My Patagonia: from Glaciers to Penguins

I’d been dreaming about Patagonia for years. Going that far by myself felt daunting, even though I was used to solo traveling, but I realized I shouldn't keep waiting for someone to join me. I just needed to go on my own.

So, I booked the tickets, landed in Buenos Aires, caught a flight to El Calafate, and just like that, my adventure was on.

My first stops were Perito Moreno, an absolutely massive glacier, and Lago Argentino, where the water is a shade of blue that doesn't even look real. From there, I took a bus to El Chaltén, made some new friends, and joined them for a trek up to Laguna de los Tres.

It was my first time camping during a hike, and the weather was wild. In just 24 hours, we got hot weather, rain, wind, and snow. We squeezed into a tiny three-person tent, woke up at 3:00 AM, and hiked in total darkness to catch the sunrise over Mount Fitz Roy. When we finally made it to the top, the peak was completely whited out by snow. Instead of giving up, we stood in the freezing cold for two straight hours waiting for it to clear. My hands and feet were totally numb, but when the mountain finally showed itself, it was worth every single second.

Afterward, I crossed the border into Chile and visited an island populated by penguins—the funniest, cutest little things to watch.

Patagonia turned out to be everything I had imagined and more. There were so many moments on that trip where I thought, “I can’t believe I’m here right now.”