Category Archives: Chile 2020

Pichilemu, Navidad und Maipo – some sun and virus panic

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Our actual destination after the Conguillio National Park are the surfing and bathing beaches in Pichilemu and Navidad. However, since we still have no replacement for our canceled return flight and StaTravel still has no further information, we try to contact Iberia directly in the next largest city, Concepción. It even works and we get a new return flight one week before the planned return date. We just hope that Chile does not decide to close its borders completely within 3 days after the entry ban. When shopping afterwards, the fear of the corona virus is slowly becoming clearer. Many people wear face masks and some shelves in Wallmart’s actually huge assortment are cleared (including toilet paper …).

Still relieved by the new return flight, we continue to Pichilemu to watch the surfers, who insanely climb around a cliff and thus venture into the waves or are pulled out on the open sea with a jet ski approx. 300m. We also actually had a surf course on the list, but just on that day, the government of Chile issued an exit warning and most shops are closed. Even the nice baker from whom we get the last bread explains that he only opens every other day …

The next bad news is not long in coming, Iberia gets the next cancellation of our flight back while walking on the actually pretty beach of Pichilemu. This time the flight from Madrid to Munich is affected. Well, we now know how to do it, call and book again right away. Since we don’t hope for much more from the rest of the places due to the exit warning, we also ask for an earlier flight. Unfortunately in vain and so we get a new flight for the same day with 9 hours in Madrid. Not exactly great, but at least something.

We spend the evening with a couple of bottles of wine with a German-Austrian couple in their American motorhome, which they bought in Chile and looks like they were in the 70s. The next morning we continue to Navidad; there is less surfing, but more swimming, but here too the weather lets us down. The morning mist that is common in this region simply does not want to subside and there is no improvement in sight for the next few days.

And how could it be otherwise, the next cancellation of Iberia will be via email. We can rebook again, but only for a flight two days later and the situation is slowly becoming a bit ghostly. Because the government announces increasingly stringent measures (including a night curfew) and we have also lost confidence in Iberia. Even the nice lady on the service phone says that she would not risk staying in the country for so long, more and more airports are closing down …

The next day, in order to be at the airport as quickly as possible, we leave Navidad in the direction of the Maipo Valley. From here we can bring the van back within 45 minutes and the weather should also be better. It is, but the corona virus is becoming more and more present. Everywhere people with face masks, block handling at supermarkets, campsites and national parks are closed and many people no longer trust the door. Who should blame them for an outbreak like in Europe or Asia would probably not even be able to cope with the health system. That’s why we book a new return flight regardless of Iberia, so on the one hand we have a trump card when something is canceled, at the same time the tickets are all refundable until shortly before departure (Corona now has at least something good Winking smile)

Even if the flight search is a bit nerve-wracking, we can still enjoy the warm, sunny weather in the valley and fill up with a little vitamin D before we go to Santiago on Monday evening – 6 days before the end – and return the camper . After a last nice chat with Danny – who can’t believe that we saw 5 pumas and is really happy about our Corona six-pack – we set off to fly back to Germany via Toronto. 33 hours of travel time and we are really beginning to wonder if we will ever be able to get back from a vacation without disasters…

Pucon – Seven lakes and on an active vulcaon

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sorry only google translate…

The ferry across Lago Pirahuelco runs along the (private) organic reserve Huilo Huilo, which we actually want to visit. During the ferry we are approached twice to our camper and even invited by a nice older man to his home in Pucon. When we arrive at the visitor center of the reserve, it turns out that the rivers that feed the waterfalls – the main attraction of the park – have dried up, so we drive – in bad weather – directly to Panguipulli, the starting point for the Chilean version of a seven-lake -Trip.

Now we are really caught up with Corona, because our return flight is canceled and it remains unclear in the course of the next few days who is now organizing a new one for us. StaTravel – our travel agency – does not take action and does not react to emails, so it remains exciting …

Since we have had enough of these lake tours since Argentina, we head straight to our real reason for this detour – the active volcano Villarrica. 2847 meters high, last erupted in 2015, last noteworthy activity in November 2019. And best of all, you can reach the crater relatively relaxed with a mountain guide. We don’t want to miss this and try our luck in Conaripe to climb the volcano from its supposedly more beautiful south side. Unfortunately, due to the low season, no guides are stationed here, which is why we have to switch to the much more touristic place Pucon. Due to the low season, it is relatively relaxed here too.

