Chile: Torres del Paine

This park is to Chile what Yellowstone is to the United States. Both are unique and quite different, yet superb in landscapes and wildlife. No comparison as possible so each must be visited. I was at this park the first time back in 2003 and took me until 2010 to return. I traveled from Calafate, Argentina to Puerto Natale in Chile, where I rented a 4-wheeled truck to go to the park. It is mostly known by its huge granite pillars from which takes the name, and also Los Cuernos (the Horns). These are primary the reason why landscape photographers and tourists to go there.

The weather here is like in Iceland; it changes every 15 minutes, so warm as well as foul weather clothing are a must. The roads within the park are not well marked and rough requiring stressful driving. Recently the access roads to the park have been paved but those inside the park are still narrow gravel roads. Talking to one of the locals, I found out that there is some controversy going on between the purists and the realists. The purists want the roads left as they are to “protect” the environment while the others want them asphalted. There is heavy traffic with large tours buses that I wonder how they manage to get through those roads. They should be upgraded to slow down erosion in the shores next to the lakes as well as to keep the dust down, but mostly for safety reasons. The photo below speaks for itself.

I stayed at the same hosterias as in my previous visit; but there numerous new ones are now available but they do not offer such great views of the park. My favorite ones are: (a) the one in Lake Pehoe that is located in a small island that provides an outstanding view of the Torres particular in the afternoon and (b) the one in Lago Gray where the glacier is visible and located inside a wooded area full of wonderful creatures. I spent the first night at the hosteria in the island from where the landscape photos in this blog were taken.

Next I stayed at Hosteria Lago Azul where there is a family foxes that live on the grounds of the complex and are accustomed to humans. One early morning I was out taking photos and ran into a large fox that was growling at me about 10 feet away, my first though is that it was rabid, so I took photos and moved on (no, I was not afraid of getting rabies since I was bitten by a raccoon a couple of months earlier and freshly vaccinated). Later on in the morning, I told one of the staff in the Hosteria about my encounter. He laughed and proceeded to take me an area where the fox’s liar was. And there the whole family was lying around, including the one that harassed me at sunrise. Most amazingly, it appears that since now I was properly introduced, I received no more signs of hostilities. I just sat on the ground ignored by the vixens that played chasing each other and jumping on the parents. According to the staff member, families of foxes has been there for years and the present male, took over when he pushed his parents away 3 years ago. It is obvious why these foxes are here…they get fed and/or raid the trash containers. But they have not learned to beg from tips when photographed.

The Patagonian parrots were nesting in the nearby old trees and their cacophony was the first thing to be heard in the mornings. They were hard to photograph due to the harsh early morning red light and constant activity. I had seen then in my previous trip but did not have the opportunity to get close. They feed on the leaves and fruits of favorite trees, I noticed this one morning so the next one I arrived at the location earlier and waited, within minutes they were there within 10-15 feed and totally ignored me.

That morning I saw a small beautiful owl seating on a branch where it stayed for hours. I decided that I was going to catch him at the time when he would fly away; as always the owl took off so fast that I missed the shot.

Another common bird is the Cincloides patagonicus. This small bird spent the time wading around the shore of Lago Gray feeding. He is constantly jumping around and turning around stones looking for insect larvae.

After a few days in the shores of Lago Gray, it was time to move to the northern part of the park which I will discuss in a future blog. Boat tours to the glacier originate from the vicinity of this Hosteria. I did not go since I have taken the tour during the previous visit. One of the amenities of this trip is that the crew offers you cocktails with glacier ice fished from the lake, while the tourists partake, the blue iceman watches begging for some too.

Calafate and Perito Moreno

Calafate is the gateway to the Perito Moreno Glacier in the providence of Santa Cruz, Argentina. This glacier unlike most other glaciers on earth is growing and is to Argentina what the Masai Mara is to Kenya as a tourist attraction. Most visitors will stay in Calafate and visit the glacier for the day. As a result, the tourist accommodations are booming at an incredible pace. I was there the first time in May 2009; and returned in February 2010, I was amazed as to the number of new hotels and lodges rising along the shoreline of the lake on the road to the glacier. The old sleeping town is gone. Still much of the old charm is still left as illustrated above.

