Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Tues 13/3
As well as looking at flights to go to my next destination I had also been giving thought to booking the Navimag ferry which takes you north through the Chilean fjords in Patagonia. Several people had recommended it to me as a good way to travel north and I knew I wanted to take it. I needed to decide when to book it for as it leaves every Tuesday morning from a place called Puerto Natales. Booking the next week's boat may mean I would have to rush but booking the week after would mean I may be hanging around waiting for it- Patagonia is of course not a bad place to hang around as it's so beautiful but it's also expensive. After thinking about it I decided to get it booked for next week before I left so I would know I had a place on it and also could get 10% discount. The flight to El Calafate was short, only about an hour. The views were good until the clouds covered it all up! I went from the airport to the bus station and booked the bus to get to El Chaltén- luckily there was space on the 4.30 bus which gave me enough time to get a late lunch but also meant I wouldn't arrive too late. The views on the way to El Chaltén were great especially as you approach El Chaltén and can see the mountains of Fiztroy and Cerro Torre, we were lucky it was a clear day so we had amazing views approaching the village.
Thurs 15/3
I'm writing whilst sat on the bus between El Chaltén and El Calafate- 2 top destinations in Argentinian Patagonia- the views along this road are stunning. It's mountainous on both sides but there is a massive lake on one side too and some flat land between the road and the mountains which are also snow-capped on one side. I went to El Chaltén as I had been recommended it as a place for doing some hiking as it has a variety of accessible day and long or short hikes and having spoken to a fellow British traveller in Arica (north of Chile) who had travelled extensively in Argentinean and Chilean trekking areas and describing my poor level of fitness and he said this would be a good area for me to visit. To be honest it would have been worth coming just for the views on the bus journey (only 3 hours) but I am also happy to report that I did a hike yesterday and it was great! I was exhausted after 6 hours hiking, which is a lot for me! But it was so worth it :-) I was really fortunate as my luck seemed to continue with the weather and I had a perfect day for it. It was windy at times which is normal for this area but blue skies and sunshine, making for great photos with the white of the glaciers against the bright blue sky!
I chatted to the hostel staff who helped me decide on a hike, well there were 2 possibilities they recommended but I knew it was possible (well likely) that I wouldn't be able to do 2 hikes in a row, but it sounds like the one I did had the best overall scenery. I got a bus transfer to the start of the hike and have to say when I saw the sign saying it was 17km away I was a bit shocked, I didn't realise I was going so far! The trail was a nice path through the woods along the riverbed that at regular intervals had a clear view of the mountains, which changed all the time depending on the angle of the view. I rounded a curve on the path and had my first look at the mountains and glacier- wow is what I thought! My favourite on that part of the walk was the seeing a small bright blue lake below the glacier called Piedras Blancas. I took 3 hours to walk the first part of the trail. As I walked I was getting closer and closer to Mount Fitzroy, the biggest peak I think and at the end of that path you end up kind of below it. At that point there is a hike up to a lake which I think is below the actual peaks but I knew I'd never make it and had never planned on it, far too steep. I was more than happy with the views I had had on the way there :-) The walk down took another 3 hours and on the way you can walk to a lake called Laguna Capri. This was also beautiful with the mountains and glaciers in the background. The trail also gave views into the valley. The scenery was just stunning and I'm really glad I did the hike, despite the aching legs. (approx. 18km, a lot for me!)
After a shower (although what I really wanted was a bath for my aching muscles but no such luxury in hostels!) I went out for a really nice dinner (where I met a couple of ladies who are also taking the Navimag next week) Afterwards I chatted to a Russian guy from my dorm, who spoke really good English and Spanish. We talked in Spanish which was good as apart from chatting to some Spanish guys on the bus on the way to El Chalten I don't feel like I've had much chance to chat in Spanish recently and have missed speaking it. I also discovered I may now like red wine, I have never liked it before but tried a little and I thought it was ok. Maxim however said that it wasn't a good wine! So though I had allowed 2 days in El Chaltén I don't think my legs would have coped with another hike and the weather wasn't great when I got up so I decided I would get the bus back to El Calafate at 1pm. I had a wander in the village which is small but lovely. Then back at the hostel I chatted with some other travellers and it was soon time for my bus.
I have a bit of a schedule at the moment because I am taking the Navimag ferry on Tuesday (boarding Monday night). Not my favourite way to travel and in a way it feels like I am rushing here a bit as I thought I might have to but there is a lot of trekking in this area which I am just not capable of doing and it's too expensive to hang around not doing much else. I have loved what I have seen so far though and I'm really looking forward to going to see the Perito Moreno glacier tomorrow- it's huge and everyone who has seen it says it is amazing!
- comments