After comparing a few tour providers and Kerstin also has a good feeling about making the climb, the next day starts. We are very lucky, the last five days have been no tours due to bad weather, but the next day should be perfect!

After a night on the city beach of Pucon, it starts at 6 a.m. We have to try on our equipment, somehow put our provisions in the backpacks with the equipment. There is also a couple from San Francisco and our two guides Joaquin and Felipe. Then it is about 40 minutes by car to about 1400 meters in altitude in the national park and off you go. Well not quite, the first 400 meters in altitude are relatively boring and it is recommended to take a somewhat more relaxed chair lift (without a safety bar) to save the breath for the difficult part of the ascent. Once at 1800 meters, it really starts. First through volcanic rock until we reach the first foothills of the glacier that adorns the top of the volcano. After a brief briefing from Felipe on how best to save yourself with an ice ax in the event of a fall, it’s time to put on crampons and zigzag up the glacier. At first it looks like a breakneck steep due to the shape of the volcano, but after a few steps you get used to it and we stomp after our guide step by step.

With us about 60-80 people go to the volcano, that sounds a lot at first but in the high season there are over 300! All in single file across the glacier, but this meditative moment is interrupted again and again by loud “Roca” calls and whistles. Be it by mountaineers, wind or the sun, small and medium-sized stones keep loosening themselves from the upper part of the volcano and they shoot down at hell speeds. Once at the top of the glacier, we leave our luggage behind and master the last few snow-free vertical meters to the crater armed only with a camera and gas mask. Then you stand there on the edge of the smoking crater, see the different colors and hear a rumble from the throat again and again. Just breathtaking! At the same time, of course, one hopes that the yellow warning level will not suddenly turn into red …

Back on our luggage, lunch is announced. Then again hectic “Roca” calls, loud whistling followed by a polyphonic “Uhhh” and a “Hat’s oan dawischd?” from a pair of lederhosen – you really are never safe from BavariaI don’t know smile. Since we couldn’t see anything, Joaquin explains to us. A stone has just flown centimeters over the helmet of a crouching hiker.

If there is enough snow, you can accelerate the descent significantly with a bob aka Porutscher. Unfortunately, this is not the case and therefore it is time to put crampons back on and go down the steep glacier in single file over a mixture of melting snow, ice and stones. Tobi and Felipe then mastered the last few meters by “boot skiing”. Joaquin just says, “they are children”!

The next day we drive for one night to the Conguillio National Park with the double crater volcano “Llaima” (3125m) and the hike to the “Mirador Sierra Nevada”.

This not only offers a great view of the volcano, but also leads us to the “Araucania” trees, which give the region its name. We also finally see the red-headed woodpecker that we have heard in a few parks but never saw!

Unfortunately Corona is now really catching up with us. Because we still haven’t heard from StaTravel, Chile is about to close its borders and we still don’t have a new flight. Slowly it is becoming “more dangerous” that in two weeks there may be no planes flying or the whole world will shut itself off even more. Therefore, as a precaution, we decide not to stay in the park, but to approach Santiago so that we can react quickly when in doubt. So at least a few more days are waiting for us on the beach …

Puerto Montt – a reuinion and german culture surounded by vulcanos

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sorry, only google translate

After the ferry from Chiloe we drive directly to Puerto Montt, because we have made an appointment with Chopan – one of the two cyclists from Punta Arenas. He lives here, runs a small natural cosmetics shop and has invited us to his home, his girlfriend and his father. We meet him at around 6 p.m. in his shop, but since he is still open until 8 p.m. we take a look around in the first major city since Punta Arenas, but our enthusiasm is limited. The “most exciting” thing is that for the first time we get to know about the unrest that is circulating in Chile. As we sit on the “Plaza del Armas” (that’s the name of the main square in each settlement), a group of maybe 30-50 demonstrators passes us two blocks away. At first we think nothing of it, but then suddenly the street is on fire in one corner of the square. Pure provocation of the police, as we will learn later (this only intervenes in an emergency out of respect for major unrest), but for us reason enough to go a little further away – it is almost 8 p.m. anyway.

