Tag: boardwalk

A Stroll Along the Boardwalk – Torres del Paine – Without the W or the O Part 3

We had an hour to kill in the afternoon and the weather was beautiful so we decided to take a leisurely stroll down the road to the Explora Hotel where we heard that there was an easy boardwalk stroll to see a waterfall next to the hotel. What we did not realize was that the boardwalk was actually a maze of paths set up by the hotel that did not always go directly to the viewpoint of the waterfall. In fact, what we thought would be a twenty minute stroll to see a waterfall turned into an hour and half of wandering over old wooden paths, always hearing the waterfall, but taking a long time to finally get to the spot that we had heard about.

We traveled from Campground Pehoe by turning right out of the parking lot from the restaurant and walking fifteen minutes to the Explora Hotel. The boardwalk was hard to miss when looking from the right side of the road, but this was the back part of the boardwalk, and we made a few mistakes from this point. When wer got to our first four-way intersection on the boardwalk, we thought taking a right would be the logical choice because this led to the lake and we could hear the waterfall coming from this direction. But this was incorrect. This took down to a dock where a large boat was parked, and we could see the rapids that were formed at the top of the waterfall, but could not see the waterfall itself. It was still okay because we had some beautiful views of the mountains in the distance and the whole lake, but we knew there was a better view, and we just needed to find it. 

We backtracked and took the left turn this time because if we had gone straight from our original position, this would have taken us to the hotel. This part of the boardwalk seemed promising even though it was taking us down to the hotel’s spa. Still, there was another fork in the boardwalk that went right and took us down by the lake on the other side of the hotel. This followed the shore of the lake and its calm demeanor. We were able to get nice views from here as well, and there were even a couple of ducks sitting on the side of the lake that were there to greet us. Just to warn you, the boardwalk was at its most dangerous here with many of the board rotted and ready to break at any moment, but we took it slowly and were able to get to the other side without any problem.

This is where we were rewarded with the waterfall. We had to climb up a series of rickety wooden stairs to get to it, but once again we took it slowly and we made it up without a problem. Lo and behold, there was a waterfall there. It was a great spot to get some great photos and we were still able to talk over the roar. Even though it turned into a much longer hike than we were anticipating, it still made for a fun outing, and we were able to find some other nice viewpoints along the way.

Going back we found the last of the boardwalks that took us straight to the hotel’s parking lot. It took us a lot longer than we expected but eventually we found the path that we were originally supposed to take to make this a twenty minute stroll instead of the afternoon adventure that we had. Still, I am glad that we did it the way that we did because I think we got more out of the experience. It is a great way to spend some time if you have a lovely afternoon and you really do not have anything better to do.

Kayaking to Moreno Glacier – El Calafate, Argentina


There are two big attractions outside of El Calafate, both of which are for the outdoor enthusiast. The bigger of the two, or the one that I am told is the most visited sight in Patagonia is the Moreno Glacier. There are many ways to experience this glacier. There are treks that will take you out on the ice. One is more of an adventure than the other one, so depending on your hiking level, you find the one more appropriate to you. There is also a ferry like ship that people can book passage on and it will give them a tour of the lake, getting close to the glacier so people can see it calf. Many people load up their cars and drive up to the main visitor center where there is a walkway that will take them to many great viewpoints where they can still hear the rumble of the ice as it falls into the water. And there is the option that we took which is to put on some wetsuits, grab a paddle, and push a kayak off from a sandy shore two kilometers from the base of the glacier.


Each one of these options allow you to explore the glacier in many different ways but they limit the amount of people that can experience any of the options except for the walkways by the visitor’s center. Because of these limitations, the excursions have a tendency to start to book up, so I would recommend to book them at least a month in advance, or if you are trying to play the weather game to look for a good day to enjoy the glacier, no later than a week earlier. If you do wait until later do understand that some options might not be available. This is what happened to us, and part of the reason that we ended up kayaking instead of doing one of the treks.

This is not to say that kayaking is a bad option. I love kayaking, and though it does not get you as close to the glaciers as the big boat will, it still gets you close, and the perspective you get from being low on the water makes the glacier look the most impressive. It towers over you and a couple of times, we actually felt the waves created by the glacier shedding a cathedral-sized hunk of ice from its edge. My issue was seeing the glacier this way was that I have visited a couple of glaciers by kayak, and I really want to try voyaging over one some time in my lifetime.

Still, the company, Patagonia Chic, we went with supplied us with the perfect day to go out and do this. It did require an early morning as they came by our hotel with a bus to take up into the national park. On the ride up, a guide talked to us about the area and some interesting facts about it. My favorite was where the name of the town, El Calafate comes from. There is a berry that grows on wild bushes in the area that is called calafate. It looks like a tiny blueberry, and people pick them to eat or turn into a jam that you can find all over the town.

After an hour and half ride, they dropped us off with the kayaking company. The company supplied us with wetsuits, kayaks, and two guides. There was a little talk about how to operate a kayak which is always nice to have, especially for those that have never kayaked before, and our guide was so good that he gave me a couple of pointers that I have never heard before making my kayaking experience even better.

We had a beautiful day to go out to see the glacier and explore some of the recently birthed icebergs. The weather was 21 degrees Celsius which I am told eight degrees warmer than the typical temperature during this time of the year. I am also told that they do still go out in adverse weather conditions, but they do go out with two expert guides to educate and help people guide themselves through choppy waters. The also have a Zodiac boat that follows a safe distance away so as to appear as if it is not there at all. This is mainly for those times when some capsizes their boat so they can pull them out of the chilly water as fast as they can. Not that we needed it, but it was nice to know that the company took safety very seriously.

The whole experience on the water lasts for about an hour and a half. Patagonia Chic gave us a couple more hours to enjoy ourselves at the visitor’s center. There is a cafeteria style restaurant for food if you are hungry but you can also bring your own food and enjoy it at one of the park benches close to the walkways. It also gives you plenty of time to explore all of the walkways at a leisurely pace allowing for more pictures of the glacier from many different angles. It makes for a long day, but one that you will not soon forget. I also like the many options that are available to explore the glacier. Though I did not stay out in El Calafate long enough to try another excursion, I now live close enough that I am now thinking about doing a different excursion if I ever find myself out in this area of the world again.

Until next time, I hope you are able to find those experiences that are amazing, no matter how you get to enjoy them.