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Camilla Hvalsoe is Mountain Travel Sobek's "webmistress." Last winter, she spent two months in Chile and Argentina – horseback riding in Valle Nevado, trekking around Torres del Paine, hiking in Los Glaciares National Park, climbing Aconcagua, and tango dancing in Buenos Aires. |
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Flying over Patagonia on a clear day was unbelievably beautiful. For hours I gazed down at endless snowcapped mountain peaks and numerous giant glaciers feeding into beautiful lakes in a variety of blue, green and turquoise colors. In an attempt not to miss out on any views, I kept alternating seats from the left to the right side of the half-full plane taking us from Santiago to Punta Arenas. Unfortunately, I was strapped into my seat during turbulence as the pilot announced that the people on the other side now had a clear view of Torres del Paine. But, I was hopeful that we would get at least one clear view of the towers on our upcoming trek. |
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I arrived in Punta Arenas a few days before the rest of the group as I had planned a visit with the Magellan penguins. Yes, I'm one of those people who find penguins absolutely irresistible, and seeing the Magellan penguins would put me more than halfway through my goal of seeing all 17 species of penguins in their natural habitat. A two-hour sailing trip from Punta Arenas took me to Isla Magdalena, an island inhabited by 60,000 penguin pairs, or 95% of the total Magellan penguin population. My goodness, there were penguins all over on this island – running in and out of the water, preparing nests, courtshipping, or just hanging out and doing whatever it is penguins do. I was in heaven! |
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A few days later I met up with the rest of the group and after an overnight in Puerto Natales, we were finally on our way to Torres del Paine National Park. The first view of the Paine Massif is almost unreal as it suddenly emerges from the vast Patagonian steppe. We stopped for lunch just outside the park, but I was much more interested in taking in the view than eating my lunch. The weather was perfect – clear blue skies – and I could see each and every one of the famous peaks that until now I had only heard or read about – Paine Grande to the left, the famous three towers, Torres del Paine, in the middle, Los Cuernos to the right, and the Patagonian Ice Cap to the very far right. |
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As we got farther into the park, we encountered a large group of the charming light brown, fluffy-looking guanacos. It was the time of year when females breed, and we saw several newborn guanaco calves, also know as "Chulencos." Later in the day as we hiked to our first campsite, we saw a chulenco caught in a fence set up by the sheep farmers. Mike from our group came to its rescue, cutting up the wire with a wire-cutter he had in his backpack. That's when we all knew that if we would ever need anything on this trip Mike would be our man! Hopefully, we saved the chulenco. |
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For more information and reservations, please contact:
Mountain Travel Sobek
1266 66th Street, Suite 4
Emeryville, CA 94608 USA
Toll Free (USA and Canada): 1-888-831-7526
Phone: +1-510-594-6000
Fax: + 1-510-594-6001
Email: info@mtsobek.com
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