From the bottom of Chile

Magellanic penguins at Seno Otway

We spent the week in the far reaches of Chile and it was absolutely fantastic.  The flight to Punta Arenas from Santiago was spectacular starting with the snow-capped volcanoes and lakes of the Lake District and then into the glaciers and peaks of Patagonia. Punta Arenas is on the Straights of Magellan and the area history is rich.  You can see across the straights to Tierra del Fuego, the jump-off spot to Antarctica. The boys arrived after a couple delays but were in good spirits.  We stayed in a charming B&B called Tragaluz; fantastic place.  The next morning we were off in our rental car to the mountains via a penguin colony.  They were so, so cute! We also saw flamingos!

Balmaceda Glacier

Serrano Glacier

Our next stop was Puerto Natales, a small inland town along the sea (sort of in the fiords).  We took an all-day glacier tour/cruise that was spectacular.  The boat was a super interesting mix of travelers from around the world.  The glaciers were fantastic and lamb lunch at a estancia (ranch) was yummy!  We saw our first condor.

The roads were crazy, and the driving was fast!  Even on gravel roads, which was about half the way, we drove 50 mph.  We put a lot of miles on our little Chevy station wagon.  We actually saw quite a bit of wildlife on the way.  Crazy Rhea birds and guanacos all over the place.

Herd of about 30 guanacos, they have no predators.

Guanacos are like wild llamas

Flightless (and fearless) rheas

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was so fun to be with the boys!