Southern Patagonia is for landscape photographers: vast, large and iconic. Our trip to this area focused on two destinations. The first was Los Glaciares in Argentina to visit the Perito Mareno glacier followed by a trek up the Fitzroy massif. The second was the Torres Del Paine in Chile in the "W" part of the Grand Circuit track - in my opinion, the most scenic.
Punta Arenas, Chile - the "capital of Patagonia" - is located on the Magellan Straits. It is a good size city and the gateway to Southern Patagonia. You can find all the provisions you need for trekking and are better off buying food and supplies there as availability in the countryside is limited and can be expensive. We visited in March at the end of the tourist season so did not need to make hotel reservations. By just showing up, we ended up finding better room rates. Hotels are not cheap, but there are many reasonable, clean and safe hostels. We also rented a car. You really do not need a 4x4, although there are some gravel roads that are rough where you may wish you had one. Inexpensive and comfortable buses travel on most of the roads to and round the parks. Renting a car is more expensive but we wanted to have the option to stop anytime and go anywhere to take photographs.
During my travels, wildlife appeared limited. There were a couple of Rhea sightings and the occasional condor or other birds of prey. Only in Torres Del Paine did I see a fox and some water birds next to the road. Guanacos (llama-like animals) are ubiquitous in the park. On the trails, I saw no other wildlife.
There were plenty of gorgeous photo opportunities from the road. However, landmarks such as the Las Torres spires, the Fitzroy massif, the French Valley as well as the Glacier Grey are at the end of a long and arduous hike. Carrying photographic gear is a major consideration given the weight - keeping your gear dry is also important to consider. For these reasons I took one body/lens combination: the Nikon D200 with a Nikkor 18-200 VR lens and a polarizer. This worked well, and no other lens was needed. Strapping the camera to my backpack's shoulder straps for easy accessbility and bringing extra batteries was useful given the huts (refugios) in Paine Grande had no electricity.
The major photographic challenge in Patagonia is the weather; it’s often cloudy, rainy and windy. When the sun is visible, it's easy to get great shots, but when it's cloudy and rainy, the wonderful landscapes turn insipid. At these times, I focused on raindrop adorned flowers and other such details. The flora is not particularly photogenic. There are some interesting shapes in the trees, but nothing special. To make sure I had good days for photography we allocated a couple of weeks for the trip, and it was a good thing we did. I met a fellow photographer who spent three days at Fitzroy and never saw it because of cloudy weather! We were lucky as we had good weather for much of the time. This was our hope when we chose to go in March. The light on the magnificent peaks when it appeared was magical. I particularly loved the fantastic lenticular clouds. These clouds are formed by so-called mountain waves of air created by strong winds - typical Patagonian weather. At sunset, they light up fantastically.
Parque Nacional Los Glaciares
Leaving Punta Arenas, we headed toward El Calafate in Argentina to see the Perito Moreno glacier: one of only three Patagonian glaciers that are not retreating. Enroute, we stopped for lunch in Puerto Natales, a port city in a beautiful setting that has few distinguishing characteristics, but plenty of lodging. From there, we continued north and east on a gravel road into Argentina and El Calafate. It's not a particularly scenic drive until you arrive at the outskirts of El Calafate: a charming tourist town with numerous quaint and elegant shops, restaurants and coffee shops serving great pastries and food. There are lodging facilities ranging from the very fancy to comfortable hostels. The Perito Morino and other glaciers are the attractions in El Calafate. A well organized tourist industry can make all the arrangements for your visit. If you have a car, it's about a forty-five minute drive to the park to view and hike the glacier.
With a beautiful sunrise, we headed out to El Chalten. The road was mostly gravel, although it appears that it will be fully paved in a couple of years. It's a scenic road with two places to stop along the way with facilities (bathrooms and snacks, but no gas). After several hours of driving, we arrives in town - hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, pubs and plently of climbing and guiding stores. We witnessed the bustle of backpackers and hikers walking up and down the dusty streets as well as busses unloading passengers at the large youth hostel. I looked forward to staying in El Chalten, and when I saw Fitzroy towering above it, I knew for sure why I had spent all those hours traveling to it.
