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Fin del mundo: PatagoniaFin del mundo: Patagonia
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Fin del mundo: Patagonia

January - February 2024
Well, I'm not technically going all the way to the "world's end" at Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost part of South America and only a 1100 km from Antarctica. But close enough 😉 Read more

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  • Argentina
  • Chile
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Backpacking, Sports
  • 3.8kkilometers traveled
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  • Flight1,025kilometers
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  • 18footprints
  • 29days
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  • annalovestravelingFin del mundo: Patagonia
    Day 2

    Who needs luggage, anyway?

    January 16, 2024 in Chile ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    15.01. 9:00 (CET) 🇩🇪
    And it begins! I spent the weekend with my parents and dad kindly drives me to the airport. We calculate more time than usual, as today is the last day of the farmer's protests that in the last week blocked many streets and motorways all over Germany. Luckily, today they seem to be concentrated in Berlin.
    15.01. 11:15 (CET) 🇩🇪
    I'm at the gate waiting for my flight to take off from Frankfurt. I still have two hours left.
    15.01. 23:15 (CET) 🇨🇦
    First layover: Toronto. I have plenty of time and no hussel, as all I have to do is scan my passport at the automatized check point and walk to my gate (where all German passports are for some reason checked manually as well). My next flight takes off at 00:50.
    16.01. 11:20 (CET) 🇨🇱
    I made it to Chile! I now have a longer layover at Santiago, more than enough time to go through migration, duty control and get my luggage, which I have to drop off manually, as I'm changing to a different airline now. Migration is super relaxed (I almost dare to join the official who is half-dancing to reggaeton music in his booth), then I'm being stopped as a dog detects the smell of an apple in my bag (I ate it shortly before landing to not cause any problems). They let me through. My luggage, however, is nowhere to be seen. Upon request I am told that it got "delayed" and will be delivered to me hopefully within two days. I sincerely hope it'll be quicker, since I only have one day before starting a 5-day hike. I'm glad I took the very basics for this hike with me in my cabin luggage, but still, not having the rest would be pretty inconvenient and potentially rather cold.
    16.01. 17:45 (CET) 🇨🇱
    After chilling with a nice coffee in the sun in between terminals, flight no.3 takes off. The views really compensate for the stress of losing my luggage.
    16.01. 21:00 (CET) 🇨🇱
    3,5 hours in the plane and a 20 min cab ride later, I finally get to Punta Arenas. Local time is 17:00, so I still have a few hours to go before going to sleep.    Read more

  • annalovestravelingFin del mundo: Patagonia
    Day 2

    Punta Arenas

    January 16, 2024 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Once in Punta Arenas, I go out for a little walk and a trip to the supermarket. A guy at the hostel recommends Kisko Roca, apparently the place to go for Choripan with banana milk. Turns out it's also a great place to meet people. After a chat with a guy from Puerto Montt, I'm approached by Manuel, who is from town and offers to show me around.Read more

  • annalovestravelingFin del mundo: Patagonia
    Day 3

    Monumento Natural Los Pingüinos

    January 17, 2024 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Patagonia is one of the few places in the world to see wild penguins. The most accessible option on my route is Isla Magdalena, 35km from Punta Arenas. It is home to hundreds of Magellan penguins (in addition to many many seagulls). We're lucky and see also Sei whales (a pretty rare species) and sea lions.
    Despite having to fight strong wind gusts, it is great watching those the penguins wobble around. Especially their social behavior is really interesting. They are very territorial and (mostly) monogamous. When they feel like their territory is threatened, they make a noise that reminds of a donkey. For communicating with each other they use different sounds. Teenage penguins (up to 3-5 years of age), are nomads. Once sexually mature, they mate at the location of their first encounter, where they meet their "spouse" once a year for the purpose of procreating and raising their babies. In between they spend about six months apart.    Read more

  • annalovestravelingFin del mundo: Patagonia
    Day 3

    Up towards Puerto Natales

    January 17, 2024 in Chile ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    Right from the pier where we arrive after the penguin tour, I need to get to my bus to Puerto Natales. It's almost one hour later than the scheduled return, so I make it just in time. At the bus stop I meet Julia, who flew over directly after her sabbatical in New Zealand, but which due to her late arrival and my early tour I haven't been able to greet yet. From here on we'll be travelling together.
    It's fascinating to see the landscape change from bare, flat steppe to a slightly more hilly area with at least a few dry trees. On our way we see lots of sheep, ostriches and guanacos (a type of lama), but not much in terms of civilization.
    Tomorrow we will start the W-trek through Torres del Paine, a 5-day hike alongside emerald rivers and monumental glaciers. The trek will be 80 km in total.
    To make up for the missing items from my luggage ( I will not get it back in time before starting the hike) I still need to by two shirts, a pair of socks and rent a pair of rain pants. Everything else must just be dispensable - I don't really have another choice. Although I don't even have everything, it is still a lot of stuff and packing up for day 1 (where we will not need to carry all our stuff) takes some time.    Read more

