Punta Arenas (Chile) & Ushuaia - Fin del Mundo (the end of the world - Argentina)

Wednesday: We left Puerto Natales early morning however the journey to Punta Arenas is only two hours so it was to be a walk in the park for us by now! Upon arrival we swiftly made it to our Hostel – Hostel Costañera where we happy to find we had been upgraded to a private ensuite. The room was definitely one of the nicest we have stayed in yet and we felt right at home there following the very friendly welcome from the owner & her family. With only 2 nights here and the first part of today gone, we set about exploring town and, more importantly, finding a bar where we could watch the Leeds vs Spurs FA Cup replay over a couple of chilled beers. Fortunately we managed to find Lomit's, an American style bar, where they were happy to put the game on for us so we settled ourselves at the bar – unfortunately it wasn't the game we hoped for as Leeds lost!

Thursday: We relaxed in the morning and treated ourselves to more of the local steak before catching a boat from the port to Isla Magdalena - the local Penguin colony. This is an island situated in the Straits of Magellan that for the months of Jan – Apr is inhabited by ~ 50,000 penguins. We also caught up with Tom & Sarah on the boat, a couple we had met in El Calafate and in Torres Del Paine. The trip was really cool, and it was great to get up so close with the wildlife – they are even more hilarious than on TV. The round trip was around 5 hours with 4 hours spent getting there and back and 1 hour on the island. On the way back the crew treated us to a showing of 'March of the Penguins'!

That evening we went to dinner with Tom & Sarah to an all you can eat Chinese buffet – convincing ourselves we all deserved it after the Torres hike! We put away an impressive amount with several of the party clearing 5 plates each! With Tom being Welsh we set about arranging a get together to watch the 6 Nations opening weekend of games as we both set off for Ushuaia the next morning!

Friday: We set off on the dreaded journey to the bottom of the world early morning. The whole journey took about 12 hours and included the a boat crossing and the usual Chilean customs debacle. We arrived in Ushuaia late afternoon and were happy to discover Tom & Sarah had also booked in our hostel. However, on arrival to Casa Alba, we found she had overbooked and Tom & Sarah were carted off to a local 2 star hotel in town – the good thing was that they had cable TV which meant we could watch the games there if we struggled to find a suitable venue in town!

We all went out for dinner at a pizzeria which kind of turned into another all you can eat with empanadas, pizzas and pastas all being devoured. Lynne was delighted to find out that Sarah was a fellow white wine drinker and she was excited to have someone to share a bottle with.

Saturday: We spent the day searching for a suitable pub to watch the rugby and were disappointed to discover that the only option was the Galway Irish pub that was very overpriced and crippling to a traveller's budget!! Therefore, we went for the cheap option of a supermarket sweep for booze and empanadas and watched the games from the comfort of Tom & Sarah's hotel room. As you are all aware, it turned out to be a joyous occasion for the English!! Not so good for Tom and the Welsh nation. We continued the festivities into the evening but were unfortunate to have the worst meal of our lives in a TeleBingo cafe!! It was a truly awful steak sandwich.

Sunday: Having outlived our stay in Alba's and (Lynne) deciding we weren't going to camp in Tierra del Fuego National Park in this cold weather – we booked into the Los Lupinos Hostel and a dorm room trying to be kind to the budget. After the formalities we headed back round to meet up with Tom & Sarah to watch the Scotland game – unfortunately France were too strong. The afternoon was spent doing some local sight seeing, whilst in the evening all 4 of us ate back at our hostel as Tom & Sarah headed off the next day.

Monday: After an easy weekend of rugby and beers we headed off trekking out of the city into the Andes' foothills that surround the city. The easiest option was to walk the winding road up to the start of the ascent to the top. However in true fashion, David convinced Lynne it would be fine to follow some “dubious” forest paths. Soon enough we were lost walking through woodland before picking up a cross country ski path – in the winter when the area is covered in snow, this is a big sport in the region. We wound back & forth on these paths until we eventually heard the noise of a car and re-found the road – what Lynne called lost time, David called an experience! Continuing on the road, we made it to the bottom of a chairlift that took you to the top of a ski run from where you start the steep ascent to the glacier; we opted for walking and within 1.5 hours we had made it to the top. We were both excited to have the opportunity to play about in the snow line – the first time this trip! The walk afforded a great view over the city with thanks to some fantastic weather. By the time we had returned to the hostel we had been walking for 5.5 hours and so spent the remainder of the afternoon / evening relaxing with pots of tea and reading books.

