On 10th December 2026, we went to Patagonia. It was our whole EBC group with an addition of Bharat Bhai, Kinjals dad for first 10 days of hiking and then he would go back and be replaced by Fenil who would join us from Punta Arenas, Chile to Argentina. It was exciting. We had a tour with James from Uni Raymi travels through Tour Radar. We had lots of calls with James and were ready to start.
A few days before our O circuit hiking trek was supposed to start, there was an unfortunate accident or weather mishap and five unfortunate hikers were caught in a wind storm and due to no accident preparedness on the part of the authorities in the park, they could not survive. This led to the closure of the O circuit and left all the other travelers who had planned the hike at a limbo. All through our hikes we met people who took different routes to see the beauty of the area. We talked to James and he found us a way to see the place with W trek and some off track routes which would allow us to see al that was open. Unfortunately, he could not get us any Refugio’s though he had promised us 4 nights before. He did not communicate that too util too late for us to do anything. So, we ended up having to spend all eight nights in tents. It was fine in the end but led to us having to fight with James while in the beauty of the place for our rights. Our guides were three girls Rayna, Claudia and Nicole. Fabulous people. Later we met Pablo, Michael (Rayna’s boyfriend), Rei, Rino.
We started out in Santiago. Kavita, Sudhakar Bhai, Shant Bhai and Ishu took a long time to reach from Edmonton to LA to Santiago. They left early in the morning of 9th and were damn tired. Bhart Bhai came from Boston to Atlanta to Santiago. I was the lucky one to have direct flight from Houston to Santiago and it was direct flight and overnight flight which worked greatly. At Santiago I met Bharat Bhai. The four from Canada came earlier so had taken a cab to the hotel. Both of us managed to communicate with the manager Lider and get a cab organized by the tour and reach the hotel.
After refreshing and meeting everyone we went for a tour and got something to eat. Our hotel was very central, and it was nice to walk around and take pictures. We found a vegetarian place which looked good. The food looked good and we all heaped our plates but could not even eat a fourth of the food. It was very heavy in eggs and not what we all liked. It was a lesson. We went to a bank first to exchange money, but bank person advised us to go to money exchange as that would be better rate.
We had a tour in the afternoon, so we decided to do it with our guide. Chile was discovered by Portuguese. And though the indigenous people were still around the state progressed and was controlled by the foreigners. They did not fight the locals but stayed with them. Lots of farms were set up first by few people owning large lands and then divided amond people. We went and saw couple of palaces, government offices, and parks. We were very hungry at the end of the day and decided to order Indian food through uber eats. We had a feast at the hotel open space and enjoyed it. We went to sleep that night as all were very tired.
Early morning we had some tea and packaged breakfast and left for the airport to go to Patagonia in the transport provided by tour company. First stop Puerto Natale. On landing, a breezy cold wind greeted us. We were here. Our transport was waiting to take is to the hotel. It was very cold and windy and rainy. Our hotel was right in from of the ocean. I don’t think any one of us wanted to go out. Hotel was good. I felt like we were the only ones there. After nice warm lunch we decided to acclimatize ourselves in the rain, cold, windy weather and went out towards the town which was about an hour away. We decked ourselves with two to three layers and covered ourselves fully. It was a cold walk but felt good. By the time we reached the town we were warm and rain had also stopped and sun was out. Bharat Bhai lost a pair of gloves so bought new ones. Ishu also needed a pair. Had coffee and dessert at a café. Then took two cabs back to the hotel as the guides for our hikes were coming to get us ready.
Claudia and Nicole were so enthusiastic guides. But they told us we could take only a fixed amount of stuff and not what we were promised. We were all upset as we had paid for it. But it was not their fault, but we could not help feeling gloomy. They had also taken a short cut on the w-trek and we were bummed as would not see the full w trek also. We spent the rest of the day trying to figure out what to take and what to leave behind and how to take. I was able to take everything I needed. We had a bag of food and since they did not give us bags, few people used trash bags for their clothes. I took a bag pack I had and hoped that would work. It did. We felt sorry for the boys who were finding it hard to figure out what to take and what to leave. When me and Kavita were done, we asked the boys if they needed help and reminded them the time and asked them to wrap up fast so we would be fresh in the morning. Eventually we all slept, knowing little that we would not have such a comfortable bed and bedroom for another eight days.
