Patagonia ranks in my Top 3 of the ‘Most Beautiful Places’ I’ve seen (and I’ve been to 50 countries and all seven continents).  The rugged granite mountains are often snow capped in glaciers lit up by the sun.  Those same glaciers have turned its many lakes into stunning milky blue and teal oasis that defy description.

In Patagonia, you can hike one of most beautiful hikes in the world, the W-Trek including the French Valley and Grey Lake.  You can also sea kayak around the icebergs and glacier in Grey Lake.  On our trip, we also got in some amazing biking when we were over on the Argentinian side after we hiked and checked out the gorgeous Perito Moreno glacier.  We spent some time eating and exploring the fun gateway cities of Puerto Morales, Punta Arenas, El Chaltén, and El Calafate.

Below, you’ll learn all about going on a hiking, biking and kayaking adventure in Patagonia (also by listening to the podcasts).  You’ll soon see why you will be adding Patagonia to your Bucket List!

Be sure to check out this earlier interview for more insight on adventures in Patagonia!

The W-Trek (or the O-Trek)

One of the most popular things to do in Patagonia is to hike the W-Trek, a four day hike along a trail that resembles a rounded ‘W’.  There are refugios, or dorms, a day’s hike apart (along with campgrounds) along the W trek, so you don’t have to carry a kitchen or tent.  Reservations are mandatory and can be difficult to obtain for this popular hike.  I went with my affiliate Active Adventures, who made all the arrangements for me.

The W-Trek, at 46 miles/74 km, is unbelievably beautiful!  One highlight is the towers, believed to be the highest cliff faces in the world.  We also saw glaciers and several small avalanches (safely from across the valley), eye-popping glacial lakes, condors souring on thermals above, and surprisingly, orchids and other wild flowers that flourish despite this tough environment.

On the O Trek, you have to backpack for 7-9 days the 85 mile/136 km trail.  It joins the W trek for the last four days.  

There are some steep climbs, so you need to train and be in shape for this hike.  I would rate it a 4 out of 5 for difficulty.

Where is Patagonia and How to Get to Patagonia

Patagonia is a region at the very southern tip of South America that encompasses both Chile and Argentina.  The rugged mountains that divide the countries are so formidable, that the two countries left the boundary uncharted (hear the interesting story behind this on the podcast).

Getting to Patagonia

Most people fly in to Santiago, Chile or Buenos Aires, Argentina, and then connect to another flight to Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales in Chile, or El Calafate in Argentina.  [Note that Punta Arenas, like Ushuaia, are gateways to Antarctica.]  From Punta Arenas you take a bus or with a tour, a van to Puerto Natales, the gateway town to Torres del Paine National Park.  Ditto when you cross over to the Argentian side, to visit Glacier National Park.  The gateway towns there are El Calafate and El Chaltan.

Airports

Santiago     Buenos Aires     Punta Arenas     Puerto Natales     El Calafate

Click on the link above for the airport you are interested in and then scroll down to see which airlines service this airport and what its direct flights are.  LATAM is a good airline.

How Long to Stay in the Patagonia Gateway Towns

Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales and El Calafate and El Chaltén are all great towns to explore.  You can see everything in a couple of days each, plus your hiking time.  The coolest towns are the last three.  You can hike right from the downtown of El Chaltén, which has a Moab vibe, and is the ‘hiking capital’ of Argentina.  El Calafate offers more boutiques and restaurants.  Punta Arenas is decent sized city and borders the Magellan Strait.  Puerto Natales is also on the sea and you can see snow capped mountains across the water, plus the cool ‘wind’ scupture below.

When to Visit Patagonia

November through March is the best time to visit Patagonia.  Remember, since South America is below the equator in the southerm hemisphere, their spring and summer is the opposite of the northern hemisphere.  The warmest months are December and January.

What is the Weather Like in Patagonia

Year ’round, expect VERY changeable weather!  The region is known for its winds – see the sculpture above.  When hiking, be sure to be prepared for all four seasons at all times.

For your safety, I recommend that you go with a guide as they know these mountains.  I recommend my affiliate and the adventure travel tour company I went with, Active Adventures (email me for an exclusive $100 Off Promo Code).

Weather Averages for Gateway Cities

Punta Arenas     Puerto Natales     El Calafate    

Views along the W-Trek

Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina

Video Highlight Reel

This video is a four minute highlight reel of my favorite Patagonia pictures.  As you know, cameras cannot capture landscapes, so just 10x what you see to guage the beauty.  I thought the French Valley section of the W-Trek was my absolute favorite!  We saw it all: mountains, glaciers, avalanches, condors, orchids, forests, glacial lakes and streams.  Impressive!!!

Refugios at Torres del Paine National Park

About a day’s hike apart along the W-Trek, you will find a quite comfortable refugio, where you can sleep in a dorm room with baths down the hall, and get a fixed hot breakfast and dinner.  They also offer a la carte snacks and smaller dishes, like burgers, as well as beer and soda.  It’s a bit pricey, but the quality is good.  Reservations are mandatory and can be difficult to get.  If you go with a guided tour company, they take care of this for you.  Camping, also with reservations, is allowed.

PRO TIP:  Your refugio reservation will include a sleeping bag.  Mine was nice and fresh, but remember that I went early in the season.  Still, I packed my silk sleeping bag liner.  Later in the season, you may want to pack your own sleeping bag:)

Is Hiking Patagonia Safe

The mountains of Patagonia are rugged and remote.  While you could theoretically hike without a guide, I would NOT recommend it!  The weather can be harsh, even in summer (see our summertime lunch photo!), and can change in an instant.  You want to go with someone who knows these mountains and is trained to help you should something go wrong.

What about safety in the cities?  I always felt safe in both Chile and Argentina and found the people super helpful, friendly and hard working, so from a personal safety point of view in the cities, I just took normal precautions and felt secure.  Outside of my 14 day guided adventure tour, with my affiliate Active Adventures (HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!), I traveled the region solo.  As an affiliate, Active offers my audience a $100 discount.  Email me to request the Active Adventures Promo Code HERE.

Active Adventures offers Bucket List adventures around the world.  While most tours concentrate on hiking, they always add in other fun activities such as biking and paddling.  In Patagonia, we biked to see amazing landscapes and wildlife, and also sea kayaked around glaciers and icebergs!

Check out Active Adventures tours HERE

What to Pack for Hiking Patagonia

Because the weather is so changeable and often VERY windy, even during the summer months, you need to be prepared for all four seasons at all times when you are hiking in Patagonia.  On one hike, it was nice and sunny at the base of the mountain, but absolutely frigid and drizzly at the top, where I put on all FIVE layers!

Your day pack should include a rain jacket, puffy jacket, lightweight rain pants (good for wind, too!), waterproof AND wool gloves or mittens.  Get access to my complete packing list (as well as ALL packing lists, checklists and travel planners HERE.  You’ll also get my once a month email (no spam promise – unsubscribe anytime).

How to Train for Hiking Patagonia

I’ll be honest:  the hikes can be challenging!  On one hike, we climbed over 3000′ elevation gain (over 1000 m).  In the cold.  In the rain.  We were rewarded with indescribaly beautiful views you couldn’t get from down below.  In the frigid photo shown, we had just completed that climb and got to see the immense Fitz Roy massif surrounding us.  I will admit, it was a QUICK lunch:)

At one peak, we looked down into a mezmorizing glacial pond that you couldn’t see unless you climbed.  A perfect place for a protected lunch out of the wind.

So to hike Patagonia, you will need to be in shape and you must train.  Ideally you will start your training 3-5 months in advance.  You need to get your feet and body used to a decent amount of miles, day after day (so train with several back to back day hikes!).  You also need to train to carry at least 20 pounds in your daypack.  I did an episode on How to Train for Adventure Travel that you can check out for more details.

If you want some assistance in training, I recommend my affiliate, Trailblazer Wellness (TBW).  You can get a Free Initial Phone Consultation with Becki to see if you are a good fit.  Becki can custom design a training program for you using the equipment you already have.  She will give you videos to make sure your form is correct and will guide you along the way.  TBW offers ATA listeners a 10% discount.

How Much Time to Hike and Explore Patagonia

Let’s face it, Patagonia is a LONG WAY AWAY!!!  So if you are going to go, allow yourself enough time to explore it.  My Active Adventures tour alone was 14 days.  If you can, you’ll want to spend a couple days if possible in Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales, El Calafate and El Chalten, too.  And depending on whether you are flying in from Santiago or Buenos Aires, you will want to allow around three days in either or each city.

And if you have the time and the money, consider going to Antarctica while this far south, as I did.  I went with Hurtigruten on their expedition cruise that also included the Falkland Islands and South Georgia.  I covered my adventure on this expendition extensively and you can check it out HERE.

What Makes Patagonia Special

As I mentioned earlier, Patagonia ranks in my Top 3 Most Beautiful Places.  I LOVED the rugged landscape with its jagged cliffs and ridges.  I loved all the glacial lakes and icebergs.  I was surprised at the amount of wildlife we saw, including dozens of the mighty condor sooring on the thermals above us.  I was doubly surprised by all the beautiful and seemingly delicate wildflowers, such as orchids, that were in full bloom along our hikes.

Also, the people and food in Chile and Argentina are amazing!  And so is all the delicious and affordable wine!!!

PRO TIP ABOUT FOOD: Both Argentinian and Chilean food is delicious and plentiful but is it VERY red meat heavy!  If you have any dietary requirements or are vegan or vegetarian, I would advise figuring out your food situation before you go.  One of their most popular celebratory meals has around 5-6 types of grilled meat (see photo).  If you go with a tour company, like Active Adventures, they can figure this out for you.  If you eat meat, be sure to try the guanaco and roasted lamb!

Patagonia: Chile or Argentina if you can only visit one country

Ideally, if you are going this far south, you will take the time to visit both the Chilean AND the Argentian sides of Patagonia.  But if you only have the time or money to visit one side of Patagonia, how do you choose?

First, review the list of things to do in Patagonia above and see if you can narrow it down from there.  And then, here is my quick take on ‘winners’:

Hiking:  The W Trek in Chile is awesome and a stunning hike.  The mountains on the Argentinian side seem more remote and had less flowers and wildlife, but with incredible views of the Fitz Roy massif.

Sea Kayaking:  We were able to kayak in a somewhat more sheltered area to see the glacier and icebergs in Lake Grey, Chile.  You can also kayak by Perito Moreno in Argentina, but it looked far more exposed so I would guess that wind would make it a less available option (We even had to turn back early on Lake Grey due to high winds.  While we had waterproof and thermal gear on, we still didn’t want to risk falling into the frigid waters!).  Kayaking around the icebergs and glacier was a definite highlight!!!

Biking:  We did our Patagonia cycling on the Argentinian side, but I’d bet it’s great on both sides.

Patagonia Hiking Gateway Towns:  My favorite by ranking best, first: El Chaltén, then El Calafate – both in Argentina, followed by Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas in Chile.

Glaciers:  The Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina is the prettiest!

Avalanches:  We got to see several small avalanches from across the valley while hiking the W Trek, which was very cool.  We saw none in Argentina.

Flora and Fauna:  We saw a greater variety in Chile, especially of orchids, the firebush and condors.

But in reality, choosing Chile versus Argentina in Patagonia is like splitting a baby.  They are both outstanding and well worth your time and money!!!  You will be delighted whichever you choose!

The Perito Moreno Glacier

By far, the prettiest glacier I have ever seen!  I loved the jagged pinnacles, and if you are lucky, you can witness glacier ‘calving’ where a piece breaks off.  I heard one calving, but by the time my eyes knew where to look, all I saw was the movement of the water.