Chopan then briefly shows us his home and gives us a restaurant tip that we gratefully accept. He has to leave again immediately and so our reunion is limited to a bottle of wine together after dinner, where we also get to know his girlfriend and father. After a night in our first real bed for almost 6 weeks – hard to believe how good 80cm can feel for two winking smile – we also get to know Chopan’s grandmother, who has just completed a 10-hour bus ride from Santiago. For us it is also the sign to leave the family alone, but even if the reunion was short, “couch surfing” is always a great experience !!!

For us it goes directly to the Seven Lakes Region, because dreamlike lakes and several active volcanoes are waiting for us! For this we start in Puerto Varas on Lago Llanquihue framed by the volcanoes “Osorno” and “Calbuco”. The latter could actually be climbed, but since it erupted spectacularly over a week a few years ago, this is still prohibited. All places on the lake have a strong German heritage shaped by immigration and you can see that in Puerto Varas on every corner. The church looks somehow German, many streets have typical German names and even the fire brigade is called “fire station” here. Everything is a bit bizarre and a bit fake (e.g. the church is made of corrugated iron, which takes away any charm from up close), but it’s kind of funny anyway!

Our goal is not so much the city, but the lake, and after it stops raining in the afternoon, we drive halfway around the lake. We are getting closer to the Osorno volcano and it always makes a great motif behind the lake. After a night directly at the lake, take the van in the early morning about 400 meters to the “base camp” of the volcano and will be rewarded with a fantastic view of the lake with the volcano directly in front of our noses We don’t find a provider on the volcano and that’s why we are content with a 5-hour hike on the other side of the volcano along Lago Todos Los Santos, where you also cross several meter-deep channels that the lava at its last eruption in the 19th Century and which flow directly into the lake.

After cooling off in the lake, because the water is finally warm enough for swimming, we spend our last night in Chile for the time being. We are planning a last transfer to Argentina, more precisely to Bariloche, Switzerland in South America …

Chiloe – off the beaten track?

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After almost five hours on the ferry we arrive on the island of Chiloe in the city of Quellon, which has been recommended to us in many cases as both original and a kind of insider tip. So we first experience a little culture shock, because after the quiet and seclusion of the south there is really something going on! This is of course due to the fact that we are slowly getting closer to the capital Santiago and in particular are no longer separated from it by several ferries. The nice thing is, but it is hardly any tourist activity, but everyday. It is Saturday, there is a flea market, we would like to be converted to enter some church, there are stalls all along the main street and the city beach where we catch up on the lack of sleep is well filled. It is fun to meet people in your everyday life.

After we find out little useful in the tourist information, we just let ourselves go a bit and visit the probably the only “international” highlight of the island. The famous Panamericana, a road that begins in Alaska and ends in Chiloe, ends right on the town beach of Quellon. We have already driven parts of it in Canada and the USA. We hope a little for emotional moments from travelers who arrive here and congratulate themselves on the route while lying in their arms. Unfortunately in vain. Nevertheless, we spend the whole afternoon and the next morning on the beach, because it is wonderful weather and the serenity that the locals radiate despite the sometimes obvious poverty (Chiloe is the poorest region of Chile) is simply contagious.

