In my early teens I had read about Cape Horn and its horrors, about the cold expanses of Patagonia and the forbidding mountain ranges of the Andes. Now, in 1998, I was going to fulfil the childhood dream and see all this for myself. I did not want to be an ordinary tourist: I wanted to go where I pleased, not to be tied to a schedule, and I wanted to see how the ordinary people there lived. The most suitable means of such travel seemed to be the bicycle. Thus, in the weeks before I left, I upgraded my hybrid commuter bike with parts that would not fail, bought camping gear that would keep me comfortable and started to read up on the country.
The trip took about two months and was a more than a personal success. It was the opening of a door to a different world: a landscape of ice-covered mountains and arrid plains, forests full of flowers and trees I had never seen before, and a community of hard-working, honest and friendly people. I hope that these webpages allow me to share some of the excitement of the trip and instill in your heart a similar love and respect for this part of the globe..
The trip started in Ushuaia and finished in Puerto Montt. I arrived in Ushuaia on January 29, 1998 and left from Buenos Aires on March 28. Most of my travel was on bicycle, but neither bus nor ferry was beneath my dignity. Here's the itinerary:
- Tierra del Fuego (Ushuaia, Rio Grande - I learned about the canoes of the
Yamanas -, San Sebastian, Onaisin, Porvenir)
- Chile’s Far South (Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales and Cueva del Milodon, and Torres del Paine, the ferry to Puerto Montt)
Chile’s 10th Region (Puerto Montt, Island of Chiloe, Osorno and area)
A loop to Bariloche (Osorno to Anticura, Volcano Puyehue, to Bariloche, return via the Lake route to Puerto Montt)
- Two large cities (Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires)
You may not find a detailed description of an area of your specific interest, because not all sections of the trip have been written up yet. Send me a note and tell me what you want covered next.
People that I met in Patagonia.
Some topics of interest, for the more curious armchair traveler:
Music- Law and Order
- what’s accessible to the traveler
- hospitality
Books that were useful
in the preparation.
For anyone planning to travel there on two wheels instead of four,
beware of
Click here for details and Planning Information |
Comments? You can reach me at erhard@interlog.com