Chile/Argentina - Mt. Fitzroy (El Chalten)

We drove to El Chalten, a few hours from El Calafate, mainly to see Mt. Fitzroy - it was our "pilgrimage" and we had planned our trip around it.  But then came the physical abilities - we knew we could not do the "must-do" 8-10 hour trek to Laguna de los Tres, the glacial lake at the foot of the mountain.  Planning was the best part of the trip  - we watched videos on other people's treks starting at 3 am in the morning, visions of "hidden waterfalls" and mesmerizing sunrise views of the magical mountain.  But then again there is the reality - we got up at 5am the morning of the hike and made our way up the steep climb to Laguna Capri.  It took us two hours and we still missed the actual sunrise in spite of best efforts.  But the next best thing, the golden hour was still worth the climb, especially when we saw the difference in colours afterwards.  

There were other things to see in El Chalten of course.  There was the beautiful waterfall that we visited the day of arrival, just before the last light.  There was the amazing encounter with the kettle (large group) of condors circling the river with Fitzroy in the background - our car just stopped beside the highway.  There was the long road with the massif right in front of it, you can see sunrise and sunset without taking a hike!  Word of caution here for other travellers - don't let your car out of your sight while you're parked by the roadside - the risk of car break-ins are real!

This was our last stop before Buenos Aires so we celebrated with a nice dinner at Fuegia where I had the tastiest piece of Argentinian tenderloin - a fitting end to an amazing trip.

The view of Mt. Fitzroy from the highway - I don't know how many times we stopped on this stretch!

Chorillo del Salto - very accessible, just a few kms from El Chalten - we visited just before the light faded

We had to climb over a fence to get to this spot to watch the condors do their flying acrobatics all around us, apparently there was a carcass on the valley floor of the Rio de las Vueltas.  Too bad I didn't bring my birding lens on this trip and my slow landscape camera really stretched its limits with these shots, even though sometimes the condors were flying right in front of us.

Close up of Cerro Torre - beside Fitzroy - love those spikes!

Sedimentary rock layers on these fold mountains - a visual geography lesson

The glacier clearly visible in this close up near Fitzroy

The Rio de las Vueltas here cuts deeper into the valley as it meanders

This is the view after our two hour climb up to Laguna Capri 

Then the colour faded as the sun rose higher

Coming back down from the lake, we were able to see the wide river valley below us (which we didn't see on the way up because it was too dark)

The town of El Chalten laid out at our feet on the hike down

The last sunrise from the road - an intense red.  Too bad we had to make it to El Calafate for our flight.

This barely skims the surface of the sights around Fitzroy.  Wish I had visited when I was younger and able to do those hikes with specatcular views of glacial lakes and rivers.  My advice to my younger readers - do it while you're young!

Chile/Argentina - Perito Moreno Glacier

 We overnighted in the town of El Calafate and spent the morning at Los Glaciares National Park.  Unlike the blue skies on my first visit almost ten years ago, this time it was a cold and very windy day, making it almost unpleasant to be out.  But we put up with it as it was the only rough day in the more than two weeks we've been on the road. 

Unlike most glaciers in the world that are retreating because of climate change, the Perito Moreno Glacier is one of the few that are still pushing forward.  As a result of its continuous forward movement, there is constant calving.  We were lucky to witness calving in a cave that resulted in a spectacular collapse of the cave sides - all this happening right in front of our viewing platform.

The low clouds over the glacier made the top of the glacier difficult to see, same as on my previous visit.  But the interplay of light and clouds resulted in a constantly changing landscape.  The images below are from the few hours we spent at the glacier.  You may find different shots of the same views but I shared them because the changing light changed the perspective.

I have to say my previous visit yielded different perspectives of the glacier, including the impressive closeup view from the boat cruise to the front of the glacier.  Check out the earlier blog post here.  

Perito Moreno Glacier

Close up view of the front

Close up of the head of the glacier

Left and right flank of the glacier

The cave collapse sequence...

The top surface of the glacier

The mountains around the glacier

The glacier viewpoints are accessible via wheelchair ramps and many miles of boardwalk.

And then just as we were leaving, a rainbow!

Next post - El Chalten

Chile/Argentina - Torres del Paine Pt 2

We moved inside Torres del Paine National Park for the second part of our stay.  The Hosteria Pehoe, situated right on Lake Pehoe, gave us a unique perspective on the Horns and also saved us some driving distance going to the other parts of the park.  Access to the Hosteria is only via a pedestrian bridge and we had to haul our luggage from the parking lot on the lakeside to our lodgings on the island.  But there is a vista point at the top of the island which makes sunrise shots handy.

One of our first stops in the park was at the Salto Chico Waterfall.  This is right beside the high-end Explora Hotel which has a terrific view of the towers.  The path down to the waterfall consists of treacherous wooden steps but there are viewing areas that provided views of the mountains and the waterfall.  And it got better - views of the mountains with the two lakes in front, complete with reflections.  

We had to drive an hour in the dark on gravel roads to Laguna Armaga for sunrise.  We were worried there won't be one when we got there but after we set up our tripods, the light started to change and you will see below how magical it was.  There were a couple of flamingos that flew by at the lake but I didn't have my long lens with me.  

We were hoping to see two more waterfalls, the Rio Paine Waterfall which we did see and the Salto Grande which we didn't.  Unbeknownst to us, the Salto Grande parking lot closes at 6pm just as we were arriving.  No waterfall.  No sunset either.  You win some you lose some.

There are always people with good eyesight who could see pumas from their cars.  We counted on these scouts to stop by the roadside so we know when to stop too.  The puma was stage centre for at least 30 minutes until a ranger showed up and everyone kind of got back into their illegally parked cars.  The guanacos kept a close watch on the puma - tension was indeed in the air!  It was fun while it lasted - a spirit of community even out there in the wilderness.

We were lucky to catch another sunrise before we left the park for the border.  We managed to get to the gas station with just enough gas!

 

Salto Chico waterfall

Explora Hotel in front of the horns

The whole massif with the two lakes from a viewpoint behind the hotel

The pedestrian bridge to the Hosteria Pehoe

On my first visit I was able to capture a perfect reflection of the mountains at this point.  This time around we arrived too late and the waters have started to move.

View from the Hosteria

We were close enough from the island to zoom in and see more of what it's like behind Los Cuernos.

 An Austral thrush (easily mistaken for a robin) - another lifer

We headed out early morning to Laguna Armaga for sunrise.  There were hardly any colours when we arrived but within 20 minutes, everything changed!

It was dazzling!

The three towers continued to change colour as the light changed.  When we first arrived, they were covered by clouds but these gradually moved off as the sun hit.

Finally a flaming red

Paine River Waterfall

A young gray fox appeared to have just woken up

Cars stopped on both sides of the road - a puma sighting!

These guanacos were also watching the puma to see which direction it was heading

Our last morning at the lake, we waited for sunrise at the viewpoint at the top of the island.
It was a short hike up to the top - the moon was still around when we got there.

                                Still mesmerising in the dark, before the sun came out

Another enchanting sunrise, not as dazzling as the one the day before but still gorgeous

On our way out of the park - one last encounter with the Massif.  It looked different again.

A Black-necked swan family in the lake - another lifer!

One last look!