsome, big King Penguin sitting on one or two chicks

A King Penguin, checking its baby out. 

Mostly Magellan penguins.  The nearly fully grown young ones appeared to be sleeping and ignored us.   Some times they would walk right towards you and expect you to move out of their way !

I was truly enjoying this amazing experience !!

another view showing how the penguins covered the entire island.

a close up of the dens and a younger chick getting help removing its baby feathers by an adult
One can see some chicks in the entrance to some of the dens.

 A final view of the many penguins in every direction as we reluctantly left the island after our hour long visit.

.  Historic statue of Ushuaia dating its 50th anniversary 1884-1934

Torres del Paine - Chile's Incredible National Park Jan 2020

We left El Calafate early Saturday morning for our 5 hour van ride to Torres Del Paine for our 4 day/3 night stay.  The ride east across the dry, windswept Patagonian steppes was again impressive.   For one hour at one point, the only signs of human habitation on the planet was the narrow paved road and the 3 foot wire fences on both sides.  As far as the eye could see there was not a sign of anything growing much over a foot high and not a trace of human habitation !  This  vast, seemingly endless scene stretched beyond the horizon in every direction.  There was nearly no other traffic on the narrow, but paved road.  Finally, we started to see the Andes in the distance.  There were many groups or even herds of guanacos by the side of the road grazing on the dry grasses.  As we approached our Hotel  Las Torres near the very base of the stunning Torres of Paine, we had our first views of these surreal mountains.  The lovely, rustic 80 room hotel was in an inholding within the National Park, with much history predating even the formation of the National Park itself.  It was well situated for tours throughout most of the park.  We were incredibly lucky on our first full day to have a sunny, but windy day, to visit many of the park's most famous view points.  We saw many guanacos up close, and we even saw as some Andes Condors in the distance.  Later on our tour,  we even had a glimpse of a puma in the distance.
The days high point was to be a visit to the Grey's Lake Park center. There we hiked through the woods and across the long gravel spit to the island where the glacier viewing boat was docked.   Hiking across the spit on the end of Greys Lake was an experience with the wind.   One could barely stand up and not get blown over.  Because of the wild wind, about half of our party decided against taking the 3 hour boat ride up Greys Lake to the face of Greys Glacier.  Instead, we chose to hike the loop trail around the island, and eat our bag lunches in a sheltered spot in the trees on the island.
The next day we chose to do a morning tour to see many more of the incredible mountains, lakes, rivers, and waterfalls.    Then in the afternoon, we took a 3 hour horse back ride along the mountains from the hotel , across streams and finally along a lake before returning.  It was the first time I had been on a horse in over 40 years !!   On our last morning, with the weather not being very good, I had the good fortune to have a 2 hour guided tour of the huge organic garden and greenhouses that supply most of the produce for the hotel in season.  They had hired a retired Australian 6 years earlier to set up and manage the composting and the organic gardens.   It was a wonderful one on one experience for me to see how environmentally conscious their whole operation was.    Then on our last afternoon, we were picked up by a bus for the 6 hour drive south to Puerto Natales, and then on to Punta Arenas to overnight.   We had a wonderful dinner there.  We continued by bus the next morning for the long, all day ride back north and then east to the ferry crossing of the Strait of Magellan.  We then drove south along the entire east side of Tierra del Fuego to our last stop, Ushuaia.   Here on the island, we saw many sheep grazing.  We were told that there were over 2 million on Tierra del Fuego.  It was amazing to go from the vast, dry, barren, windswept steppes into the tree covered mountains on the southern tip of Tierra del Fuego.   Suddenly, we seemed to be back in coastal Alaska.  Ushuaia is the most southern town on the South American continent or any where in the world.  It was the port for nearly all the cruise ships that tour Antarctica and was about 75,000 in size.  It  looked like Seward in Alaska.

Map showing route south from El Chalten to El Calafate to Cerro-Castillo and then Torres del Paine

Border crossing into Chile near Cerro Castillo

A road side stop and my 1st view of Torres del Paine and its towers

A herd of guanacos at roadside.   There were many in the park.

