Welcome to the first post for our 2020 trip to South America and Antarctica!
I am writing this from Buenos Aires having spent two full days here already and have finally plucked up the courage to publish the first post on Gab Gets Lost. The Instagram is well underway and the website is ready to go so its time to dive in.
What better way to celebrate the New Year than jumping onto a plane to the other side of the world? My family thought that was pretty hard to beat so over the last couple of years we have been planning our journey through Argentina, Chile, Patagonia and Antarctica. It’s certainly exciting to see our itinerary spring to life around us.
We (Mum) have been working closely with The Classic Safari Company who have greatly helped in coordinating our trip through Argentina and Patagonia. The team is fantastic and have taken us through Botswana and Zambia in 2014 as well as Ecuador and Peru in 2017.
We enjoyed South America so much we decided to come back as soon as possible. In fact we’re here for the whole month of January, this is what’s in store for us.
The first leg of the trip is set in Buenos Aires. The bustling city is known as the Paris of the Southern Hemisphere but is filled with enough of its own unique Argentinean charms to keep us busy for half a week. The famous Recoleta cemetery, the colourful houses of La Boca, monuments including the Obelisk and Steel Flower and grand buildings like the Teatro Colón are all high on our sightseeing lists. We are also looking forward to kayaking around the Tigre Islands, watching a tango show and consuming lots of steak, wine and empanadas!
From Buenos Aires we will fly across to Iguazu for the spectacular waterfalls. After a boat tour on the Argentinean side, we’ll cross the border into Brazil for a different perspective.
Our flight out of Iguazu signals our departure from civilisation as we step into Argentinean Patagonia. At the Southern tip of the continent, we’ll be swapping our summer clothes for hiking gear as we trek up the Perito Moreno glacier.
We will also be spending half a week in Chilean Patagonia at the only lodge within the Torres del Paine National Park. The region is known for its wide plains (or ‘pampas’) that are surrounded by steep mountains, glaciers and lakes. It is home to ‘guanacos’ which are similar to llamas and if we are exceptionally lucky we may spot a puma!
Following our time in Patagonia we will head to Ushuaia, the Southernmost town on Earth. This is where we will join the crew onboard ‘The Greg Mortimer’ and travel to Antarctica. A couple of days later once we’ve traversed the notorious Drake Passage our days (and nights – it won’t get very dark) will be occupied with visiting penguin colonies, whale watching, kayaking through the icebergs and mentally preparing ourselves for taking the polar plunge!
After a month of adventure and gallivanting across the continent I’m sure it will still feel too soon to jump back on that long haul flight home. In the meantime, I’m reminding myself we’re right at the start of our trip and there will always be a reason to come back again! Look out for the recounts of our first few days in Buenos Aires which will be gracing the internet very soon!
Gab Gets Lost 