The Perito Moreno glacier is huge!  There is a boardwalk across from the glacier where you can safely get a good look at the 3 mile (5 km) width of its terminus.  It is almost 100 square miles in total!!!  You can also take a boat ride to get a closer look and if the winds are calm, a kayak tour.

Gratefully, it grows and shrinks at the same rate (for unknown reasons), so it will be the same size when you get there.

Active Adventures Adventure Tours

Active Adventures is my ‘Go To’ adventure travel tour company for any of my Bucket List vacations!  I have covered numerous of their tours, and highly recommend them.  I’ll be going on my SIXTH Active Adventures trip this summer, their Mont Blanc tour.  Remember, since they are an affiliate, they offer my audience a $100 Discount off of any tour. EMAIL ME for my exclusive Active Promo Code.

So EMAIL ME for an exclusive Active Adventures $200 Off Promo Code.

Active Adventure Tours Previously Covered:

Mont Blanc     Machu Picchu     Dolomites     Annapurna     Italian Lakes     New Zealand South Island     New Zealand North Island     Bolivia Peru     Utah’s Mighty 5 Parks     Galapagos     Croatia     Kilimanjaro     Banff     Austria  

PODCAST SUMMARY:  Patagonia Trek Adventure: W Trek, Fitz Roy & Beyond

You can listen to my experiences in Patagonia:  Part 1 HERE and Part II HERE

If you’re searching for the ultimate Patagonia trekking experience, this episode delivers a complete journey through one of the most breathtaking regions on Earth.

In this two-part adventure (combined here), Kit Parks explores both Chile and Argentina Patagonia, hiking the famous W Trek in Torres del Paine, kayaking among icebergs, and trekking beneath the iconic Fitz Roy peaks.

👉 Patagonia ranks among the top 3 most beautiful places in the world experienced on Active Travel Adventures.

🇨🇱 PART 1: CHILE – TORRES DEL PAINE & THE W TREK

🌍 Where is Patagonia?

Patagonia spans the southern tip of Chile and Argentina, known for:

• Glaciers and лед-blue lakes
• Towering granite peaks
• Wild, remote landscapes
• Unique wildlife

The journey begins in Punta Arenas, the gateway to Chilean Patagonia.

🐧 Wildlife Encounters in Patagonia

Before hitting the trail, expect incredible wildlife:

• Penguins on Magdalena Island
• Sea lion colonies
• Condors with 9–10 ft wingspans
• Guanacos (llama relatives)
• Foxes and massive Patagonian hares

👉 Patagonia rivals Antarctica and Tanzania for wildlife experiences

🥾 The W Trek (Torres del Paine National Park)

The W Trek is one of the most famous hikes in the world.

Key Details:

• Duration: ~4–5 days
• Distance: ~43 miles
• Difficulty: Moderate to challenging
• Accommodation: Refugios (no need to carry full backpack gear)

🌄 Highlights of the W Trek

1. Base of the Towers (Las Torres)

• Iconic granite spires
• One of the most photographed views in Patagonia

2. French Valley (Best Day of the Trek)

• Panoramic mountain amphitheater
• Glacier views
• Frequent avalanches (safe to observe from afar)

👉 Most travelers rank this as the best section of the W Trek

3. Lake Grey & Grey Glacier

• Massive glacier (~650 ft tall)
• Icebergs floating in glacial waters
• One of Patagonia’s most dramatic landscapes

🏕️ What It’s Like to Trek Patagonia

• Carry a daypack (~20 lbs)
• Drink from pure glacial streams
• Stay in refugios or tents
• Experience rapidly changing weather

👉 Expect sun, wind, rain, and cold—all in one day

🌿 Unique Patagonia Experiences

• Drinking mate tea (local tradition)
• Seeing avalanches echo across valleys
• Walking among wildflowers in extreme climates
• Watching condors soar overhead

🇦🇷 PART 2: ARGENTINA – FITZ ROY & GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

After Chile, the journey continues into Argentina Patagonia.

🧊 Kayaking with Icebergs (Lake Grey)

One of the biggest highlights:

• Paddle among floating icebergs
• Get close to massive glaciers
• Experience Patagonia from the water

👉 A true once-in-a-lifetime adventure

🚤 Glacier Boat Tour + “Ice in Your Drink”

• Visit Grey Glacier up close
• Watch glacier calving
• Drink a cocktail with ice from a real iceberg

💰 Argentina Travel Tip (VERY IMPORTANT)

Due to inflation:

• US dollars go MUCH further
• Black market exchange rates can double your value
• Bring crisp USD bills

👉 This is a major money-saving tip for Patagonia travel

🏔️ Fitz Roy Hiking (El Chaltén)

El Chaltén is Argentina’s hiking capital.

Highlights:

• Fitz Roy mountain views
• Laguna Torre
• Glacier lakes (electric blue colors)
• Direct access to trails from town

🥾 Fitz Roy Trek Details

• Distance: ~14 miles
• Elevation gain: ~2,600 ft
• Difficulty: Challenging

👉 One of the most rewarding hikes in Patagonia

🚴 Patagonia Mountain Biking Adventure

• Ride through forests and open landscapes
• Pass waterfalls and lagoons
• Navigate rocky terrain

👉 A fun “stretch challenge” outside typical hiking comfort zones

🐦 More Patagonia Wildlife

• Flamingos (yes—even in cold climates!)
• Condors
• Guanacos and rheas (ostrich-like birds)

🧠 Lessons from Patagonia Travel

Adventure travel builds:

• Resilience
• Adaptability
• Confidence

When plans change (like trail closures), experienced travelers:
👉 Adjust instead of complain

🏁 Final Thoughts: Is Patagonia Worth It?

Absolutely—Patagonia is:

• One of the most beautiful places on Earth
• A top-tier hiking destination
• A complete adventure (hiking, kayaking, biking)

👉 This is a true bucket list experience

🎧 Resources & Links

• Patagonia travel planner
• Tour recommendations
• Packing and training tips

🔥 FAQ SECTION 

❓ What is the W Trek in Patagonia?

The W Trek is a 4–5 day hike in Torres del Paine National Park featuring glaciers, lakes, and iconic granite towers.

❓ How difficult is Patagonia trekking?

Moderate to challenging. Expect long hiking days, elevation gain, and changing weather conditions.

❓ Is Patagonia better in Chile or Argentina?

Both offer unique experiences:

• Chile: W Trek, Torres del Paine
• Argentina: Fitz Roy, El Chaltén

👉 The best trips combine both.

❓ When is the best time to visit Patagonia?

November to March (summer in the Southern Hemisphere)

❓ Do you need a guide for Patagonia?

Not required, but guided tours simplify logistics and enhance the experience.

❓ What should you pack for Patagonia?

• Layers (critical)
• Waterproof gear
• Hiking boots
• Daypack

Full Combined Part 1 and Part II Podcast Transcript: Patagonia Trek (W Trek + Fitz Roy Adventure)

This combined transcript from Parts 1 and 2 shares a complete Patagonia trekking experience across Chile and Argentina, including the W Trek, Fitz Roy hikes, and glacier adventures.

PART 1:

[00:00:00] Glaciers icebergs, chiseled snow cap, granite mountains soaring above the teal and electric blue lagoons. Bright red clusters of tubular flowers. Add delight along the trails. Plus delicate white orchid patches that grace the grassy hillsides. How do these plants survive? You’ll make that thrive in this harsh environment.

Today we’re going to the ends of the earth down to the tip of Chile and Argentina to explore magical Patagonia. If pressed, I would rate Patagonia as one of my top five adventures for sure, and likely in the top three of all the places I’ve been to for beauty, adventure, and excitement, and I’m closing in on 50 countries.

Today we’re gonna hike the W trek to see the Toal, pine, and all around the base of Fitzroy. And we don’t just hike, we bike and we paddle along some icebergs too. I cannot wait to share this adventure with you. [00:01:00] So let’s get started.

Welcome to the Active Travel Adventures Podcast. I’m your host Kit Parks today. Like I said, we’re gonna head to the very, very tip of South America to one of the most beautiful places on earth. Patagonia trekking Patagonia has been on my bucket list for many years, and finally it made it to the top of the list during my season long exploration of South America and Antarctica last year.

I have learned that for me it’s smarter and more fun to go on a mountain adventure with small organized groups and a local guide, and particularly in this unfamiliar, often harsh territory. I thought it was even more important. So I chose to go with my affiliate active adventures because I knew I’d be guaranteed a great experience and they would make sure that I did more than hike.

I knew they always put together some combination of hiking, biking, and paddling, usually with a slant towards hiking, and they would somehow throw in some fun paddling and biking opportunities as well, so I would get the complete Patagonia experience. [00:02:00] Remember, since Active Adventures is one of my affiliates, they offer my listeners a $200 discount off of any of their worldwide tours, including their partner Austin Adventure Tours with the exclusive promo code at to 200 ATA 200.

I’ll put a link in the show notes, or you can always email me at kit@activetraveladventures.com to get the code. They won’t let me put it on the website. So my 14 day Patagonia tour included visiting all the best highlights of both Chile and Argentina, Patagonia. So let’s start with where is it? If you picture South America, the part we’re going to is that really skinny part down at the bottom tip, but we are truly going to the ends of the earth.

I met my group in the city of Punta Reinas, the Gateway city to Patagonia. This is the best airport to get to the area and you generally fly in from Santiago, Chile. I happen to fly down here after my Peru [00:03:00] adventure that I also took with active adventures that I did with my sister Terry. And I had a couple weeks to relax before meeting up with my group for this next adventure.

I’m hoping that my daily long walks are gonna keep me fit enough to do this Patagonian hike ’cause it is a a little bit more challenging than some of their other adventures. The trip is rated a three out of five for difficulty level, and for the most part I would say that’s true. There’s a couple of of, actually maybe it’s because we had to do a little detour that we had to do a steeper hike on the first, I’ll get into this a little bit later.

So that day was a bit more challenging than a three, I would say, but certainly doable. The whole trip was doable. Particularly if you train and you know, I’m always advocating that you go in well-trained to any of these adventures, so you’re focusing more on having fun than worrying about is your body gonna handle it.

So anyway, getting back to the, to just talk about the trip itself. I was doing daily walks along the seashore just to try to keep up my aerobic activity and keep my muscles and [00:04:00] legs in gear. For now, I’m gonna be hiking in the mountains once the group gets here. And I should say also about Punta two weeks is way too long to stay in that town.

I was able to get some work done on the show because after a couple days you pretty much see all you need to see in the town, and they did at the end of the trip actually throw in a, a walking tour of the city. During my time down there, I got to learn a little bit about Patagonia life, just as a, a regular tourist.

And the first thing I noticed is that Chile does things a little bit different than Peru and that the drivers stopped for pedestrians. I wasn’t used to that because you have to watch your life in the other countries. A lot of times, like I said, in Peru, you were a pedestrian at your own risk. You had to really watch Here, the cars will screech to a halt to let you pass, even though they could clearly go in front of you without having to pause.

It took me a while to trust them, which I’m sure they no doubt found annoying because I wanted to make absolutely sure they were gonna stop, but they always did. Another thing I found interesting is the way that you would get a ticket [00:05:00] for service at some places. For example, I wanted to mail some postcards, so when I entered the post office, there was a sitting area, like you’d go into the DMV Department of Motor Vehicles with a multitude of people waiting in it.

There’s also a line, but not at the counters up front, where presumably you get service in front of the, the little stations. I figured, well, if the people on the line, I probably have to go on the line too. So I decided to go stand in the line, and when it was my turn, I confronted this machine that I had to tell my purpose for being there.

