Anyone interested in: Easter Island, 3 week Antarctic cruise, or 35 day Patagonia?

[2017ish]

We just returned from a 72 day Southern Chile/Argentina/Antarctic trip, which included both Rapa Nui and a 3 week Falklands/South_Georgia/Antarctic cruise. Is it worthwhile to anyone if I post details on some or all of it?

Three very different type of trips rolled into one--all of which we loved.

The roads in Patagonia for the 35 days of driving (especially the Carretera Austral) were .... interesting, and the hiking was grueling but well worth it. The cruise, our first, was amazing. And Rapa Nui was everything that it was cracked up to be.

Can post much more if anyone interested.

 

[RunningBum]

Please do!

 

[Sunset]

Sounds great, would love to hear about it.

 

[NW-Bound]

Can post much more if anyone interested.

Sure. All the gory details, plus lots of photos.

 

[whatnot]

Yes, I love to read about travel adventures!

 

[Fermion]

I'd like to hear about it. We just finished watching "Long way up" which covered a portion of that region on electric motorcycles. It is a trip I would love to do.

 

[Midpack]

Sounds wonderful, I’d enjoy hearing more even though I am sure it would cost more than our travel budget would allow.

 

[Dreamer]

I love hearing about travel trips. Please do post about it.

 

[flyingaway]

That IS a trip. I would probably do several trips for that amount of travel. I am certainly interested in reading the details of your trip.

 

[Go-NoGo]

yes please post details.. I am very interested

 

[MarieIG]

Would love to read about your trip!

 

[tmitchell]

Would love it! I just got back from a 16 day S Georgia/Antarctica trip and loved it. Now I’m going to start planning Patagonia!

 

[oscar1]

Can you post the budget first so those that know they can’t afford it save some time just being jealous without reading for days lol!

 

[friar1610]

I’d be very interested in your experiences in the Falklands if you spent a reasonable amount of time there. We spent a day in Stanley during a South America cruise 15 or so years ago. I find the story of the Falklands/Malvinas in general fascinating. And the Falklands War between Argentina and the UK in particular. I even went to the Argentine Naval Museum during a different trip to Buenos Aires so I could get their take on the war. (I had been working at US Atlantic Fleet Headquarters during that war and although the US wasn’t directly involved we of course followed it closely.)

 

[MuirWannabe]

I’d be very interested in your experiences in the Falklands if you spent a reasonable amount of time there. We spent a day in Stanley during a South America cruise 15 or so years ago. I find the story of the Falklands/Malvinas in general fascinating. And the Falklands War between Argentina and the UK in particular. I even went to the Argentine Naval Museum during a different trip to Buenos Aires so I could get their take on the war. (I had been working at US Atlantic Fleet Headquarters during that war and although the US wasn’t directly involved we of course followed it closely.)

I’ve spent more time than planned around the Falklands. In March 2020, DW & I were completing an Antarctic cruise that had also visited Stanley. On the day we were to disembark in Chile the world shutdown and we stayed on board. Argentina would not let us off. Nobody would. Except little ole Falklands. We had to cruise through the straight of Magellan into the Pacific and back around Cape Horn to get there as Argentina didn’t even want us in the straight in their waters. Mind you our ship was healthy.

After a required 14 days they let us disembark and we flew out of Stanley, finally to make it home. Upon making it home we realized we should’ve stayed in Antarctica lol.

But I’ll always be grateful to the Falklands and Margaret Thatcher for keeping them in the commonwealth. Spunky people on that little group of islands.

 

[braumeister]

I’d be very interested in your experiences in the Falklands if you spent a reasonable amount of time there. We spent a day in Stanley during a South America cruise 15 or so years ago.

We spent a day in Stanley in 2019 (returning from an Antarctic cruise) and then two more days in other parts of the Falklands. Thoroughly enjoyed it, and would love to return. It's just so damn hard to get to!

Outside of Stanley, it was very pastoral and quite picturesque. Plenty of penguins, of course. All the people (less than 4,000 total) we met were delightful and it was extremely clear what their feelings were about belonging (sort of) to the UK. They weren't actually hostile to Argentina, they just wanted to be recognized as the self-governing (mostly) territory they are.

 

[NW-Bound]

Can you post the budget first so those that know they can’t afford it save some time just being jealous without reading for days lol!

People with a thinner wallet can still pick just a segment of the 72-day trip.

 

[MuirWannabe]

We spent a day in Stanley in 2019 (returning from an Antarctic cruise) and then two more days in other parts of the Falklands. Thoroughly enjoyed it, and would love to return. It's just so damn hard to get to!



Outside of Stanley, it was very pastoral and quite picturesque. Plenty of penguins, of course. All the people (less than 4,000 total) we met were delightful and it was extremely clear what their feelings were about belonging (sort of) to the UK. They weren't actually hostile to Argentina, they just wanted to be recognized as the self-governing (mostly) territory they are.

I should say, it was Braumeister’s trip report on this forum that got me interested. We ended up just a few months later on the exact same trip he took. Just our timing led to some ‘unusual’ things.

 

[HarveyS]

Yes, quite interested. I’ll be traveling on a 22 day Antarctica cruise in March. Different ship but similar itinerary. It will be fun to compare early season to late season.

 

[FIYes]

Muirwannabe, have you read the nonfiction book “Cabin Fever”? It covers a cruise that did not have the good fortune to stay healthy and get back to the USA fairly easily. Interesting read and I think that it will cause you to appreciate your time in the Falklands even more.

 

[FIYes]

OP, who is interested? Me!

 

[MuirWannabe]

Muirwannabe, have you read the nonfiction book “Cabin Fever”? It covers a cruise that did not have the good fortune to stay healthy and get back to the USA fairly easily. Interesting read and I think that it will cause you to appreciate your time in the Falklands even more.

Thanks for the recommendation. I’m sure it’s interesting, but Covid is just not a subject matter I desire to read about.

 

[FIYes]

Point taken. The subject is understandably raw for many.

 

[Ronstar]

I'm interested - maybe OP is off on another trip.

 

[MuirWannabe]

Driving and Hiking Patagonia, Emphasizing the Carretera Austral.
https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/showthread.php?t=116528

See this thread. He has posted a discussion on the trip.