Pictures and report of trip to Argentina and Chile
May 16th, 2009, 12:40 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 836
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Pictures and report of trip to Argentina and Chile
Some pictures and comments concerning a five week trip we made last year including Tierra del Fuego, Los Glaciares, Torres del Paine, Chilean Lake District and the Atacama can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/oqvvow
Michael
http://tinyurl.com/oqvvow
Michael
May 17th, 2009, 11:54 AM
#3
I really enjoyed all of your photos and comments. The ones of the streets and churches of Santiago were especially interesting to me as Santiago doesn't get as much reconition as it deserves. Thanks..
May 18th, 2009, 02:28 PM
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 836
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Glad you liked them.
@ HappyTrvlr
We liked Santiago a lot which was a bit unexpected as we're not normally big city fans.
@ siberia_ba
Pentax K10D with 16-45mm, also Panasonic FZ7 mainly for long shots and when in flight. 'Panoramic' shots were all single shots cropped.
@ HappyTrvlr
We liked Santiago a lot which was a bit unexpected as we're not normally big city fans.
@ siberia_ba
Pentax K10D with 16-45mm, also Panasonic FZ7 mainly for long shots and when in flight. 'Panoramic' shots were all single shots cropped.
Jul 8th, 2009, 08:46 AM
#8
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
HI Michael - we are currently planning our honeymoon to Argentina for Jan/Feb. We have 4 weeks total.
We will do:
4-5 days BA
6-7 days Island in Brazil
14 days Patagonia.
We were planning to do FitzRoy, Perito Moreno Glacier, maybe Estancia Christina and Torres del Paine. Your report was great, but had me a little worried about that leg of our trip. Can you expand a little further on your regrets of El Calafate? Do you think we just stay there to see the Glacier and then head up to El Chalten?
Also, I wonder if we shuld just rent a car in El Calafate when we land for those entire two weeks to be able to have the freedom to cruise around. It does seem like Estancia Christina is expensive. I can't tell if you think maybe its worth leaving out entirely? Any advice on a program for that region would be GREATLY appreciated. We weren't going to do Tierra del Fuego, but it seems like maybe you liked that better?
Thank you so much!!
We will do:
4-5 days BA
6-7 days Island in Brazil
14 days Patagonia.
We were planning to do FitzRoy, Perito Moreno Glacier, maybe Estancia Christina and Torres del Paine. Your report was great, but had me a little worried about that leg of our trip. Can you expand a little further on your regrets of El Calafate? Do you think we just stay there to see the Glacier and then head up to El Chalten?
Also, I wonder if we shuld just rent a car in El Calafate when we land for those entire two weeks to be able to have the freedom to cruise around. It does seem like Estancia Christina is expensive. I can't tell if you think maybe its worth leaving out entirely? Any advice on a program for that region would be GREATLY appreciated. We weren't going to do Tierra del Fuego, but it seems like maybe you liked that better?
Thank you so much!!
Jul 8th, 2009, 01:23 PM
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 836
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
missViv,
I wouldn't say we had 'regrets' about El Calafate, it's a nice enough place. We felt it delivered less bang per buck than elsewhere but our feelings might have been influenced by relatively poor weather there. Perito Moreno Glacier is an inspiring sight but we had already seen glaciers in Iceland and Greenland so perhaps were a little less impressed than we might have been otherwise. Estancia C was a short time ashore with long boat trips on a bad day (and rough one way); on a nice sunny day when we could have been on deck we might have felt it was better use of a day.
Not having been to El Chalten I can't comment on it.
We felt Ushuaia delivered more, but the weather was generally better and included some very good spells. Trip to Estancia H was good on a nice day - but a wet day in the Beagle Channel would have been dreary and a rough one very unpleasant!
Torres del Paine was magnificent, but weather was good if windy apart from one foul afternoon and evening.
We liked the Chilean Lake District around Puerto Varas, but we were there early in the season.
If WE were doing it again I think we might go BA - Ushuaia - Punta Arenas by air then hire car into TdP and miss out El Calafate.
But it all depends on personal tastes and expectations - and the weather you get.
Michael
I wouldn't say we had 'regrets' about El Calafate, it's a nice enough place. We felt it delivered less bang per buck than elsewhere but our feelings might have been influenced by relatively poor weather there. Perito Moreno Glacier is an inspiring sight but we had already seen glaciers in Iceland and Greenland so perhaps were a little less impressed than we might have been otherwise. Estancia C was a short time ashore with long boat trips on a bad day (and rough one way); on a nice sunny day when we could have been on deck we might have felt it was better use of a day.