I have previously visited glaciers in Iceland and Alaska but none compares in majesty and awe to Perito Moreno. The iceflow covers approximately 100 square miles and has and average height of 200 feet where it flows into Lago Argentino. One of the major attractions for this glacier, is the fracture. This occurs when the ice flow creates an ice dam splitting the lake in two. When the dam is eventually broken it causes a spectacular water rush. This event is not easily predictable and not an annual event. Just watching and listening to iceflow moving is most interesting. One hears like rifle shots as the ice flows and chunks of ice break and fall into the lake. This process of large pieces of ice separating from the glacier is called calving; these calves then float about the lake pushed by the winds and water current until eventually melting away.

As tourism increases in Perito Moreno, the government activities to accommodate the influx of people is impacting this natural wonder. An extensive elevated metal trail and stairs ways is being completed. No doubt this will expedite the movement of visitors but at a cost of impacting the beauty of the area. They have constructed several “orange colored” rest stops along the trail that ruins the view. Could have they done this in a more subdue way? Is there a need for these structures in the first place?

The hand of bureaucracy using the excuse of “safety” has struck again in Perito Moreno. When I was there in 2009, I was able to access the shoreline in the area where the ice dam is formed (see image below). Now the old elevated trail that provided access to the shoreline has been closed.

No longer will visitors be able to experience to be close to the iceflow from land, see the deep blue/cyan colors created by the light filtered through the cracks in the clear ice from ground level, or touch the milky blue waters. Yes, there are boat tours that take you close to the iceflow or trekking on the glacier, but another experience to enjoy the glacier has been lost. Where else in the world could one experienced standing near the base of such a massive wall of ice?

I found that renting a car to visit the glacier for the day is more cost effective plus gives you the flexibility of staying at the glacier longer and stopping along the road to take landscape photos. One thing about Argentina that is more extreme than in other countries that I have traveled, is their gouging of tourists. You will pay ten times more for entering the national parks than a local citizen; but their practice of charging higher airfares to foreigners I have never experienced before. And is you are a US citizen and fly into the country, you will pay $130 fee, the good news, once you pay it, the passport is stamped and good for multiple entrances until the passport expires. In fairness this practice is not limited to Argentina, the same applies in Chile , but if you cross the border by land this fee is not charged, so walk or drive, don’t fly.

Peninsula de Valdez

My main motivation to go to Argentina early this year was to visit the Peninsula de Valdez in the province of Chubut. The best way to get there is to fly to Trelew and then drive to the park. There is a fancy gate and building at the entrance to the park, and once you go thru the registration and fee processing, the next stop is Puerto Piramides; the only place where limited accommodations and food are available. This is a center for whale watching tours and summer resort for the locals. There is a nice beach and great shore scenery for sunset photos.

The peninsula is a desolate steppe with gravel roads that lead to Punta Norte by a main central road or the coastal route plus secondary ones connecting these through the length of the peninsula. From a photographic destination, it was not what I expected. The marine fauna, such as the sea lions and other shore animals, were not accessible since the park prohibits access to the beaches that are not easily reachable. For this purpose, there are other places down the coast that are more photography friendly.

One event that occurs in March is the arrival of the orcas and their peculiar behavior of swimming into the beaches trying to capture sea lions. This event is strictly regulated for photographers wishing to record the event. It is extremely bureaucratic and costly to foreigners boarding into extortion. Not only are daily fees of $300 (US dollars) per photographer but additional fees for the accompanying game warden and one must turn over all the images to the park; they will claim 50 % of the royalties that the earned from the images. In top of that, one must provided a detailed narrative of the photographing operations. Peninsula de Valdez is one of those places that is nice to visit once.

One day while at the Parador Elvira, I went down to the walkway paralleling the beach and I saw what looked as a dark storm fast approaching from the south with strong winds. I took a few photos and proceeded to run towards the restaurant. While going up the hill, I got caught by the storm and could hardly breathe. It was a dust storm. It reminded me of the sand storm that I experienced in Mongolia in 2008. While inside the restaurant, the dust came thru the small openings in the doors and windows and visibility was reduced to no more than 50 feet.

If given a choice, I rather be in a dust storm. Sand storms are more aggressive due to the grains hitting the skin and eyes and making breathing impossible unless there is some protection. When I encountered the sand storm in Mongolia, I happened to be inside in an SUV, we had to stop because there wass basically “zero” visibility. When the storm was over, parts of the vehicle’s paint and windows appeared to be as they were sandblasted.