I will also add here that since Uruguay we have taken to salami & cheese sandwiches in a big way. We can't recall many days thus far that we haven't visited a Fiambre where we've purchased a few(!) slices of both, constantly experimenting with the different types on offer. At the top of this hill, we believe we had the best so far. The salami was spiced, the cheese, Camembert in a crusty baguette. From now on we have set the task of discovering how to make the best 'Queso y Salame' sandwich possible!

Tuesday: We headed out on a boat tour on the Beagle Channel. The Beagle Channel is the water that Ushuaia sits on and which connects the Pacific & Atlantic Oceans. This was, of course, named after the boat which Fitzroy & Darwin sailed on in the 1830s when they explored the region. We went with a company called Tango Che, they proved a good choice splitting the 15 of us between two well sized boats.

The guides were good fun and very knowledgeable about the area and its wildlife. The trip took us out to the Eclaireurs Isles where stands a lighthouse built in the early 1900s that is a symbol of Ushuaia and the end of the world. Next the boat swings round to the neigbouring Alicia, Los Pajaros and Los Lobos Isles where we saw a large colony of Imperial & Magellan Cormorants – birds that look like penguins – Fullman & Giant Petrels, Skuas and many other species of marine birds and sea lions of course! The boats allow you to get really close to the wildlife...and the smell! In addition to these you see plenty of birds, and some of these birds are BIG!! Neither of us have ever been bird watchers – but after spending the last few weeks in Patagonia it is difficult not to develop an interest. We have seen numerous vultures, hawks, albatrosses and even eagles amongst the many different species. Seeing these birds, which sometimes span to over 2m in width, fly overhead is amazing to witness.

After visiting the sea lions the guides took us to Bridges Island where we took a brief walk during which the guide explained the way of life of the Yamanas – the indigenous people pf the area – and also the local plants. This was really interesting, especially learning of the Yamana people. They were nomadic and wore no clothes – crazy to think of that in these climates – but this was possible as they had evolved with a body temperature of 37.5 degC – a temperature which is classed as fever to us! They moved from shore to shore and camped with only a tent of sea lion skin to protect them. It is fascinating to think of the first encounter between Europeans and these people and the gulf of difference between them. It is sad to hear that today there is only one pure blood Yamana still alive, an 85 yr old lady. The guide showed us campsites they used, identifiable by large mounds of earth called “concheros” produced by shell deposits of the numerous oyster they ate whose shells they stacked up to give some protection against the wind.

After returning to the boat we headed back for port enjoying a few glasses of the local Beagle pale ale – David made up for fact that no-one on the boat had seconds and enjoyed several extra glasses with the crew!!

After the trip we enjoyed a couple more drinks but unfortunately which sent us to sleep quite easily until........we were awoken by a fellow room mate (a 50yr old Japanese chap) who snored like a train! It was a sleepless night for both of us and we looked forward to checking out and moving onto our private room in our third & final hostel in Ushuaia!

Wednesday: We moved into La Posta and were delighted with the place! A really nice hostel with great rooms, facilities & staff, one we would definitely recommend – and who serve the most amazing sweet croissants we have ever tasted! They even got a fresh delivery for us even though we missed breakfast – we showed how appreciative we were by putting away 10 of them!! A trend that would continue the next few mornings! After letting the food go down we headed to the Museo 'Fin del Mundo' in town. Although it had some interesting items it was fairly small and the layout could be improved but we enjoyed the hit of culture anyhow. With a bit of time to kill we visited a local deli and spent some time trying and choosing the local salami, jamon crudo and cheeses to put together a tapas platter for dinner – so far we are torn between strong smoked or Camembert cheese for the sandwiches!

Thursday: After deciding to avoid the national park – Tierra del Fuego - earlier in the week, we spent today hiking around it. We took the local bus there and were disappointed when we discovered how expensive it was! Nevertheless we opted for one of the longer coastal walks that took us about 3 hours before we added on an extra bit by one of the lagoons. The area was quite beautiful and reminded us both of Parque Tyrona in Colombia but in a much colder climate – especially the deserted beaches. Tierra del Fuego translates as The Land of Fires and relates to the fact that when the first Europeans arrived they saw lots of plumes of smoke rising into the air from the campsites of the Yamana and other tribes. After a satisfying trek, we treated ourselves to more of the Argentinian steak & Malbec for a change.

