I've made many journeys in my life to places both remote and near, but few of them could ever measure up to the tour I made from Santiago to Punta Arenas near the tip of South America on the Footloose Patagonia Adventure tour.
Leaving the cosmopolitan capital of Chile, our group of 13 travellers from all around the world passed through the country's fertile wine region to Pucon, which boasts a plethora of adventure activity; but most notably, a climb up Volcan Villarica, an optional activity on this trek.
Early in the morning we awoke and were outfitted with everything we would need. In November, the volcano is still covered in snow, so we had ice axes, crampons, and full wet-weather pants and jackets. It is not a technical climb, one hikes as they normally would, but this gear helps to find traction on an ice-covered slope and the pants help make the descent one to remember.
The day was perfect: azure blue sky accented by a whisp of cloud with light breezes. We climbed for 4 or 5 hours, very slowly, with many stops to rest, snack and take in a view of snow-capped volcanoes strung out along the horizon. Always at the top we could see the fumaroles emanating from the caldera, and once at the summit we could peer down into the belly of the beast to watch the vapours escaping up to the sky and away. You could see forever; just a rich landscape of white mountains peppered by brilliant blue lakes for as far as the eye could see. Simply marvellous.
And the really fun part was the descent. We all slid down Villarica in sections on our issued-pants, straight down to the bottom using our ice axes as a break. And what could be a better way to end the day than by soaking in natural rock pools until late in the night. My friend and I lit candles, shared a bottle of wine, and watched a full lunar eclipse unfold as we relaxed in these wonderful springs of hot water heated by the energy of the volcano itself.
And this was merely the beginning of an epic trip. In the following weeks, we hiked in lush forests, ate exotic seafood, witnessed the land change from rain forest to desert within one day's drive (imagine driving in Arizona and seeing British Colombia in the distance), and watched enormous chunks of ice as big as a house calve off a glacier and into the water. And I haven't even mentioned the grandeur of Fitzroy and Torres del Paine Parks, respectively.
Of all the adventures that I have enjoyed, this tour is the one I am most excited about. I implore anyone with an appetite for friendly people and nature in its most enigmatic and inspiring state to join Footloose's Patagonia Adventure tour.