After breakfast and last minute form filling and packing, we left with the driver, Claudia and Nicole. They were as cheerful as ever and we were all in good moods as we dozed in the van and saw few guanacas grazing and condor in the sky. Our route was to go to Seron today from Capitol with Claudia and Nicole. Come back tomorrow. Stay at Capital and go to La Torres the next day (day three) and come back. Drive to another part of park where we would see the cuernos and boat to grand paine for two nights. We go to the Brittanico near the glacier through Italiano for hiking and come back. Then we walk to grey. We stay two nights at grey to do kayaking and walk up to the suspension bridges and back. And then we were supposed to come back to grand paine to take the boat back. But we decided to take things in our own hands and take the boat from grey itself. The road back to grey was very rocky and we did not want to come back. It was hard to make the last-minute reservations on the boat but Kavita stayed on top of it and with what’s app and emails and messages even with poor internet, we got ourselves the tickets. We were going to go separate but thankfully the boat had space and we all made it together. And we made it back to Puerto Natales again after eight nights and 45 minutes of walking on the beach after the boat ride where the driver was waiting to take us back.
Let me give the details about the trip now.
The road to Seron was very easy and pleasant. We were warned that it might rain and windy and so were mentally prepared to face anything that came our way. But the weather was perfect. Layers came off soon and best was that we got two horseshoes, one by Claudia and one from Kavita. We took that as a good omen. And it was. Walking and taking pictures and having lunch which consisted of two sandwiches, banana and a ziplock of all goodies of chocolate, cereal bar and dry fruits and nuts. Loved it that forst day but got tired of it by the end of the trip but it was good lunch. At the Seron campsite, we had raised tents with padding and was comfortable. Dinner and tea was at the common room which the current team allowed us to use as there were not lots of people and it was warm. We were thankful to them. We played cards and socialized with the other tourists. Bharat bhai showed his true colors of talking to everyone. He was also the last in walking as he enjoyed the photo taking and really bonded with Claudia and Nicole. One of the guest had seen a Puma around and shared his picture. We envied him. For dinner Nicole prepared soup and some pasta dish I think (do not remember exactly what it was) . We were so impressed. We whistled and clapped for her. And the chefs from the Seron kitchen gave us a nice dessert plate. It was perfect. After dinner as we were getting ready for sleeping, Nicole spotted a Puma sitting on a hill not too far from us and best of all as me and Kavita were coming out of the bathroom after brushing our teeth we saw Claudia and Nicole outside filming and they shooed us as we came outside telling us tat a Puma was passing and sure enough, we saw a Puma coming out of the bushes and making its round for food into the trails. It was like six feet away from us. He looked at us. Me and Kavita were ready to head back to the bathroom in case he came towards us. It was awesome. It was the highlight of my trip. We slept knowing the Puma was looking over us. Thankfully none of us needed to get up at night. I think Bharat Bhai needed it and must have been hard for him. They had nooks for shoes and poles outside and it was a cute tent above the ground. In the morning, we had granola and yummy toppings for breakfast and headed down again. It was a pleasant day again and it was an easy hike. Nicole took pictures. She is such a good photographer. On our way back we saw the Torres as the day had cleared and our tents were pitched right where we could see them. But But… we were promised premium tents, and this were just ordinary tents and what if it rains at night. They had raised tents and we tried talking to James to give them to us. He was very unreasonable and hung up the phone saying he could not hear us and messaged us that he had no money for premium camping though there were tents in raised platforms available. It was all very frustrating. They gave us some air mattress, and I punctured it right away while trying to push it. Tried booking the premium tents ourselves but after a few hours of working with them, the camp staff could not give us any of them. We had a shower in the common bathroom. The water was good but the place was cold but it was good to take the shower. After dinner in the common tent outside, we slept after a short walk. Made it a point to walk around after food as sleeping right after eating made me wake up at night with heart burn. The walking helped. We were so tired that we all slept and in spite of our worries, it was warm and water free in the tents. Renata the chief guide came in today and we met her and gave her our woes. Claudia had tried talking to James for us and Renatas boyfriend was also trying to get our message to him and help us find a premium tent.