While in Punta Norte I had my first encounter with a Pichi, a small armadillo not shy and easily approachable or…rather it approaches you. It really looks like a giant cucaracha and spends the time digging for grubs and other edibles.

There were also other birds new to me as the Yal negro below, also scientifically known as Phrygilus fruticeti according to the Profe, a wildlife expert from the Comodoro Rivadalia University.

Near the Isla de los Pajaros, is the Museo Fuerte San Jose; all that is left there is a reconstructed church that was originally constructed by the first Spaniards that arrived there in the early 1500. The church is small and of a peculiar configuration but attractive. The other structure of interest is the lighthouse at Punta Delgada but at the time I was there, the road was closed and I was not able to photograph it.

Penguin Colony in Punta Tombo, Argentina

It is claimed that this is the biggest pinguinera (penguin colony) in the world with estimates as high as 500,000 Magellanic Penguins. It is located south of Puerto Madryn and easily accessible from Trelew via Route 3. There is a new asphalted road but still does not go all the way to the pinguinera.
As one walks into the rookery, the landscape looks like a battlefield full of artillery impact holes from WW I. These are penguins nests made in the brownish soil. The extent of the rookery is immense and penguins are everywhere. These birds walk long distances from the beach to get to their nests. They start arriving in September and leave by late March after the young have grown.

This a national park and it is very well organized with game wardens every where keeping and eye in the visitors. There is a restaurant by the entrance to the park. All is requested is to stay inside the roped trails and to “look but don’t touch”. These trails transect the rookery and when walking, penguins will cross the trail oblivious to the observers.

At times, a penguin will walk and stop in from of you to take a close view of the intruder, there is no fear, and then it will walk away. You can closely watch these cute birds, they can really get in your face is you seat on the trail.

The young penguin above is molting and the adult plumage is beginning to grow, at the end of the process it will look like the adult below. You may be able to discern the end of the bill that ends in sharp beak while the lower mandible ends flat creating a very efficient tool for feeding.

Adults feed the begging chicks by regurgitating the sumptuous meals of squids and fish. Some times there are spills but these do not go to waste, there are always skuas and gulls near by to pick the morsels.

The nests are everywhere and some are empty and others with young penguins or sleeping adults. These nests are shared with other animals, one that is common but I was not able to get a good image is the cuis, a small rodent, need to go back. There are also hairy armadillos, guanacos as well as gulls, hawks, skuas and a variety of smaller birds.

There is a continuous cacophony of noise, particularly among the chicks begging for food or adults quarreling. When calling, they stand erect with the bill pointing towards the sky while flipping their wings. These are territorial birds and fights are resolved by who can call the loudest but at times, short chases take place.

Lots of the chicks were molting and loosing their birthday suits, kind of a brownish color down. The young are also very promiscuous and seem to associate with other young ones for adventures and explorations. These are left alone while the parents are out fishing.

There is a beach that is the major access to the colony to the sea and the shoreline is full of thousands of penguins. Some arriving from their fishing trips, upon hitting the shore, they hurried up the hill searching for their dear ones. In the way to their nests they are accosted by chicks looking for a meal; no luck, these birds go straight to their siblings. It is entertaining to see the young penguins learning to swim under the close eye of a parent, once in the water they are dive and swim just as Esther Williams in a white& black bathing suit. Punta Tombo is one of those places where nature and human are peacefully getting along.

Trelew, Argentina

Trelew is a city of about 100,000 and I visited there because its airport that gives access to the Peninsula de Valdez, Punta Tombo (the largest pinguinera in the world) and other coastal areas in Patagonia. It started as a railroad town and was colonized by Welsh immigrants in the middle of the XIX century. I stayed day there in wait for a departure flight the next day. There is a university and next to it the Paleontologico Edigio Feruglio (MEF). The latter is quite a surprise and its collections of fossil dinosaurs and their displays among the best I have seen. There is a research room with a glass wall where you can see paleontologists cleaning and restoring their latest findings.

I was there in the middle of February and the first night at about 7 PM, I was walking around the lake next to the bus station. It is man-made and surrounded by a broad walkway and appears to receive water drainage from the city streets.

It was obvious that it was heavy polluted with a peculiar green color and a noxious odor. Nevertheless, it was a bird’s paradise. There were ducks, geese, the ever present gulls, stilts and flamingoes.

