Patagonia
Discovering Chile: Our Family's Unforgettable Trip to Patagonia
On an eight-month trip through South America, our family's first stop was the breathtaking region of Chilean Patagonia. Despite initial discouragement from a travel company about self-driving tours with small children, we did it anyway.
Renting a car in Punta Arenas, we drove along the Ruta del Fin del Mundo in the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Region, the southernmost part of South America. Along the way, we saw guanacos, Darwin rheas and flamingos in the wild, a first glimpse at the unique wildlife of this part of the world.
Puerto Natales
Puerto Natales, a charming town, welcomed us with stunning views of mountains, a great playground and friendly locals.
Vanderval Hotel was a perfect homebase for our stay here.
Last Hope is one of those places that we enjoyed so much, we still talk about it. The atmosphere, the staff, the food and the drinks - gin cocktails that put an end of my 18-year hiatus from gin.
We took a boat tour with Tourismo 21 de Maio to see glaciers and hanging glaciers, sea lions in caves, waterfalls, and a remote sheep farm accessible only by boat. The beautiful scenery, blue waters, and the boat crew's kindness (especially to the kids) exceeded our expectations and we had a great day.
We also explored Cueva del Milodón, a Natural Monument made up of a few different caves and a rock formation called Silla del Diablo or Devil's Chair. The bigger and coolest cave is famous for the discovery in 1895 of skin and bones of a ground sloth called Mylodon darwini. Owen became obsessed with this creature that is famous in area of the country so we loved seeing where it was found, going on hikes in the area, climbing on rocks.
Torres Del Paine
If you know us, you know that we stop for picnics at every chance we get. Along the way to Torres there are structures that look like bus shelters in our world but down here are actually wind shelters. That's where we stopped to eat Chilean Country Bread or Pan Amasado, jamón and fruit that we picked up in town.
When we checked in with the ranger at Torres Del Paine, he gave us so much valuable guidance:
"Take the paper map because there's no wifi and very bad cell signal inside the park."
He circled ‘puma land’ for us and told us to keep an eye out because one had been spotted that day. We didn't see it unfortunately.
He also circled on the paper map some hikes that we would enjoy and that the kids would be able to do too: Mirador Salto Grande, Mirador Nordenskjöld Lake and Mirador Condor. All of them were perfect for us, especially Salto Grande because we kept going after the waterfall, where the couple other people stopped, and had an entire trail to ourselves, a black sand beach to ourselves and you got it, a perfect picnic spot with a view of Los Cuernos!
The pristine beauty of Torres del Paine, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, left a lasting impression but these Canadians also couldn't ignore the lack of trees, replaced instead by charcoal remnants from tourist-caused fires in 2005 and 2011. It was a reminder and good conversation to have with the kids about the need for environmental protection.
In the end, deciding on the self-planned route was the best option for us. It allowed us to make the most of our one-week stay in Patagonia, it offered us flexibility and we felt so safe and relaxed.
My heart is bursting!
