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The wild landscape of Patagonia
The paradise at the southern end of America has a many faceted character: rough coastlines rich in animals, Torres del Paine National Park with ist bizarre andine peaks, gigantic glaciers and extensive plains. All this turns this country into a wonderful natural experience and into every photographer´s dreamland.
The southernmost town in Chile, Punta Arenas on the Magellan Straits, offers the best opportunity for a photographic journey through Patagonia´s south.
Several airline companies such as LAN Chile and Ladeco provide an air service to Punta Arenas. A great majority of car rental stations, for example Avis, Hertz and some local providers are located here. At any rate it is more reliable to book a car in Germany because there often might be a high season bottleneck at the rental stations. The daily rate for a hired car is expensive and costs 150 - 180 DM per day.
Unfortunately not always these expensive vehicles are in good condition. In any case you should look out for a car with sufficient ground clearance to tackle the partially miserable streets in Patagonia. It is important to have two spare wheels made available by the hirer so as to avoid bad surprises on the road.
The best tourist season in Patagonia is in summer from December to March with comparatively mild temperatures and long days. Nevertheless the water temperatures can be changing because the inland ice provides sufficient cloud coverage. In Patagonia you always have to reckon with violent winds and sudden cold spells.
Torres del Paine National Park
In 1959 Torres del Paine was declared a nature preserve and in 1978 it was proclaimed “Biosphere- Reserve” by the UNESCO.
You have to pay an entrance fee of 25 DM per person, your stay is unlimited.
The National Park provides only few overnight lodgings. “Explora Hotel” and four other hostels are very expensive and there is no guarantee of vacancies during peak season. If you don`t want to rely on this you have to bring along your own sleeping bag, tent and camping kit. There are several beautifully located camping sites. One of these is close to Lago Pehoe, where you have a magnificent view of the lake with the same name as well as of the greyish black twin peaks of Cuernos del Paine. From here you can explore the park by driving on well- finished gravel roads. It provides a multitude of fascinating motives for photography: overwhelming glaciers, icebergs floating on Lago Grey, wind- warped beeches, the turquoise blue waters of Lago Pehoe, which form a charming contrast to the surrounding colorful vegetation and the partially snow- capped mountain tops. There are also many well- signposted hiking trails in the park leading to worthwhile destinations but which almost always imply one overnight camping in a tent.
One of the absolute highlights, only recommended in good weather, is the walking tour to Torres del Paine viewpoint. 2850 meters in height, the three granite towers shaped by wind, cold and rain are one of the most spectacular rock formations in the Paine- massif. When the clouds unveil the peaks and the mountains bask in the red light of the first morning sunrays they reveal a breathtaking beauty.
The Torres del Paine National Park not only offers an inexhaustible variety of motives for landscape- photography but also provides animal photographers with ample resources.
The animal world living in the park is remarkable. Many species like the puma are only visible with a good deal of patience. On the other hand there is a considerable number of guanacos in the park. Even at the park entrance some animals can be found only a few meters away from the gravel road and aren´t bothered by us in any way.
Guanacos, the wild camels of South America, live in big herds whereas the females with their young form smaller units and the stallions like to be in bachelor´s clubs.
In Torres del Paine there are excellent possibilities to take pictures of guanacos. The vanishing line is very short so that you should choose object focal lengths according to creative considerations.
The Andes condor is not far away where so many animals graze. He hovers in circles in the blue sky many hundred meters above us in search of carrion. You can also discover a multitude of small- bird species, among them various kinds of woodpeckers like for example the Magellan- woodpecker that likes the tousled beeches to peck his hole in. The Darwin- ostrich, a subspecies of the Nandu, prefers the smooth and treeless hill- country that provides enough food. Chile- flamingoes, black- necked swans, Magellan- geese, Chile- peewits, white- necked ibisses and different kinds of ducks are found on the numerous lakes.
In every respect the Torres del Paine National Park is an absolute highlight. It certainly belongs to one of the most beautiful National Parks we ever have visited on our former journeys and it represents an unforgettable experience within a largely untouched natural surrounding.
The Fitzroy- Massif
The distance between Torres del Paine National Park and Mount Fitzroy in Argentina takes up a whole day. Although Mount Fitzroy with ist 3375 meters altitude and named after the captain of Darwin´s expedition ship, is not the highest mountain in Argentina, it is one of the most rugged elevations and it challenges mountaineers from all over the world. Before you reach El Chalten, the small but striving village at the foot of Mount Fitzroy, you already see the peaked jags towering up in the far distance. From here we began our hiking tour to Mount Fitzroy. Whoever wants to experience these mountains has to do it on foot. With camping kit and photo equipment on our backs, the path lead us steeply uphill through beech forests. Later on, the footpath became less demanding and after five hours we reached the Campamento Poincenot at the foot of Mount Fitzroy. But as so often on our journey through Patagonia, the weather changed abruptly and the peaks of the Fitzroy- massif were veiled by a thick cloud cover. Next morning we were compensated with a clear sky over the jagged cliffs, which were splendidly glowing in the morning light.
The Valdez-Peninsula
The inhospitable coastline of Patagonia is famous for a considerable amount of animals. Great colonies of Magellan- penguins, seals and sea- elephants populate the Valdez- peninsula. From May to December you can observe whales and between March and May many orcas hunt for sea lions at the shore.
The most important viewpoints are at Puerto Piramides, Punta Delgada and Punta Norte. From sightseeing platforms you get a glimpse of the seal - and sea- elephant colonies, but the possibility of taking photographs from these elevated positions is limited. In addition a great part of the coastline is only allowed to be entered with a special permit. So there are few remaining chances for photographing. The peninsula is characterised by hillocks, tableland and salt plains. Shrubs dominate the vegetation. Guanacos, nandus, maras ( Patagonia´s pampa- hares ) are very shy. Compared to them the pampa foxes and armadillos have got used to men because you often meet them on car parks. 200 km south of Valdez there is one of the biggest protected Magellan- penguin colonies, Punta Tombo. It is a very popular and much frequented place. Further south there is the less frequented little fishing village of Camarones with the adjacent nature preserve Cabo dos Bahias. From end of September till February a multitude of Magellan- penguins also gather here. In the colony you can move on marked paths. Despite the barriers there are a lot of possibilities to photograph the behaviour of the small penguins. Their caves are often found directly beside the path. They are curious and anything but shy..
We left the colony shortly before dusk and we enjoyed a delicious fish dish in our Camarones hotel “Kai I Keu Kenk”. |