 Me inspecting a Rhea in our Hotel Las Torres.

 My 2nd night in the hotel enjoying some fine Chilean wine and Guanaco steak !

1st morning view of the towers as we start our all day park tour.  Las Torres Hotel can barely be seen  in the center right of the photo

River and mountain view from a little further away from our hotel on our wonderful sunny day

Yours truly enjoying the grand view and wonderful weather.

Another herd of Guanacos right by the side of the road.

Our first view of the "Horns of Paine" as we head around to the west side of the park.

 A better view of the "Horns" across one of the many lakes

One of the many lakes in the park, with some being isolated and somewhat saline.  These saline lakes were summer homes for the flamingos, which I never expected to see so far south in South America.

We hiked up to a park view point, just above one of the big water falls with a great view of the "Horns of Paine"

An even better view of the stunning "Horns of Paine" with their interesting geology history

One of the many big waterfalls on the park streams.

Each view was more amazing during our wonderful all day park tour

View from a trail after a hike off the road.

It is hard to describe the almost surreal mountains.   Here again are the "Horns of Paine"

A graphic explanation of their interesting geology.

A river crossing view of the "Horns of Paine" in the distance as we toured the west side of the park.

View from near the lodge at the end of Grey's Lake with the immense Grey's Glacier in back

 Graphic of the protected deer that are  native to the southern Andes

Hiking down to cross the windblown spit to Greys island and the boat landing.  You can just barely make out people hiking across the spit.  We crossed to the island and then decided not to take the 3 hour boat tour to the face of the glacier because of the wild wind  and having seen the Moreno Glacier by boat near El Calafate.   We then hiked the trails all the way around Grey's Island and had lunch in a protected area.

Trail scene while hiking on Greys Island

Taking a lunch break on Grey's Island  out of the fierce wind.

Wild, wind swept scene of Grey's Lake with glacial ice floating  in the lake.

Our guide and our little group of 5 viewing Greys Lake and the mountains from the island

Stunning view of the "Horns of Paine" across the wild, windswept lake

Scene from a protected lodge on the edge of another lake somewhat farther from the mountains.

Wild geese , native to this part of South America.

Surprisingly,  a flock of large parakeets enjoying the summer here.

Wonderful view across Pehoe Lake towards the "Horns of Paine"

 a friendly Guanaco at the side of the road

Two Rhea at roadside carefully extracting berries from the thorny El Calafate bush

Paine Falls from a view point that we stopped and hiked in to.

Another view of Paine Falls or cascade with the sign illustrating the falls area

Yours truly in the mountains on a horse for the 1st time in over 40 years !

Crossing a stream on horseback on our nearly 3 hour mountain ride.

Sebastian, one of our guides or a real Chilean  gaucho !

Me , taking a short pause at the edge of the lake we rode along.

Two of our  many imaginative and unique cocktails that the lodge bar was famous for

Big, sweet goose berries and strawberries that were grown in the huge organic gardens

Newly cultivated rows in the organic gardens.   They had interns for the summer and the rows were strictly measured to standards and never walked on.

Lettuce and carrots growing in the  well maintained organic out door gardens

A nearly ripe "Black" tomato growing inside one of the greenhouses.  I brought back seeds to try in Alaska this summer !

My new Australian friend, the organic gardens manager, inside his lettuce greenhouse.

A view of the front entrance of the 80 room. wonderful Hotel Las Torres

The scene of the treeless, dry, windswept, Patagonian Steppes, stretching horizon to horizon as far as the eye could see, with the road being the only sign of human life in this vast area east of the Andes mountains.

Our ferry that took us across the Strait of Magellan to Tierra del Fuego.   We crossed this famous water way as well as later, the Beagle Channel and the Drake Passage, the three waterways of fame at the southern tip of South America, not far from the Antarctic Peninsula itself farther south.

our "Bus-Sur" or Greyhound of Argentina and Chile,  which took us from Punta Arenas all the way to Ushuaia on the southern tip of Tierra del Fuego.