It could be to mail a package or a letter or to get money for, say, like a Western Union. So I tell the machine what I wanted and I printed out my ticket, and then I would look up at this electronic board for my ticket number and wait for that to flash. When that flash, that would tell me which person to see at the front, and then I would then go to my appointed window.

But apparently all those windows up front were just if you wanted to mail a package. So I get a thing telling me I [00:06:00] gotta go to a non labeled counter in the back. And I found this ticketing system in pharmacies and other businesses. So if you are down in Patagonia, don’t be surprised if when you walk in you see a little ticket machine like you might see at, uh, the only time I think I’ve ever seen ’em in the US really is in a fabric store where I was waiting for somebody to cut my fabric.

So you go in, you grab the ticket, and then you wait your turn. I thought that was just a little interesting to think about the culture down there. So when I get back to the back thing, I show my unstamped postcards and I’m trying to indicate that I wanna mail ’em and I get a funny look. So she takes my cards and then goes into the back room and then comes out and says, 3000 pesos.

Now don’t be scared. A thousand pesos is about a dollar, so it’s gonna be about $3 to mail my three postcards. I found the whole thing a very interesting cultural experience that took me about 30 minutes to mail these three postcards. So I’m guessing bureaucracy is a big deal here. From there, I went [00:07:00] to a pharmacy to see if I could buy some Dr.

Amine for my Antarctica trip that was coming up. I recognized I saw that label machine, so I knew go get that ticket. And so like everybody else in the pharmacy, I’m waiting for my number to come up on the little marquee so I can pay for some lotion and to see if they have some Dr. Amine. I’m starting to get the hang of this ticket thing.

Before I even headed down there, I really didn’t know what to expect in Patagonia. I’d covered going on an adventure in Patagonia before, but it’s a little bit different than, you know, what do you expect when you, when you go to a different country, particularly one that’s so far away and I was think, I was thinking it would be more backwards than it was, but it was, and I found two developed countries.

Yes, there are some things that shows that it’s not fully developed in that you can’t flush the toilet paper down the toilet and often you can’t drink the tap water. But other than that, you could be somewhere in the United States or Europe, but it had a South American flare and a lot of [00:08:00] times a European flare, depending on, you know, the, how it got colonized.

Argentina and Chile are considered more developed than, say, Costa Rica, so you can use that as a comparison if you’ve been there. I certainly was expecting to see more of a developing rather than a developed nation. Now, don’t, don’t get me wrong, they got their problems, and particularly in Argentina with inflation, which that’ll work to your advantage.

We’ll talk about that in a little bit later. But it was a, it was a surprise to what I was expecting. One thing that was noticeable is that it seemed like everybody tried really hard to do a good job no matter what their job was, how important or how cons, relatively menial. They do it happily with a conscientious effort and a smile.

I loved the worth ethic that I saw. The people are also very friendly and they’re helpful. I was able to get along just fine with my butchered Spanish, but they speak a lot faster down there, and so my [00:09:00] comprehension was much worse than in Peru, which I actually seemed to do pretty well in Peru, but I struggled a little bit.

They also use a lot of local slang for which I’ve completely unfamiliar. But if you speak any kind of Spanish, you’re gonna be able to get it along fine. And most all the menus and the places that tourists go is gonna have English underneath. So all you need to do is find a young person if you ever got confused, and they can help you.

And as usually they speak enough English to help guide you. And of course, if you use Google Translator into the apps, it’s super easy to travel internationally. Now, even if you can’t speak a word of the local language. Another thing I thought was very interesting, while there is I rarely saw anyone beg.

I saw two in an entire month if memory serves, and both of them were older men. You might occasionally see somebody do a magic tricks for money or street musicians, but even that was rare. And unlike a lot of countries I’ve been to, they didn’t have aggressive sellers like you would see in [00:10:00] Peru or other countries.

And I love that I wasn’t always having to reach into my pocket for tips like we had to do in Peru, in both Chile and Argentina. I always felt safe. Here’s an important difference, unlike many places around the world, while you can use credit cards down here, you usually have to, the tips in cash, unless you’re in a better restaurant and there’s often a hefty credit card fee in addition to any fees your banks might charge you.

So number one, I’d recommend bringing cash. US dollars in particular, nice crisp, brand new looking bills and converting it once here. And if you are gonna use a credit card, make sure you use one like the Capital One with no foreign transaction fee. Check that ’cause those fees can certainly add up. So in my starting city a Punta US, which I found to be a nice enough town with a long, long walkway along the coast of the Magellan Strait.

And after a couple days I kind of established my [00:11:00] walkin routine. The city has some interesting sculptures along the shoreline and also in town, including the rusty hull. Remains of the ship, Lord Lonsdale, along the coastline. This Hull acts as a tribute to the region’s explorers, and seems to be the emblem of the city as there are modern replicas of that hull in white steel along some of the boardwalk.

Just off the shore, abandoned docks are covered in cormorants. Those are those cool seabirds who air their open wings to dry. They’re black and white down here, not the solid black, like the ones I know. I’m gonna see a lot of black and white critters down here, and it turns out to be by design for camouflage.

The animals will be black on the top, so from the sky they’ll blend in with the sea or land, but they’re wide in the belly. So from below a seal or whale won’t see them ’cause they’ll blend in with the sun. This helps to keep penguins among the other black and white animals safer from predators. On the night our tour starts, our group meets [00:12:00] for the first time.

Our Active Adventures Guide is amicable and easygoing Gym, who is practically Chilean now, even though we moved here from TUR decades ago. Other solo travelers include Sandy and Denise sisters, Betsy and Jody, friends Ken and Dan, and couple Janet and David, all Therre hikers, and we arrange in age from our late fifties to late sixties.

I can already tell it’s gonna be a good group. We have a huge dinner and like all active tours, I know we’re going to eat really well on this trip. All meals are included as part of our tour. Alcohol excluded when in town. We eat at a restaurant and could choose what we’d like to eat and when In the national parks we eat at the Refugios that have surprisingly good food and a fixed menu every day, we are never hungry.

That’s for sure. To give you an example for dinner, at our first gio, we had salmon, potatoes, and veggies, all cooked to perfection. In this [00:13:00] region, carne or meat is king. Fire roasted lamb beef or guo, which is a tasty cousin in the llama, in the camel, is the usual fair. Although I do eat chicken a few times.

If you are a vegetarian or have other dietary requirements, active can accommodate you, but you must be sure to let them know in advance because coming down here on your own with those dietary requirements, it’s gonna be a bit of a challenge. After a big meal and a chance to get to know each other’s stories, we hit the sack and get ready for our big adventure.

In the morning, we head to the shore where we catch a boat that’ll take us to go see the penguins of Magdalena Island. Here we find an enormous penguin colony. The cute black and white birds are wildling to and from the shore to their permanent burrows. The male and female mates, and they mate for life take turns heading to the sea to feed while their partner stays behind with the one or two eggs that they’re incubating.

During this time of year, [00:14:00] penguins don’t fly in the air. They can only fly in the sea. In addition to hundreds of penguins, there are multitudes of enormous seagulls, presumably hoping for an egg breakfast if they find a non-art penguin in a huge pile by the sea is a cluster of Koran surrounded by what looked like a dried salt flat, but it’s guano or Koran poo, which is so acidic.

Nothing will grow there. Around here. The Coran always seem to hang together, while usually back home I see them hanging out solo. While we thought seeing all the penguins was a thrill, our next stop to a sea lion colony actually was surprisingly more exciting for me. The huge dominant males were so loud.

Most of us had seen sea lions before, but never so many in one place, or making so much racket.

It made quite the impression. [00:15:00] This island nursery where all the females are pregnant right now will be giving birth soon, is surrounded by seaweed. This seaweed acts as a barrier and guard for the sea lions and penguins, as the whales can’t swim past it. After our wildlife excursion, it’s on to Puerto Nare, the gateway town to Tourist Pine National Park.

This cute waterfront town boasts a lot of hip restaurants and breweries. We have an outstanding meal overlooking the waterfront as delightful, monumental AKA, the monument to the wind set up in honor of the city’s hundred first birthday in 2012. This dual sculpture features a man and a woman up in the air holding onto the pole for dear life.

The pole being bent by the harsh winds notable in this region. All against a backdrop of glacier top mountains in the distance. I’ll put a picture on the website. It is quite striking. Belly’s full. [00:16:00] We head to bed so we can get up early to start the challenging rated four out of a 5 43 mile w Trek, one of the most popular hikes in Torresdale Pine.

Tourist Alpine gets its name for three massive tombstone like towers that are believed to be the highest cliff faces in the world. Its name literally translates to towers of blue pinene, which means blue in the indigenous language. The W Trek is a four day hike to see the park’s. Most dramatic landscapes.

We will sleep in well-appointed Gios, so we don’t need to carry our food or our tent. This means most of our packs will weigh about 20 pounds. Water is regularly available and around here is so pure that we don’t need to treat it. There is a longer trek, which takes nine days. It’s a loop trek that includes the w Trek plus goes around the back of the park and is walked counterclockwise, finishing with the W Trek.

But to do the trek, you have to truly backpack as, I don’t think there’s [00:17:00] refugios back there on that back loop part, but for us, we’re gonna get the gravy of seeing the best of the park without an overloaded pack. At our briefing before Dinner Jam and our two local guides, Carina and Hans Relay that Houston, there’s a problem.

The park rangers are on strike for higher wages and better gear, and have closed the trail to the base of the towers. The park’s most popular hike. Jim and Corina suggest an alternative, two easier trails nearby that offer tons of beauty, wildflowers, and wildlife, including our best chance to see a puma or mountain lion compared to their second option.

A trail to see the towers. That’s even harder and longer than the trail we’re supposed to do. We can tell that the guides are hope will choose the easier route. Remember, they have yet to assess our abilities as we haven’t been on a trail together and they’re looking at a bunch of middle-aged people. We take a vote and it’s eight for the prettier, easier hike with one holdout Ken, who says he flew all the way down here to see the towers.

Who’d prefer the harder [00:18:00] hike? The guides confer and decide we’re gonna do the harder hike. As it turns out, we are all glad for this decision. Inwardly, we find out later that we are each wondering if we could do the harder hike and didn’t wanna be the one to vote for it and then not be capable. But with a decision made for us, we’re all excited for the challenge of the next day.

I want to mention something I noticed in this incident as well as in Peru with my sister Terry, when something went wrong here, a big part of our W Trek was not going to be possible. Do you know how many complaints we got from the nine of us? Zero. I think it’s because people who go on adventures learn how to adapt and become resilient.

So this won’t work. Don’t complain. What will work? That’s the attitude of people that go on adventure travels. I also saw this on the bus in Peru. It was already gonna be our longest day on the bus, 12 hours straight. We hadn’t gone five. [00:19:00] When we come to a construction delay, I’m thinking five minutes like I’m used to back home.

But we’re told, and remember, this is Peru, not on my Patagonia trip. It’s just I wanna relate the same kind of, uh, circumstances. So we’re told that it’s gonna be a two hour delay before they can open the road up. I think it ended up being closer to three by the time it reopened. So our 1:00 PM lunch stop didn’t happen until five.

There were about 40 people on that bus in Peru, most in their twenties and thirties. And how many moans did I hear? Zero. Again, although young, these were seasoned adventurers who are accustomed to things not going according to plan, and they’ve learned to roll with the punches. It does wonders for keeping stress levels down and keeping the day pleasant.

I strongly believe that adventure travel builds one’s resilience bone. Can you imagine all the wailing and gnashing of teeth? Were this to happen on a bus full of typical 20 year olds in the United States? The reason I do this show [00:20:00] is to inspire and empower you to lead a bigger life through adventure travel.

