Farewell Chile, via Tierra del Fuego

We had one last stretch to cover in Chile, and we decided to do it via Tierra del Fuego which is widely talked about as the end of the world. We needed a ferry from Punta Arenas to Porvenir, the main settlement on the Chilean part of Tierra del Fuego, and we were so lucky that the weather was giving us good conditions for the 2-hour trip across.

Porvenir met us with windy weather, and we learned that this part of Patagonia is always windy. The island is barren and dry, there is just about no trees at all, and the main source of living is sheep, cattle, and tourism. The people were friendly and we found a nice place to spend the night before going to the border and leave for Argentina.

On the road towards the ferry crossing over the Magellan River, we saw only low growing vegetation and the landscape reminded us of the Altiplano. There were some birds, sheep, a few cows and plenty of guanacos. We also saw installations processing gas, so there are other ways to make a living than being a cowboy.

We have enjoyed our time in Chile, for sure.