Woke up early for our hike to the Torres. It was a very tiring hike especially the last mile. It was scrambling through rocks and sometimes with water in them. Bharat Bhai and me were among the last. Bharat Bhai almost gave up but Pablo who was our second guide today with Renata convinced him to continue. The granite tres mountain on top wit the glacier under them was fabulous. We took lots of pictures…. And had lunch there. Too soon we started the descent. Was it hard? I slipped a couple of times and once tumbled twice. But we made it. We were so tired. We did some stretching after coming back and that helped a bit. Shower helped and after dinner we were dead tired. So lucky to have the dinner served to us while others were making their own pasta or soup meal in their small burners. I really enjoyed seeing the couples’ cutting veggies and doing their own thing in their corners. There were people from all over the globe. We slept good.
Half the tiredness was gone in the morning though it pained a bit. After breakfast while everyone packed we went for a walk around central. Saw some glamping tents which slept eight. Today was going to be a driving trip and would reach camp grand paine today. Renata said we might find refugios for two people here. We were so hopeful. But nope.
But before that the drive was good. The place is so beautiful. We saw the caracos. At one point we saw a restaurant which was serving hot soup and pasta and we had lunch there though we had our sandwiches. We were supposed to have a small hike but was cancelled due to heavy wind. We saw a whole group of Guanacas and could park right next to them and open the door. There were baby guanacs and very cute. Then we got into the boat. It was so so windy here. We got an hour of internet while we waited and had the idea of writing to Tour Radar to complain about James. Drafted a letter.
Grand Paine Camp was very grand. The refugio rooms were so good. But all we got were tents. It is next to the Lake Pohoe so very windy and cold. They had a recreation room and me and Kavita both had our bath at the refugio bathroom but not first day but the next day after Britanico hike.
The Britanico hike was long. We did not go all the way as it was cloudy and we would not see the whole view and also because it was hard and Cludia and Nicole who were with us discouraged us from going saying we will not be able to make it on time. Every one is always afraid the weather will change and what if we get stuck and the trail is not onde of the easiest. At one point me and Bharat Bhai stopped while the others continued for a little bit more. We admired the glacier in front of us and took photos. Nicole who has sharp ears once heard the baby chicks in a hollow of a tree and showed it to us. What a sweet thing. We made it back safely without any incident.
Next day we packed again and made out way to Grey. One of the fellows we had met in Seron and who had seen the Puma warned us that it would be five to six hours and it was. But the grey glacier that we saw getting closer pushed us through. The wind at some points was bad. We literally had to make sure our footing was short and firm. The views were awesome. From grey we had an option to take a boat back to Puerto Natales and as we did not want to go back to Grand paine again, we stopped relying on Renata who had again promised us a refugio but did not happen. We wrote whats app message to the boat people and with difficulty and lots of waiting had them confirm at least two tickets for early boat and four for later. This was the day after tomorrow. The next day was kayaking and two suspension bridges.
Kayaking did not go well. We were not all good at it and they had to cancel and because of us all the others were also cancelled. They offered to come back tomorrow or get money back. We decided to come tomorrow before the boat. After kayaking we went to the two suspension bridges. It was very beautiful seeing the glacier from close up. I thought it was a couple of hours walk and back, but it took us about 5-6 hours total, and we rejoiced after that we had finally completed the W-Trek. Today we had decided to celebrate with a Pizza party at the refugio. We thoroughly enjoyed the celebration. We ate to our hearts content.
One thing I forgot to mention is that we have enjoyed playing cards whenever we can. Our favorite games so far are seven something and thus. In seven something you start with heart seven and everyone takes turn adding cards forward or backward. Bharat bhai taught us that and the idea was not to just finish your cards but stop others from finishing their cards by holding cards which you do not need. It was a favorite no brainer game when you were tired and did not want to use your mind. And Thoos was played by giving a person when you don’t have that type of card that were being played. It was also a no brainer game when tired. The players were always Shant bhai, Bharat bhai, Bhumpi (Kavita) and me. Sudhakar bhai had to be cajoled into playing and Ishu had to be forced if at all.