It is my firmest belief that going on these kinds of challenging trips positively affects your life in all sorts of way. If you’ve missed it, I recently replayed a show I did on resilience and grit. I’ll put a link in the show notes in case you missed it. It really is an important episode and I do hope you’ll take the time to listen.

I have hiked all over the world and have seen some incredible landscapes. In fact, I’ve now hiked in all seven continents. But I have got to say that Patagonia certainly ranks in the top. Like I said, it would make the top three. It is absolutely stunning. If it is not on your list, you need to stop what you’re doing and go at it right now.

Our first day of hiking is an out and back, so on our way up to see the towers, we are surrounded by beauty that defies words. We have a crisp, clear day to hike and can see huge snow cap mountains all around us. Up close. [00:21:00] There are these magnificent fire bushes, which are rugged mountain shrubs, covered this time of year in bright red honeysuckle like flower clusters.

It makes a striking contrast to the gray granite and white snow and the ice. Majestic is the word that comes to mind when I think of these mountains that just jut up from the valley plains, tectonic plates all crashing together. Corina explains the three kinds of rocks. We’ll, sea sedimentary, the kind that you can tell are like layers in a cake.

Morphous, which change with pressure, I think she said. And volcanic. And you can really see the difference once you start paying attention. As we climb ever higher, we can now see the lakes down below. Lakes an impossible milky teal blues from the granite silt of the glacier melt with the clear skies. We also get a great view of the towers, something that’s not always a given.

As we sit to enjoy our packed lunge overlooking the towers, our eyes settle on the rocks. We’re sitting on here and there are tiny cacti looking [00:22:00] clusters of some tough mothers. With this wind and the harsh climate, how can they possibly survive up here? While I can’t say how the plants survive, I have come to believe that the guides survive off of mate.

Mate is a tea like substance from a plant that grows around 20 feet tall. You dry it and crush it like a tea, and then scoop what looks like a quarter cup of leaves into these small, often highly decorated gourds that fit in the palm of your hand. Pour boiling water over it to steep, and then you drink this bitter tasting and it’s definitely an acquired taste.

You drink this bitter tasting confusion through a stainless steel decorated spoon straw. You stir it with the spoon, but there are holes in the straw. Handle the spoon so you can sip the mate without getting leaves in your teeth. And it’s a social drink, you would say, want to get together for a mate? The way I might say, Hey, let’s get together for a beer.

Whoever makes the mate offers the straw and brew to his or her friends who all drink from the same [00:23:00] straw. It keeps going around and around until you say thank you, which means you’ve had enough. The guides drink it constantly. Our hike to the top was a thoroughly satisfying hike and we all did great.

Thank you to Ken for speaking up. We are all delighted that you did. I was proud of us all and of our bodies. Denise picks up the nickname Grandma Badass. I think it’s a fabulous name. We should all give ourselves Beat Grandma or Grandma Badass from now. Heading down to the refugia was of course a lot easier than the climb up.

The Refugio, which had dorm rooms of four to six with shared baths down the hall is quite nice. There’s a large dining area and people are assigned specific mealtimes. There’s also an indoor seating area where you can chill out or eat and drink separately from the fixed menu. I believe you can buy food a la carte if you don’t book the fixed breakfast and dinner.

The prices for the GIO meal was not cheap. I [00:24:00] noticed from the posted sign all through. Obviously ours was included in our trip. Also, outside are some picnic tables where you can enjoy the scenery with a beer or soda that you can buy inside. Jody and I invite ourselves to join a gentleman. We learned whose name is Yas at an outside table.

Something funky is going on with Jodi’s phone and Jans quickly fixes it for her. Jans is from the Netherlands and is hiking solo as his husband doesn’t like this kind of adventure. He gives me the scoop on Buenos airs where I’ll be spending the holidays. I love meeting people, especially hikers from around the world as I can pick their brains about destinations and trails.

In fact, our group is a treasure trove of insights like this, as well as we are a group of well traveled folks. Much of our tour is spent exchanging travel stories and laughs. I love this as I can feel unselfconscious about telling travel stories without feeling like I’m bragging since they’re all just as well traveled.

When around family and friends who don’t travel a [00:25:00] lot, I tend to stay quiet as travel is not really one of their interests, and I don’t wanna bore them or seem like I’m bragging. So from other travelers, I often get new destination ideas to add to my ever expanding list from these random chats. After dinner, we all crash and get rested for the next day.

The W Trek gets its name from the rounded W Shape of the Trail, which resembles the double V-shaped lines that unite to form a W. We hike it from east to west, so on our second day we will hike towards the center spur of the w. This second day of hiking the W Trek was easier than yesterday’s with only eight miles and a little more than 1300 foot of elevation gain.

Today’s highlight is the glacial lake. Oh, I’m gonna butcher this norden scold and seeing lows, OSes the horns, a granite peak that looks like a pair of horns. When we arrived at the refusal, there was some kind of a mixup and three of us would need to sleep in a [00:26:00] tent. Denise raised her hand first as being from Minnesota.

She loves things cold. David also volunteered. After being assured I would be warm enough, I volunteered to be the third tenter. It turns out we campers drew the long straw as the tents were quite sizable with nice pads and comfortable clean sleeping bags, and I’d brought my own liner. I had rented a sleeping bag from Active that I never needed to use.

All the refugios included, a sleeping bag are proper sheets. We were there early in the season when they were nice and fresh. If you’re going later, you may wanna rent the bag. Hans was appalled that I used theirs, but they looked and smelled good enough for me, especially since I had my own liner. I’d also rented a liner from Active, but left that in Punta Rena’s as my silk one was lighter weight.

You can also rent poles if you don’t wanna pack them. And I should add proper hiking boots are imperative on this tour. Also bring [00:27:00] lots of layers as you’re gonna be constantly adding and subtracting as the winds and the weather changes by the minute. Sometimes I was just one layer on, but on our last hike I was cold and windy and, and it was a tough, and it was a touch rainy and I had five layers on when we were at the top.

Of course, everything needs to be quick, dry. Jans was at the Refugia our second night as well, so we greet each other like long lost friends shared a beer and and recounted the beautiful day’s hike. He would be staying at different ugia than us for the rest of the hike, so we wished each other well for the rest of our adventures.

I should mention that on our first day, since we’re able to go to Refugio, where we were staying at before our big hike, we could leave our sleeping bag at night junk there, meaning we only had to carry a day pack up the mountain. But from day two on, we had to carry everything we needed with us. One exception is that we could leave some of our junk at the closed Refugio, at the spur, the French Valley, on the next day, on day three, since we’d be passing by it again.

So we [00:28:00] all have to carry our full pack part of that day’s hike. Even though the refugio that we started our night stuff was closed, the Rangers were still living there. They make 450 bucks a month and get $4 a day for food. Corina said it costs about $10 a day to eat and suggested we offer up any of our leftovers to the Rangers who poke their heads over the back fences to say hi.

We get an abundance of food in our lunch pack each day, so they got a nice assortment of tasty protein bars, trail mix, and chocolate bars. As I jotted down my notes for this episode, a couple weeks after our hike, I’m happy to report that the strike is over, although I don’t know what kind of settlement they agreed upon.

Our third day hiking in the French Valley is a Hall of Famer hike. You get a closer look at Los, the horns, plus you get to see glaciers creeping down the granite peaks at the end of the hike. I ask folks, which was their favorite part of the W trek, and most everyone agreed it was the French Valley.[00:29:00] 

Again, we are blessed with clear weather, which makes surrounding the distant mountains and the RO lakes all the better. Sometimes we’re in a forest, sometimes with glacial streams alongside, but often we’re out. Julie Andrews like surrounded by peaks. We hear thunder in the distance. Yikes. Lightning is my biggest fear.

Hiking and certainly hiking up these tall granite peaks, but it’s not thunder we hearing, but rather avalanches. Where we hike, the snow has already melted and avalanches are not a concern, so we just get to enjoy watching and listening to them. Instead, when you hear the quote unquote thunder look around, and if you’re lucky, you get to see an avalanche in the mountain across the valley.

We witnessed about a dozen of them, and I caught one on video, which I’ll put on a video about the whole trip on the website. Be sure to check it out. I’ll put a link in the show notes. Gratefully, while we were sitting around having lunch, we got to see several [00:30:00] avalanches, which were quite cool. We also got to see condors.

Condors. Basically, a large vulture with a better name can have wingspans of nine to 10 feet. They have a bit of red on their heads and some white under their wings will mature. During our lunch, we saw four juveniles riding in the thermals, which is pretty cool. By the end of our trip, we’d seen dozens of condors and no longer pause to tell people, Hey, look, look.

It got like that with the Guo and the RIAs whenever we traveled by van. Those are the, uh, laa looking things. Guo are cousins to the camel and look like its other cousin, the llama. They hang out usually in small herds on the pasture land. If there’s a hill, one’s gonna be a sign lookout to warn about Pumas.

Guo are the favorite food of the puma. These guac are wild. They’re also tasty, and you’ll find them featured in stews and grilled throughout the region. We also saw a fair amount of RIAs. These look like small [00:31:00] ostriches and it seemed like, so RIAs hang out with the guacs. I thought it interesting that once the female lays the egg, her job is done.

The male is the one raising the chick. RIAs are protected in Chile, but they’re introduced to Tarago in Argentina since they don’t have pumas down here to keep the RIAs under control. In Argentina, they’re hunted. Any RIAs on the menu therefore come from Argentina. In addition to Quantico’s, RIAs and Condors, we also saw plenty of fluffy desert fox and the biggest hairs I’ve ever seen.

These guys are easily four to five times larger than our bunnies. In the Patagonian Queen Hotel, somebody snapped a photo of a puma chase in a hair, and the hair was almost a quarter of the size of the puma. They’re that big, and I am not kidding. My theory is that they have to be big so they can tough out the harsh winters.

At a museum I went to in Punta Reinas, they had taxidermied, pelican, storks, and other birds I was familiar with. All of them were at [00:32:00] least two to three times larger than their cousins back home. One other surprising bird we saw a fair amount of was fla bingos, although mostly in Argentina. I hadn’t realized that some flamingos could take the cold.

There are lagoons all over the place and it’s not uncommon to see what looks like pink buoys along the perimeter. Their heads are always down in the water seeking a snack, so all you usually see is pink flamingo butt. Overall, I was really pleasantly surprised at all the wildlife we saw. This was an unexpected treat.

If I had to rate the places for wildlife that I’ve been to Patagonia. Tanzania and Antarctica would be my top three, which tells you something. If I had to pick a wildlife place for the US I would have to say Yellowstone. And Yellowstone reminds me of fires, and it reminds me of something else that I learned in Patagonia.

Unlike the US West, lightning strikes and [00:33:00] forest fires are not part of the cycle of nature down here. So whenever there’s a forest fire, it’s devastating. One massive fire was caused by careless tourists tossing a cigarette, another from a turned over stove. The winds here are fierce and they don’t have the helicopters to scoop up the water to help them put it out, and it’s probably be too windy if they did have the helicopters.

Thus, fires are strictly banned. We could still see evidence of fires a decade or more ago, which is sad. All the trees here seem to petrify rather than decompose, and I can’t explain why. You’ll see ancient dead trees just lying there. From where I come from. The forest would gobble them up in no time instead of fires.

Let’s get back to the hike. As I look back on our tour, hiking, the French Valerie remains my favorite hiking day. It had the perfect mix of scenery and challenge with the excitement of seeing the avalanches. All in all, a most satisfying and beautiful day. Our fourth and final day at the W Trek, we hiked the [00:34:00] second turn of the W towards our final spike up to Lake Gray.

