Patagonia: All It's Cracked Up to Be, or Overrated?

Perhaps you've heard people talking about Patagonia before.  I don't mean the expensive outdoor leisurewear line of clothing, but rather the mountainous tip of South America from where it gets its name.

Although this is a bit of a simplification, think of this area as the southern tip of South America (A great map can be found at this site).  Although I far from visited all of the essential sites, I was able to visit three different towns located within different regions of Patagonia:  Puerto Varas in the Chilean Lake District, Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego,  and El Chaltén in the Glacial Region of Argentina.

Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas is a small town, located amongst snow-capped volcanoes and sparkling lakes in Southern Chile.  The town itself is very touristy, loaded with cute coffee shops, agencies selling travel excursions, and an eclectic mix of restaurants.  I had friends in town, so we treated ourselves to a quiet hotel, right on the water.  The hotel was located far from everything, so I spent 3 days walking the shores of the lake, watching the weather change, and didn't get into the mountains themselves.  What I loved was the quiet, the sound of the water against the rocks, and the great introduction into the flora and fauna that I was too see for the rest of my trip.

The view across the lake from our hotel with one of the extinct volcanoes

Native Fuschia

Stick Tight
These little guys are deceiving.  They are so lovely, but, they catch on your clothes and stay with you all day!
It's actually called Stick tight!

The property was covered with Hydrangea

Rufous-tailed Hawk
I've had a hard time identifying this one.  I've seen bunches of these over my time in Patagonia, and I especially enjoyed watching this one and it's mate eat this fish.  I got as close as I could for about 40 minutes

 Southern Lapwing
These guys are the most skittish birds I have seen here.  They startle at the slightest approach of people, and have more than once startled my photo subjects away because of their frantic calling from 50m. 

Ok, so, not wild, but so awesome!  This little dog pack was always around the hotel.  

Here you can see the most prominent volcanoes from the hotel's front yard.

This is what I look like if left to my own devices in the wild....

The best sunset we had while we were there.  It was mostly dreary and cloudy the whole time.

Just because.  These are my beautiful friends, Gabe and Kristen who visited me for the holidays.

Ushuaia

The southernmost city in South America, Ushuaia is nestled in the Tierra del Fuego region in the tip of the continent.  The town itself is growing very fast, despite having the highest prices on everything that I have seen in South America.  It was so expensive, in fact, that despite the availability of restaurants, cute cafes and handmade chocolates, I did all of my own cooking/food prep in my hostel (as a point of reference, it was at least double the price of everywhere else).  There is a spectacular mountain range surrounding the town, with a new incredible view everywhere you turn.  There are also lagoons, a dramatic coastline and beautiful forests.  I also spent a day exploring some offshore islands with amazing animal colonies.  This town was definitely a highlight of my whole trip, and I highly recommend it as a destination in and of itself.  Every trip to Patagonia should include a trip to the self-proclaimed "End of the World."

Arriving in Ushuaia, I decided to walk the 40 minutes from the airport to my hostel.  This is the view along the way!  Amazing, right?

One of my first days, I witnessed this double rainbow.  I took it to be a very good sign.  Over the course of my stay, thanks to the tumultuous weather, I was to see many more.

Looking back from our ship, this is the town of Ushuaia.  Isn't it picturesque?!  Look at that mountain range!
This kind of clear, sunny day was few and far between, though.

Lupine are one of my favorite flowers, due to it's proliferation along the highways of my childhood pilgrimage to visit family in New Brunswick.  To my delight, they are all over Ushuaia, of all different colors!

Offshore Islands

One day I indulged myself in a full-day boat excursion to explore some offshore islands that boast amazing animal colonies like Blue-eyed Cormorants, Sea Lions, Gentoo and Magellanic Penguins.  It was a full, full, day, and well worth the price!

This picture-perfect lighthouse is perched on an island in the middle of the Beagle Channel

We were also lucky enough to come upon a small pod of Finned Whales

Blue-eyed Cormorants or Imperial Skags
This was my first-ever large colony of cormorants!  From far away, their black and white plumage makes them look like penguins, but they are Blue-eyed Cormorants, also called locally Imperial Skags.   There is disagreement about what their official" name is,.  Some assert that cormorants and skags are actually different species. 

Skua
This was my first encounter with the Skua, the feisty opportunist scavenger I was to see so much in Antarctica.  These two were conveniently perched right near a large penguin colony, hoping someone would fall ill.

Magellanic Penguin
This was my first penguin colony ever.  I was overcome when I set foot on the beach.  These are Magellanic Penguins, and just like the colonies of other species I saw later in South Georgia and Antarctica, these guys are in the weaning and molting phase, too, so the colony was a pretty busy place.