Friday: The day we have been dreading had arrived! Today we journey to Puerto Madryn which is way north on the east coast of Argentina. To get there we had to be leave on the 05:00 bus to Rio Gallegos that takes 13 hours – mainly due to the fact the bus has to pass through Chile and we've talked about what a pain their border controls are! This was followed by 4 hours waiting in the bus station in Rio Gallegos before catching the 18 hour over night bus to Puerto Madryn.

Parque Nacional Torres del Paine. 5 Day Hike: The Marriage Maker or Breaker.

So Friday morning we were up early, packs ready, thermals on awaiting the 7.30am bus. Bill (the hostel owner) sent us off with a hearty breakfast of omelette and homemade bread and we boarded the bus wondering what the next few days would have in store for us.

In true Henderson style we decided to make life a bit harder for ourselves by adding an extra bit to the first day's walk. So we were dropped off by the bus at the Sede Administration CONAF office at the bottom of the park where we would walk (17.5km) round Lake Pehoe to Refugio Grande rather than taking the 30 minute Catamaran journey across the lake, like most of the others on our bus. This was a beautiful walk which starts crossing the flat plains leading up to the mountain ranges and lakes, from afar this allowed us a glimpse of what lay ahead of us and as we neared the lake this built up into an exciting picture of the terrain and scenery we would face.


We reached the first Refugio around 3pm and allowed ourselves a generous 1 hr lunch break before we started the hike to Glacier Grey campsite. The weather had been very kind to us that morning, with beautiful blue skies, however, as we finished our sandwiches and prepared to set off for the afternoon the weather broke and the heavens opened, lashing us with wind and rain. Luckily this didn't last too long and the sun made a welcome return as we continued our climb to the glacier. The paths were well marked but the terrain was mixed, at some points we were walking through muddy woodland paths, while at others we were marching across streams and scaling boulders. The hard work was rewarded with some truly stunning views of Glacier Grey on route. We made it to the campsite about 7.30pm, both tired and hungry. We quickly pitched the tent before succumbing to a hot shower, this was not a great idea - as soon as we were out the shower the cold, icy air hit and we were chilled to the bone. We brewed up on our stove and quickly discovered, tea has never tasted so good as when you are camping next to a glacier and can't feel your fingers and toes from the cold! Then we got on with preparing our pasta and sauce dinner, which disappeared within seconds! We were both shattered after the 7 ½ hrs of walking that day so it wasn't long before we were ensconced in our sleeping bags ready for bed. Unfortunately though, neither of us was to get much sleep that night, camping next to a glacier is pretty chilly and we were both awoke several times throughout the night trying in vain to warm up cold hands, feet, noses, etc!

Finally morning came and we were up and on our way again, after a satisfying bowl of porridge and a cuppa! David wasn't so keen on the porridge, luckily Lynne was ready and waiting to finish of the leftovers! We walked the 3 ½ hrs back down the trail to the Lake where we prepared and ate another exciting lunch of pasta and sauce, then we began the shorter (2hr), and considerably easier, walk to Los Italianos campsite at the foot of the Valle de Francés. The campsite was spread across some woodland and we found a sheltered spot not too far from the river (our water supply for the day). After pitching the tent we got on with cooking up some rice and vegetables before we heading off to bed, hoping for a bit more sleep than the previous night. Unfortunately, once again it was a chilly night, particularly for David, whose 'summer' weather sleeping bag wasn't really up to the job.

We got up early and set off on the climb through the Valle de Francés. The first hour was a steep climb over boulders and through forest trails. We were making good timing until we lost the path at a river crossing, instead of cutting over the river we headed up the bank, we walked about 20 minutes uphill before we agreed that this probably wasn't the correct route. We weren't too sure where we had lost the path but didn't think it could be too far away, so we found a bit of high ground to scan the area from, thinking we could see the path we cut across some shrubbery to find just another stream, it was at this point that David noticed some large, recently made paw prints, the evidence seemed to suggest that this was a watering hole for one of the park's resident pumas, so we quickly scarpered, retracing our steps until we finally found the point where we had lost the path and rejoined it, with hearts racing, not daring to think of what might have happened had we run into Mr Puma!!

