White Narrows. . . . . . . .Chilean Fjords

White Narrows - Cruising the Chilean Fjords
March 14, 2018
Temp. Range 38-51F
Mostly Cloudy - Scattered Showers throughout the Day

Assisted by the pilot boat, we left Puerto Natales in the early morning. 
Our journey continued through the vast network of fjords and channels in this
 remote part of southern Chile, including the narrow White Channel which, 
once again, we had to pass through at 'slack tide' during daylight.

"Adiós" pilot boat. . . . . . 

. . . . . .and Puerto Natales.

Magnificent rainbows were frequent in this area - probably due to the
 ever-changing weather.

The White Narrows - passing through the White Channel at 'slack tide'

 in the Fjord of the Mountains inside the boundaries of the 

Alacalufes National Reserve, est. 1969, spanning Canal Concepción

 and the Chilean Sea across both sides of the of the Magellan Strait. 

The only way to access this area is by sea from Puerto Natales, 

hence it receives very few visitors.

Friendly local fisherman - probably not used to seeing small cruise ships in the fjords.

By afternoon we reached the Bernal Glacier. . . . . . and to put things into perspective,
 I was feeling really ill by then with the intense cold bug keeping me coughing and
 almost voiceless. 

It was cold and damp so I made the decision to not go ashore by Zodiac
 at the glacier (something I now regret as others who made the trip
 gave such glowing reports of the beautiful surprises beyond the shoreline
 in front of the now receding ice). . . . . . . .

. . . . . . .this photo I've 'borrowed' from the ship's video of the expedition trip.

It give us an idea of some of the lovely flora hidden hidden along the shoreline.

The awesome Bernal Glacier - draining the south Patagonian Ice Field, it has receded

 up the slopes of the Sarmiento de Gamboa and terminates these days well above 

the tidewater line of the fjord. The highest mountain in this range is La Dama Blanca

(The White Lady), elevation 6,368 feet.

Late afternoon we sailed for Villa Puerto Edén - a distance of 236 nautical miles - a tiny 

but most interesting island village which I'll share next time.

TORRES del PAINE National Park, Chile. . . . . . . . Part II

Chile

Torres del Paine National Park

March 13, 2018

Temp. Range 38-50F

Cloudy with Scattered Showers 

More scenic beauty from the Torres del Paine

National Park of Chile.  Go HERE if you missed Part I.

The three huge granite 'Torres' (towers) which reach over 10,000 ft., are just

 visible between the 'Cuernos' (horns) on the right side of this photo above.

As we moved on from the mountains the landscape became rolling hillsides and valleys

and we saw more wildlife along the roadside.

Pair of Guanaco

The llama, the guanaco, and the alpaca are all native to the Andes Mountains

 in South America and they are all herbivores. 

The only wild species is the guanaco. The llama and the alpaca are domesticated.

 Darwin's or Lesser Rhea

An ostrich-like bird, the Darwin's or Lesser Rhea (Rhea pennata) is one

 of the most distinctive, fabled and endangered residents of Patagonian

 steppe grasslands. Two species of rhea, the Greater and Lesser, occupy

 overlapping ranges in Patagonia. Lesser rheas typically weigh 35-55 lbs.

 The Greater rhea is the largest of all South American birds and is related

 to ostriches and emus. These flightless birds use their long, powerful

 legs to outrun trouble. Although their large wings are useless for flight, 

they are used for balance and for changing direction as the bird runs.

My hope whilst in Patagonia was to see the Andean condor 

and, in this area of hills and valleys where the air currents are

 conducive to high flying birds, my dream came true!

This condor, with an average wingspan of 10 ft. 8in. is the largest flying

 land bird (combined weight and wingspan) in the world. Its habitat is mainly

 composed of open grasslands and alpine areas up to 16,000 ft. in elevation.

 It prefers relatively open, non-forested areas which allow it to spot carrion

 from the air, such as the páramo or rocky, mountainous areas.

Weather conditions were not the best, and those huge birds were so high in the sky 

only those with big DSLR cameras and really high-powered lenses were able to get

 close-up shots.  However, I did see several of these huge birds and managed a few photos.

To read more interesting facts about the Andean condor go HERE.

Puerto Natales, Chile

That night we stayed anchored at the port - some travelers enjoyed 

 more time in the town before returning to the ship.

Already suffering from the nasty cold/bug, I was ready to get back

on board post haste after a long day - with a little dinner and an early night.

Being rocked to sleep on the evening tide felt good!

TORRES del PAINE National Park, Chile. . . . . . Part I

Puerto Natales, Chile

Torres del Paine National Park

March 13, 2018

Temp. Range 40-51F 

Showers possible all day

By 8:30 am we were in Zodiacs being transported ashore to Puerto Natales.

Three clean and comfy buses were awaiting to take us on the 1.5 hour 

drive through the Chilean countryside to the Torres del Paine National Park.

Declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978, it was voted the 8th wonder of

the world in 2014 by people from all over the world!

This park, in Chile’s Patagonia region, is known for its soaring mountains, 

bright blue icebergs and ice floes that cleave from many glaciers, and golden

 pampas (grasslands) that shelter rare wildlife such as llama-like guanacos. 

Lake Grey, the Grey Glacier visible left of photo.

Our stop for lunch was at Hosteria Grey, an attractive tourist complex on

 Lake Grey with magnificent views from the restaurant. The property is

 surrounded by forests of lenga and coigue hardwood trees serving as

a refuge for the south Andean deer (Hippocamelus bisulcus), also known

as the southern guemal, an endangered species native to the mountains of 

Argentina and Chile.

Lake Grey with blue ice floe and the Grey Glacier. . . . . light rain falling.

A small iceberg.

Wish we'd had time to kayak there.

Following the tasty lunch, we moved on to the central area of the park consisting

 of the alpine massif with three imposing granite 'Torres' or towers that reach

 over 10,000 feet, together with several lesser 'Cuernos' or horns which are formed

 of black shale.

It was quite cloudy with light rain, however we did get quite good views of this

 spectacular landscape. . . . . . . 

. . . . . . here's a photo to whet your appetite - next time in Part II I'll show you much more!