Paul and I were married on August 8^th, 1992 in Toronto, 25 years ago. To celebrate we travelled to the “Ends of the Earth” for a hiking expedition holiday with Butterfield and Robinson, in panoramic Pategonia.  It was spectacular.

Our journey began with an overnight flight from Toronto to Santiago, Chile, a brief layover and then onto Buenos Aires, Argentina. Door to door, the first leg of our journey took 18 hours. With only a one hour time difference and a good night’s sleep on the long flight, we were ready to enjoy a few days in Buenos Aires before meeting up with our hiking group.

Buenos Aires is known as the Paris of Latin America. 2.8 million people live there, it is very multicultural and has a European flair. It is the largest port city in South America and the name, meaning good winds, comes from the sailors who first visited.  We arrived to a beautiful spring day and the gorgeous purple blooming Jacaranda trees lining the main streets helped us forget the dull, November greyness we had left at home.  We drove down the Avenida de Julio, with twelve lanes, the widest avenue in the world, thrilled to start our holiday. That night we greatly enjoyed our first taste of delectable Argentina beef (with a side of Chimichurri sauce), along with a bottle of local Malbec.

We packed a lot into the one full day we had to see Buenos Aires. We hired a local guide to see the sights and hear the history of the city. In the late afternoon, we watched the movie Evita, for a further history lesson and to rest up for our evening at a tango show. We went to Roto Tango for a delicious dinner and a very entertaining show. The tango is a seductive dance that originated in the brothels of Buenos Aires.  This show features a combination of many tango dances, a live band and some shrill singing. Buenos Aires comes alive in the middle of the night, including dinner at 10 pm and the show starting at 10:30-a challenge for our early-bird bodies!

The next morning, we put on our hiking shoes to see the city on foot and stretch our legs before our flight to El Calafate. We walked to the famous Recoleta Cemetery and successfully searched for Eva Peron’s tomb. After watching the movie, we felt a connection with this passionate remarkable woman. With permission, we took a picture of a local dog-walker with 10 dogs out for a morning stroll. Despite being a city of dense blocks and apartment dwellers, most locals own a dog. We took our traditional Dogs of the World photo to add to our collection.

We met our group in a town called El Calafate, a 3-hour flight southwest of Buenos Aires. Located at 50 degrees S latitude and 72 degrees W longitude, El Calafate’s coordinates are parallel with Quebec City and New Zealand. Located on Lake Argentina, one of the draws to this region of Patagonia is the stunning Perito Mereno Glacier. We stayed at Eolo- Patagonia’s Spirit, on a private reserve of over 3000 hectares. The views from every window took our breath away. Endless windswept plains, a dazzling blue lake and the snow-gapped Andes provided extraordinary vistas. Our adventures in this region included a visit to a local estancia, to hear how the pioneers of the region got settled. We had our first taste of delicious crucified lamb cooked over an open fire. We visited the glacier in Los Glaciares National Park on a sunny and warm day. As huge chunks of the glacier broke off, the loud booms echoed over the water. We raised a glass of whiskey on the rocks (iceberg rocks to be specific) and got to know our travel-mates.  We pinched ourselves that we were halfway around the world, visiting one of the greatest unspoiled wildernesses on the planet.

Paul and I were the keenest hikers in our group, desiring a challenging hike a day. Thankfully, the lodges we stayed in all provided local guides as part of our stay and we did not hesitate to do our own thing. We hiked up the slopes of Cerro Frias, directly behind Eolo for picturesque views of Lake Argentina and the surrounding splendor. I went horseback riding to a near-by lagoon to see a flock of flamingos while Paul enjoyed a massage at the spa. The food was fabulous and abundant and we embraced the local cuisine and readily embraced the chef’s tasting menu. The long days of the Patagonia’s spring were so welcome, coming from the shortening days of Toronto’s November! I loved Eolo, and give it my highest recommendation.