After a great dinner and a good sleep we walked to the nearby trail head for the four to five hour hike on well marked trails to the Fitzroy massif. Our weather luck stayed with us: little wind and blue skies. Almost the entire trail faces the dramatic Fitzroy peaks. It makes the hike magnificent. It is an easy trail with little elevation gain until you reach the massif’s approach trail. A campground there enables you to spend the night and hike up the mountain for sunrise. As the trail continues through the campground, a tough climb takes you to the awesome Fitzroy viewing area. Ten hours after we left, we returned to town. It is certainly possible to do this hike faster. We took our time as there were many photo opportunities on the trail.
The next day we hiked to Laguna Toro, a beautiful hike with plenty of breathtaking views of the Cerro Torre and Cerro Solo. Although we could have spent another day visiting the Viedma glacier and hiking in other areas, the morning was rainy and overcast. So we decided to return to El Calafata to break the long trip back to Torres Del Paine into two days. We ended up taking a boat trip to the Upsala glacier and hiked in the Estacia Cristina canyon.
Parque Nacional Torres Del Paine
From El Calafate a four-hour drive took us to the Chilean border, and another hour to the Park's entrance. There are interesting photo ops along the way. After paying the park's entrance fees, for which we received a "good enough" map of the park, we proceeded up the gravel road into the spectacular vistas of Torres Del Paine. Guanacos, grazing along the road, greeted us. I read that wildlife in Torres Del Paine are not fearful of humans and allow close encounters. A fox hunting for food did not mind me photographing it five yards away! That evening we decided to stay at the hosetria Pehoe. Although it was pricey, we could not pass up the opportunity because of the magnificent setting and the views from its windows. This hotel is well booked up through the beginning of March, but fortunately we were out of the main tourist season and got a room.
Torres Del Paine is a great place for hiking. Trails throughout the park allow you to hike from hut to hut or campgrounds, or to stay in one place and day hike. After an early rise to photograph the sunrise on the dramatic peaks from a small rise behind the hotel, we drove to our first hiking location. The drive from Hosteria Pehoe to the refugio Las Torres is picturesque with many sightings of Guanaco herds and beautiful views. The refugio and its adjoining campground are located near the trail head to the Las Torres trail and right next to the beautiful Las Torres Hosteria. After checking into the cozy refugio, we explored the area and took a short hike to the shores of Lago Nordenskjold.
The next morning we began our hike to the Las Torres. The trail follows the Rio Ascencio valley. It is an easy trail until the end where it turns into a long and very steep rock scramble to the Torres view area. On the way back we stopped about half way at the Chileno refugio for some hot tea, as the weather was turning cold and windy. After returning from this eight-hour hike, the hosteria Las Torres' lounge was a great place to relax.
The next day it rained as we drove to the western shore of Lago Pehoe. We caught the noon catamaran ferry to the refugio: a half hour across the lake. Upon arrival at the Grande Pehoe refugio we were surprised as it was more of a lodge then a refugio. There were three pairs of bunk beds per room, seating areas around the wood burning stove with fantastic sunset views, internet access, cafeteria with large dining room, and a bar. The campground, with a cooking/eating building, was right next to the lodge. We were happy to have chosen this place as a base for our planned day hikes.
Glacier Grey was our destination the next morning. The day was rainy with low clouds, nevertheless, we had a great hike to the glacier in the moody landscape. A sunny day greeted us the next morning: perfect for the French valley. The trail was very wet from the rain the previous day. Water run offs and unavoidable ankle deep water made us thankful for waterproof boots. Hiking to the end summit of the French Valley trail is a difficult all-day effort requiring camping at the last campground, but the views are well worth it.
If there is a next time for me at Torres Del Paine, I would plan to hike the ten day Grand Circuit. On our drive out of the park, it was sunny and warm and the gorgeous landscape of Torres Del Paine made it a perfect last memory.
About the Author
Photography has always been part of Joe Liftik’s love for the outdoors and travel. His photographic vision is to capture what makes all that is around us unique, beautiful and cherished. Landscape and nature are his passions but any subject is fair game for his lens. More of his work is available on his web site www.traveling-images.com
