Patagonia and other adventure travel destinations

An old maritime saying claims that: “Below 40 degrees latitude, there is no law. Below 50 degrees, there is no God”. Cape Horn, which lies at 55°56’ south latitude and 67°19’ west longitude, certainly fits the sentiments of this adage. Given the wildness of the waters and the winds that plague the oceans surrounding this […]

Australis

One of the greatest challenges facing visitors to Cape Horn is the weather that they will likely encounter. Cruise ship companies sometimes incorporate two attempts at rounding Cape Horn and landing on the island into their itineraries to have a better chance of success in the face of possible inclement and difficult weather conditions. What […]

Australis

  As I wrote recently, my own semi-spontaneous Patagonia excursions differ from those of visitors who cannot devote so much time to the Patagonia region that I enjoy every year. In contrast to that earlier itinerary, today I’ll suggest a rather different but overlapping trip to Patagonia; it starts in Buenos Aires and ends in […]

Wayne Bernhardson

  Visitors on a Patagonia adventure cruise are usually well-traveled people, and may notice that South America’s Pacific coast is a mirror image of North America’s. Southwest of Puerto Montt, the island of Chiloé has a geography similar to Canada’s Vancouver Island – a verdant, densely forested Pacific coastline that alternates rocky headlands and seemingly […]

Wayne Bernhardson

Looking at the map, many travelers planning a Patagonia cruise overestimate South America’s remoteness because, beyond the tip of the continent, the next thing they see is Antarctica. In reality, at a latitude of 56° S, Cape Horn is almost exactly the same distance south of the Equator as Edinburgh is to the north, but […]

Wayne Bernhardson

Fancy running through wild, unspoiled terrain close to one of the world’s most spectacular national parks?   You’re not alone: on September 6th,  the 6th annual Patagonian International Marathon saw fearless runners attempting the most ancient of running distances – but in a completely unique location. Confronting some of Patagonia’s most beautiful landscapes 10 km, 21 […]

Australis

Recently, in this space, I wrote about overnighting in Antarctica as part of a Patagonia expedition, but there’s another option that’s well worth consideration. Barely an hour northeast of Punta Arenas, surrounded by the South Atlantic Ocean, the Falkland Islands have no glaciers, but they do have an array of sub-Antarctic wildlife that matches almost […]

Wayne Bernhardson

When Ferdinand Magellan first entered the famous strait that now bears his name, he was not on a Patagonia adventure cruise. In late 1520, when his fleet of five ships sailed past what is now Punta Dungeness, at the eastern entrance to what is the most direct route from the Atlantic to the Pacific, he […]

Wayne Bernhardson

Many if not most visitors on a Patagonia excursion visit two countries, Argentina and Chile. Unlike Europe, there is no currency union between the two, so it’s important to know what’s happening with money – especially the notoriously fluid situation in Argentina. Like many foreign travelers and Argentine tourism operators, I welcomed the recent end […]

Wayne Bernhardson

One major highlight of any Patagonia cruise tour is the wildlife. From the decks of any vessel, and on land excursions, passengers can enjoy the sight of Patagonia nature and countless birds – many of them unique to the Southern Hemisphere – and marine mammals such as elephant seals and sea lions. Literally and metaphotically, […]

Wayne Bernhardson