After three wonderful days and nights in El Calafate, it was time to leave Argentina and make our way to Awasi Patagonia, in Chile. The drive was remote and fascinating. The flat landscape, scraped down by the constant winds, does not support much vegetation. Similar in flatness to the Canadian prairies, the plains of Patagonia are more desolate and barren. We saw flocks and flocks of sheep, herds of guanacos, wild horses, hundreds of hares. After a four-hour drive, we crossed the border and met our guides from our next lodge. We made our way to secluded Awasi, including a 25 km bumpy ride along the resort’s private driveway! At Awasi, Paul and I had our own cabin, a personal guide and truck to take us to our adventures.

Still tired from our hike up the mountain at Eolo the previous day, we agreed to a short walk before dinner, to stretch our legs following our day of travel. Something got lost in translation with our guide Tomas, who led us straight up the mountain behind the lodge for an hour. Once we got going, we set a stiff pace, surprising Tomas who was dripping in sweat at the summit. Our first panoramic view of Torres del Paine National Park was worth the hike, and as we made our way down, we enjoyed the bright sun, still high in the sky at 6 pm. We relished another delicious meal, slightly different than the previous nights because we were now in Chile, with its own unique cuisine and wine.

The next day we left Awasi bright and early to hike the Bases of the Torres hike- just Paul and me and two guides, on another picture perfect day in Patagonia. This challenging 25 km iconic hike is not for the faint of heart, however we were up for the challenge. The rolling trail is a mix of flat narrow paths and steep climbs, with tremendous views along the way. The final 2 km to the summit was steep and over loose rock, however the pay-off was worth it! We ate our delicious lunch (including hot homemade squash soup) in the sun, with the towers and an emerald pond sparkling in the background. I looked around and assessed that we were likely the oldest hikers there! Back at the truck, after 6 ½ hours of hiking, our legs were weary and our feet were aching. We were rewarded with chilled Pisco Sours and a charcuterie board, laid out on a tablecloth in the trunk. A long soak in our cabin’s wood-fired hot tub was the perfect finish to an exhilarating day.

The view from our cabin at Awasi was probably the best view from a hotel room in the world- no exaggeration! For as far as we could see, there were no signs of civilization. The distant Torres del Paine was different every time I looked, with the rising and setting sun and the ever-changing weather. On our final day at Awasi, Tomas took us to a private reserve called Baguales for a much gentler 10 km hike and different landscape. After 3 hours of hiking, near where our truck was parked, we came across four ladies from our group, who, after hiking 1 km had settled in at a picnic table with their guides, enjoying the scenery, drinking Pisco Sours and devouring local cheese. Everyone has a different interpretation of hiking holiday!

Our final stop was outside of the town of Puerto Natales at what is considered to be one of the top hotels in Chile.  I was a bit concerned when we arrived and from the parking lot, the hotel looked like an old factory. Great lengths were taken to maintain the authenticity of this unique and special place. As soon as you enter the hotel, you get it. The building was originally a meat processing plant and a gorgeous hotel has been built around the machinery, to preserve the past and give you an experience unlike any other hotel I have stayed at.

We enjoyed several excursions over three days at The Singular. We hiked up a wind-swept mountain to a Condor nesting area and were lucky enough to see 13 soaring Condors. My favourite day was spent at Estancia Peninsula and included horseback riding, a sheepdog demonstration and holding day-old lambs. Our final day was on our own and we chose to do one last ride through the mountains, overlooking a gorgeous lagoon. We savoured every last bite of Chilean cuisine, took many pictures, enjoyed some time at the spa and rested up for our long journey home.

We flew home from Puerto Arenas, at the southern tip of South America. The first leg was a 3 ½ hour flight to Santiago, Chile. After a brief layover, we boarded our overnight, 11 hour Air Canada flight back to Toronto. We completed a huge bucket-list item, celebrated a significant milestone and got to experience this vast, spectacular part of the world. If you love to hike, be sure to add panoramic Patagonia to your list- we loved it!