In the afternoon we continue to Queilén, where penguins and dolphins are sometimes said to be directly on the beach. Luck leaves us this time, but we just continue where we left off in Quellon and lie down comfortably on the beach. On the way we still have an interesting encounter. We take the smaller – and of course gravel – road that we basically have for ourselves. About halfway there we see a maybe 70-year-old lady walking near a herd of cows in the same direction we are heading. The closer we get, the more tired she looks (it is over 30 ° C) and when she then raises her hand, we naturally take her with us. Since the communication does not work somehow this time, we just hope that she tells us when she wants to get out, because she is not wearing a seat belt in the back of the van, but when we offer her a seat in front of us she waves it off. Somehow she helps us with a kind of roadblock / construction site. We are stopped by two slightly suspicious guys and directed to a side street that we don’t really want to take. After a discussion with our hitchhiker – of whom we don’t get a word – we can go on. A short time later she also taps us, because she wants to get out at a football game next to a church (it’s Sunday) and after kissing and hugging she goes her way. What you experience when you leave the main street …

Over the next two days we visit Cucao with the Muelle de las Almas, which are supposed to be a path for the soul to heaven, and the largest city on the island called Castro which is known for its stilt houses. Neither really knocks us off our feet and the story of the “sunken forest” is much more spectacular than its appearance. Some time ago an earthquake sank the surface by two meters only to be subsequently washed over by a tsunami. The trees on this area then drowned in the salt water (that is, one sees dead trees …). However, we continue to enjoy the tranquility on the beaches in Chiloe, which we find time and time again and some of which also stay overnight.

The small island of Quinchao, which can be reached by ferry (and where we almost got a barking passenger, winking smile) is really beautiful. The island is mainly known for a few wooden churches typical of Chiloe, but nature is often still pristine due to the few people and it is just fun to jet across the island with the van. Since it is so small, four hours are enough for it …

The last day has a little highlight ready, because we want to take a look at a colony of Magellan and Humboldt penguins. Our first attempt to get there fails because the road from the sunken forest to the colony is too sandy and too steep for our van after about 1/3 of the route, so we have to turn back. The second attempt (and a clear detour) works and it goes first to the northwestern end of the island and then about a kilometer by van to the beach. After the last experience with sand a little spooky, but he manages it without problems. We then see the penguins directly from the beach and therefore save on the boat trip for animal and cost reasons, which sometimes approach the penguins absurdly.

After a last picnic on a last deserted beach in Chiloe, we take the ferry back to the mainland to Puerto Montt, where we will meet again.

Carretera Austral – 1200 km of spectacular landscape (Part 2)

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Now that we have almost 2/3 of the Carretera Austral behind us, it is time to take care of the next section, the island of Chiloe. To do this, we inquire about the ferry options, there are three options (mind you, air distance is approx. 300 km): 1500 km through Argentina plus a ferry for € 15, 1000 km and three ferries for a total of € 80 or 500 km and a ferry for € 140. Everything is pretty violent (and in the end almost everything is equally expensive), but we opt for the shortest variant, but with the problem that the ferry only runs three times a week, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Great, since it is Wednesday, we have to complete our (manageable) remaining program on the Carretera Austral in either 3 or 7 days. Who comes up with such a timetable? Since seven days are too long for us, we opt for the Saturday ferry at 8 a.m. and hurry to get to the next national park.

The Parque Nacional Queulat is mainly known for its hanging glacier, but since we have had enough of it slowly, we are much more interested in the cloud forest that occurs here and we were recommended two hikes to enjoy it. Unfortunately, the attempt to explore the southern Sendero Bosque Encantado ends after a few hundred meters in front of a river without a bridge, because the path is currently not maintained and is therefore officially closed. We are already too late for the second hiking trail at three o’clock that day, because the park closes at 5:30 p.m. and we are no longer allowed in. Sad smile Therefore we spend the afternoon in the village of Puyuhuapi, founded by Germans, directly by the lake and manage to empty our car battery again because we forget to switch off the lights. This time, however, it will cost us a lot more effort to get going again. After the first two attempts with a hectic Chilean and a police car were unsuccessful, a German traveler (somewhat grumpy and pessimistic) rushed to our aid and we got the van humming again after almost 30 minutes. The battery was probably really empty. Somehow not our day today, but of course we don’t let that spoil our good mood. Winking smile

After we set off for the hike the next morning, the anger is almost gone and we simply enjoy the beauty of the forest, which reminds us a little of the Mossy Forest in Malaysia. This is of course also due to the fact that it has been getting warmer and warmer over the last few days and now there is also the high humidity. Patagonia really has something to offer from every climate zone and we are happy to have variable clothing with us!

