Viking Octantis had already anchored at Puerto Chacabuco, Chile, by the time Tim and I woke up this morning. Located at the tip of the Aysén Fjord at the foot of Andes mountains, this area is gorgeous, and I think my mouth dropped when I opened the blinds and saw the beautiful scenery in front of me! Mountains with snow-covered peaks greeted us for the first time on this cruise.
Welcome to Puerto Chacabuco 
This Is the Scenery that I Woke Up To
Viking Octantis deployed all the “toys” today, and we watched from our window as the zodiacs and Special Operations Boats departed. It seems we selected the perfect cabin location.
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| All the "Toys" Were Out Today, But I Only Managed Photos of the Zodiacs and Special Operation Boats |
Tim and I, however, had decided to take today’s included excursion, “Puerto Chacabuco and Surroundings,” to delve deeper into the natural beauty of northern Patagonia on land. This was the description:
Marvel at the magnificent “Wild West” fjordland coastline of Chile, where the Andes Mountains plunge to the ocean. Situated 250 miles south of Puerto Montt, it is here that the northern Patagonian ice sheets fall into the sea in intense blue splendor. The journey through what is known as the Chilean Patagonia is a truly magnificent experience. The construction of the Carretera Austral roadway now makes the area more accessible for travelers. Your excursion begins with a one-hour journey through beautiful scenery, as you follow the river along the base of a deep, rocky gorge. Your destination is the Rio Simpson National Reserve, where you will take a brief walk down to the river to photograph this rugged landscape. Visit the information center and small museum before heading back to port and your awaiting ship.
We tendered ashore to the tiny enclave of Puerto Chacabuco, which serves as the gateway to the rugged wilderness, and boarded our motorcoach for the drive to Rio Simpson National Reserve.
A View of Viking Octantis as We Tendered Ashore
The weather today was spectacular, sunny and not too cold, and our guide informed us how lucky we were, since this area gets over 300 days of rain per year.
Our route took us on Chile's Carretera Austral, one of the world's most remote and spectacular highways. Built by the Chilean Army in the 1970s, this partially paved road is 771 miles in length, connecting once-isolated Patagonian communities through some of the most unforgiving terrain on Earth.
Of course, we only traveled a small section of the road, but the scenery that we saw was beautiful. Cattle raising is a primary activity in this area, and we saw lots of cows, as well as sheep.
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| Scenery Along the Highway |
Our destination was Rio Simpson National Reserve, a protected wild area administered by the National Forestry Corporation. As we walked along the Simpson River, our guide suggested that we be on the lookout for a puma. Unfortunately, we never saw this elusive cat, but we did spot the wooden carving of one. The sculpture was designed to highlight the importance of the largest feline in Chile and a crucial apex predator in the Patagonian ecosystem.
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| Scenery Along the Simpson River |
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| A Wooden Puma and Mushrooms |
We also learned about some of the local flora. I was especially fascinated by the nalca, an unusual plant that is native to southern Chile and has long prickly stems and huge green leaves. Our guide encouraged us to touch the leaves, which were also surprisingly prickly. She also pointed out unusual mushrooms growing in a knot on one of the trees.
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| The Prickly Nalca |
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| Tim and Sarah at Rio Simpson National Reserve |
On the way back to the ship, we were able to see the scenery on the other side of the highway that we had missed earlier. We briefly stopped to view Cascada La Virgen, or the Virgin Waterfall, and the suspension bridge in Puerto Aysén, the longest in Chile. Before long, we were back in Puerto Chacabuco, where we tendered back to Viking Octantis.
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| More Scenery Along the Highway |
Since I had been asleep as we sailed the Aysén Fjord this morning, I made a point of admiring the spectacular scenery as we left Port Chacabuco this afternoon. I love being surrounded by mountains again.
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| Scenery Along the Aysén Fjord |
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| A Beautiful Ending to a Great Day |
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