Day 22 – 13th December. Chilean 'Green' Patagonia.

Punta Arenas – Porto Natales 255 kms

Total Distance So Far: 5,315 kms

After a leisurely breakfast we set off north. Our first stop was planned to be a colony of 6,000 pairs of nesting Magellan penguins in Ottway Sound 60kms north of Punta Arenas. Sadly the park ranger said the reserve was off-limits due to the period of the breeding season. Not to worry the ride was very scenic. A bit of rain, and some wind but far gentler than in Patagonia or Tierra Del Fuego. Today should be the last day of having to deal with it. The landscape still bore the signs though it had been battered by the relentless winds with all the trees still be bent over to the east.

It was a gentle pace, with plenty of time for stops and to soak up the views, of vast valleys and distant snow-capped mountain ranges. It really was very stunning, the problem is I have been spoilt with such great scenery so far, that Lidy was far more in awe, and I was taking it now for granted! The terrain was very green in comparison to the Argentinean Patagonia. It was clear that Chilean Patagonia received plenty of water. South-west Chile as a whole is one of the wettest places on earth.

I managed to get a shot of the Andean Condor in flight. Apparently it’s quite rare to see it (the world’s largest flying bird with a 3m wingspan) actually in-flight. So we made the most of it, got the coffee out and watched it circle way above our heads for a good 20 minutes. It did not flap it’s wings once.

Arriving into Porto Natales, a colourful port town serving the surrounding farming and fishing industries, we take in the big vista of the surrounding mountains. They make the little town look even smaller than it is. The town sits at the end of 200 kms of sea channels before the open sea can be reached.


The landscape still showed the signs of being battered into submission by the winds.


The Andean Condor soaring on the wing.


A sea bird skimming one of the sea estuaries. Any ideas what it is connor?


The church sits in the centre of Punta Arenas