The next “highlight” of the Carretera, the Park Pumalin, which was also founded by Douglas Tompkins, will be left behind due to lack of time, because we want to go to where supposedly hardly any Carretera travelers get lost. 70km of gravel (yippie !!!) plus free ferry (yeah !!!) to the small town of Puerto Raul Marin Balmaceda for a walk along the fjord. There are supposed to be seals, dolphins and orcas (!!!) here. We arrive in the evening and the first attempt at dusk is not yet successful, but the next morning we manage to spot a sea otter and then even a few orcas from afar (we are not sure of it, but we are do not want to destroy the illusion Smile). Finally, a group of dolphins visits us right in front of our parking lot !!! Breakfast doesn’t get any better than this. On the way back we have to wait for more cars on the ferry and start talking to the captain (Erwin). Well, conversation is a bit exaggerated, it asks us a little bit in Spanish about our professions etc. and we try to put together the few bits of Spanish that we have learned in the meantime into reasonably meaningful sentences. But somehow the communication is not that bad Smile

Now it is time for our last section on the Carretera Austral to Chaiten, where the ferry will leave the next morning. We are now slowly coming to the volcanic region of Chile and are also welcomed in Chaiten by the smoking volcano of the same name. Here we end the trunk road 200km before the end (or beginning), but that would be only two ferries anyway and the island of Chiloe appeals to us much more. We spend the evening on a nice beach with a wonderful sunset and clearest starry sky before we arrive at the ferry at 5 a.m. The ticket says 3 hours before departure. We almost realize that this is probably nonsense, but we don’t want to risk it either. Of course there is still no sign of the ship at half past five and boarding only begins at 6 a.m., since nothing is going on we might as well have arrived at 7:30 a.m. But well, in the high season it is sometimes wild, so we prefer it so much. In positive terms, it starts at 8 a.m. and Chiloe is waiting for us !!!

Carretera Austral – 1200 km of spectacular landscape (Part 1)

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sorry, only google translate…

One of the reasons why Carretera Austral is compared to Route 66 is due to the spectacular and diverse landscape. It is also touted as the “Ruta del Parque Nacional” because it connects the most important national parks in Patagonia with the rest of the country. Construction began during the Pinochet military regime and later continued under the socialist government as a social promise. As I said, it is not finished (for a long time) and the existing part does not have much in common with a modern trunk road, especially in the south. It is only tarred there in the villages, the rest is partly a rough gravel road. We sometimes hardly drive faster than 40 km / h for a long time, but that somehow makes this road trip so appealing.

The landscape changes every few dozen kilometers, sometimes forested steep slopes that remind us a little of the island landscape in Halong Bay, then green hills and rivers like in New Zealand or steep mountains like in South Tyrol. Everything alternates and mixes, you could just stop constantly.

After Cochrane, our first shorter stop is the village of Rio Tranquilo. It is located on Lago General Carrera – the second largest lake in South America – which stretches across the border to Argentina. It is mainly visited by tourists because of the tours to a glacier and the marble caves found there. We already had a glacier tour in Iceland (and it is also absurdly expensive), but marble caves are new to us and we take a boat to explore them. In principle, they are similar to sandstone caves, but they are remains of the glaciers and have only been expanded and rounded off by the water. Nevertheless, it is astonishing that water eats its way through the hard marble. Incidentally, the formations are of course much more stable and radiate a corresponding majesty.

We continue to Cerro Castillo, a mountain with a hike that is said to be similar to Fitz Roy and Torres del Paine. And shortly before the suitable starting point Villa Cerro Castillo, we hardly trust our bodies shaken after more than 1000km (yes, we have calculated that) gravel road, the road is suddenly paved! Definitely very pleasant, but somehow weird not having to yell at me anymore or to turn the music to full volume, because it is too loud at 50 km / h in the car. And somehow a bit boring …

When we see the Cerro Castillo from a distance, however, we lose a bit of the desire for 20 € per person. (!!!) output. Mind you not for a day in the national park of the same name, but only for the hike !!! We still stay overnight to wait for the weather the next morning. Perhaps we will still feel like it … The weather then makes the decision halfway easy for us, it is clear, but we can already see the clouds coming up, it really doesn’t have to be that way! In addition, Tobi’s shoulder suddenly started to hurt at night some time ago and accordingly he is a bit tired.

