Patagonia
Patagonia is a sparsely populated region located at the southern end of South America, shared by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes mountains as well as the deserts, steppes, and grasslands east of this southern portion of the Andes. Patagonia has two coasts; a western one towards the Pacific Ocean and an eastern one towards the Atlantic Ocean. (Wikipedia).
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego, Spanish for "Land of Fire", is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, with an area of 48,100 km2 (18,572 sq mi), and a group of many islands, including Cape Horn and Diego Ramírez Islands. Tierra del Fuego is divided between Chile and Argentina, with the latter controlling the eastern half of the main island and the former the western half plus the islands south of Beagle Channel. The southernmost extent of the archipelago is at about latitude 55 S.
The earliest known human settlement in Tierra del Fuego dates to around 8,000 BCE. Europeans first explored the islands during Ferdinand Magellan's expedition of 1520; Tierra del Fuego and similar namings stem from sightings of the many bonfires that the natives built. Settlement by those of European descent and the great displacement of the native populations did not begin until the second half of the 19th century, at the height of the Patagonian sheep farming boom and of the local gold rush.[1] Today, petroleum extraction dominates economic activity in the north of Tierra del Fuego, while tourism, manufacturing, and Antarctic logistics are important in the south. (Wikipedia).
2008 - Travels Before the Caribbean
South to Patagonia and Cape Horn
I joined Al Esther on a trip through the Francis Drake passage and out to Cape Horn. While not a trip on Wild Matilda, it was a trip I would like to make one day on my own boat. The portion of the trip from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas was on a small cruise ship. They are still making that trip with few changes 11 years later - See them Here.
Buenos Aires
I flew to Buenos Aires to join Al for a planed trip to Terra del Fuego, the Drake Passage, Cape Horn, and other areas in northern Patagonia. After a few days of getting organized, we flew to south to Ushuaia, the southern most city in the world.
Ushuaia, Cape Horn, the Drake Passage, and Punta Arenas
The flight down from Buenos Aires is five hours heading south. You begin to appreciate just how far south Ushuaia is. We landed in the early morning and had the day to kill until we could board the ship in the early evening.
Ushuaia
Ushuaia is a starting off point for voyages to Antarctica and other extreme south destinations. I found the town interesting but with far too many tourist shops. We boarded our ship and set off in the evening.
Wulaia Bay
After an initial rainy start the weather was great. Our first stop was in a deep bay were we went ashore and climbed several 100s of feet up a hill to get a panoramic view of the region. This is one of the only places of settlement in the islands south of Ushuaia. The views were spectacular.
Cape Horn and the Drake Passage
The next morning we approached Cape Horn. We anchored and started to disembark, however the winds prevented us from setting foot on Cape Horn itself. The winds started at 30 knots and were 70 knots by the time the captain called off the landing. It got exciting as he turned the boat beam to the wind and waves to return to the shelter of the Drake passage. We sailed in the protected waters for the remainder of the day and that night much to the relief of many of the passengers.
Glacier Bay
The following day we stopped to approach an active glacier. it was still in the process of caving and we picked up some ice for drinks when we returned to the boat.
Jackass Penguin Colony
Very early the last day we visited a penguin colony Some 30,000 jackass penguins. The smell was something else. The penguins were friendly but we did not approach them to closely.
Punta Arenas
Following our visit to the penguins, we made a short sail to Punta Arenas. We saw little of the town as we were rushing off to get our flight to Purto Montt.
Please click on an image to see a larger version or to see related pictures.
Purto Montt and the trip to Patagonia by bus and boat
After leaving the ship in Punta Arenas, Chile, we flew north up the coast of Chile to Puerto Montt. We spent the night there and the next morning we set off on the next leg of our journey.
Puerto Montt to Beriloche
From Puerto Montt, Chile we took a combination of several buses and boats over the Andes to Beriloche, in Argentina. The scenery along the trip was spectacular. We passed the volcano Osorno in southern Chile. It is a near perfect cone and is still one of the most active volcano in Chile. It seemed to dominate the scenery for much of the trip.
Beriloche and Vicinity
We arrived in Beriloche in the early evening and settled into a nice inn on the shore of the lake. Beriloche looks for all the world like a village in Switzerland. This is no accident as many of the early settlers came from Germany and Switzerland. We spent several days exploring the town and the local area before having to return to Buenos Aris.
Chesapeake and Return - Summer and Fall
That summer, I set out north from Miami to the Chesapeake Bay. I stopped at Charleston and Beaufort along the way. Spent a lazy summer and fall on the bay before heading south with the annual migration in the fall.