The next day we got ready packed and said our goodbyes to the whole crew (we gave them a good tip of 700 dollars for all) We are going to miss them. They really made out trip memorable. We went kayaking but they convinced us not to go as we were not ready, and we would also stop the others from going. They were ready to refund us the money. We took that and went to the other points to see the glacier from other points. We saw the people kayaking and envied them. But we had a good time seeing the spots and hiking a bit.
After that we made our way to the place where we would get the boat. We spent some quiet time on the beach. We all had come to try to see if the boat would take all of us together, so we do not have to wait there and they are here. And it worked… We were all so happy.
The ride took us very close to the glacier, and it was superb. There was this boat guy who was so happily taking pictures of people. We did not expect to see the glacier so close and enjoyed it fully. There were lots of icebergs floating around. In a way we were saying bye to the mountains, and it was bittersweet. We were dropped at a beach from which we walked to the shore. It was about half an hour’s walk and not too windy and cold. The driver was waiting for us at the end to take us back to Puerto Natales. On the way we made a few stops to the best views of the mountains and water.
We were so glad to be back to the same hotel in punta Natales from where we had started. First thing me and Bhumpi did on reaching there is gave all our clothes for washing. They were charging 26 per load and we did two and it was done by the next day. Claudia and Nicole came to give us our stuff, and we were happy to see them. They must have gone through the grey hike and to grand paine with our stuff and then taken the boat. And still reached us on time. I had a head bath after all these days, and it felt good. We had soup and burgers. And played our card game.
The day after we took the car to the bus and then went to Punta Arenas. The hotel was good. The reception area was our spot. Everyone else was in the habit of having tea/coffee in the afternoon and I too enjoyed the routine. After reaching Punta Arenas we went to search for food and after lot of search, we went back to having Pizza. There was half an hour’s wait which we did, and the wait was worth it. The Pizza was good. After that we went to see a Hindi temple which unfortunately was closed but we saw from outside. There was a statue of Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Theresa outside. We had a walk near the water and came back. Just relax afterwards. Fenil would be coming today, and we waited at the lobby. Me and Kavita had different rooms as I would be staying with Fenil. Missed having her around. Just me, Kavita and Bharat Bhai waited for Fenil and he made it on time and safely.
Fenil met everyone in the morning and after breakfast we went to a museum and a cremation ground for sightseeing. It was good outing. For lunch we had at our hotel only. Bharat Bhai departed for US in the afternoon. And Fenil was tired, so we did not do much except go for a walk and did some shopping on the road. Took some shawls. Yesterday, we went to a local fair on the first floor of a building and got some good local stuff. Ishu took a painting from local artist. I took some cloth paintings and some local stuff. In Punta Natales also we took some matte and spoons along with some plates and napkin holder. So glad we did the local shopping as when we went to the bog towns, we did not find any good stuff.
The next day was penguin tour and local tour. The penguins were a bit far but it was still good to see them. Our car went on a boat to the island where the king penguins were found. On the way we visited a shipwreck and abandoned farm. Long time ago Chile was inhabited by indigenous people but then people, some of them criminals were sent to the place. They were some if the earlier settlers. Usually, a few people own large farms which had a whole village within. The progress of the country was due to these people who worked hard to make the place livable. The weather here is harsh. We also visited a Christmas fair from where I got few jewelry pieces and a swan made of paper hoping it survives (it was little bent but made it) Also went to a place where there was a display of voodoo kind of beliefs that the indigenous people used to believe or it was a ritual to make the younger kids braver. They were scared by people in costumes in order for them to overcome the fear. I found it very interesting. Another interesting place we visited was a stromotolites, a not true corals, but giant, ancient bacterial biofilms that look like rocks. These formations are billions of years old, offering a glimpse into the Earth’s earliest life, with bacteria thriving within them.