Therefore, we decide that the distant view must be enough today and drive on to Coyhaique, hoping to find an open pharmacy for a few pain relievers after almost a week. In addition, after a week without a reasonable supermarket, our supplies are slowly exhausted, we have to do the laundry and organize a ferry. After we have given up our laundry, we are annoyed again by one of these completely inefficient supermarkets. It is particularly bad here because there are many people, so everything takes forever and we spend almost two hours shopping. Someone should offer Aldi efficiency seminars in Chile, maybe that’s a gap in the market … We’ll get painkillers too, and really strong ones. 100mg diclofenac, in Germany you only get 25mg, otherwise you need a prescription. And the pharmacist thinks Tobi should just take two a day !!! We limit that to one, the night will be funny anyways…

Villa O’Higgins – we start at the end

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sorry, only google translate…

The small Chilean town of O’Higgins is the end of the “legendary” Carretera Austral, the South American counterpart to Route 66. Of course we will not miss that!

The distance between El Chalten and O’Higgins is about 120 km as the crow flies. We need almost four days for this … To cover this distance, we drive about 1100 km, around 800 of which on gravel roads, cross a border crossing and use a ferry four times a day. In addition, as already mentioned, it is the route that we were warned about due to lack of petrol. And it comes as it should, the third and most important gas station for us is empty and we have to wait a whole day for new gasoline … 🙁

It all sounds a little more negative than it actually is. The waiting for the petrol in Bajo Caracoles can be partly filled with a visit to an impressive human cave (Cueva de los Manos) with paintings dating back around 10,000 years. The petrol announced by the attendant at 3 p.m. is delayed indefinitely and we are waiting at the petrol station in the middle of the pampas together with other travelers, among others. another German couple who jet around with the same camper as we do. At around 8 p.m., the tank delivery finally appears and all waiting people cheer unanimously.

From then on, the route will just be bombastic. A large part runs through national parks or nature reserves, with jungle, green meadows as far as the eye can see. Always framed by the ever increasing peaks of the Andes. Among other things, the trip takes us through the National Park “Parque Patagonia”, which was first built up by the Americans Tom and Kris Tompkins with their own funds and later transferred to the National Park Administration of Chile. This is particularly astonishing because around 170,000 hectares of agricultural land have been restored within 20 years and that across borders between Chile and Argentina.

After we have to use up all the fruits and vegetables again at the border crossing to Chile (and have to be so careful that we don’t run out of pages in the passport at all the border crossings), we stock up in the small Chilean town of Cochrane. Then the most beautiful part of the journey begins. First 120km of gravel road to a (free) ferry that takes us across a fjord in just over an hour. Then another 70km to O’Higgins, along a beautiful fjord and picturesque lakes. We can not believe that we have this great stretch of road almost to ourselves.

Few tourists do this “ordeal” to themselves – O’Higgins had around 1,300 holidaymakers this season. Accordingly, it is very quiet, most visitors are cyclists and motorcyclists who want to make it to the end of the Carretera Austral. This road is said to connect the southern regions of Chile with the capital Santiago. Currently this is only possible with a boat or via Argentina. Its end is just 10 km south of O’Higgins, so there is still a lot to do with a 400km straight line to Puerto Natales …

In O’Higgins we stay two nights, take a short hike and (of course) take a photo with the street sign, which testifies to the end of the Carretera Austral.

On the way back to Cochrane we take the small town of Caleta Tortel, which is built into the slope with stairs and footbridges at the end of a fjord and can only be explored on foot. There are countless tourist buses in the parking lot, but the place is surprisingly quiet. They are probably all on one of the boat tours starting here to one of the many glaciers.

Our journey continues northwards, let’s see where we go next …

Torres del Paine – mass tourism or what?

