We did an overland trip to Patagonia for three weeks over Christmas and New Year 2003 (into 2004) with Exodus. This was the second Exodus trip that I had done (the first being my 1989/90 London to Kathmandu), and Paul’s first trip with them. It was virtually all camping, save for a couple of nights in a hotel in Buenos Aires, and we travelled in a truck very similar to the one on my first trip with Exodus, although the seats were arranged more like a bus this time (rather than two bench seats) so it was a little more comfortable. I have checked their website but they no longer seem to do this trip, although they do have other fairly similar ones.
From Buenos Aires, we flew down to Ushuaia (in Argentina), at the southernmost tip of South America and from there made our way heading north through Argentina and Chile’s mountains, glaciers, lakes and volcanoes. We even climbed to the top of one of the volcanoes (Villarrica) where we could look right down into the crater! Coming back down we sat on our bottoms and slid down the snow-covered mountain, using an ice axe to slow us down if necessary.
The volcano hike and Torres del Paine National Park (in Chile) were the highlights. The campsite in Torres del Paine had the most stunning view of any we have camped in. During our time there we did a day hike to the base of the Towers of Paine, although unfortunately the visibility at the base was very poor.
Apart from the stunning scenery throughout the trip, other highlights and activities included boat trips, horse riding, a Tango show in Buenos Aires and seeing wildlife (including sea lions and penguins).
Here is our “Photo Journey”…
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