  • annalovestravelingFin del mundo: Patagonia
    2
    Day 4

    Torres del Paine Day 1

    January 18, 2024 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Start -> Base Torres -> Refugio Central
    ➡️20,9km ↗️1.113m 🕙7:47h 🌞🌬🌧

    At 7 am a bus takes us in two hours to the entrance of the national park. We register and take a shuttle to the welcome center, from where it's just a few steps to Refugio Central. We can leave our backpacks there, as we will come back to spend the night. But since the whether is unpredictable and we have 8 hours of hiking in front of us, we still carry several kilos of clothes, food and water up the mountain.
    We are lucky: during the first part of the hike is sunny and even warm, with a pleasant and relatively easy ascent. The closer we get to the peak, the steeper, rockier and windier it gets. For our lunch up at Base Torres, with a view at the name-giving rock towers, we put on all the layers of clothes we brought.
    We booked a package deal for our hike, including all the accommodation as well as food (the price is almost the same as booking everything individually and without food, but you avoid hours of clicking through a very confusing website and hoping that you won't get stuck with only have the accommodation spots you need). We expected rather basic dorms and uninspired food, but are pleasantly surprised: the dorms are large and have huge windows with a view at the Torres, the showers run with hot water. For dinner we get soup, black beans and frittata (non-vegetarian main course is salmon) and a dessert. Even the lunch boxes are good, with a grilled-vegetable burger as sandwich.    Read more

  • annalovestravelingFin del mundo: Patagonia
    2
    Day 5

    Torres del Paine Day 2

    January 19, 2024 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Refugio Central - Los Cuernos - Refugio Francés
    ➡️16,9km ↗️566m 🕙6:19h 🌬🌧

    Today is supposed to be an easy day, so we take our time at breakfast and join our neighbor Lorie for some chair yoga. Then we start to make our way through wide grass lands before we follow the path along Nordernskjöld lake. We were told that today's hike was going to be flat, but we soon realize that is only true for the first few kilometers, whereas especially the last section to get to Refugio Francés is really steep. Combined with the constant wind and rain, as well as the focus required to balance over the rocks covering the floor and sometimes to cross one of the many streams that interrupt our path, we struggle to keep our energy and motivation up until the end.
    Tonight we stay inside a "dome", which from the outside looks a kibble like a plastic iglu. Inside it is cozy and warm, we even have an oven that we fire up for a little while. Besides that the domo comfortably fits your bunk beds (8 people, two toilets and two showers.    Read more

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  • annalovestravelingFin del mundo: Patagonia
    Day 6

    Torres del Paine Day 3

    January 20, 2024 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Refugio Francés - Valle Francés - Refugio Paine Grande
    ➡️22,7km ↗️812m 🕙9:39h 🌞☁️🌬

    The shaking of our domo during the night tells us that today will be windy. But at least there is no more rain in sight, so we start the longest of all our hiking days with new motivation and surprisingly still fresh muscles (probably thanks to our daily potassium/magnesium dose).
    We hike up the "French" Valley through a calm forest to the two viewpoints Mirador Francés and Mirador Británico, all the while accompanied by the sound of the wind and the Francés river as well as the thunder of cracking ice on falling from the glacier above us. We are very fortunate to have good weather conditions: the day before a storm and snowfall caused warnings not to go all the way up to the second viewpoint, as the path is steep, rocky and exposed.
    Still the physically demanding trail that again takes us over rock fields and through even larger streams takes its toll. The last three kilometers to Refugio Paine Grande my legs are screaming - they just cannot be heard through the wind. Our complimentary welcome beer with Mike and Gab is well deserved.    Read more

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  • annalovestravelingFin del mundo: Patagonia
    Day 7

    Torres del Paine Day 4

    January 21, 2024 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Paine Grande - Glaciar Grey - Refugio Grey
    ➡️19,2km ↗️807m 🕙7:20h 🌞🌬🌬

    The first half of today's program is relatively easy with a flatter path and less rocks. However, the fight with the almost 90 km/h wind consumes energy. At the first lookout at Grey Glacier it gets even stronger, such that it's hard to stay on your feet.
    We make it to Refugio Grey in just 3:15h, leave part of our stuff there and after a quick cereal bar head out to get a closer look at the Glacier with its 30m thick ice fiend from two hanging bridges. Even the probably less than 1% of the area that's visible from here is enormous!
    We spend the evening with the crew we've been gathering since day 1.    Read more

  • annalovestravelingFin del mundo: Patagonia
    1
    Day 8

    Torres del Paine Day 5

    January 22, 2024 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    ➡️11km ↗️443m 🕙4:00h 🌞🌞🌬 (to be completed)

    Last day of the W-trek. All we have to do is walk back to Paine Grande, which feels like a easy stroll now. Before that, I check out the viewpoint close to Refugio Grey. I find myself right in front of a small iceberg, which must be at least 4-5m high (and even higher a few minutes earlier, when a large cube broke off - on the picture lying right in the middle).
    From Paine Grande, a boat takes us over Pehoé lake to Pudeto, where our bus back to Puerto Natales is already waiting.    Read more

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