The next day after good breakfast, we each packed a little something and we embarked to go to Argentina. A van took us to the bus station and from there we got on a bus to take us to El Calafate. James and Umi travels have been very thorough now with their attention. We have been picked up and dropped with all tickets duly sent the night before. At some point he had heard from Tour Radar that we had complained and tried to give us hard time but eventually came around. The buses in chile and Argentina have been pretty good with wifi at times. It has been relaxing. At times I listened to Bhumpis music with her. Usually, we were so tired that we dozed off a lot. At he border of Argentina, we all had to go for our immigration twice, one while leaving Chile and once while entering Argentina. We didn’t have any problems though Bhumpi had lost her PSI chit that they had given at the airport when we entered Chile and which was checked by every hotel. She had a picture if it which helped.
We reached El Calafate. Our hotel was like an Airbnb. There was no one to receive us but we entered with a code and it was warm and cozy place. We had purchased some food at the bus station which we ate in the bus but some was left which we stored in the fridge. The breakfast room overlooked two lakes and the mountains. It was a good view.
The breakfast was good. The van then took us to the bus that would be our tour to the ice walk. The weather was perfect and in 57-degree temperature we did the ice walk. It was difficult but we had crampons and were safe. The views were perfect. We just had some snacks which we had. Then we went to the boardwalk where we walked and got better views and closeup of the glacier from another side. It was breathtaking. We got some good pictures. After that we were dropped by our hotels. We freshened up and went out for dinner. We had a restaurant in mind, but it was fully booked as it was 24th Dec. We had pizza in the restaurant opposite. Then we had Calafate ice cream (which ensured we will come back again) and found a grocery store from where we bought stuff to make sandwiches for tomorrow and for day after for hiking. We were all so excited to do grocery shopping. We walked back home climbing a slope with our groceries. It was a good workout.
The next day we made sandwiches for travelling and went on a bus to El Chalten. The ride was lovely and I had got a front seat which I shared with Bhumpi and the mountains and Fitz Roy were superb. This is the mountain range of Patagonia logo. Our hotel was nice and we saw people climbing the mountains with ropes. The place is beautiful surrounded by mouuntains. Our hotel owner was very friendly. We had our breakfast room right opposite our room which was self serve. We could borrow utensils as long as we clean it ourselves. We walked around town buying souvenirs and had dinner at a very good place which had burgers and Quinoa and pumpkin plate. Enjoyed the green drink there with veggies. Fenil had stayed back to finish his egg salad. We made the sandwiches for tomorrow and packed everything ready for the big hike.
We had contacted two cab drivers to take us to some point on the mountain so that it shortens our hike. But still the last mile of the hike was hard. We had total about 20 km. It was Fenils first hike and he was always ahead going up and coming down the hard part. Then we two tagged behind and took our time. It was so tiring. We did not go for dinner as we dragged ourselves around the hotel. We ate broccoli with hummus and snacks. The others also found it hard to find a good restaurant, but they were able to eat good though they had to go a bit far. We slept and felt much better the next morning. All hikes were done. Yea….
Flew to Buenos Aires the next day and reached at night. And it felt so good to have warm weather for some time till we felt stuffy. Shant Bhai and Ishu so much wanted to eat Indian food that they went that night itself and enjoyed. Hotel was good.
Next day after breakfast we had tour to see the different parts of the city. It was 100 degrees and terribly hot. Buenos Aires is beautiful with lot of art scenes. We had wine tasting and chocolate tasting. Bhumpi wanted to find an ornament so after the tour we went there and after lunch of some regular café food we walked home thanks to me in the hot sun. Did some shopping on the way. Dozed off after coming back. It’s so hot and tiring. In the evening we had a Tango show. It was amazing. And the food over there was also amazing. We had spinack lasagna with no cheese or pasta. It was perfect. The dessert ice cream was also super. And to top it out the Tango show was fabulous.
The next day we packed and left bags down and went to an art museum, mall shopping and then Indian food. Thoroughly enjoyed. Came back and van came to take us to the airport. Everyone made it back safely. Until next hiking trip.
