Whoa! Weather has set in and it is a tad chilly this morning!! 8C! Took out my thermals to put on as ‘undergarments’.

I set off just before dawn.  Needed to be at Puerto Natales for the boat ride to 2 glaciers by 7.30am. Lordy! 

The best thing was driving with the window slightly down to let in some air, and not having to raise windows to stop dust getting into the car.

The tour company Agunsa, has pretty much got the monopoly on the tour to these glaciers and charges $120 for half a day. The only other way of getting there is through staying at expensive hotels like “the Singular”, who have their own craft to ferry tourists.

Anyway, the glaciers are in Bernado O’Higgins National Park (names after the first head of State of the Republic of Chile), which was created in 1969. It protects a significant amount of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. This ice field is the largest and most important ice mass on the continent. Bernado, of Spanish and Irish ancestry, was a Chilean independence leader who together with Jose de San Martin, freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence 1810-18261.

 We cruised the length of the Ultima Esperanza Fjord to see the Balmeceda glacier – ice clung to the rock behind a curtain of fog that lingered over the higher portion of the mountain; just below, the bright whitish aqua of the glacier abruptly turned down a brown stone and cascaded into the sound. 15 years ago, sadly, the base of the glacier was at sea level. 

Then, after another 10 min boat ride, we walked a kilometre to see the Serrano glacier up close! Gorgeous!!!  Then back to Puerto Natales from Eberhard port…