Lake grave is what I was most excited for before our trip. I remembered all the pretty photos from when I covered Patagonia way back in episode 12. Again, I’ll put a link in the show notes. At Lake Gray, we’d get to see great glacier and icebergs. I couldn’t wait. Great. Glacier is one of the most calving glaciers in the world.

Calving is when a chunk of glacier breaks off, and I hope to see one great glacier is tall too, at over 650 feet high or around 200 meters. Definitely impressive. By lunchtime when we eventually made it to our final refugio at the head of Lake Gray, like most adventures, it was not the destination but the journey as.

I was actually a bit sad that this part was over. What a beautiful hike. No wonder it is considered one of the prettiest treks in the world. As I mentioned, I put together a short video highlighting the best of my Patagonia adventure. [00:35:00] You can check it out on the Act of Travel Adventures website or on the Act of Travel Adventures YouTube channel.

But please do check it out. We’re getting a little long, so I think I’ll break this into a two part episode because we still have lots of adventures left to go in Patagonia. I hope you can hear my voice how exciting this trip was and I hope you sure will consider it. And if nothing else, please go to the website and check out the photos and videos that I put there for you.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, could I ask you a favor? Please share it on your social channel so others get to hear about it too. I would be most appreciative. Part two will be available for download immediately if you go to the website. Otherwise, you’ll see it in two weeks when it comes out regularly on the podcast schedule.

I really appreciate you listening. Until next time, this is Kit Parks Adventure On!

Part II:

[00:00:00] I am excited to bring you part two of our Patagonia adventure where we hike, bike, and paddle our way through Chile and Argentina’s, Patagonia, one of the top three prettiest places in the world I’ve ever been to. I can’t wait to continue this adventure with you, so let’s get started.

Welcome to the Active Travel Adventures Podcast. I’m your host Kit Parks in part two. Today we will finish up our adventures down in Patagonia. We started our Patagonia Adventure in part one on the Chilean side of Patagonia. Patagonia is actually a combination of Chile and Argentina. So in Chile we hiked the amazing, one of the best hikes in the world.

The W Trek, where we saw some amazing grin at peaks. We saw avalanches, not where we were in any danger. Of course, we got to see glacial lakes, tons of wildlife, beautiful flowers. It was just an [00:01:00] amazing, amazing, beautiful, beautiful hike. And we finished up part one by finishing up the W trek onto Lake Gray.

And so that’s where we’ll start today. On my Patagonia trip, I went with one of my all time favorite adventure tour companies, active Adventures, which is one of my affiliates. And remember, as one of my listeners, you can save 200 bucks off of any of their worldwide tours using the exclusive promo code at a 200 a TA 200.

And that promo code is good for not just active Adventure Worldwide tours, but also their sister company, Austin Adventures, which offers a lot more family friendly and some softer adventures around the globe. Active won’t let me publish the promo code on the internet, so you will see it in the show notes.

Or if you forget, you can always email me for the code at kit@activetraveladventures.com. You can also find it on any of the travel planners that active goes to, and you get access to the travel planners if you get the monthly newsletter, which you can get by either. Clicking in the box in the [00:02:00] show notes, email me at kid@activetraveladventures.com or going to the website and clicking on the newsletter button there.

I don’t spam you, I don’t sell your email. It’s just a way for us to have a two-way communication. And again, it’s only one email a month. One reason I love Active Adventure Tours is that they always mix things up. Most tours predominantly hiking, but they generally throw in some biking and paddling. And now that we’d hiked our way on the W trek to Lake Gray, we had our fingers crossed.

For a real treat. Weather permitting, we were gonna see Kayak Lake Gray and try to get close to the glacier and the icebergs. I couldn’t wait to keep us warm in these frigid waters. We were outfitted with helmets, wetsuits, booties, a rain jacket and a kayak thermal skirt that attaches to the kayak to keep the water from splashing.

Inside where we sit, there were thermal wetsuit gloves integrated onto our paddles. [00:03:00] After a thorough safety lesson off we went. Betsy manned the rudder in the back while I was up front of our kayak and hoped to get some great photos, many of which are in my video. The winds were quite strong, and I know the guide was monitoring things to keep us safe.

We had to paddle really hard against the wind to make it to the cove. We were all supposed to meet up there. We got close to our first icebergs. How beautiful. The sun had melted the exterior, so they all glisten and sparkled all smooth, shiny and clear blue or frosty white. Older glaciers get the blue color from the way the sun distorts the compression of the ice.

It was magical. Our guide reassesses and says that with this wind, he’ll get us close to the glacier, but we’ll only be able to stay a short time. For safety reasons, we get it. There are some white caps out here and nobody wants to tip over. But he said with over 2000 paddlers last year, only six cap size, and I’m guessing from leaning over to take a [00:04:00] selfie.

These kayaks are really well balanced and with our knees pressed against, the sides are very stable, provided you don’t lean sideways. It is magnificent, but the winds are picking up even more speed. So too soon it’s time to return home. But now we have the winds that are back and we zip back to the launch area.

What a blast. This was definitely a highlight.

Our next day is an easy day. About half of us opted for the touch the ice glacier add-on where you can take a boat over to the glacier and hike alongside it with its jagged spiraling peaks. This is not a Hable glacier like the Franz Joseph Glacier in New Zealand. Uh, put a link to my experience down there in the show notes as well.

At least in this section that we can see. This glacier’s not flat enough to walk safely on. And since I would be on lots of glaciers in Antarctica, my next adventure, I opted instead do the hike to the two swinging bridges and to get a [00:05:00] peak at the other side of the glacier. Corina, our local guide kept our pace very slow and steady throughout our W Trek hike.

While I normally hike at a much faster pace, I noticed about going at Corina set pace of on ascend. Say one step a second, one 1000 step. Take a step two 1000, take another step. I wasn’t at all tired at the end of the day when normally if I do a hard 14 mile hike, I would be pooped when I was finished. I have to remember to do this.

I never seem to do that, but that is a super effective way not to be exhausted. Really take it slow and steady and you won’t lose your energy. Dan, who must have teased Corina about our slow pace got a taste of fast Corina on the hanging bridges hike. I think she decides she’s gonna show Dan that this gal can hike.

So up and off we climbed at a blistering pace by far the hardest. My lungs had worked out all week, but boy was it fun. [00:06:00] Corina knew everything about the flora and fauna, and I pestered her throughout our adventure. One mushroom we saw often round orange ball that grows from GS on the beach trees is one of the indigenous called breadfruit.

You have to wait until it reaches a certain walnut size and then you peel off the ball and bite into it. It doesn’t have a whole lot of taste, but was a staple in the local’s diet. Sadly, all the regions indigenous people were killed off some time ago. I was most interested in learning about the indigenous snam people.

I had seen figurines and images of the snam in their interesting red and white horizontally striped outfits, one of which includes a hammerhead protrusion coming off a guy’s head. It was all quite fascinating. There isn’t a whole lot known about them, but from what I gathered at a museum, some of the men would dress up in these fanciful costumes to scare the children into behaving.

Similar to my parents’ threats with Santa, not bringing gifts unless I behaved. [00:07:00] In the SECM tradition, when the boys reach puberty, they’re invited to a ceremony where they’re told that these red and white spirits are actually humans, but they do not tell the girls, although presumably they figure it out later.

You may have heard of the Tierra del Fuego region down here. This was a main settlement of the NUMs. When the Spanish arrived, they saw all the fires in the beach at the Snam used for heating and cooking and named the land. The land of fire del Fuego literally translates to land of fire. In the morning, again, weather permitting as in this region, it’s all about the weather.

If the winds weren’t too strong, we would take a boat ride to see the three sides of Gray glacier and then head down the length of the lake to meet our van. However, if the winds were too strong, we’d have to hike the seven miles back. Fingers crossed, I don’t mind the hike, which would be a reverse of our last day, but I sure wanted to see the glacier up close by boat.[00:08:00] 

The wind gods were kind and off We went by boat. We were loading. One of the ship’s mates took a pickaxe to a nearby iceberg and cracked off three large chunks puzzled. I just stored that in the back of my mind. It turns out that as part of our boat tour, we would get a Pisco sour. The local favorite alcoholic beverage Pisco was made from grapes, and the alcohol is mixed with citrus for a pleasant, somewhat sweet drink.

The ice for our drink was a chunk of iceberg. Now how cool is that? As our boat neared one of the faces of the massive glacier, we would all go outside for a closer look. The wind was pretty strong, so I’m not sure how strong is too strong to call off the boat ride. All I can tell you is that I took a very windy selfie with my hair sticking straight up in a halo around my skull like I was rekindling the punk rock look.

It’s quite impressive, and I’ll include that with the monthly newsletter if you need a chuckle, not putting that shot on the website. And don’t forget, if you haven’t signed up for the free monthly email, you can do stuff from the show notes on your [00:09:00] phone right now while you’re listening, or from the website active travel adventures.com or just by writing me a kit at Active Travel Adventures.

I don’t spam you. You’ll just get one email a month. And I also don’t sell your information. It’s just a fun way for us to have a two-way conversation. Plus you get access to all the travel planners and any down loans I put together for the show. After our glacier boat tour, it’s time to head the lake to finish our tourist pine part of the tour.

But there’s one more complication due to the strike. The beach is closed, so once we disembark, we can’t walk the 10 minutes across the beach to a hotel where our van waits. So a ferry system has been rigged up and it takes a while for a small boat to shuffle us back and forth across the small waterway.

Everyone is rooting for the Rangers, so none of us mind the inconvenience. Once we all make it to shore, it’s onto the van and back to civilization and Puerto Na once again. What an adventure we’ve had in Chile before we move on, I should note that if you want to take this Active [00:10:00] Adventures tour, but really are not into some of the backpacking that we did, they have an option where you hike out.

But as day hikes, if they have enough people interested. And if you can’t get away for the entire 14 days, you can end your trip at this point as Dan and Ken did. But for the rest of us, we continued. On the next day, we crossed the border into Argentina and head to El Califate, the gateway to Glacier National Park Home in the famous Fitzroy Peaks.

Elate sits on Lake Argentina, the third largest lake in South America. We’ll see the famous Purto Moreno Glacier, and I thought the gray glacier was cool. It has nothing on Purto Moreno. We also hiked to see the famous Fitzroy and surrounding glacial peaks plus some breathtaking glacial lakes and lagoons.

We’ll see more flamingo butts and bike through beach forest to check out beautiful waterfalls, all while building up my courage muscles by going downhill on a mountain bike over loose rocks. [00:11:00] And speaking of rocks, Argentina rocks. Here’s what we did in this cool country. On the way to El Califate, we take a rest stop at a historic restaurant in the middle of nowhere on a river.

It turns out that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid were here once and their photos are on the wall. Local legend has it that they survived and came down here after the fake shootout. Who knows? Maybe it’s true. El Califate is an upscale town, a bustling hiker and climbing town with plenty of restaurants, pubs, and shopping to satisfy anyone.

It’s worth a day or two to chill out at the end of your adventure as this is the town we’ll return to after our visit to the national park at the conclusion of our tour. So you, you’re going be here anyway. Tack on a couple extra days before you head back to the airport. You’ll, you’ll be glad you did.

We arrive at El Califate in time for lunch, where I had a delicious lamb stew and took a taste of Sandy’s [00:12:00] Guko pot pie that was also quite tasty. After lunch, we have a free afternoon, so I go in search of cash, which turns out to be a challenge and to explore this cute town. They’ve got everything here that upscale hiking and climbing town needs, including laundry, which was also on the top of our list.