Magellanic Penguins

Molting young Magellanic Penguins.  You can tell they're Magellanic because you can start to see the distinctive white line forming around their face and chest.

Magellanic Penguin

Gentoo Penguins
We also saw my first Gentoo Penguin colony.  Little did I know how much I would come to love the species, spending hours with them in Antarctica.

Gentoo Penguin

Southern Sea Lion
This was a large colony of sea lions.  They live with a dominant male and a large harem.  The male is usually significantly larger than the females, and has what resembles a lions mane of shaggy hair around his head.

Southern Sea Lion
Here's the male from this group.  You can see the enormous difference in his size and fur.

Southern Sea Lion
As much as I love seals and sea lions, their colonies are pretty noisy and stinky places.  Don't be fooled.  They are not the adorable, cuddly buddies it would appear.

Southern Sea Lion
This colony happens to share their rocky island with a smaller colony of Imperial Shags.

Tierra del Fuego National Park

During my 2 weeks in Ushuaia, I also snuck away to the National Park for a couple days, camping one night under the stars (and consequently freezing my butt off).  I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, though, and saw some of my best wildlife in my time in Argentina there.

El Calafate
These are the legendary Calafate berries that grow on very spikey bushes all over this zone.  The story goes, that if you eat them, you will always return to the place where you ate them...  Did I eat them?  I'll give you a hint, they are pretty tart, and are full of very large, black, tear-drop shaped seeds, but still tasty.

Much of this area has a bog-like surface, with lots of moss and low-growing plants.

Diddledee
This is one of the common types of berries that grows in large clumps tight to the ground.  It has the best name ever:  Diddledee

Grey Lichen
The trees in this zone are not very tall, and most are covered with this Grey Lichen

It is really common to see fields like this, full of hundreds of fallen trees.  As It was explained to me, these trees don't send roots very deeply into the ground, so they topple pretty easily during storms, creating an entirely different habitat.

This particular tree was one of my favorite subjects.  It was entirely hollowed out by a fire.  I sat near it resting for an hour or so, and then the light changed, lighting it up like this.  It lasted only a few minutes, but I managed to catch at least one shot.

This whole zone is actually somewhat overrun with beavers, as well.  They were brought here as an experiment by the fur industry.  When they discovered that their coats didn't grow the same silky way they did in the Northern Hemisphere, they were abandoned.  Having no natural predators, they proliferated.

Views like this are not uncommon around Ushuaia

This is Laguna Esmeralda (The Emerald Lake).  It was a tough slog, as the trails are not well marked, and much of the hike was covered in this muck, but it was worth it.  Yet another beautiful remnant of ancient glaciers.

This is the other side of that lagoon.  I decided to take a quick stroll around it....  Cut to almost 2 hours later as I scrambled around, over and under far too many fallen trees...

Another corner of Laguna Esmeralda

A beautiful example of the famous "flag trees" of Patagonia.  They are trees that have started to grow in one direction due to the strong and continuous winds that characterize this region.

My favorite hiking trail was right along the coastline for 8km.  This was one of it's picturesque coves.

My backpacking pals

Me day 2 when I went off on my own wildlife hunting

The Birds of Tierra del Fuego

I had some great luck with bird sightings in this park.  They were some beautiful and unique species I hadn't seen before.  Here are some of my favs:

Ashy-headed Geese
I watched this pair with 3 young graze their way across a field for about 20 minutes, before another hiker came along and scared them off.

Austral Parakeet
A large flock of these noisy guys chattered their way around a small grove of trees that were filled with berries.  They called, flapped, and munched for over an hour.

Black-necked Swan
This family of 5 was meandering around the part of the river right near what became our campsite for the night.  

Flightless Steamer Duck
My first sighting of these guys, was to see a territorial male chase off another duck by splashing his way across the surface of the water using his wings to scoop the water....  Imagine someone swimming butterfly stroke, but who never went underwater.  It was actually a really humorous scene.  I came upon this one with his mate later that day.  I love the beautiful shades of grey in their plumage.

Southern Crested Caracara
Unfortunately, people leave enough refuse behind that this parent and young were frequent visitors at the campground.  They picked around the campfire and once even came quite close to our site.  Upon seeing we weren't going to feed them, they went on their way.

Upland Geese
This was one of many families I saw during my weekend camping.  They are pretty mellow geese, and allowed me to sit watching them for hours.  The 4 you can see here are the young:  two young females with brown heads on the left, and the two males with white heads on the right.  The adult male is gorgeous black and white.

The Skies of Ushuaia

I have never seen a place with such consistently amazing skies as I did while I was in Ushuaia.  It is important to know, that not one of these photos has been altered or enhanced, at all.  This is what the sky is actually like.

One morning, I left my hostel for a walk along the shore.  This is what the sky became as I walked!