Not having been to El Chalten I can't comment on it.
We felt Ushuaia delivered more, but the weather was generally better and included some very good spells. Trip to Estancia H was good on a nice day - but a wet day in the Beagle Channel would have been dreary and a rough one very unpleasant!
Torres del Paine was magnificent, but weather was good if windy apart from one foul afternoon and evening.
We liked the Chilean Lake District around Puerto Varas, but we were there early in the season.
If WE were doing it again I think we might go BA - Ushuaia - Punta Arenas by air then hire car into TdP and miss out El Calafate.
But it all depends on personal tastes and expectations - and the weather you get.
Michael
Aug 4th, 2009, 04:38 AM
#11
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Wow, what a useful report! Many thanks for posting it. I am currently planning a trip to many of the same areas for the same time of year. The one thing that didn't come across in your blog were the temperatures of the places you visited. Was it very cold? Would you advise proper protective weather gear for Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares and the Lake District? Any tips you could offer would be very welcome indeed.
Aug 4th, 2009, 11:20 AM
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 836
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Minnie17,
The Lake District was warm to hot (by UK standards) and dry when we were there.
TdP and Los Glaciares were cool to hot. However in both wind (the sort that can make progress difficult and chill you) and rain were encountered so adequate wind and water proof clothing is advisable. We did not get into the mountains proper, neither did we do any long routes. Obviously those would have made a difference to the level of protective gear needed.
Michael
The Lake District was warm to hot (by UK standards) and dry when we were there.
TdP and Los Glaciares were cool to hot. However in both wind (the sort that can make progress difficult and chill you) and rain were encountered so adequate wind and water proof clothing is advisable. We did not get into the mountains proper, neither did we do any long routes. Obviously those would have made a difference to the level of protective gear needed.
Michael
Aug 7th, 2009, 01:23 PM
#14
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 109
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Wow, absolutely lovely photos! Thank you for sharing, they are exquisite, I hope that I get to take nice photos on my upcoming trip to Argentina, Antarctica, and Chile (going to BA, Igazu Falls, and Patagonia in Argentina).
Aug 8th, 2009, 11:54 AM
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 836
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
<i>Was the Atacama worth the effort to get there?</i>
We're going back next year. Does that answer the question?
We had originally decided against the Atacama (we don't like heat) but eventually thought that we would be so close and this might be our only trip to South America and it was only just down the road in a manner of speaking. So we went and were captivated. It was quite hot but bearable because the air is bone dry and the temperature is reduced somewhat by altitude. Also on some of the day trips where we got to 14,000 ft it was cool, although the sun was fierce in the clear air.
We were so intrigued by the altiplano that we are now going back to the Atacama then across into Bolivia to Sucre to fly to La Paz then on to Lake Titicaca to return via Lima.
Of course it all depends on what you like and what you have experienced previously. We had experienced nothing like it before and loved it.
Michael
We're going back next year. Does that answer the question?
We had originally decided against the Atacama (we don't like heat) but eventually thought that we would be so close and this might be our only trip to South America and it was only just down the road in a manner of speaking. So we went and were captivated. It was quite hot but bearable because the air is bone dry and the temperature is reduced somewhat by altitude. Also on some of the day trips where we got to 14,000 ft it was cool, although the sun was fierce in the clear air.
We were so intrigued by the altiplano that we are now going back to the Atacama then across into Bolivia to Sucre to fly to La Paz then on to Lake Titicaca to return via Lima.
Of course it all depends on what you like and what you have experienced previously. We had experienced nothing like it before and loved it.
Michael
Jul 27th, 2011, 01:16 AM
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 836
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
CHANGE OF URL
I've changed servers and the pictures and notes from this are now at:
http://wasleys.org.uk/SthAmer_websit..._mw/index.html
I've changed servers and the pictures and notes from this are now at:
http://wasleys.org.uk/SthAmer_websit..._mw/index.html
Aug 16th, 2011, 02:46 PM
#20
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,082
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What fabulous pictures. I've only looked at the Perito Moreno pix so far and I have one question. One of the comments on one of the pictures was that you asked to return to El Calfate on a different route because the new road was boring. Did you have a private tour in a car to the glacier? I am having trouble getting info about tours for our trip in January. Because there will be 4 of us, I am wondering if it makes sense to get a private guide/car but not sure how to find out.
