The Grand Finale In the afternoon, we made our way to Saunders Island. Another wet zodiac ride brought us ashore, where we encountered a massive gentoo penguin colony right at the landing site. Walking a bit farther, we discovered grazing sheep and Magellanic penguins burrowing into the hillside. The orange route markers made it resemble […]
Not the Typical Beach Day In the afternoon, we had two options. The first was a 6km, one-way hike to Sandebugten, which was promoted as being even more difficult than the Shackleton walk, and promised no wildlife. The second option was a more relaxed walk along the beach, with the chance to explore a gentoo […]
A Sad Day for Wildlife In the afternoon, we moved to Gold Harbour, home to a massive King Penguin colony. Last year, Gold Harbour was the highlight of our expedition—the weather had been perfect, and the sheer number of penguins was overwhelming. Nothing could live up to that day. With Gold Harbour closed for landings […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]