As I was out exploring one day, I happened to stay late enough to see sunset!  As luck would have it, it was easily one of the best sunsets I have ever seen!  It was right beside this beautiful lagoon, too.

I don't think this needs words, really.....

El Calafate

One of my last Patagonian destinations was a town smack-dab in the middle of the region.  El Calafate (named for the berries I showed earlier) is a extremely touristy area, the streets lined with trendy bars, tourist agencies, souvenir and artisan shops, and pricey restaurants.  I had a great stay though, and enjoyed more amazing views and great animal sightings.

The dramatic skies continued here, as well.  This was the view from where I was staying for the week.  Not bad, huh? 

I really enjoyed exploring Black & White amidst such dramatic mountains.

The Animals of El Calafate

I was grateful to get a few hours to explore the Glacier National Park just outside of El Calafate.  With enough time to go slow and really look carefully, I noticed some great stuff!

Buff-necked Ibis
These guys have been pretty common sights throughout Patagonia.  I never got a great shot of one close up, because they are pretty skittish, but they are rather noisy, clunky visitors who make their presence known wherever they go!

Red-gartered Coot (black)
Coscoroba Swan
Apparently these guys are not used to weird-looking bipeds pointing a very large lens at them.  Though they are pretty common, they are pretty camera shy.

Patagonian Crested Duck
These were the most unaffected by my presence.  Though I didn't frame it well, I love the action in this photo.

European Hare
Not a native species, these guys were brought for sport hunting at the beginning of the 19th Century.  I had two hare sightings in my time in Patagonia, but I only got one photo.  This one was in Glacier National Park, and the other hopped across the trail, my first day hiking in El Chalten (the next section).

Though I have searched multiple times, I have yet to find an explanation for this gorgeous bee!  She was all gold!  This day was overcast and chilly, so the bees were moving pretty slowly.  I saw hundreds, though, clinging to the blooms of thistle throughout the park.

Lavender is very common in this zone, too.  Another trapping of the European influence.  You can see large bushes like this lining the roads, attracting our endangered, fuzzy friends to pollenate.

Patagonian Sierra Finch
Saw this guy just as I was leaving the park

Andean Condor
This bird has been one of my dream sightings for years.  Although I first saw them in Peru, seeing this old, large male was a real highlight for me.  He is easily the oldest Condor I have seen on my trip.  I watched as he soared above an enormous glacier (see below).

Perito Moreno

The main reason that anyone comes to El Calafate is for a a visit to the Perito Moreno Glacier.  According to Wikipedia, it is 30km in length and the 3rd largest reserve of the world's fresh water!  But numbers (and even photos) can't really capture the feeling of being face to face with this enormous, impressive sight.  I had seen glaciers a bunch before, in Ecuador, Peru, Iceland, South Georgia, and Antarctica, so I went to visit nonchalantly.  Seen one glacier, you've seen 'em all, so I thought.  Little did I know that seeing this ancient, immense creation would be so profoundly humbling, powerful and awe-inspiring.  Moments like this are so great to remind us how small and insignificant we are.   The ice is such a deep blue, and it stretches as far as you can see off into the clouds and mountains in the distance.  It's so hard to have a real sense of scale, but it is huge.  I could have easily spent an entire day here, looking at the patterns in the ice, listening to the resounding booms as internal cracks form, and waiting for chunks to crack off and fall into the water, sending rippling waves across the lake.

This is the best picture I got to try to demonstrate just how enormous this glacier is.  There's really nothing to help give perspective either, but the front face is estimated to be about 74m/240ft tall, so a person would be nothing more than a small speck here.

I never tired of the view of the jagged surface of the glacier in front of the dramatic mountain range behind it.

Yup, more selfies.  I'm on the lookout paths a safe distance away

Although I heard many huge, dramatic calves, I saw only 2 and captured this solitary image of the resulting splash after a large chunk of ancient ice split off and fell into the lake

I couldn't stop seeing the surface of the glacier like the top of a merengue pie!  With the white peaks and the scattered brown from the dirt, you can see what I mean, right?

This is one of my favorite close ups of the frontal face of the glacier.  It reminds me a lot of marble.  But when you think about it, that black line is really a thick layer of sediment that is millions of years old.  Makes you wonder where it came from, what it contains and how it got there, doesn't it?  I mean, It's a vertical line....