The last half of the trail was less steep and we found our way to the Mirador where we could enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the snow capped mountainous landscape.

We then headed back down the trail to the campsite where we took the tent down, cooked a quick lunch then made our way (2hrs) to Los Cuernos campsite, a beautiful walk along the coast of the lake. This was Lynne's favourite campsite as it offered the opportunity to have a hot shower in clean bathrooms and then enjoy numerous cups of tea from continuously topped up thermoses in a cosy common area, with a wood burning stove providing much needed heat! After two fairly sleepless nights we decided to hire and extra sleeping bag from the Refugio (for about £4) which we used to sleep on providing some further insulation from the cold ground. We sat drinking tea for a few hours, chatting to some Californians, who were about twice our age and fairly hardcore walkers, the W was merely a walk in the park for them (although I hasten to add they weren't enduring the hardship of camping!!). We then retired to our tent where we huddled in our sleeping bags, considerably warmer than previous evenings and listened to the winds outside. You could hear the wind as it started out on the lake and built up as it blew inland through the forest, bracing yourself for it to hit your tent. Thanks to David's legendary Duke of Edinburgh skills our tent survived the night and we awoke early to find ourselves bathed in sunshine and beautiful blue skies.

We hit the trail around 8, after some more of that delicious porridge and started the 11km trek which would take us to the foot of the Torres. We stopped off for a short break before beginning the steep 4.9km climb to Torres campsite, pausing for a hour to cook lunch halfway up at Refugio Chileno. The climb up to Chileno is the steepest part of this climb and when we finally reached the peak of our climb we were met with gale force winds which blew us into the mountain face and made moving forwards even more of a challenge. We were glad to have our walking poles to dig into the ground and help us progress along the track to the Refugio. Once again we were afforded outstanding views – this time of the Valle Ascencio. The final part of the day's trek was just an hour's walk to the campsite, this was considerably easier than the first part of the walk as we were sheltered from the winds by woodland and the terrain was far flatter. We reached camp early after approx 5 ¼ hours of tough hiking. We pitched the tent and brewed up before our meal of packet rice and vegetables. We were due to get up before sunrise the next day to trek to the Mirador to watch the sunrise on the Torres so we were in bed by 6pm, fully clothed in all our layers!

We woke at 4am and along with a number of other campers began the 1hr climb to the Mirador. We were behind another walker and followed him for most of the way until we realised that he had veered off the path leading us and another German couple. It was pitch dark and with our limited torchlight we couldn't find our way back to the path. We ended up in some forest and managed to locate a clearing where we had a good view of the Torres, so it was there that we sat and awaited sunrise and the snow started to fall around us! Sadly, the snow meant that the three Torres were shrouded in clouds and there was to be no beautiful sunrise turning them into the red towers seen on so many postcards. Once the sun was up we could easily see the path and were surprised by how far into the forest we had strayed, we quickly found a more direct route back to the path and headed up to the viewing point we had intended to reach a few hours earlier. Despite the clouds the Torres are still are remarkable and imposing view and we enjoyed a few moments taking in the wonder of our surroundings.

On our return to camp we dismantled the tent for the last time and quickly packed and set off on the 50 min walk back to Chileno where we would make breakfast and enjoy some tea and coffee in the warm dining room there. Then it was downhill for most of the way back! We took our time and enjoyed the walk and some victory banter reaching the bottom of the trek by midday. A popular game was to think of classic marching rhymes – David wanted to record some of his favourite in this blog, but with a threat of a divorce he has decided not to.

As the bus wasn't until 2.30 we decided we had time to walk the 7km round to the bus stop instead of waiting for the shuttle bus, however Lynne's legs disputed this decision and her pace slowed to that of a toddler, when a kindly mini bus driver slowed and offered us a lift for a measly 1000 Chilean pesos we leapt at the chance and bundled in. The sun was out by this point so after being dropped off we both slept, basking in the sunlight until the bus arrived ending our siestas.

We stayed at a B&B for our final night in Puerto Natales and we were so pleased to be returning to a private double room, with en suite, heating and cable TV!! After some well earned pizza, empanadas, beer and wine we crashed out, enjoying the luxury of a mattress and central heating system!!