There are endless, cute restaurants and bars, but like I said, first I need to get some Argentinian pesos. Money is funny down here. Inflation is a serious issue and currently runs around 90% a year in late 2022. So while we are currently complaining back home about inflation, we ain’t seeing nothing compared to what the Argentinians are going through.

Thus, US dollars are king. You are king if you have cash. And if you have cash, you get a much better exchange rate on the street rate than in the bank rate. So here, pay attention to this for when you go down, I can save you some money. So first of all, when you’re going [00:13:00] down there, try to bring American dollars.

Nice, crisp. A hundred dollars bills. $20 bills with not scars or tears. They’ve gotta look good, but if that doesn’t work and you don’t wanna carry cash, an alternative to getting cash is to wire yourself money via Western Union. I wired myself money to Western Union, but the local Western Union was closed.

You could also go to the post office. There’s a branch there where you can get some money, but there the line is out the door with like 50 people waiting. No good. I don’t have the patience to wait on that. So I went to another office, but they’re closed for the day. And there I beat some people that lived about an hour from me.

And we discussed our mutual par problem part ways. Further down the street, I see a money changer. I know I’m not gonna get a great rate, but at least I can convert some of the little bit of us I have left. So I’ll have some local currency because remember, you’ve got to pay the tips in cash in a lot of places.

You know, while they take credit cards. You don’t wanna stiff the staff. So I go in to change my last $40 [00:14:00] US, and she says she can. However, if I go upstairs in the restaurant next door, I’ll get an even better rate. Sure. I don’t know, she’s very sweet, saving me a little bit of money and costing herself some.

So I Go ahead. Instead of getting 150 pesos for dollar, I get two 60 by going in. It’s technically the black market, but nobody gets in trouble for it ’cause everybody does it. When I leave, I see my new acquaintances and they’re getting the same scoop from that same helpful lady, the money exchange, and get this.

Had I been able to get cash from Western Union, I would’ve gotten an even better exchange rate. It’s crazy. I know the government’s trying to get things back in line, but from now when you go to Argentina and like I said, they had a, a major election and melee is trying to to change things, so, so get the latest scoop before you go, but I am gonna guess it’s gonna take years for them to turn around the situation.

So I would bring plenty of crisp new [00:15:00] US dollars and you’ll get almost twice the value of the bank rate when you go. And if you wanna see some nature while you’re in El Kte, a quick walk down to the nearby Laguna Nims Lagoon will showcase a ton of birds. You’ll see lots of flamingo butts, plus ducks and geese.

And as you recall from the last show, the flamingos mostly have their heads in the water looking for food, which is shrimp and algae. So what you usually see, instead of the full flamingo standing like you’ll see in a postcard, is a butt sticking outta the water and it looks like a pink buoy. One day I’m gonna look at my photos and wonder why I took so many photos of pink buoys.

I found it very interesting that in this region of Patagonia, if you look at the map with both countries on it, there’s no borderline between Chile and Argentina around here. I. There was once a scuffle and both sides tried to claim it. A young man, they named the Pato Moreno [00:16:00] Glacier after got lost in these woods for five years and learned the mountains quite well during that time.

So Argentina hired him to help establish where the border between the nation should be. They considered runoff to the Atlantic versus the Pacific, but some mountains did both. So that didn’t work. They tried battling and an officer got killed and they decided it wasn’t worth. Losing a life over. So they pretty much decided just to leave the map blank.

A pretty cool solution. I thought. There’s a memorial to the man killed over the border skirmish that we saw on our bike ride. They want to remember what’s important. Those mountain peaks are up so high and icy and you can’t live on in any way. So wifi, why fight over it? Right? They also have some fascinating stories about the technical mountain climbers, mostly from France, Italy, and Germany, who came to this area to claim the first to Summit boast, but that is for someone else’s program.

Here on the Act of Travel Adventures podcast, we talk about things [00:17:00] that you and I can do, especially if we train. On our second day here, we headed over to the famous Purita Moreno Glacier. It’s one of the highlights of this region. I have to admit, it was indeed much prettier than what I thought was the beautiful gray glacier that we’d seen in Chile.

I think it’s because the Purita Moreno Glacier is more dramatic. It’s got spikes poking out of the facade. It’s very, very, very appealing. With a local guide, we got to take a nice hike with several viewpoints to get a closer look. This glacier calves a lot too, and it’s not unusual to see a calf. I just caught a splash and just missed the main event.

By the time my eyes focused on what was going on, but it was quite something. There was a boat down by the glacier that looked so tiny next to this massive ice, and I’ll bet that boat held 50 or more people. The next day we headed to El Charlton. I love this town. Think Moab with a South American flair, [00:18:00] maybe 20 years before it got discovered.

Everyone’s walking around with their backpacks or they’re climbing gear, their mountain biking gear. They’re here to have fun. It’s got a very cool outdoorsy vibe. If I were younger, I’d buy some investment property down here. There are plenty of breweries and good restaurants all surrounded by massive peaks, including its most famous Fitzroy.

That’s right. You could see Fitzroy without even leaving town. And one thing I love about this town is you can just walk from downtown directly to the trail heads. How cool is that? And that’s exactly what we did in our first trek with our new local guide, Lucy. Lucy, like Carina knows her local flora and fauna and geeked out on as much as I do.

So like with Carina, I’m hoping that my incessant questions didn’t drive her batty. We took a modest hike up to see the rador Laguna tore, where you get to see the lake with a backdrop of the majestic mountains. It’s a great warmup for tomorrow’s hike, which will be a bit more challenging. The morning’s [00:19:00] hike will be just over 14 miles with more than 2,600 feet or 800 meter elevation, gain and loss, but it’s worth it.

The clouds mostly covered old Fitzroy, but we got to see its lovely neighbors. My personal favorite being el, so the one by itself with its top face covered in glacier. We had snow flurries off and on for much of the hike. Although it wasn’t sticking to the ground, it made for a pretty backdrop. When we get to the top, we can see the lake down below, and I think we are finished as that’s where we stop for lunch.

But wait, there’s more. It’s an eye shot of where we were sitting, so I wondered why we’d bother hiking over to the next hill. But I dutifully follow Lucy. Now I get it. There’s a beautiful, clear, glacial blue lake tucked away on the other side of the hill that you could only see with that little bit of extra climb.

Up the right side of the mountain heading to the lake. We see ski tracks. I cannot believe some people drag their skis all the way up here and then even crazier ski down that super steep slope. [00:20:00] But we do see one such crazy person heading back down the trail with his skis. I sure wish we got to see somebody ski though.

The weather is very changeable today, and we know sooner at a layer than the sun comes out and we remove the layer. It’s that kind of a day, and this is to be expected in Patagonia. The cold, wind and rain, along with the colliding tectonic plates is what shapes these dramatic peaks. And as my mother would drill into me, there isn’t bad weather, just poor clothing choices.

Gratefully, I have packed my day pack appropriately, so I’m never too cold, except once on the last day for a bit. I brought my thin wool gloves and my waterproof gloves. I probably should also pack my thick wool gloves for that last day’s hike. But with the waterproof ones, while not quite as warm, they were modestly sufficient.

The only thing I packed that I did not use, but I’m still glad that I brought, is my rain pants. If I had my regular hiking rain pants that zip up the side, I would’ve [00:21:00] used them. But since I’m going to Antarctica and needed thermal waterproof pants, I brought ski pants without lower zippers. Not thinking about getting them on without removing my boots.

I didn’t wanna have to take off my pants and boots to put them on unless I was desperate, which gratefully I never was. Most everyone else wore their rain pants at one time or another. Even if just to block the wind. Our next day was another super fun day. We went mountain biking. I’ve only been on a mountain bike three times prior, so going down the hills on uneven tree can be a bit twitchy for me.

When I went on a day mountain biking tour in Moab, my guide instructed me trust the bike. So whenever we were going down the steep rocky hill, and by the way, these were a little used country roads, not single track paths. I would repeat to myself my new mantra. Trust the bike. Trust the bike. Trust the bike.

Trust the bike in hopes that I wouldn’t break as my brain was screaming for me to do so. Somehow the better mountain bikes and tires know how to go over uneven and big rocks. Happily, I don’t think a one of us fell. [00:22:00] We biked through forest and fields stopping often to admire a waterfall to check out pink flamingo butts in a lagoon.

Our bike ride was thrilling and one of the highlights of the tour for me, thinking back, I think the reason the sea kayaking round. Icebergs and glaciers and my mountain biking down Rocky Hills were highlights is because doing these activities takes me outside my comfort zone. I’m confident in my hiking abilities, and I’m far less so in biking or paddling where I feel like I have less control and I don’t know that I have a high enough skill level.

Half of our group included mountain bikers from Colorado. They of course, had no issues and zoomed far ahead of the back. Half of us, this trail would be meld for them. So I think that the fact that it was challenging for the rest of us probably means we enjoyed it more, even though we all got to appreciate the beauty surrounding us.

I guess what I’m trying to say is whenever possible try to put yourself in situations that challenge you a bit. Do that plus one. I often mention that’s doing something a [00:23:00] little bit harder than your skill and put you outside of your comfort level. You’ll expand your skills, plus you get more out of it and you become more confident.

The more often you do this. Push yourself. Try to get comfortable being uncomfortable, and you’ll have one heck of a time. But of course, train too. All of us were fit and had properly trained for this adventure, which is pretty hard. Not only do you have to have the endurance to hike a hard 14 mile day, but you need to be able to do this.

And be this active day after day. If you need help planning your training regimen, you can get a free consultation with my affiliate Becky at Trailblazer Wellness to see if you’re a good fit. Becky can customize a program for whatever adventure you have cooked up using whatever equipment you’ve already got.

You’ll get access to online training videos to show you the proper form, and Becky will be there to coach you along the way. I’ll put a link in the show notes and be sure to mention Active travel Adventures to get my exclusive 10% discount. If our bike ride wasn’t pretty [00:24:00] enough after lunch, we went on a hike to see the blue and green lagoons.

And when they say blue, they’re talking about a color that’s hard to describe. Think electric blue, not neon, but such a piercing deep rich blue that it doesn’t look real. I’ll put a picture on the website and it won’t do it justice, but at least you’ll get an idea. The Green lagoon wasn’t nearly as intriguing.

Does that mean we’re getting jaded by beauty around here? Maybe that’s the sign of a great trip. Sadly, all good things must come to an end. And our next and final hike is a doozy to once again try to see Fitzroy. We will climb seven miles in hopes of a final glimpse, but the weather does not look promising.

We can hike directly from our hotel across town to the trailhead. From there, we go up through the beach forest and it seems like beach trees called Lingus here dominate the vegetation. They must be striking in the fall, and I mentally bookmark this fact. We do the customary layers [00:25:00] on layers off. As we ascend, we are in the protection of the trees, off come the layers exposed in pasture land or once we break tree line on, we pile the layers.

On the last push to the top, we have a panoramic view that takes your breath away. And I’m thinking this, even though a lot’s covered by the clouds, I can only imagine what it must look like on a clear day. It was one of my favorite views. Perhaps I’m not so jaded after all, but it’s getting cold and windy and sometimes rainy.

But we finally make it to the top, and I never sauce us eat lunch so fast. I put on all of my layers and it was so cold being I had five layers covering my core. My legs felt fine on my pants, so I didn’t bother with those rain pants, but my hands were cold since they were bears. I ate my sandwich. I had barely finished my sandwich.

My group started N Mass heading downhill. I followed Sandy’s lead and shoved my pound cake dessert into a side pocket to eat for when we next. Took a break. I get it. I was freezing too. [00:26:00] We had been blessed with the almost perfect weather our entire two weeks, so I guess it was only fitting that we got to experience all of Patagonia’s weather.