El Chalten

No trip to Patagonia, in my opinion, is complete without a visit to El Chalten, a town in the middle of the Glacier National Park, a 3 hour drive north of El Calafate.  Not only is the town an endearing backpackers paradise (coffee shops and trendy bars abound.  I even saw a bar/restaurant with a rock wall covering the outside!), but it is host to what may be the single most dramatic view I have ever seen.  From here, ambitious travelers try their luck at seeing the dramatic, spectacular views of the Fitz Roy Mountain range.  They are famously cloaked in clouds, and the legend goes that only the pure of heart ever see the peak.  I was lucky enough to see the peak 4 times in my 4 days in town, once at sunrise, once at sunset, and twice during clear, beautiful days.  Although the Fitz Roy peak itself is the most famous,  I found the whole range to be quite captivating.  Part of my visit here was a 2 day/1 night solo camping trip.  It was hard, I was exhausted and sore, but it was so worth it.

This was my first photo of the mountain range, taken from the window of my bus.

The second-most famous peak from this range is the spikey peak to the left, called La Torre, the tower.  I had much better luck seeing Fitz Roy than seeing it's companion.

Most days, this is more what the range looks like.

Sunrise, my first morning on the trail.  I got a really early start, but it was worth the sacrifice

This is what the region is like, as seen from elevation.

Yup, I'm a dork.  I know.  But here I am, heading off for 2 days in the mountains.
Let me tell you, I looked nowhere near as lively 2 days later.....

This is the campground that acted as my savior, after a very challenging last few kilometers of trail.  I was the only fool who brought their whole kit up and down the hardest section of trail.  Dumdum

I know it looks like I'm trying (and failing) to do a pushup, but really this is me drinking directly from the glacier-fed river!  All of the streams, rivers and lagoons are potable since there is no risk of bacteria! 

I even filled my bottle up directly at the lagoon!

The Animals of Glacier National Park

I had amazing luck with animals my few days in town and on the trail.  The area is quite pristine, aside from the hiking trails that traverse it.  There were quite a few endangered species we are asked to keep our eyes peeled for, but I had no such luck wth any of them.  I did see a plethora of familiar faces, though, and some new ones, too.

Magellanic Woodpecker (male)
I first saw one of these in Ushuaia, but I never got a good shot.  On the trails here, I saw a group of four of them, and this was the only male.  The females are all mostly black, with only an accent of red on their face.  This male was very obliging, moving from one roost to another, so that I could see which background worked better....

Southern Crested Caracara
I had seen the parent and young back in Ushuaia, but this pair was magnificent, just perched on this dead tree, just as early morning light lit them up.  It felt like my reward for getting up early.

Long-tailed Meadowlark (male)
It's embarrassing to admit that the fluorescent hue of this male's chest coloration made me wonder if it had somehow rolled around in fresh spray paint!  But then I saw another, and another, and it turns out this is their natural coloration!  How spectacular!

Fire-eyed Diucon
This very obliging bird, and its mate, posed for me for about 20 minutes, waiting patiently as the morning light came and went, as I shifted positions, and as they tried one roost after another.

Patagonian Yellow Finch (I think)
I think this little guy was jealous of the Diucon's "camera time," because he hoped right over and got in the frame.

Patagonian Fox
I actually watched two foxes meet just as darkness set in town.  Unfortunately, my camera was malfunctioning at that moment, so I don't have an image better than this, the one and only shot I snapped.  But, I did watch as they approached one another unsure.  Then one laid down, showing it's belly, then the other did the same.  It was such a beautiful, peaceful moment that I hope I never forget.

Fitz Roy

The big finish for me, literally my last sight in Patagonia, was the Fitz Roy mountain range.  As I mentioned earlier, no visit to El Chalten is complete without it.  As soon as I read that the weather was to be lovely the next day, I rented camping gear, suited up, and headed out for 2 days on the trail.  Although I didn't leave early enough to see Fitz Roy bathed in the most spectacular early morning light, I was blown away by the sight.

If I had only hit the trail 2 hours earlier, I would have seen the entire range this color from a lookout further down the trail.   Darn it.

My first selfie with this magnificent range!  Look at that view!

This is what I refer to as the Fitz Roy range, though really, each peak has it's own name, and Fitz Roy is really just the largest, central peak.

One of my earlier views.  I waited hours at a lookout for this shot, as the sun was setting, the clouds slowly dispersed.  It got so cold up there waiting, with the wind swiping across the peak, that I had to do some calisthenics to stay warm!

Although the drama is lost (I'm cutting a 10km hike to get to this shot), this was my first view after a challenging 1km incline.

The best view I had.  Fitz Roy, as seen from Laguna de los Tres.  The main goal of my hike

The necessary selfie

I began this post with a question:  Was Patagonia really all it's cracked up to be?  I barely saw a fraction of it, and I would say: easily!  There's a reason this place is so famous, and why travelers flock to it every summer.  It was a highlight of my trip, and well worth the extra expense, inconvenience, and discomfort of getting to these amazing locations.  I know there is lots that I didn't see, but I am so thankful for all that I did!