The W walk was undoubtedly a highlight for both of us. The scenic views make the physical challenges worth the effort! Camping and lugging all your stuff round in your packs does make this all the harder but the campsites are beautiful and we felt it added to the experience overall (particularly for Lynne whose pack was only half the size of David's!!).

Puerto Natales (part 1) and El Calafate.

After eventually disembarking we made our way to the Erratic Rock 1 Hostel where we had our reservation. This turned out to be a great little place with fantastic staff headed by Bill & Paul. It's a really cosy hostel with a well-equipped kitchen and busy social area. The only dampener was that the double room we had was freezing at night because the heater was broken much to Lynne's dismay!! The hostel also has a hiking shop attached that puts on a free talk every day at 15:00 which covers everything you need to know about hiking around the Torres Del Paine National Park – the reason we are here!!! That night we cooked and enjoyed a casserole (the meat here is almost as good & cheap as in Argentina) whilst chatting with other guests about their stay and more importantly their experiences hiking around the Park. We decided to go to El Calafate first to see the Perito Morreno Glaciar before getting on our rucksacks & hiking boots and entering the park.

Tuesday: After booking our bus for El Calafate on Wednesday, the rest of the day was spent doing some admin tasks – booking buses (for Ushuaia and Punta Arenas) and hiring the necessary gear for the hike in the National Park.

Wednesday: An early morning bus took us back in to Argentine and El Calafate – the base town for visits to the very touristy Perito Morreno Glacier. After a bit of a error in our logistical planning we managed to get a bus to take us to the Glacier that afternoon within half an hour of arriving to ensure we could return to Puerto Natales the next day. Fortunately for us the staff at Hostel Buenos Aires (where we stayed) were absolutely fantastic and sorted out everything for us. (We should also add that the room was great – we were upgraded for no extra cost to an en-suite). The Parque Nacional Los Glaciares is fairly vast with several hikes and boats excursions amongst other activities available. However, the main attraction is Perito Moreno and this is all we had time to see. What makes the Perito Moreno special is, (like the Pio XI glacier,) that it is still advancing, up to 2 metres per day, while most of the world's other glaciers are receding. Having had the opportunity to visit Pio XI on the Navimag ferry we weren't too sure what to expect but the glacier really is a treat to visit, it's enormous and the park really gives you a chance to appreciate the sheer scale of it. Walking round the many walkways opposite we witnessed the constant creaks and groaning of the ice and even saw several large chunks of ice breaking off and crashing into the water below. A fascinating natural event, one that made the whole trip here worthwhile. That evening we strolled round town enjoying a few local empanadas and purchasing some more of the famed beef fillet from the butchers. WOW......we both agree that the steak we cooked that night was probably one of the best we have ever had – if not the best – it melted in the mouth like butter!!! The meat is so good it makes even David think he is a world class chef!! There were two other British couples staying in the hostel that evening – also cooking steak! After dinner we all sat around chatting, discussing travel plans and getting advice on our upcoming hike around Torres Del Paine.

We took the bus back to Puerta Natales the following day, once again facing the arduous customs system to enter back into Chile. We arrived around 10pm so headed straight to bed to get as much sleep as possible before we hit the park!

Puerto Montt and the 4 day Navimag trip down the Chilean Fjords to Puerto Natales.

Thursday: The bus journey to Puerto Montt in Chile took approx 8 hours – longer than expected due to the Chilean border crossing. As we found out, the Chilean Envionmental Department are extremely thorough (i.e. ridiculously so) in controlling food products across the border. We must have been at the border for over an hour during which every bag was put through an airport type scanner and a declaration form was filled in stating what food & drink substances you were carrying. With no idea of this we shed a few food items prior to crossing.

So we arrived in Puerto Montt and checked into Casa Perla – a cute little B&B. Perla was the perfect host and we were soon out exploring the town. To be honest the town doesn't offer much to do, but the countryside offers much more including horse riding, hiking and other outdoor activities. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time for any of these activities as we were catching the Navimag ferry the next day; so we settled for a walk along the sea front instead.

