The last day of this amazing adventure proved to be one of our most spectacular. An early departure from National Geographic Resolution allowed us a full day on land to explore this most iconic part of Patagonia, Chile. We viewed the staggering, glacially carved Cuernos Peaks, which rise over 2,600 meters above the teal-blue lakes below. As we hiked along the foothills of these mountains to stunning waterfalls, we were thrilled to see the clouds clear. The dramatic peaks revealed themselves in artistic perfection. The mountains may have been the highlight, but this pristine landscape also provided great wildlife sightings, including guanacos, flightless rheas, several birds of prey, and various charismatic birds. After a successful day in the field, we returned to the ship that has been our home away from home for over two weeks. We celebrated a successful expedition with our captain, crew, and expedition staff.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 05 Dec 2022
Torres del Paine National Park, 12/5/2022, National Geographic Resolution
- Aboard the National Geographic Resolution
- Antarctica
Kurt Johnson, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Kurt is a naturalist, author and photographer with a passion for the natural world. His background is formally in wildlife biology but has found a niche in many aspects of natural history including botany, geology and astronomy. He has been fascinate...
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Antarctica and Patagonia: Legendary Ice and Epic Fjords
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Can the weather get any better? March is mid-fall here, equivalent to October back home. It was still dark when we boarded buses for our full-day tour of southern Chile’s iconic Torres del Paine National Park. We drove north. A rosy glow at the skyline slowly transformed into golden light, casting slanted shadows as the sun rose over the hills to the east, illuminating the mountains in front of us. Some of us were on the panoramic tour, visiting key scenic lookouts and finishing at Rio Serrano for a traditional Patagonian asado, or barbecue. Whole lambs had been roasting over lenga wood fires all morning. The rest of us were on a slightly longer tour, with two lovely hikes breaking up the bus ride. (We still enjoyed the lamb barbecue!) We were blessed with blue skies, sunshine, and no wind, which is very unusual for southern Patagonia. Well, that is, until our second hike, up a high hill called Cerro Condor, where the wind was so strong that it was hard to walk…at times, even to stand! After our delicious barbecue, we headed back to National Geographic Explorer , where it was docked at Puerto Natales, ready to continue our adventure.
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