Patagonia

Our great adventure begins! Today we fly out of Athens at midday, with a connection in Istanbul and our final destination Santiago, the capital of Chile. A long journey lies ahead, but with good spirits and a little Altervan mood, even the flight hours pass more quickly.

Morning arrival in Santiago at 9:55. We take our first breath of Chilean air. We drop our things at the hotel and start getting to know the capital. We walk through its historic center, where colonial buildings frame the Plaza de Armas. We climb Cerro Santa Lucía, a lush green hill in the heart of the city. We continue up to the higher Cerro San Cristóbal, where the city spreads out before us. Coming back down, we dive into the colors and rhythms of Bellavista, a bohemian neighborhood full of street art, cafés, and bookshops. In the evening, a cerveza on a rooftop with locals and a view over the city. Latin America has welcomed us.

We leave the capital behind and set off on a full-day excursion to the Chilean coast. First stop: the Casablanca Valley, one of the world's top wine-growing regions. There we'll enjoy a tasting at some of the finest wineries on the planet. The next stop is the colorful city of Valparaíso, the "soul" of Chile. We'll wander the lanes of Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción, hunting for the next piece of art around every corner. We continue with a visit to one of Pablo Neruda's three homes, La Sebastiana. We round off our seaside outing with a stop in Reñaca. Late in the afternoon we return to Santiago and head out for another stroll through the city center.

We say goodbye to Santiago and fly toward the edge of the world, distant Punta Arenas, the southernmost major city in Chile, on the icy shores of the Strait of Magellan. As the plane descends farther south, the windows become front-row seats for an aerial preview of Patagonia. From above we see glaciers, vast lakes, and the imposing massif of Fitz Roy. After dropping our things at the lodging, we head out for a relaxed exploration of the city center. We walk through Plaza Muñoz Gamero with its palm trees and neoclassical buildings, see the historic homes of old merchants and sailors, and visit the monument to Magellan. In the evening, we might go for a meal overlooking the ocean.

We wake early to live one of Patagonia's most authentic experiences: a boat visit to the islands of Magdalena and Marta, within the Strait of Magellan. On Isla Magdalena, we walk among thousands of Magellanic penguins (more than 100,000 pairs). Then we approach Isla Marta, where colonies of sea lions bask on the rocks, while we might spot cormorants and dolphins. After returning to the port of Punta Arenas, we begin a road trip (around 3 hours) to Puerto Natales, the base town for exploring Torres del Paine. In the evening, we unwind with the sea as our backdrop or sip a local beer at some small bar.

We wake early, pack our backpacks and cameras, and climb into the vans. Today we enter Torres del Paine, one of the most iconic national parks in South America. First stop: Laguna Sofía. We continue to Cascada Río Paine, a powerful waterfall set against the park's peaks. From there we reach Refugio Pudeto, where we leave the vans and set off on a roughly 30-minute hike to the Salto Grande waterfall. After returning to Pudeto, we continue toward Lago Nordenskjöld. Then we head for Mirador Lago Pehoé, one of the park's most spectacular spots. In the evening we return to Puerto Natales.

We wake at dawn, because today is the day of the great climb. We leave our lodging at 6:00 in the morning to reach the trailhead early, the path that leads to the base of the "Towers." The hike lasts a total of 7-9 hours, with an elevation gain of about 1,000 meters and a total distance of around 18 kilometers (round trip). Before us appears the frozen lake set against the three vertical granite towers. There, at 900 meters of altitude, we pause, eat our snack, and simply gaze. Late in the afternoon, tired but full, we return to Puerto Natales.

Today we head back into the park. First stop: Lago Grey, one of the most spectacular lakes in Torres del Paine. We board a boat that takes us out to the Grey Glacier, where enormous ice giants tumble into the lake. Right after, we continue toward the Río Serrano area, where the river cuts through a valley framed by the peaks. Throughout the day, we also make more off-the-beaten-path stops: small unnamed lakes, streams that don't appear on any map, stony banks and hills. In the evening we return to Puerto Natales.

Today we set off very early, at 6:00 in the morning, and leave Puerto Natales heading for Argentina and the most iconic glacier in South America: Perito Moreno. The drive takes about 5-6 hours. The moment we arrive, we come face to face with a colossal wall of ice, up to 70 meters high, stretching out before us for over 5 kilometers. If we're lucky, we'll see and hear chunks of ice crash thunderously into the lake. We walk along the specially built paths and balconies around the glacier. We overnight in El Calafate.

We begin our day with the return to Puerto Natales. After the powerful experience of the glacier, today we ease off the pace. We move through less touristy spots around Puerto Natales, short drives, stops where the landscape unfolds with no schedule and no clock. We have time for walks by the water, to watch the clouds racing over the mountains, and for coffee with the locals. In the afternoon we return to Puerto Natales. Time for a meal, a local bar, to watch the harbor as the light fades.

Our last morning stroll in Patagonia. Unhurried, we say goodbye to Puerto Natales and the wild land that hosted us. We head out for one last coffee in town, gaze at the mountains, and take a walk beside the lake. We fly out of Puerto Natales airport at 15:30, and around 20:15 we land in Santiago. We overnight in a hotel very close to the airport, so we're rested and ready for our return flight.

We wake without rushing. We pack our last things, take one final look at the Chilean sky, and set off for the airport. Our flight departs at noon from Santiago, with a connection in Istanbul and our final destination Athens. We land in Athens on 17/02 at 15:00. The images of frozen landscapes, colorful cities, wind-swept roads, and nights in Puerto Natales will keep coming back to us for a long time. Because Patagonia isn't simply a place. It's a memory that refuses to fade.