El Limite, a new border experience
It seems like there isn’t one system for border crossings. Crossing the border for the 3rd time was very different from earlier crossings. I went from Futaleufú, about 10km from the border in Chile, to Esquel, about 64km further, in Argentina. It involved a short ride in the minibus, walking…
Holidays in Esquel
I had taken a side trip from the carretera austral to get to Futaleufú for rafting. The problem with this border region is that there are beautiful things on both the Chilean and Argentinian side. Planning a logical route seemed impossible to me, so I decided to take a holiday…
Los Alerces, but which one is it?
I’d come into Argentina to see the los Alerces national park. With the fires around El Bolsón, I’d decided to skip the Lago Puelo area and this was my chance of camping near the lakes and enjoying some nature. Of course there was now also a fire here, but it…
The day to day in Antarctica
My trip to Antarctica was such a unique, out of this world experience, that I’ve been pondering how on earth I could describe it. When I tell people I went, the reactions range from ‘why?’ and ‘o my god that’s so cool’, to ‘how do you even get there?’. There…
Queulat, just before it closes
“We haven’t really had much summer this year”, says my host in the hostal in Puyuhuapi when we compare the weather here with the Netherlands. “It’s been very rainy.” And of course it rains during my stay as well. But it suits the setting. I’m here to head into the…
Cerro Castillo
Doubts. They just keep coming back. No matter how many hikes I’ve done, problems I’ve solved and adventures I’ve lived, I always end up questionning if I’ve got what it takes. This time I’m feeling particularly vulnerable. I leave camp early and the thoughts start rolling in. Then I’m doing…
50 shades of blue in Río Tranquilo
There’s a lot of trekking on the Patagonian part of my trip. Currently I’m on the carretera austral, Chile’s southern highway, and it’s basically a string of national parks. But after many hikes, it was nice to make Puerto Río tranquilo my base for a few days of different activities.…
Patagonian challenges
Some days are tough. There’s not always a clear reason and often it’s more a feeling of being out of sorts. Of being in your head. Of not really being in the moment. And I had this the day I took all my things into the Chacabuco sector of Patagonia…
In between
Crossing the border from El Chaltèn to Villa o’Higgins I’m sitting on a big boulder. There was a sign that says “mirador Fitzroy”. I have already exited Argentina and this time even received a stamp, but although I’m on Chilean territory, the border authorities do not know I have arrived…
Trekking los Glaciares: laguna Torre
After a beautiful first day, I woke up to a much better day than expected. The sky wasn’t completely covered in thick grey clouds and my tent wasn’t wet. How unexpected. Some people head up the steep trail to laguna de los tres in the dark in order to catch…