So it was good to take the biting cold, piercing rain and wind first spell on our last hike. Fortunately, it didn’t last long, but at least we got to say that we experienced it as we headed down the mountain for the last time. I kept wondering, is this the last condor? Is that the last fire bush? Is that the last orchid, the last Anem, E, et cetera?

You often never know when something ends up being the last times, so I tried to savor them all. Before long, we were down and back to town to catch our van, back to El Califate. What a fantastic adventure. I was hoping to see a gaucho, an Argentinian cowboy on our way back. I’m picturing the debonair, colorful woven wool poncho that also dabbles as a saddle blanket and sleep gear.

The loose fitting trousers called bcha belted with a tear todo and the beret. It seems like cowboy hats are not gonna work with these heavy [00:27:00] winds, so they wear these saucy berets down here. I was outta luck on this ride, but did get to see some cow, hers braise on my bus ride to Puerto Na a couple of days later.

After getting cleaned up, we meet for a special dinner at the hotel. We stayed at El Califate, the Patagonia queen, which I must say was one of my favorite on the trip. They built a special room for active adventure. Since they’re there all the time, it features a private dining table and large built-in grill to rose famous Patagonia barbecue.

We ate, I think, five different kinds of roasted cuts of beef along with salad, freshly baked bread, all washed down with Argentinian Merlot. I think the sausage was my favorite, and even though we were stuffed to the gills, we all managed to wolf down the delicious and not overly sweet cake, and I don’t even have a sweet tooth.

It was a feast to remember and a great way to celebrate the end of a fantastic adventure together. In the morning after breakfast, we all winter [00:28:00] separate ways. Some flew out of El Califate back home. Sandy and I independently stayed a couple of extra days. Then Sandy flew back to South Africa and I took the local bus back to Portlet, naes, and then onward to Punes.

A piece of advice here. I’m very careful about scouting out public transport ahead of time. I’ll usually go to the terminal and check it out the day before so I know I can find it and where to go. I try to buy my ticket advance to avoid miscues if bad information on websites. But one thing I forgot is that on my el ate to port the Naali bus, I would be crossing borders.

Fortunately, I planned to arrive 30 minutes early. When I got there, it was obvious the bus was almost fully loaded. I show my ticket from my phone and the driver motions for me to check with the desks inside, which I remembered was swamped. Ugh. It dawned on me about the border then. I’m like, oh dear. Of course, they wanna check to make sure I have all the right paperwork, which in this case is my passport.

And, uh, at the time, a COVID [00:29:00] VAX card or a negative test. Fortunately, that large line moved right along, so there was no worry about missing my quite comfortable bus that left right on time. Yet another mistake to add to the ledger, not to repeat again, I got lucky that time that the line moved quickly. My Patagonia trip makes my fifth tour with active adventures.

There is a reason I keep going back. Yes, because of my affiliate relationship, they gimme a discount, and whenever you use my promo code, remember it’s at to 200, it’ll save you 200 bucks off. You’re not only saving money, but you’re helping to support the show at no additional cost to you. I have spent a small fortune with active adventures on my tours with them because I know I’m going to have a trip of a lifetime make that I’ve had five trips of a lifetime as my Scottish friend Jamie says, who says, you only get one right.

I knew I would probably never make it back this far south to Patagonia, and I wanted to make sure a hundred percent sure that I had an exceptional trip. So I booked my adventure with Active Adventures. [00:30:00] I met a couple who came all the way down here and they were gonna go around the various agencies trying to line up day tours to do some of the things that we did on our tour.

Sure, they could see a lot of it, but how much time did they waste trying to line the trips up? And then waiting for a bus or van to pick up the people from the different hotels and end up getting the usually shortened visits. Once they finally got there, our trip was seamless. If the day required transport, a van was ready to take us directly where we had to go.

While we had a short hike, the mountain bikes were taken off the trailer and pre sized for us individually and ready to arrive. When we returned, none of our time was wasted. At dinner at well chosen restaurants, a table was reserved and waiting for us. Tasty, packed lunches were ready after breakfast if we were going out to eat.

Every last detail was taken care of, from luggage storage to airport shuttles to hotel, and refugio check-ins. All permits and fees were paid. All of our meals and lodging was covered. And covered well with lovely accommodations and outstanding restaurants. All local tips to the drivers, local guides and hotels recovered except for our [00:31:00] W Trek guides and our active guide.

And since you paid for the trip before you even got there, you don’t get a nasty surprise in your credit card when you get home because you really have to go into your pocket or pull out a credit card. And Active gets you the best guides in the industry. They have a great reputation of taking care of their guides, so they get to choose from among the best and it shows.

So that’s why I keep promoting active adventures and encourage you to try them out. I’ll admit some of the tours look expensive, but when you figure out that it’s almost a hundred percent inclusive, it makes the total much more palatable. And like I said, you’ll have one heck of a great adventure and you won’t be nickeled and dime to death.

My important big bucket list trips is not where I wanna skimp. I want the fullest and best experience possible, and I get that from active. The next active trip I wanna take is their Mont Blanc trip, and I booked that this summer of 2024. I checked if they still have spaces available, if you’d like to join me, peg whom you met on the Morocco and the Dolomite adventures [00:32:00] joining me.

Why don’t you come too? I’m also looking into doing another trip to Bhutan, possibly in fall of 2025. If that sounds like something you’re interested in, also hit me up at kit@activetraveladventures.com. I think it’s really fun that a lot of us are starting to travel together and, well, I’m not actually the organized, I’m more of the coordinator of getting the people together, so if it sounds like fun, let me know and I’d love to hear about what adventures you’ve got planned.

The Portuguese Camino that we’re doing solo together in April of 25 is full, except for we’re looking for one male roommate, so a solo guy. If you or you know somebody that might be interested, be sure to hit me up and I’ll get you the information. I’m also looking at putting together a trip to Bhutan, one of the, not one of the most fascinating country I’ve ever been to.

The most unique. Remember, it’s a country in the Himalayas outside Nepal and India that’s [00:33:00] never been conquered. So unlike most countries you go to, their culture is very homogenous and has not been infiltrated by other cultures. So you see it in its purest sense. I love the country and I look forward to going back and, and exploring more of it, as well as some of the, the highlights I’d like to show.

If anybody wants to join me, hit me up at kid@acttraveladventures.com and I’ll get you more information as we develop that plan. I hope you’ve enjoyed hiking, biking, and paddling in Patagonia with me today. I know I thoroughly enjoyed reliving it. It was one of the greatest adventures of my life, and I could not more strongly encourage you to add it to your bucket list.

Thank you so much for listening. Until next time, this is Kid Parks at Adventure on.

(C) Active Travel Adventures LLC – All Rights Reserved

Hike Patagonia In Chile And Argentina I Adventure Travel with Erin Chambers and Sandra Long

TRANSCRIPT FOR MY FIRST PATAGONIA INTERVIEW:

Sure to be on nearly every hiker’s bucket list, we are heading as far south as you can imagine. We’re far past the equator to the very end of South America. We go where the Andes meets the Pampas or the grasslands where Argentina and Chile combined to showcase the jaw-dropping chiseled granite peaks and glaciers in the land we call Patagonia. You’ll see soaring condors with ten-foot wingspans, cuddly looking guanacos, an animal that looks like a camel and a llama had a fling. You might even be lucky enough to spot a puma in the Torres del Paine National Park. You could be sure that the charming and adorable Magellanic penguins will make you crack a smile. This is Patagonia. It is wild. It is challenging but it’s doable and is it ever worth it.

—

We’re checking in with not one but two women who have taken the adventure trip of a lifetime to magical Patagonia. Our first guest is 45-year-old, Erin Chambers. She describes her adventure to Patagonia with her husband, Jeremy. While they mostly hiked, their adventure also included a little kayaking and biking. Then we’ll hear from Sandra Long. You actually met her briefly on episode number ten, detailing the benefits of adventure travel. She’s a remarkable 86-year-old woman who is still incredibly active. She still adventure travels and competitively dances. Sandra hiked Patagonia at the age of 82, if you can believe it, which is a challenge no matter what the age. It goes to show you if you keep in shape and you train, you can do this adventure.

Sandra’s trip was strictly a hiking adventure. Erin and Jeremy’s trip with my affiliate tour company, Active Adventures, was a little bit more rigorous. Nonetheless, there are some difficult days on both trips. To get the maximum enjoyment, I recommend that you train for these adventures. This adventure ranks a four, possibly even a five out of five, but it is doable if you train. Like the other difficulty five adventure to Mont Blanc on episode number seven, this is definitely worth it. Outside of the fabulous hikes along the base of Mount Fitzroy, Fitzroy is that iconic jagged granite mountain peaks that you see in many of the photos that you’ll ever see of Patagonia, you’ll also hike to the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile and Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina plus some others.

You’re going to get to see the massive penguin colony on Magdalena Island, visit the famous Perito Moreno glacier, kayak and cruise in Grey Lake and hopefully get to see some glaciers calving. Glacier calving means when the glacier breaks off into the water. It’s majestic when you see it on film and hopefully you get to see it in person. Erin and her husband did the Condor two-week long adventure. If you have the time, take a few days like Sandra did in Buenos Aires and possibly even an extra day or so in Punta Arenas. To begin with, could you please tell us a little bit about yourself perhaps how old you are and how you started getting into adventure travel?

I am 45 years old. I’m originally from Tennessee. We moved to Boise, Idaho a couple of years ago. Me and my husband did not have kids, and so we took this opportunity to try to start traveling the world, and found that it was our passion. We got hooked up with Active Adventures. We are still active, we are avid hikers and backpackers and campers, so we hooked up with them for our New Zealand trip. We like them so much we did a second trip to South America.

You are physically fit, as you said you’re an active hiker. Where would you put yourself on a scale of fitness level where five is super hardcore and one is a couch potato?

Probably a two to be honest with you, it depends on the time of year. I’m a little bit older and so I can tell that my physical fitness levels is going down over the past couple of years. That doesn’t excuse or knock me out of wanting to not do adventure trips. They’re harder. I’ll tell you, they are. It depends on how much effort a person puts into it with their training. I feel like I was more physically fit when I did the New Zealand trip, because I put a little bit more effort into training. To be honest with you, the South American trip we took, I hardly did any training at all and it kicked my butt. I was still able to do most things.

Did you always do adventure trips on your vacations or is this something relatively new?

We’ve progressed into it. Since we’ve been married for a couple of years, we started off with national park trips out west and started with Yosemite. We fell in love with our national parks in the United States. At that time, we were living in Tennessee. We would come out west every year and pick a different park. That’s one of the reasons we moved out west to be honest with you, to be closer to the Parks. The New Zealand trip was our first true active travel trip that we took. In the national parks, we did a lot of hiking but nothing compared to these two trips.

Erin’s going to talk to us about her New Zealand adventure in a future episode. What is the appeal of adventure travel like the types that we’re talking about now?

My husband says this all the time, it’s like adult camp, where you have people that are experts on the country, on the culture and they’re telling you what to do, so you don’t have to think about it that much. That’s in a way relaxing. We get in a van and they take you someplace and they say, “You’re going to hike this mountain or we’re going to get on this bike or we’re going to kayak this river, lake or whatever.†For us, it takes a lot of thinking out of it. You’re relying on the experts in this country to tell you the best places to go so you don’t have to plan as much. The other perk with the travel adventure companies is they take care of you. We eat well. The places that we stay are fantastic. Some of them are a little bit more rugged but that’s cool because you’re in the back country. As a traveler, you don’t have to put too much effort into it besides the physical fitness part of it.

