Hello:
Hub-unit and I have this itinerary for late November:

Buenos Aires (4 nights)
-Hotel: Moreno Boutique
-Day trip to Colonia

Santiago (2 nights)
-Hotel: Ritz Carlton

Patagonia (4 nights)
-Hotel: Explora

Punta Arenas (4 nights)
-Hotel: Cabo de Hornos (to ensure good weather for our flight into Antarctica).

Antarctica (Chilean Base Station).


We typically travel very light and want to get by on carry-on only. We've had check-in bags lost before on a major vacation and managed to get by.
But now, we have varied weather, city stay vs casual/adventure stay, etc.
On shoes alone, I can think of 3 different types - nicer shoes for BA, hiking/trail shoes for Patagonia, and cold-weather waterproof shoes for Antarctica!
And there's layered clothes for warmth...

Has anyone done this itinerary?
Any advice on lightweight packing?

Thanks in advance

As a budget traveler to Central America, my needs aren't as complicated as yours but I shared my list on a Peru thread so I'll add it here in case there's something that will help:

http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/me...d=0&from=1

Also, these 2 websites are great help for packing light, maybe there's something there for you:

http://www.onebag.com/
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/tips_menu.htm (focus on Europe but mostly transferrable)

Please post a report when you get home. Happy trails!

Oops - forgot to mention my list is #15 in the 1st link.

I don't think it's possible to get away with just a carry on.

I've been to Explora, so here are my thoughts on what to take....goretex, goretex, goretex.

- Cargo pants
- Long sleeve t-shirts
- Fleece
- Goretex windbreaker with pit zips
- Goretex wind pants
- Baseball hat (ozone layer is very thin)
- Gloves
- Goretex trail sneakers instead of full on hiking boots
- Good socks (e.g. smartwool)
- Wool scarf
- Good sunglasses (polarized)
- Sunscreen
- Bathing suit for the hot tubs
- Sweats to wear to the hot tubs

Most times, I wore my cargo pants, long-sleeve t-shirt, hat and my windbreaker or fleece (and sometimes could take the jacket off). But I was very happy to have my wind pants, gloves, scarf and whichever jacket I wasn't wearing in my backpack. The weather can change abruptly from sunny and warm to a full on gail in seconds. Don't ever leave the lodge without those things in your backpack, whatever the weather report.

Whatever you took for BA and Santiago will work for dinner at Explora.

Also, they have laundry services, so you can recycle at least once.

Thank you hopefulist. I'll check out the links.

Will definitely post a report upon my return.

hills27 - Hola!

I was just over in the Africa board, where I posted about our upcoming 1st African safari.
Thanks for all your input there, and here too.

I agree, probably not a carry-on trip, this one.
I have laid out the items we may take for this trip - lots of lightweight, moisture-wicking clothing and trail shoes. Gore-tex for sure. Nicer clothes for BA & Santiago.
We're taking waterproof shoes & pants for Antarctica.
But we like to travel light, so we'll minimize but take essentials.

Re: explora patagonia: Did you take their land transfer or did you fly (there is a small plane owned by a separate company).

Did you stay in Punta Arenas at all? Which hotel and what tours did you do? Did you rent a car?

Thank you.

Too funny, I didn't even notice you were the same poster as on the Africa board.

We stayed in Punta Arenas for just one night. I can't even remember the name of the hotel. It was fine for sleeping. The only reason we stayed was to see the penguins. We didn't rent a car. We just paid a taxi driver to wait for us while we visited the penguins. It was very cheap by US standards.

We did the land transfer. I don't think there was an air option back when we went (2000).

While staying in Punta Arenas be sure to dine at La Luna - near the main square - the chupa was delicious - pics on our blog if you want to wade through it.

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/l...ile/index.html

Elizabeth_S:
My goodness, what are you doing to me! I grew very hungry reading thru your fabulous report and longingly looking at the food photos. LOVE it.
Looks like you had an enjoyable trip. Thank you so much for sharing.

btw, I am a student pilot and am training on a Cessna 172 Skyhawk.
Was it just you 2 and the pilot on that flight over the volcano?


My husband and I will definitely check out LA LUNA in Punta Arenas; we are there for 5 days as a requirement for our flight into Antarctica (inclement weather allowance). If we fly on the 1st or 2nd or 3rd day, we'll use the other days to visit a different place.

mistik321 - thanks for the lovely comments - we're like an army - we move on our bellies!

Yes, it was just Rudy the pilot and Richard and I in the Cessna - I was sure the stall alarm was about to go as we hung over the caldera.......quite a thrill.

We're considering a cruise to Antarctica in Jan/09 but I'd be interested in learning more about the way you're doing the visit - could you direct me to a website?

Thanks and have a great time - I envy you La Luna's Chupa!

Well, I've been every place you've mentioned except for Santiago. As noted, you'll need some hiking clothes for Patagonia, especially for dealing with the wind and, potentially, rain.

Hills27's list is pretty good. For Antarctica, you'll definitely want a good pair of warm gloves. Long underwear and fleece pants would not be out of place.

For Antarctica, you could probably get by with regular, water resistant hiking boots, depending on where you're going. Chile has so many bases down there that I don't know where you'll be. Most cruises to Antarctica require rubber boots because of the wet landings from zodiac boats and so that it's easy to clean off the penguin guano after a landing. You have to be careful about cross-contamination between penguin colonies if you visit multiple sites. Alternatively, you could look into renting/buying cheap rubber boots in Punta Arenas and simply discarding them afterwards.

I think you'd be hard pressed to do this only with carry-on. If you're doing internal flights, South American airlines tend to be stricter with regards to their carry-on limits. As a strategy, I'd wear on to the airplane your bulkiest clothing (fleece jacket, gore-tex jacket, hiking boots); keep the essential stuff that'd be hard to find/buy in your carry-on, and put everything else in a checked bag.

Lifelist - thank you for your comments.

I've started packing.
We will each have:
1) Carry-on for essentials, camera, binoculars, change of clothes, etc.

2) Soft-sided, wheeled duffel bags for check-in (28", but when pressed down collapses to much smaller).

Clothing and shoes have Gore-tex or are of the waterproof / water-repellant variety.

Our hiking boots in Patagonia are the same ones we will wear in Antarctica.

We have minimal clothing for the city stays; I figure anything we need we can buy there.

Hi Elizabeth_S:

We couldn't take a "normal" Antarctica cruise - which takes more time - because my husband just didn't have the time to spare. So I found a Cliff notes version. Hopefully it'll be a great, if short, experience.

DISCLAIMER:
I am in no way affiliated with this website/business, and found them by searching the web.

Check out:
victory-cruises.com
Contact is Captain Ben.

My dealings with them have been great so far (very responsive, disclosive, etc), so we took the plunge.