Patagonian Heaven

GAP Adventures – End of the Earth Tour, Patagonia

Sick with a sore throat and phlegmy cough (no voice) and an intestinal infection (no food), I caught the 18 hour bus from Iguazu back to Buenos Aires on Friday evening. We arrived at the Terminal de Omnibus in BA Saturday around noon, and I dragged myself to the GAP Adventures joining hotel (my first hotel of the trip!) in downtown BA. The hotel staff took pity and ordered a medical consult to visit my room – which only cost $12 USD. Unfortunately, I think in part due to the language barrier, the doctor didn’t prescribe any antibiotics – only ibuprofen (!), throat lozenges and anti-nausea medicine.

Our first group meeting with the tour was held in the hotel lobby at 7 pm. Ursula, our insanely energetic Peruvian fireball of a tour leader, introduced herself and handed out the tour itinerary. We went around the table and learned about each other. I was delighted to discover that I was the only one in the group who spoke English with an American accent. The group included:

• Kathryn, 28, from Leeds, England, who works as an STA travel advisor (the agency who booked my trip!)


• Kapil & Nupi, mid-30s, doctors originally from India (friends from med school) who are practicing medicine in Minneapolis and Newport Beach, CA, respectively


• Luke & Erin, late-20s, a couple from Melbourne, Australia


• Skye, 26, Luke & Erin’s friend from Melbourne, an administrative assistant for a toll bridge company


• Catherine & Harriet, 50s, originally from Belgium and Holland, buddhists & vegetarians, living together in Villa Grande, CA


• Roland, 67, from Stockholm, Sweden, a truck handyman, who used to drive trucks, and before that trained dogs in the military, and before that raised rabbits for extra pocket money (enough to buy a Volvo Sport when he was 18)


• Arun, 30s, originally from India and working as an investment banker in New York


• Jonas, 30, Swiss mountaineer who doesn’t speak English or Spanish (and experiences a slightly different reality than the rest of us)

When I explained that I wouldn’t be able to go out for dinner with the group because I was sick, Nupi and Kapil listened to my symptoms (in English) and gave me antibiotics and sudafed. Thank god, as the next day we were off and running and we didn’t stop for two weeks!

Sunday morning we flew out of the domestic airport, made a quick stopover in Bariloche (northern Patagonia where I’m returning next week), and then continued on to El Calafate. The benefits of a tour made themselves immediately clear when Ursula let us know there were bathrooms outside of the baggage claim area with no line, and then ushered us all into our own private van. Mariano, our driver, has the superchill, friendly, relaxed attitude of Patagonia and welcomed us with pride. The four hour drive from Calafate to El Chaltén literally took my breath away. Patagonia – I’m here at last!!! It is everything I imagined and more. Fresh, open, pristine, gorgeous, windy, chilly and full of comfort food, chocolate and friendly people.


First Patagonian panorama - wow! (I'm a country mouse - it's official.)

The group was very enthusiastic, full of oohs & aahs, and we made many stops for photos. I sat next to Roland, who blew all my preconceived notions of a typical GAP tour participant. Truck handyman from Sweden, 67, coveralls, beret, cigarettes, husky lilting Swedish accent, with a twinkle in his eye and a great sense of humor.

El Chaltén feels like the End of the Earth, mostly undiscovered, with one street of tiny shops, ice cream and surprisingly gourmet restaurants, all bursting with character, warmth and homemade food. The 12 of us stayed at a hostel, 6 men in one room and 6 girls in another. Very spacious, with what has to be one of the best views in the world for a hostel. The next morning we started at 8:00 and hiked 23 km on the sendero Fitz Roy, with incredibly lucky sunny, clear weather and stunning views of the peaks and glaciers. We refilled our water bottles directly from the streams, which Ursula assured us was safe, and it tasted wonderful. I was worried about not being able to keep up because of my lung problems/lack of nutrients – but the pace was very doable.

The group poses with Cerro Fitz Roy


Fitz Roy from the other side

The next day, we had a "free day," which meant that the excursion they were pushing wasn't included in the tour price. But Ursula assured us it was worth it - $350 pesos for glaciar trekking or $400 pesos for trekking and ice climbing. We had to make the decision on the first day of the tour, when I was very sick, so I chose to do the less extreme glaciar trekking. Thankfully, I was feeling much better by Tuesday, and the glaciar trekking was an amazing adventure!

First our van shuttled us to the lake shore, where we boarded a boat and sailed to the tip of the Viedma Glaciar. We climbed up beautifully sculpted rockface for several hundred meters to the edge of the glaciar (which used to extend all the way to the lake only 12 years ago) to put cramp-ons over our shoes and have a lesson in glaciar-walking.

Launching point for glacier trek

I've only seen glaciars from afar before, and honestly, they looked dirty to me. I was amazed when, up close, the "dirt" transformed to sparkling gems surrounded by ice crystals. I went wild with photos, and realized why the trek was so expensive when the guides poured us cups of Bailey's served over glacial ice, with this view:

The Viedma Glacier near El Chalten. ¡Increible!


Kathryn and Molly just chillin' in an ice cave

They should call Patagonia "Land of the Constant Rainbow." I had no idea how many rainbows we would see. In every Patagonian sky, there is both sun and rain and therefore, a rainbow. Oh, and don't forget the wind!

Rainbow from rest stop at La Leona, between El Calafate and El Chalten

Our hotel in El Calafate. Believe it or not, the lake in the distance is full of pink flamingos.

The next day, we drove to the larger, more turisty town of El Calafate (named after a native berry) as a jumping off point for the world-famous Perito Moreno Glaciar. We had a very helpful guide for this national park, Cecelia, who taught us about the birds (condor wing tips open, eagles closed), animals, climate and the glaciar. More in next blog because I'm out of space!


Kapil, Ursula and Nupi in front of Perito Moreno

perito moreno

chunk of ice from below

Torres Del paine

water from stream

Breakfast camping

Patagonian wind

penguin in Punto arenas

Ushuaia - the southernmost city in the world