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sorry, only google translate…

The Torres del Paine National Park is one of the (if not the) highlight (s) of Chile. One of its attractions is a 4-5 day hike, the so-called W-Track, on which you can see the three main sights up close. The Glaciar Gray, the central massif of the Torres and finally the highlight the three towers that give the park its name. We will not miss this time, because we would have had to book campsites along the way in advance and our camper would just be around for a few days (and whether Kerstin is actually fit enough for such a multi-day hike, we still have to do that still find out). That was already clear to us before the vacation, otherwise we would probably have booked the camper differently and we limit ourselves to day hikes.

Unfortunately, this shows the excessive commercialization of the park in our opinion. For example, you could reach the first sections of the W-Track without the overnight stays, but you have to book a boat for € 50. Even though the start of the hike is only a few hundred meters as the crow flies from our first place to sleep on Lago Gray. There are also (of course) boat trips to Glaciar Gray, including whiskey with glacial ice. We save that without a guilty conscience.

Only the Torres can be reached as a day hike without much effort. But before we tackle this, we do a little physical training on the “Mirador Ferrier” viewpoint near Glaciar Gray. 750 meters of altitude on a 3km route are tough and the whole thing with Patagonian drizzle, but it’s worth it. In the afternoon the weather gets better, we drive a little around the lakes in the park and enjoy the weather and later a wonderful sunset over the mountain range at the “Mirador Cuernos”. As with the drive to the park, its sight is somehow unreal. Unfortunately, the puma frequently sighted at our overnight stay remains hidden.

The next day begins with one of the red sunrises that Torres is famous for. It also stays full of sunshine during the day and we take the 8-hour hike to Torres early in the morning. It is difficult to put into words and the pictures actually speak for themselves. It is similar to Yosemite or the Grand Canyon, you stand in front of this mountain or in this case in front of the towers and think all the time you stand in front of a kitschy screen. As if that wasn’t enough, a condor circles over our heads at regular intervals.

Back at the van, we try to overpower our luck and lie in wait for another puma in another parking lot. Unfortunately, the trail is already closed with good prospects of sighting (and the ranger does not let anyone talk to him), so we are denied this sight. Till the next morning. At the exit from the park we see a photo tour at a small pond and there are actually 5 (or 6, we are not quite sure) Pumas Winking smile Only 20-30m away. Our visit to the park couldn’t have ended better !!!

And what about mass tourism now?

Even if we would have liked to have made the W-Track, we are completely enthusiastic about the park, except for the partially exaggerated prices and obvious commercialization. In particular, we would have expected significantly more tourists (as in other places). It is quite busy during the day and the buses bustle in the park, but we are looking in vain for crowds like those in Thailand or in some national parks in the USA. I don’t know what that is. We actually only have two guesses, either the political turmoil in Chile prevented many travelers, or we simply got a good time window despite the high season. Because vacations are actually nowhere and in fact you see mostly seniors on the buses. But we should be 😉

A long long way back to Chile

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sorry, only google translate

Our next destination is probably the most famous national park in Chile, the “Torres del Paine”. For the approximately 800 km from Ushuaia to its starting point Puerto Natales we need almost two full days. This is partly due to our unwillingness to drive 800 km in one day, but also due to the endlessly tough border crossing from Argentina back to Chile. After we no longer make it across the border on the first evening due to the spontaneous additional hike in Ushuaia, we spend the first night about half an hour before the border on an almost lonely and beautiful beach, and early next morning at the border to be. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work quite so well. We catch a coach in front of us and of course its entire contents have to go to the same exit and entry desks as we do. In addition, everything is a bit chaotic and we are queuing twice at the wrong line. The whole thing costs us a good 2 hours, but since this will not be the last step, we may now at least know what to do next time. In addition, we take two young hitchhikers along on the route between the two borders, who help us a little with our Spanish lessons (we spend the driving days partly with a small Spanish course).

