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Our trip to Patagonia, Chile

November 6-10, 2006

We began our trip with a private tour to see the Magellan penguins at the Seno Otway Penguin Reserve.

We walked a good distance from the parking area, and we were very excited to finally see one!

We needn't have worried. We got to see a great many of them, sometimes in groups.

The penguins had made their own paths to travel between their nests inland and the sea where they would swim, feed, preen and socialize on the shore.

It was nice to find this shelter at the shore where we were somewhat protected from the very cold wind. It also served to give the penguins a sense of privacy. At other spots there were observation towers.

The next day we planned to see the fiords and icebergs on a boat cruise. We got up very early and headed from our hotel to the nearby dock, only to find the trip was canceled due to unsafe strong winds. This turned out to be a godsend, since we got to catch up on our sleep first before starting out.

We went by van through picturesque back roads and ate lunch at a fiord-side restaurant with new tourist friends from South Africa before exploring.

After lunch we enjoyed the most beautiful walks and hikes over hills, through winding roads, and not so beaten paths. A special and romantic day.

From hill-top wind-swept trees, to fiord-side rocky slopes, we braved the wind and enjoyed the sun.

As Bob said, "Not too bad for a back-up plan!"

Upon leaving the farm we saw friendly cows, and even a few curious calves that wanted a closer look at the visitors.

There was often beautiful wildlife to see and photograph during our Patagonia tours. Our next stop was the cave of the Milodon, where sloth-like great animals lived 10,000 years ago, and humans sheltered to keep safe from the chilling cold.

Imagine coming across one of these when they were hungry! Fortunately, this one was only a plastic replica of the real thing.

Our next stop was to be at the Patagonia national park, where we had a one-night reservation at a lodge in the park. The territory is mostly uninhabited, with thousands of acres of beautiful landscapes, majestic granite towers (from which the name of the park, Torres del Paine, is based), rivers, fields, valleys and sparkling lakes. Animals roam the expansive land and all the scenes become a paradise for those like us who enjoy taking photos. Between the four of us we came home with nearly 2,000 digital photos. As you will see below, the challenge was which ones to include here - there were so many special views and moments to share with you!

Next: Inside Torres del Paine

We began our trip with a private tour to see the Magellan penguins at the Seno Otway Penguin Reserve.

We walked a good distance from the parking area, and we were very excited to finally see one!

		We needn't have worried. We got to see a great many of them, sometimes in groups.

		The penguins had made their own paths to travel between their nests inland and the sea where they would swim, feed, preen and socialize on the shore.

It was nice to find this shelter at the shore where we were somewhat protected from the very cold wind. It also served to give the penguins a sense of privacy. At other spots there were observation towers.
The next day we planned to see the fiords and icebergs on a boat cruise. We got up very early and headed from our hotel to the nearby dock, only to find the trip was canceled due to unsafe strong winds. This turned out to be a godsend, since we got to catch up on our sleep first before starting out.


We went by van through picturesque back roads and ate lunch at a fiord-side restaurant with new tourist friends from South Africa before exploring.

		After lunch we enjoyed the most beautiful walks and hikes over hills, through winding roads, and not so beaten paths. A special and romantic day.

From hill-top wind-swept trees, to fiord-side rocky slopes, we braved the wind and enjoyed the sun.
As Bob said, "Not too bad for a back-up plan!"


Upon leaving the farm we saw friendly cows, and even a few curious calves that wanted a closer look at the visitors.


There was often beautiful wildlife to see and photograph during our Patagonia tours. Our next stop was the cave of the Milodon, where sloth-like great animals lived 10,000 years ago, and humans sheltered to keep safe from the chilling cold.