That’s what I like too, Erin. The tour companies make all the arrangements. They’ve done all the planning and figured out the logistics. All you have to do is get there and then go on the adventure. I love how your husband calls it camp for adults. I’m totally stealing that. Do you find that you bond quickly with your fellow adventurers on these trips?

Yeah. I am an introverted personality. I can look forward to being in a group of people that I don’t know, getting to know them. They’re from all over the world. One of the things that I enjoy the most is listening to their travel stories and where they have explored in their past travels to get ideas for us. On this trip to South America, we had some South African couples, some Australian couples, Canadian and Puerto Rican and then American. It was a wide range of people from all over the world.

How old were the folks of the Patagonia trip?

The Patagonia trip ages from mid-twenties. The oldest person we’ve had on the trip, this is very impressive, he was from Australia. He was 72 years old. A couple of years before, he wanted to be the oldest man on Everest and he was there when the earthquake hit Everest. I would say the average age on this trip in Patagonia was probably mid-40s. These older couples out-hiked the younger couples by far. They were machines. They were really cool. For people who might be a little hesitant, “I’m too old or not in this particular physical fitness right now,†that should not hold anybody back from doing adventure travel. You can train and age is just a number.

With age comes wisdom of course. As we get older, we know the limitations of our bodies so we know it’s important for us to train. That’s why you’re probably finding that the older folks have conditioned themselves and their bodies to prepare for these adventures, instead of just going there and winging it like probably a lot of the younger folks do. I know that I have found that the excitement and anticipation of going on an adventure trip makes it fun to do the training. Can you give us a brief overview of your trip?

It was awesome. We went to both Chile and Argentina. We basically spent half of our time in Chile and half in Argentina. The two biggest locations that we explored was we did the W Trek in Chile and then in Argentina, we were at Fitz Roy. There were a lot of other things in between such as glaciers and other shorter hikes, but those are the two places that we explored the most.

When you look back on your trip, what comes to mind first?

The wind. I enjoyed being in a country that was truly so far removed from the United States. We kept saying to ourselves, “We’re at the bottom of the world.†The people were fantastic. Those mountains are absolutely incredible. It was hard. It was a very tough physical trip. Not only from me being at a two or three level but for everybody. It was so worth it. It was amazingly beautiful.

You said there are times that was hard. What was the hardest day?

I’d say the hardest day on the trip was on the W Trek. We were supposed to catch a boat because we were done. It was the end of our trip. We were at Grey Glacier and we were supposed to catch a boat to take us out. Because the winds were so high, there were like 70 or 80 miles an hour while we were there, the boat decided to cancel. We had the hike seven miles that we were not anticipating hiking to try to catch another boat to take us out of that region. That was the hardest thing because you weren’t expecting to having to hike seven more miles. We had to do it in order to get out. I would have hiked seven miles or more to be safe. The winds and the boat on the water was a little sketchy. I think that the Park made a good decision to do that.

I find when these unexpected obstacles come up, that I get proud of myself for working through them. What are your thoughts on that?

I was absolutely surprised. We were exhausted. We had hiked 40 miles in four days, so about ten miles a day over all kinds of terrain in the wind, in the rain. You have a feeling of accomplishment when you get done with something like that. Then they tacked on seven more miles to get out, then you really feel like you’ve accomplished something.

Those end up being my favorite memories or at least the best stories.

I don’t think I would strongly say it was my favorite memory.

Do you have any other fun stories you’d like to share?

The most memorable hike for me was a Fitz Roy hike. That was twelve miles altogether, so it was a pretty long day. The elevation was not bad going in or coming out. It was the last section, where you hike up to a viewpoint to see the mountain range, and that was a tough hike. It wasn’t very long, maybe a mile, mile and a half but it was it was almost straight up. You get up to the top and you’re looking at this iconic mountain range that you see in all those pictures. I could have stayed up there all day.

While out there, were you ever concerned that you weren’t going to be able to do it?

You have it in your head that you’re done. Your feet are sore, your body’s sore, you’re exhausted from hiking in the conditions. Then you find out that you’ve got to do it again. I had a lot of reservations the evening before. When it comes the day, you do it because you don’t have a choice to be honest. I did rely on the doctors in the group that I talked about. He helped treat some of my blisters that were causing me pain. I got some energy bars from other people on the trip. That truly did help. You just put your mind to it and you do it.

Then what happened?

We get back to the refugio and we have to wait about three hours before the next boat comes to take us out. We have a long period of time from when we get done hiking to when we can actually leave. Alcohol was consumed and we’ve got snacks and hung out with everyone. We played cards. Some people in our group played cards. We were in this large cafeteria. We were with all kinds of different hikers from all over the world in different groups. There were some singers. I think they might have been from Switzerland, that just started singing acapella. It was a party atmosphere.

How did it make you feel?

We were thrilled that we made it back. Then the next challenge, to be honest with you, was getting on the boat to take us completely out. The winds were still high, 70, 80 miles an hour. We’re on this beautiful lake, bright, clear blue. There are about a hundred hikers that are on the boat to take us out. It was a little bit nerve wracking. The waves were huge on this lake because of the winds. When we started moving away from the W Trek, we got this view that is another one of the iconic views of Patagonia that you see, that we were not able to see on the W Trek because we were in the mountains. That was worth it. Getting off of the boat and riding out of there in the van and then being able to see the whole scope of the mountains and the Torres del Paine.

Even after a challenging day like that, do you still wake up the next morning excited and ready to go?

Yeah, because you knew what the day was going to bring. It’s the landscape and the atmosphere that you’re in that leads to that excitement because you’re in beautiful countries. If your passion is hiking and looking at beautiful scenery, then you’re automatically excited.

Tell us about some of the people you met.

For the Patagonia trip, when we got our flight into Santiago, we were unable to get a flight out to Punta Arenas. We missed our flight with fifteen other people. Everyone else seemed to be hiking the W Trek. The funny thing was we were able to get on the next plane out, we had a little bit of a layover. Then we kept seeing this one particular couple on the W Trek that we had made a connection with in Santiago. That was a little cool. We’d give each other high-fives and like, “We’re doing it. We made it. We’re here.†That was cool.

Who else?

We met a lot of people on the W Trek. We stayed in refugios, which are basically backpacker hostels. We stayed with one woman and she was doing the hike solo. She told us about her stories with that. I think she was German. That’s cool to meet some people on the trail, find out where they’re from and out why they’re doing this.

Why do you do these kinds of adventure trips?

It’s a passion for being outside. It’s a passion for being in these landscapes that you are not normally in in your day-to-day life.

Tell us about the landscape.

It depends on the area we were in. One thing that surprised me is in a lot of the places that we stayed or just traveling from one place to another, it was what we considered in Boise, Idaho, a high desert or desert-like. Maybe Americans can think of Utah or Wyoming. That was a little bit of a surprise for me. Other areas were lusher when you’re closer to the mountains. It’s at sea level in all of the locations in Patagonia except when you’re on these trails in the mountains. That’s what makes them so dramatic is because they’re coming straight from sea level. They’re not that high. The Rocky Mountains have a lot higher mountains then what’s in Patagonia. Dry desert like, I wouldn’t say alpine, of what we think of in America as alpine wilderness.

What kind of wildlife did you see?

We saw a lot of condors. The animal that is down there, guanaco, it’s a cross between a llama and a camel. We wanted to see puma but we were not able to.

On a scale of one to five, how would you rate this with five being the hardest?

Five. It was hard. It was very challenging and hard.

Challenging yes but worth it. Remember, you want to train for this. Is there anything you’d have done differently?

I would have learned a little bit more Spanish. We were able to get by when we were on our own, especially in the airports and things like that. I feel like learning more of the native language can always be helpful.

What advice would you give folks?

Just do it. People in their lives make bucket lists or always wish or put things off or, “We can’t this year because of this.†My advice is just do it. There’s research out there that shows that spending money on experiences is a lot more rewarding in life than spending money on material goods.

How glad were you that you did this adventure on a scale of one to ten?

Definitely a ten.

Our next guest, Sandra, has got some insights and stories of her own to share about Patagonia. Sandra, to begin with, why Patagonia?

I hadn’t been there and I’ve been most everywhere else. I had seen enough material either in travel brochures because I’m on the list. Patagonia looked wonderful. I started looking into it.

Sandra is smart to do her due diligence and making sure that she found an appropriate tour company for her activity level. That is important because once you’re on these adventures, you’re committed and you must do the adventure. You don’t want to be dragging down your fellow teammates in your group. Do make sure that you’ve done the training if it’s necessary. I believe on this trip that you should do so. Match the adventure to your physical fitness level. This is a doable adventure for anybody that’s physically fit, particularly if you’re willing to train. By that I mean get used to wearing a pack on your back and doing some aerobic activities. There are times your guide might be able to give you a harder or an easier route depending on how your body is feeling that day.

It was great. We’d be walking all day sometimes. There would be options if you wanted the steep route or if you wanted one that was more gradual and moderate.

Sandra’s adventure was by no means easy. She talks about one of her longer days.

The one day of fourteen miles was the most challenging but not dangerously so. It was more of endurance and I had enough endurance to do that without a problem.

Did you find being in a group helpful on those challenging days?

Yeah. It’s like being in the service. When you have a challenge and you’re together, you help each other out and you bond because you’re all in this challenge together. There were only twelve in the group. This kind of travel you bond. You have much more of a connection with your travel mates than you would on a regular tour.

Can you tell us a little bit about what you’re doing? Did you do any glacier treks? Tell us a little bit about your days.

Yes, we did. I left San Diego four days early and spent that time in Buenos Aires and then flew on down. I rented an apartment in Buenos Aires and then flew down to El Calafate in Argentina. It was there from that hotel, we went out on a first trip into more of a moderate hike so that the leader can get his feeling about the ability of everybody. It was an interesting area because it was a petrified forest that was scattered in all these ravines and over hills and down into valleys. It was fascinating as well as it had enough degree of challenge that he could tell what we could do. Actually, we’ve got some nice views of Mount Fitz Roy from there.

Right away, by day two we were experiencing a lot of wind. The wind stayed with us for most of the trip. We had a lot of wind which handicapped the photography. One day when we were taking a boat out to the face of the glacier on which we got crampons and trekked over the glacier for a while. When we got off the boat to scramble over boulders and all to get up to the where the glacier was, the wind was so strong that you wouldn’t want to stand up, you get blown over. We were holding on to each other and helping each other over those boulders because they were huge. That was probably the most physically challenging aspect of that trip was just getting over those boulders in the wind in order to get up on to the ice field.

Don’t they have a saying down there that you can experience all four seasons in one day?

Yes. I believed it quickly.

Did you have much rain or cold?

We didn’t have any rain but it was cold because of the wind coming off the glaciers. That was the way it was in Antarctica too. It was not temperature. Without the wind, it wasn’t so cold. You had to be bundled up and have your face covered and everything else when the wind came up off the glacier.

Patagonia’s wild and rugged, and I do recommend that you take this trip with a guide. I do have information on my recommendations on my Resources page. Thanks to Erin and Sandra for a great information about Patagonia. It’s a super terrific trip that should be on about everybody’s bucket list. It’s difficult but if you train for it, you’re going to do just fine. Remember, there’s a training link on the website that will work through how to train for an adventure such as this. There’s a free Travel Planning guide link also on the website and some amazing photographs and videos. Be sure to check out ActiveTravelAdventures.com. If you’ve enjoyed this program, please share it with a friend to help get the word out. I’d appreciate it. I’ll be back with another great adventure. Until next time, adventure on.

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