One of my favorite things during this cruise was opening the blackout shades each morning and seeing what was outside our window. The view was often jaw-dropping, as I’ve previously shown on many occasions. Today’s view was another one of those moments.
As we awoke at the crack of dawn and prepared to disembark in Ushuaia, we were greeted by the most gorgeous sky. Ushuaia is not supposed to look like this, we have been told. It’s supposed to be cloudy, gray, or rainy. Not today, however! What a send-off for us!
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| What a View of Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel from Our Window |
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| A View of Ushuaia Under Bright Blue Skies |
After a very early breakfast in the World Café, Tim and I said our final goodbyes and disembarked Viking Octantis at 7:20 am. We then joined about 30 other passengers for the next phase of our adventures in South America, a Viking post-cruise extension called “Gateway to Patagonia.” This extension, which includes five nights in Patagonia and Santiago, Chile, is described as follows:
Explore both the Chilean and Argentine sides of Patagonia, a region of singular beauty. Admire the rugged peaks of Torres del Paine National Park, the blue waters of Lake Argentino, the sweeping views from atop Calafate Balcony and one of the world’s only advancing glaciers, the vast Perito Moreno.
The bus dropped us off at the Ushuaia airport, which was surprisingly busy, and we boarded our Aerolíneas Argentinas flight to El Calafate, Argentina. Luckily, the flight was only one hour since my middle seat in Economy was so cramped. Tim and I have been so spoiled with Business class flights!
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| Getting Ready to Board Our Plane to El Calafate |
I’m not sure what I was expecting when we arrived at the airport in El Calafate, but I was surprised by how warm it was. The landscape also surprised me. As we drove toward El Calafate, I only saw dry, windswept plains with very sparse vegetation. I soon learned that this huge desert landscape is characteristic of southern Patagonia. Every tree we saw as we neared the town had been planted. Our guide also pointed out the majestic, snowcapped Andes Mountains in the distance.
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| Southern Patagonia Landscape |
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| Welcome to El Calafate |
After arriving in El Calafate, we were taken to Estancia Huyliche for lunch and a tour. Estancias in Argentina are ranches on huge tracts of land, where sheep and cattle graze freely. Estancias date back to the early days of Spanish rule and are iconic symbols of Patagonian identity. Some, like this one, now welcome tourists, offering a glimpse into traditions that are being preserved for the future.
Estancia Huyliche is located at the foot of Huyliche Hill and offers expansive views of the Andes Mountains and Lake Argentino, Argentina’s largest freshwater lake. Horses roamed the ranch, and horseback riding is a popular activity. That was not on our agenda, but lunch was.
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| Estancia Huyliche |
We enjoyed a traditional lunch of empanadas and lentil stew, topped off by a fabulous dessert of pie topped with Calafate ice cream. This ice cream is made from the native Calafate berry, and it was delicious.
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| Our Tradition Lunch - Lentil Stew, Empanada, and Pie with Calafate Ice Cream |
We then boarded a huge 6x4 vehicle for a ride up Huyliche Hill to the Balcony of El Calafate. We stopped at a natural viewpoint to take in the stunning panoramic views of the Andes Mountains, Lake Argentino, and the town of El Calafate. Our guide pointed out the fantastic rock formations and described the geological evolution of Southern Patagonia.
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| Climbing Huyliche Hill |
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| Panoramic Views from atop the Balcony of El Calafate |
We then returned to El Calafate where we checked into the Xelena Hotel. The curtains were drawn in our room, but once we figured out how to open them (I wasn't expecting a remote control), we were rewarded with a beautiful view of Lake Argentino.
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| Our Room at Xelena Hotel and the View from Our Window |
Dinner was in the hotel dining room, and we were served a stew with guanaco, an animal related to the domesticated llama. The guanaco was lean and a little gamey, but the taste was fine. I forgot to get a photo of this dish, but I did remember to record the beautiful and delicious flan with dulce de leche we had for dessert. Tango dancers entertained us as we ended our meal.
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| Tango and Flan for Dessert |
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