Cruises are not normally our ‘thing’ here at Pura.
The sort of holiday which separates visitors from the countries they visit just doesn’t chime with our basic ethos. Really what we don’t go near are big ship cruises, there are places where boat travel is the best way to go. The Galapagos Islands and Antarctica being the most obvious. We have recently added northern Patagonia to our select list in the shape of the Skorpios II.
Sparsely populated, remote, rainy but incredibly beautiful, Chile’s northern Patagonia is a special place. Running from the port city of Puerto Montt south, it takes in the rolling, rainy fishing islands of Chiloé; the picture-perfect volcanic cones of Hornopirén and Puntiagudo; the pristine temperate rainforests of Pumalin Park; the stunning fjords of Puyuhuapi and the fantastic glaciers of San Rafael.
There is a road, of sorts through this region – the Carretera Austral – but even that doesn’t allow you to get near some of the real gems in the way that Skorpios does.
The story of Skorpios is interesting. Owned and operated by a Chilean family with ship building interests in Puerto Montt, Skorpios is the only tourist vessel in Patagonia specifically designed for these waters. In reality what that means is that the hull is ice strengthened which means that you can get really close to glaciers where other boats have to keep their distance.
In Chile’s it is often the case that people are so wowed by the landscapes that they forget that there are people living there. One of the great things about Skorpios is that it also acts as a supply vessel for some of the communities along its route. The weekly arrival of the boat is therefore genuinely a cause of some considerable anticipation. Not least amongst the youngsters who act as informal tour guides for visitors.
The customers of Skorpios are very mixed, primarily South American but most of the time you will have a veritable United Nations on board. This means that in and of itself, the cruise is a cultural experience – informal, lively, fun and great food.
Being a weekly journey, Skorpios is able to restock regularly as she sails. There is no pre-portioned frozen food on this ship. The food you are served is made on board, from scratch.
Oh, and did I mention that it takes you through some of the most beautiful landscapes on the planet?
To find out more about a journey on board Skorpios or our Chile holidays more generally please call us on 01273 676 712.
Looking out over the fjords of northern Patagonia
Chile is such a long country that it’s almost inevitable that there are bits of it which get a bit overlooked. Take northern Patagonia, the 500km or so running south from Puerto Montt as far as Coyhaique.
There is only one road through this region, the Carretera Austral. In reality it’s a bumpy dirt road wedged in between the high peaks of the Andes and the icy waters of the fjords.
At this point Chile is incredibly skinny, some 10s of kilometres wide. It is not an easy area to live in, not least because there is a certain lack of flat land to farm. However, it is strategically very important as the Argentinians would give their eye-teeth to have access to the Pacific.
The frontier between Argentina and Chile is simply defined by the direction the water flows. If the water is flowing towards the Atlantic, it’s Argentina. If it flows towards the Pacific then that’s Chile. Of course this means that the border effectively runs along the very peaks of the Andes.
In northern Patagonia the landmass of Chile is tantalisingly slight which dangles the prospect of Argentina being able to create a land bridge between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
Currently shipping can either go round Cape Horn and its famously fierce waters, or it can go through the Panama Canal. The commercial value of creating an alternative to the Panama Canal are almost incalculable.
As a result there has traditionally been a certain, shall we say, tension between the southerly neighbours Chile & Argentina. These tensions have been greatest where Chile was at its narrowest – Patagonia.
Where there is a large open area in the border, the Chileans placed a significant town and military base called Coyhaique. To the north was almost nothing until you got to Puerto Montt.
As recently as the 1980s, there was really not much to stop the Argentines simply pushing through one of the passes along the stretch between Coyhaique and Puerto Montt to establish a foothold on the Pacific coast.
That is until the inauguration of the Carretera Austral in 1992. This is a terribly grand sounding opening for what in the UK would pass in large part as a farm track though admittedly it’s one hell of an engineering project to even fit a road onto the available land.
The Chilean government then incentivised people with the offer of free land. If you could live in the region and make the land productive within a period of, I believe 5 years, you could keep it.
Of course small communities started to appear along the length of the road to create a far greater diplomatic barrier to Argentine incursions.
Things nowadays are much calmer between the neighbours and the area is one of the most precious places you could hope to visit. As long as you are prepared for some serious rainfall, the landscapes and the people are unforgettable.
One of the best ways to experience this part of Chile is on board Skorpios.
To find out more about a Skorpios cruise, or any of our holidays to Chile, please call Pura Aventura on 01273 676 712.
The deluxe class Evolution yacht sailing the Galapagos Islands
Discounts for a Galapagos cruise on board Evolution don’t come along often but when they do, they are very, very attractive. How does a 44% discount sound? Put another way, a price reduction of us$4,355.
If you can set sail for 7 nights on the 27th August, 10th September or 24th September 2011 then you are in for a treat. Evolution is one of the most comfortable small ship cruises in the Galapagos. Carrying just 32 passengers in some style, she also has one of the most comprehensive itineraries around the islands, taking in the real highlights of the Galapagos over the course of her 7 night journey.
Normally, for two people the cruise plus National Park entrances and flight to and from the mainland would cost a total of us$9,848.
For the departures above, if you move fast, you can pay as little as us$5,493 for two of you. That is to say, a 44% discount!
For up to the minute availability, please call us on +44 (0)1273 676 712 or drop us an email to info@ pura-aventura.com