We left Santiago around midday. Caught our bus from the main terminal, and two hours later had exchanged Santiago, for the working port of Valparaiso. The setting of Valparaiso is somewhat unique. An amphithearte of hills packed tightly with brightly couloured houses overlooks the bay below, busy with cargo ships. The centre of the city known as ´puerto´ is an unremarkable, Chilean city, with a few interesting squares and markets, but little else of not...

As we neared Santiago, the sun began to sink behind the Andes, whom as we approached the city, seem to rise above us gradually as if modestly trying to hide their grandeur. Whilst picturesquely seated in a hole in the middle of the Andes range, is one of Santiago´s major draws, it is also its curse. The pollution produced from the city is unable to escape above the mountains and so it hangs, creating a haze obscuring and veiling the giants that tower above. ...

The drive to Pucon would wind through the lake district passing a vast number of lakes, and waterfalls. The views from road over these lakes and beyond would be stunning! I am sure it would have been, were it not for the torrential rain that pelted the windows and reduced visibility to a meer stones throw! The drive which should have been 5 hours, took about 8 as we crawled at a frustrating pace through the rain! We arrived at the campsite in Pucon, which had ov...

Having left Punta Arenas, we headed North toward Punta Natales. It was Easter Sunday so the town was effectively closed for business. It is really just a thoroughfare for people attempting to get to Torres Del Paine. From here you can book and organise everything you need. We eventually found somewhere open for lunch and after a few hours we were back on the bus. The leg of the drive between Natales and Torres del Paine became progressively more spectacular as we...

We left Ushuaia on the 20th. Crossed back over the border with the ferry crossing. Stopped for lunch at the same service station that had provided us with shelter a few nights earlier, drove the coast a bit before stopping at a ghost town for a night under canvas. It was sunny and not overtly cold but a terrific wind picked up as the night drew on. When I say ghost town, it was exactly that. The beach was lined with the wreckage of two huge cargo ships and the to...