South America Details and Planning
The "Peaks of Patagonia" started and ended in Santiago, Chile. There were also quite a few extensions offered which included: Iguazu Falls; Bariloche (we had already been there); Tierra del Fuego (Ushuaia - the jumping off spot for cruises to Antarctica); Easter Island; and the Falklands. In hindsight, we should have added in Easter Island.
Air? We flew American Airlines from Chicago-Santiago via Miami. Other U.S. carrier choices are Delta, United and Continental Airlines. They all require a connection through somewhere.
Visas? Not necessary for either Chile or Argentina. Just need a passport.
Health? Tetanus booster (we keep ours up-to-date religiously), and Hep A for inoculations. Bring your personal "drugs of choice." Boiled or bottled water would be available throughout but we also bring iodine tablets for emergency situations. Other than the usual cautions about not eating off streets, the food would be pretty safe.
Equipment? We needed to bring a sleeping bag, Thermarest full-length sleeping pad (or other brand), flashlights, toilet paper, plastic water bottles -- the usual camping equipment. Make sure your sleeping bag is rated for very cold weather. Ours wasn't and we wore lots of clothing for sleeping including warm hats.
Clothing? Lots of warm layers were recommended. Long underwear, Heavy jacket, hats, gloves, hiking boots...it was going to be cold.
What was included?
- Best available hotels and hosterias when not camping
- All land and boat transportation
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily while camping; breakfast only in the hotels/hosterias
- Group camping equipments (tents, etc.)
- Airport transfers
- Internal Air (Santiago-Punta Arenas)
There was only going to be a small camp crew supporting us and we were expected to set up and take down our own tents. That was going to be a challenge. (The two of us have difficulty coordinating those collapsible poles without poking an eye out.) We would have to throw outselves on the .....mercy of strangers!
