A “trip of a lifetime” through Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, and the Chilean Fjords
By Samy & Sara Rabinovic of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 4-time travelers, Overseas Adventurers’ Club members, and Vacation Ambassadors
Our Wilderness Beyond travel experience began in Buenos Aires, a cosmopolitan city. A local guide shows us the private residences, Recoleta Cemetery, the parks and trees, the colorful and cheesy La Boca, the old subway. Our guide entertains political discussions: the terrible crisis of 2001, the present controversies, the corruption. Welcome to South America!
The next day, we fly to El Calafate in southwestern Argentina, close to the Chilean border and hometown of our Trip Leader, Carolina. As a rare treat, we are invited to her house to meet her sister as well as her sweet niece, Carmela.
Traveling by bus to the Perito Moreno glacier is unbelievable. Our driver is quick to stop for every bird, every four-legged creature, the condors, the guanacos. We start our descent into Perito Moreno, with its ever-changing colors, snow white, deep ice blue—the thundering sounds, the breaking up of minute glaciers that you cannot detect. After our boxed lunch in plain sight of Perito Moreno, back to our bus to cross the Chilean border. The dry, desolate, sandy dunes of the high pampa remind me of Central Asia—same type of dry, salty vegetation.
With our Chilean guide, we have one short but nice trek in Torres del Paine National Park. The next morning, the scenery is straight from heaven—we saw every single mountain of the Paine Massif! We also had a full moon. We had a great trek to Lake Sarmiento, with an incredible collection of flora and fauna. The highlight of the day was to spend the evening at an estancia (a working farm). We meet the owner and his wife, Sergio and Claudia. We relax and enjoy the grounds, the beautiful flowers, and the excellent Chilean wine.
From Torres del Paine, we embark on the bus for Punta Arenas, where our voyage to Cape Horn and the Strait of Magellan will start. We board our beautiful ship, the Mare Australis. Every day, we are given lectures about the areas we will see, the landings with zodiacs (sometimes twice a day), how to get in and out of the zodiacs (actually, we are so well surrounded by strong sailors that no one can make a false move).
On our voyage through the Magellan Strait and the Avenue of the Glaciers, everything is planned to let you enjoy: chansons Francaises, champagne, and cheese while passing the French glacier; pizza and wine while coming up to the Italian glacier; “oom-pah” music, beer, and sausage when the German glacier is announced; and finally potato croquettes when we go by the Dutch glacier.
After a go, no go, and finally GO decision from the captain, we have a landing at Cape Horn. It is windy, very windy, and we can barely stand straight—more like a 45-degree angle. At some places, we can hardly look up. It’s a fabulous experience, thinking about the ships that sank or made it through, the lighthouse, the chapel, the Albatros Memorial to the fallen sailors. That was on my wish list of things to do. Now, I can cross it off! Our last stop is at Wulaia Bay, where the ocean changes from 40 knots of wind to almost nothing, just to allow us to do our last landing.
This was a trip of a lifetime, as Carolina best expressed it. Before signing up for the trip, I didn’t know exactly where Patagonia was. Was it from a novel, a distant fantasy land? Now, I know.
As you read this, Samy and Sara Rabinovic will be just wrapping up their fourth OAT adventure: Hidden Gems of the Dalmatian Coast & Greece. In fact, they brought two of their friends along. We can’t wait to hear all about their newest discoveries.
Learn more about how you can become a Vacation Ambassador like the Rabinovics—and earn valuable travel credits for both you and your friends.
Learn more about OAT’s The Wilderness Beyond: Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego & the Chilean Fjords Small Ship Adventure.