Due to the waiting at the border it is late afternoon until we catch the ferry back to the mainland and we spend another night in the Patagonian “Pampa” near Rio Verde with a beautiful view of the fjord and enjoy an almost two-hour sunset. We also get to know two Chileans at our rest area, who are currently on the last stage of their four-week bike tour to Punta Arenas. We not only initiate them into the social habits of drinking mate, but also invite them to couch surfing when we make it to Puerto Montt at some point. Let’s see if it works…

Because of the many chats with the two, it gets really late until we get to bed and we only make it to Puerto Natales in the early afternoon, where we stock up on information and food in the national park for the next 3-4 days. In Torres (as everyone calls the park here) we spend our next night after an idyllic dinner at Lago del Toro and plan some hikes for the next few days …

Wild Campend durch Feuerland nach Ushuaia

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Natürlich sagen immer alle, wenn man einen Camper hat spart man sich das Geld für Hostels/Hotels. Das mag zwar stimmen, funktioniert aber meistens nur bedingt (zumindest legal) und man bleibt immer wieder auf Campingplätzen oder bezahlten Stellplätzen hängen. Deshalb haben wir uns auch schon so häufig gegen den Camper entschieden, einfach weil es den Aufwand oft nicht lohnt. Patagonien ist da anders. Es gibt zahllose offizielle und kostenlose Campingplätze entlang und abseits der Straßen. Zwar haben diese meist keine Sanitäranlagen, die bekommt man aber an fast jeder Tankstelle; dort gibt es auch Duschen für 1-2€ p.P. Alles auf jeden Fall sehr campingfreundlich und wir wundern uns immer wieder warum wir so wenig andere Camper sehen. Wenn mal 3-4 andere Autos irgendwo in der Nähe stehen ist das schon viel. Aber wer weiß, vielleicht wird es dann weiter im Norden auch voll, wir wollen es mal nicht verschreien.

Wir nehmen also die “Ruta de la Fin del Mondo” in Richtung Feuerland und die Fähre um auf die Insel zu kommen. Nach einem Tankstopp (die sind auf der Insel nämlich rar) besichtigen wir das erste richtige Highlight der Reise. Wir besuchen eine wilde Kolonie von Kaiserpinguinen MIT JUNGTIEREN!!! Hierher verirren sich auch tatsächlich ein paar Touristenbusse, aber auch das hält sich sehr in Grenzen.

Diese lassen wir auch gleich wieder hinter uns, denn anstatt den direkten Weg zum Nationalpark an der Südspitze in Argentinien zu nehmen – Feuerland ist nämlich zwischen Chile und Argentinien aufgeteilt – wollen wir zuerst noch zur Lago Blanco und Lago Fagnano. Zu ersterem führen uns rund 80 km Schotterweg, danach sind es nochmal so viele nächsten See. Dummerweise hat die einzige Tankstelle auf dem Weg kein Benzin mehr, weshalb wir Fagnano leider von der Liste streichen müssen, sonst kommen nämlich wir nicht mehr zurück. Hier braucht man echt einen Reservekanister…

Aber schon der Lago Blanco lohnt den Aufwand, er ist wunderschön und fast menschenverlassen. Nach einer ruhigen und fast klaren Nacht und einer Bibersichtung am Morgen machen wir uns auf den Weg zu unserer ersten Wanderung auf den Gipfel eines kleinen Berges mit wunderschönen Panorama über die Steppe und hin zu den Bergen des angrenzenden Nationalparks “Tierra del Fuego”. Danach geht es direkt weiter zu einem sehr entspannten Grenzübertritt. Da es Sonntag ist, ist fast nichts los und selbst die Grenzhüter sind eigentlich eher mit Barbecue beschäftigt weshalb unsere illegal importierte Zwiebel niemanden auch nur ansatzweise stört. In Argentinien schaffen wir es dann sogar noch zum Lago Fagnano (dieser erstreckt sich nämlich über die Grenze) und verbringen hier die Nacht. Hier ist es leider nicht ganz so ruhig, aber immerhin bekommen wir so den See noch zu Gesicht. Am nächsten morgen geht es dann weiter nach Ushuaia, der letzte Außenposten der Menschheit. Von hier starten die Expeditionen in die Antarktis, diese sind uns aber mit 6000 USD p.P. ein wenig zuu teuer sind. Es gibt aber trotzdem einiges zu sehen, davon mehr aber ein ander mal…