The Footsteps of Darwin

In July of 1834, Charles Darwin arrived in Valparaiso for an extended refueling and break after crossing into the Pacific on the second voyage of the HMS Beagle.  To pass the time in August he set out with a crew to explore the area and make their way to Santiago.  The crew passed by Cerro la Campana and took a day to scale the side of the mountain.  At the top they could see both the Pacific coast and the snow-covered Andes including Aconcagua.  This trip was covered extensively in Darwin's diary.  I (dragging Eva) took a public holiday to get up there too.

At the base with the Cerro in sight.

 

Eva always finds just the right words.

Road Trip Chile

In March, my mom, uncle Guffy, and aunt Sharyn came down to visit Chile.  We spent a day in Santiago, in the South of Chile, and Valparaiso.

Exploring Chiloe in the rain.

Wha ha ha ha ha.

At the base of Volcan Osorno.

The Atacama

About 800 kilometers north of Santiago is the mining center of Copiapó.  Copiapó is the capital of the Atacama region of Chile and is one of the driest places on Earth.  Hugely important for the Chilean economy, the entire region is skipped by the vast majority of tourist because it is seen as an ugly industrial/mining zone.  Tourist instead prefer going further north to the trendy high altitude town of San Pedro to see the desert.  What most people don't know, is that the 3rd Region has many natural wonders few people will ever see except wandering miners and in-the-know adventurers.  

An Andean Condor soaring along the cliffs.

Flamingos eating the algae that grows in the salt lakes.

Wild Vicuñas in Parque Nacional Nevado de Tres Cruces.

Nevado Ojos del Salado.  The world's highest active volcano and Chile's highest peak.

Laguna Santa Rosa.

A sneaky Andean Fox hoping someone forgets their food outside.

After getting to the top we crossed the Altoplano towards el Salar de Pedernales.  Here we jumped out and took some pictures before heading down the canyon towards Diego de Almagro.  

We passed by South America's oldest active railroad that connects the mines at El Salvador and Potrerillos with the coastal port of Chañaral. 

Finally we finished our trip in the amazing coastal park Pan de Azúcar.

Eva finally got her tuna rice.