A Stunning Start to the New Year We woke up to another stunning day in Antarctica—clear blue skies, no wind, and perfect stillness. It felt like the world was holding its breath as we floated well south of the Antarctic Circle. According to the radar, we were still the southernmost passenger ship on the entire […]
A Very Memorable New Year’s Eve December 31st marked a major milestone—we had finally reached the Antarctic Peninsula. Our first landing of the expedition was after lunch at Prospect Point. When our cabin numbers were announced, we gathered in the mudroom, slipping into our muckboots and prepping for the short journey ahead. Before boarding […]
Not the Drake Lake This year’s itinerary was the reverse of last year’s, meaning we tackled the notorious Drake Passage at the start instead of at the end. We knew we were in for some rough seas from the briefing the night before. We awoke to Greg’s familiar wake-up call—his cheerful “Good morning, good […]
Antici-pation You know that feeling of excitement you get as a kid on Christmas morning? That was Andy and I when we woke up at 5 a.m. on embarkation day. I couldn’t remember the last time I woke up to snow falling—giant snowflakes drifting lazily, almost in slow motion. Through the thick snowfall, we could […]
Two Days in Ushuaia After disembarking in Ushuaia, we squeezed into yet another tiny taxi and checked in at the Las Hayas Hotel, one of two hotels used by Aurora Expeditions for pre-voyage accommodation. This year our room had a better view, but still felt a bit like grandma’s attic with its dated decor. I […]
How to get from Torres del Paine to Ushuaia With a week to spare before our expedition, I initially had the ambitious idea of driving from Torres del Paine to Ushuaia. We had five days and according to Google Maps, it was 12 hours of driving (not including a ferry crossing. Taking a rental car […]
Eco Camp Patagonia After our stay at Hotel Las Torres, we checked into EcoCamp Patagonia for four nights, ready for something a little different: puma trekking. EcoCamp has a unique vibe—think hippy chic with macramé, dream catchers, and geodesic domes offering jaw-dropping views of the towers. Our dome had a wood-burning fireplace, but it […]
Hotel las Torres Torres del Paine, located in southern Chilean Patagonia, is a breathtaking national park known for its dramatic landscapes. The park features towering granite peaks, vast glaciers, crystal-clear lakes, and sweeping grasslands. Its iconic centrepiece is the three jagged granite towers (“Torres”) rising above turquoise glacial lakes. Despite booking almost nine months in […]
Getting to Puerto Natales Flights from Santiago to Puerto Natales depart at either 5 a.m. or 9 a.m., with no rental cars available directly at the Puerto Natales airport. This means you have to make a detour downtown to pick up a car—unfortunately in the opposite direction of Torres del Paine National Park. In the […]
Arriving in Santiago I splurged on a car service from the airport to avoid dealing with roaming charges and figuring out Spanish Uber after a 12-hour flight. Thirty minutes later, we pulled up at the Sheraton. It was nearly 5pm, and we were both craving burgers. After checking TripAdvisor, we found a well-rated spot […]