Friday: We had to board at 14:30 and so had the morning to relax with the rest of the passengers in the town's harbour & fish markets whilst basking in the splendid sunshine. We were very excited about the ferry journey and were enjoying the day until we noticed Lynne's passport had been swiped from her handbag. With only 20mins before boarding both our hearts sunk and were understandably shaken. Luckily upon retracing our steps we spotted the passport discarded in some bushes only a few metres away. We realised Lynne had been targeted by some pickpockets (two middle aged ladies) who we had thought were gossiping and walking slowly in front of us, we now know what they were doing was purposely separating the two of us before making the grab. Fortunately for us, they must have decided that the passport was of little use to them and ,perhaps after hearing Lynne's shouts, decided to throw it in the undergrowth next to the walkway. So we boarded with hearts racing and feeling very relieved indeed!!

Moving on, the first day on board was really pleasant, the weather was stunning as we set out to sea down the Fjords. We had booked 2 bunks in a room of 4 and shared with two Italians neither of whom spoke English or Spanish – but they were cheery enough people and by the fact all of us had brought on board plenty of wine we developed a mutual respect for each other. The boat was an old cargo ship that now transports tourists around the Chilean Fjords. There were plenty of Europeans on board mixed amongst Chileans and some North Americans. All announcements were in Spanish and English and the crew were all young and good fun. Instead of describing the route each day we have attached a rough map of the route (best we could find on the internet). If you want more information the website is http://www.navimag.com/.

The day was spent on top deck with the majority of passengers enjoying the sun or reading books in the bar / lunge area. The evening was spent in the bar playing cards, chess and mixing with the other passengers over some wine!!

Saturday: After a good breakfast (all meals are served in a canteen – decent quality in-fact!) the day was again spent walking around the decks enjoying the scenery and wildlife. This was enhanced by a very lively presentation by the crew on native Patagonian wildlife. By the afternoon however, the weather had closed in and we were to enter the Pacific Ocean from 14:00 after passing through Bahia Anna Pink into the Golfo de Penas. The crew warned us that the conditions would become very choppy and it is advised to take sea sickness tablets. Lynne was the first of the Hendersons to be affected and went for an afternoon nap to recover, much like a number of other passengers. David meanwhile (one never to have been affected by sea sickness) was in the Bridge with the captain and on the front of the top deck enjoying the experience of just how humbling the ocean can be! The waves at times crashed over the front of the lower deck and the size of waves very daunting. However, by dinner time the tables were turned as David started to feel a bit green, by that time Lynne was feeling much better as the sea sickness tablet had taken affect! David for once couldn't finish a meal and went to bed with a tablet! He certainly wasn't the only one and a number of people had to be carried off to bed after being revisiting by their dinner in the corridors and toilets of the ship! By about 9pm the ship was deserted as almost all the ship's passengers had retired to their cabins attempting to sleep through the very choppy conditions!! We found ourselves sliding down the beds constantly as the ship rocked forwards, backwards and sidewards!

Sunday: The ship awoke in calm conditions once more after escaping the Pacific ocean through the Angostura Inglesa. The views were fantastic today and it felt like you were a million miles from any civilisation amongst the many inhabited isles of the region. After an informative (!) talk by the staff about glaciers, the boat took a detour northwards to treat the passengers to up close and personal visit of the largest Glacier in the Southern Ice Field of Southern America – 'Pio XI' (The 11th Pope). This was truly a staggering sight which left everyone speechless. This topped off a day of seeing lots of wildlife including dolphins, sea lions and many of the regions birds.

The final evening on board was a bit of a party and included a brief staff Karaoke before a game of Bingo. During the game, the booze was flowing and with every winning line the lucky contestant had to dance in front of all the room. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for all involved Lynne was one number away from winning the star prize!! We hit the dance floor as expected and after being completely embarrassed by some Chilean dancers we decided to call it a night!

Monday: The final part of the journey took us through the Golfo Almte Montt and was enjoyed on the deck with most of the other passengers trying to clear our hazy heads. The final leg into Puerto Natales is in a truly breathtaking setting, surrounded by huge dramatic snow capped mountains and vast plains of arid land.

In summary, we had a great time aboard the Navimag and really enjoyed the opportunity to see very rarely travelled waters and coast line. At times eerie, beautiful, scary and simply breathtaking it had a bit of everything. The staff were great, everyone on board was there to enjoy it and have a good time and the food wasn't half bad. Although more pricey than travelling by road we thoroughly enjoyed it!!