On arrival into to Chile I knew straight away that this trip was going to be fantastic. We flew in on LAN, a very comfortable modern airline with great services and good economy seats (Business Class did look even better). From the airport we headed straight intoSantiagothe capital of Chile, for our city tour. We passed by the main square and the presidential palace – I could not believe how colourful and bright the city was and don’t remember it being so lovely.
The next day we left our hotel early for the LAN flight to North Calama, then on arrival were met by the Tierra Atacama driver and driven for about an hour to theAtacama Desert, one of the driest deserts in the world. We arrived in the village of San Pedro de Atacama which is a strangely green village in such a dry landscape. We spent the next three nights in the desert visiting the moon valley, salt flats andDeath Valley. It was a fantastic experience; the local guides were very knowledgeable and very passionate about the area. We saw stunning sunsets and flocks of flamingo’s plus learnt that the pinker the flamingo the older it is. I really didn’t think that anything could exceed this experience and couldn’t believe how wrong I could be?
Next we headed off to southernPatagoniaan area that is rarely visited but is one of the lushest in the country. We went from the driest to wettest region in two short flights.
The temperature drop was a bit of a shock on arrival plus the rain but that didn’t stop me from being stunned by how green the area was. We travelled for a few hours to the town of Coyhaiquethe old capital of the region and stayed in a lodge overnight. The next day was a day I was really looking forward to as we were off to Puyuhuapi, an amazing eco lodge. We took a few hours to get there and once we arrived the sun came out and we hit the Spa. What better way to relax before our 5 course tasting menu, as the next day we would spend travelling to the least visited but most spectacular glacier of San Rafael.
We had an early morning departure by catamaran to the Glacier. It would take us most of the day to get there, we had all our meals included on the boat and allocated armchair seats that almost converted to a flat bed, which were very comfortable. We manoeuvred through green and snow capped mountains past the Hudson Volcano that had recently caused so much trouble in Argentina, saw water falls and other glaciers and groups of penguins but nothing could prepare us for site of the lagoon that the Glacier was in.
The San Rafael Glacier is a receding glacier which meant that every few moments pieces of ice would break off into the lagoon; this meant that the area in front of the glacier was full of small and large ice bergs that were so blue. I couldn’t believe the colour. Of all the things I was expecting it was not to see a sky blue Glacier.
We navigated the lagoon slowly taking loads of photos and wrapping ourselves up against the cold. Once the catamaran stopped we disembarked into the zodiac (semi-inflatable speed boat) and headed closer to the Glacier dodging ice bergs as we went. The sound around us was of crackling and thunder as the glacier was breaking up. We saw large pieces the size of small buildings break away and watched as the water covered each piece then it gently floated back to the surface creating a wave each time. This was truly the most amazing thing I have ever seen and I feel privileged to have been there. The Glacier will not be around for much longer so it’s a really must see. You can also visit the glacier from Puerto Montt on a Cruise with the Scorpios II – I did see the vessel whilst I was there and it looked good.
Although I am now home I cannot believe how much I saw and the incredible variety in one country. Chile tours are amazing place and there is still so much I have left to see. I cannot wait to go back.