All of the sudden I saw a flock of little birds dropping in from the sky, settling on the water and starting to swim around in circles. This was on of those spectacles of nature that are overwhelming to witness. It appears this group of birds was just a scout group for a huge flight of migrating birds. Within minutes another flock started to drop from the sky followed subsequent waves, and suddenly, the whole surface of the lake was covered with these birds. They were Wilson’s Phalaropes…and I had not camera with me.

I had seen a similar occurrence in Texas more than forty years ago, where I visited to wait for the arrival of spring the migration of warblers who crossed the Gulf of Mexico. I was in a coastal area overgrown with bushes and small trees. Suddenly, small birds started to drop from the sky exhausted and perching in whatever branch had space for one more. There were several species of warblers and as in Trelew, arrived in consecutive waves. After a short rest period, they started to look for food. These birds were tired and did not mind the proximity of the bird watchers. Although the phalaropes in Trelew did not look exhausted, they were very busy feeding and ignored my presence.

I returned early the next morning and they were still there feeding in their funny way. They swim around in circles and this action seems to create vortexes in the water that disturb the bottom causing particles of food and small bugs to surface are rapidly picked by their slender beaks. The whole flock performs this behavior in unison and the feeding frenzy was continuous. These birds were in their winter plumage. By mid-morning they started to depart and by the time they arrive in North America they will sporting their breeding plumage.

Bustamante, Argentina

Lorenzo Soriano (1901-1987) arrived in Bahia Bustamante in 1953 after searching all over the Patagonian coastline to start a seaweed farm. It grew into several buildings including a school, a bodega and a church as well as accommodations for the workers. The seaweed harvesting operations ceased back in the 1990s but one of his sons converted the place into an ecological hacienda in 2004. Some of these facilities were upgraded and converted into cottages for the tourists.
Arrived in the evening at the administration building where a lady greeted us and started running looking for Sol? What did she mean? I turned out that Sol was not the Sun, but the young lady that seems to be everywhere and doing everything. She runs the place along with Nicolas. Sol takes care of housekeeping and the restaurant while Nicolas entertains the guests with nature tours, horse back riding as well as the boats excursion.

We settled (I went in this adventure with two photographer friends, at least they think they are) in one of the cottages that included a kitchen, dinning area, rooms with 3 beds and a bathroom. It was clean and neat and the only limitation it that electricity ran from 8-12 PM. This was not much of a hindrance since I have time to recharge the camera batteries, left early in the morning, and did not return to it until sunset. In the morning we were welcomed by a gorgeous sunrise.

There are roads in Bustamante but they are not marked so other than the directions provided by Nicolas we were on our own. The first morning we ended up at Penguin’s island. It is separated by a tidal basin from the mainland but luck had it that the tide was receding, so I waited for about ½ hour and walked to the island. It is low lying covered by shrubbery where the penguins have their underground nests.

We continued to explore the various trails the rest of the day. Late the first evening we ran into a fox family with 4 young ones. They have discovered what was I told a hairy armadillo but they did not seem to know what to do with it. These were very curious and allowed me to get some great images.

The last full morning we drove up to the Bahia del Medio, which turned out to be the best place for photographing. Most other places in the morning in Bustamante one finds himself facing east in the morning and shooting against the sun. In this location one can have the sun in the back having the sun falling directly into the wildlife. Here we found 3 dead pilot whales as well as a large kill of langostinos that covered the entire shore like a red carpet.

There were numerous shore birds such as American, Blackish and Magellanic oystercatchers; the later was a new species for me. Numerous flocks of plovers and sandpipers busily feeding for their upcoming migration north; these were not concerned with my presence. I wonder if I will see some of these waders in the shores of Virginia in the spring. The one below is a mystery; is it a Baird’s or a White Rumped Sandpiper?

One afternoon Nicolas took us in a boat to the bird and sea lions island. Amazingly when we approached the later, they stampeded towards the shore to welcome the visitors creating a dust cloud in their hurry. One came close to the boat for a closer look.

While visiting the sea lions, there were steamer ducks battling each other. Quiet a vicious fight, they grab each other by the bills and don’t let, quiet a battle until a referee appears and breaks the fight.

Although I had been many places, Bustamante is really a diamond for those interested in nature and photography in a pristine location. I visited other areas in Argentina last year and in this trip, so far this is my favorite place and in my opinion, more rewarding than the Peninsula de Valdez further up the coast.