Perito Moreno, Argentina
About an hour and a half away from El Calafate, a city near the southern tip of South America, is one of the most beautiful glaciers on the planet, Perito Moreno. The sheer cliffs rise several hundred feet above the icy waters below. The deepest part of the glacier is actually 2,300 ft deep. The sound of the calving of the glacial walls is an impressive sound that I don't think I'll ever forget.
Me, Eduardo and Gaspar about 300 meters from the front of Perito Moreno.
Torres del Paine, Chile
The drive to Torres del Paine was long, but we had a blast. We left around 4:45 am to make sure we had enough daylight at the park. We braved a few snow flurries and when we got to the Argentina/Chile border at 9 am, it was so dark that it could have been midnight. The sun finally peaked up from behind the mountains at 10:55 am. By 3:00 pm we lost sight of the sun (behind the clouds), by 4:00 pm it was getting dark and by 5:00 pm the night had begun. One of the most remarkable things I saw in Patagonia were the stars. The only place I've seen something similar was in Bolivia, where I actually confused the stars with a cloud because the stars were so thick. The difference here in Patagonia was that the "cloud" of stars actually stretched from one end of the horizon to the other. I can certainly understand the orgin of the "Milky Way". We could also see two smaller galaxies just to the left of the Southern Cross. I've never been more awed by the stars. It was simply amazing. The only bad thing was the bitter cold! It was tough to stay outside the car for more than 5 minutes.
Patagonian Grey Fox with the Cuernos of Torres del Paine in the background (top left).
The "Cuernos" or the "M" as it is commonly referred to is seen at the top left of the picture. Probably the most stunning mountain I've ever seen.
Condors on a ridge at Torres del Paine.
Another beautiful site of Torres del Paine. The Cuernos are in the top right of the picture.
We saw literally hundreds (or even thousands) of guanacos grazing in the Chilean Andes.Ushuaia, Argentina
Ushuaia is the southernmost city on the planet, located at the tip of Tierra del Fuego, the island on the tip of South America across the Straights of Magellan. It is also the city from which most Antarctic adventures depart. It is located at the base of the Andes mountains and overlooks the Beagle Channel.
The Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse in the Beagle Channel is sometimes referred to as the "Lighthouse at the End of the World."
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