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Chile , South America

Day 77 – Transfer to Torres de Pain – Chile

by admin4blog March 12, 2019 No Comments

Day 77 – Today was  a long day

We were up at 6am to prepare for our final landing in the Zodiacs on Magdelanian Island (Penguin time).   we had been warned that if the weather was bas this would not happen but as luck would have it the sea was carm and we were able to finally see the pengiins.   It was worth the wait, the island was full with them in the breeding season and amongst the adults we were able to see some small chick in their nests.

We returned to the ship one last time for breakfast and then prepared for our departure.  The water was a bit choppy but we arrived near the port of Punta Aranas in Chile at our scheduled time around 11am,   We knew it would take a bit longer for luggage to be taken off and to clear customs but were confident we would meet our pickup as planned an 13.30, however we had not reckoned with the weather and as we sat outside the port it became evident we were to be delayed.   Finally the guides started to inform us that due to the high winds, over 70 knots, we were not able to dock as the wind speed needed to be below 50 knots.  As time went on and we bobbed around outside the port, there was talk of preparing lunch so we knew we were in for a long wait.   Lunch was swiftly prepared for over 100 guest and crew by staff who had expected to be off board by now

Having arranged for a driver from the Hotel Rio Serena, in Torres del Paine National Park, to pick us up at 13:30 in central Punta Arenas, and it was already about 12:00, so it was looking dicey. The reason that we were so concerned was that the drive to the hotel was about 500km, and getting a taxi wasn’t really an option, so we got ship’s reception to ring the hotel for us and confirm that the driver would wait.

After lunch however, the wind had miraculously dropped to a stiff breeze, and two tugs came out to ease the Australis into port – in a space between two other ships that was just big enough. We had to wait about thirty minutes after docking before we could disembark, but we were two of the first down the gangway. We got to the place from which we were going to be picked up at about 15:20, and, after ringing our hotel again, the driver, Ricardo, turned up about 16:00 in a brand new twelve-seater Mercedes mini-bus – we were his only passengers.

The drive from Punta Arenas to the Torres de Paine National Park took about 4 hours, and split roughly into two halves: Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales on good quality tarmac road, and Puerto Natalis to Torres del Paine on gravel roads of varying quality. We were basically driving through wilderness, with just the occasional estancia, and there were few vehicles on the road. Some of the scenery was stunning, and the sky was stormy and spectacular. We also saw quite a bit of wildlife as we sped along – whales (in the sea near Punta Arenas), flamingoes, rheas (ostrich-like birds), foxes, and guanacos (lama-like animals).

Initially, we drove along very quiet straight flat roads with Ricardo fighting to keep the vehicle on the road because of the wind. But the further we went, the more hilly and interesting the terrain became, and the less the wind was a problem. About twenty minutes before we got to Puerto Natales, we stopped at Hotel Rubens, a nice little hotel and restaurant otherwise in the middle of nowhere, for “lunch” (it was about 18:00). We were slightly concerned because we had no Chilean money, but the menu that we were given said Hotel Rio Serena on it, and there were no prices – it was part of our all-inclusive package.

From Puerto Natales onwards the road headed into the mountains, and began to wind back and forth, and up and down. The road surfaces varied from short stretches of concrete or tarmac, to long stretches of gravel, or packed earth. Over one long stretch, the road was actually being upgraded while it was in use, so we were dodging heavy vehicles and workmen. We were later told that they had been upgrading the Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine road since 2013 and had not yet finished any section of it. The sky had looked increasingly threatening since we left Hotel Rubens, and, as we got closer to Torres del Paine it got quite misty and began to rain intermittently.

We arrived at the Hotel Rio Serena at about 21:15, and had to book a table in the dining room almost straight away because the last available booking was 21:45. We also had to hurry to book ourselves on tours because their little tour office closed at 22:00. Having booked dinner and tours, we could actually check in and go to our room.

The room was stylish and large, and had two kingsize beds in it. It also had an incredible view of the Torres del Paine’s central massif, or “Cordillera Paine”, through the floor to ceiling window, but this was not currently that impressive as it was shrouded in mist and the light was beginning to fade. The room also had a bottle of champagne on ice in it, but we just had to dump our stuff, and rush off for dinner, although neither of us were particularly hungry because we had had two lunches that day – one on the Australis, and one in Hotel Rubens, it seemed rude not to have dinner as it was part of our all inclusive package.

  • Previous Day 73 – 77 – Cape Horn and Glacier Cruise7 years ago
  • Next Day 78 – 80 Torres del Paine7 years ago

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