The story is - I'm going to Patagonia, soon!
And as much as I would like to make everything happen, one never knows...
Plans change, flights get canceled, Covid happens, accidents happen and a lot of fuss is still to be arranged. Fingers crossed that I can sit down on the plane and the rest will get sorted itself.
My target is not the Moonwalk Traverse (I'm not crazy, nor Sean, Alex, or Tommy), yet something more humble, still including these views, more or less...
Talking about planning, it's one of the most important and most enjoyable parts before going traveling for me. I love creating lists, planning in advance, checking places and recommendations on the internet, putting it all together - oh yeah! :)
I'm still pretty flexible in changing plans, but the plan set itself means to me, that I won't need much time thinking about it while I'll be out there. So less of a headache, all settled, let's go!
So what's my plan?
I'll be flying to Buenos Aires where I'll stay just for one night. Later on, I'll move for a few days to Trelew by plane to check on the Península Valdés, which is an animal protection zone - one can watch penguins, sea lions, and whales at the coast.
Right after, I will move quickly back to Buenos Aires to hop on the next plane in the direction El Calafate, in Patagonia. While I was booking my plane tickets back in 2021, I was unsure whether I could enter both Argentina and Chile. Argentina opened its borders in November 2021 to tourists, requesting Covid certificates, while Chile requested extra booster or a 5 days quarantine by then. I decided to enter Argentina only and skip the visit to the Torres del Paine National Park on the Chilean side.
What shall one do while staying down there? That's a tricky question that depends on your interests and fitness level... Nature lovers, hiking and trekking enthusiasts, climbing and mountaineering experts, photographers - all are welcome!
And the secret word there is... MOTIVATION :)
The only prerequisite is the timing - the weather is good, more or less acceptable for all the above-mentioned activities from November to April.
I'll be staying in El Chaltén (a small mountain village), together with a mountain guide which I know through a friend. Together with my guide, we'll be looking for good-weather windows lasting more days to do some mixed climbing and mountaineering. We've already discussed possible goals, which very much depend on the snow and weather conditions and my fitness level (ooh ooh). Should the weather be terrible, or I'll be unfit, we can still climb on the rocks behind the village or go on hikes and treks, which are plenty out there.
The following are good packing lists:
Plus some useful links to check on: