- Rental car takeover in Punta Arenas
- Drive to Seno Otway Bay with a walk to see some of the Magellanic penguins
- Continue to Puerto Natales
This morning we have to wait longer than planned for the time being. The car rental company shows up and just doesn't show up. At about 12.30 p.m. he finally arrives. The high and spacious Toyota RAV4 is in good condition. So the journey can begin. We say goodbye to our host Samuel and drive northwards.
Some time later we leave the expressway and do one Detour to the Magellanic penguin colony on Seno Otway. We drive through the protected area on a private gravel road that is subject to a fee. Once on the coast one is blowing like the day before stiff piping. Now a somewhat excessive entrance fee is also due here in order to march off the well-maintained circular route. It is certainly mid-afternoon not the ideal time To visit the Patagonian summer visitors, most of the small colony look for food in the sea at this time. Still, we get to see some of the funny little guys. The 70 cm long and four kilograms heavy waterfowl spend the winter further north in southern Brazil and on the Falkland Islands. A good dozen are busy relaxing and caring for their feathers on the beach. During the further stops along the tour through the protected area, we see breeding caves, which are orphaned at this time of the year. A funny, red-bellied bird can also be observed by the sand ribbon.
On the way back through the protected area circling condor about us and some too Rhea can be seen. Slowly they come in the distance mighty mountains of the Paine massif into the field of vision. They rise imposingly from the extremely dry and windy Patagonian steppe up.
It is already late afternoon when we continue towards the next and only town on the route: Puerto Natales. In the summer months, the city apparently lives almost exclusively from national park tourism. So it consists almost exclusively of hotels, hostels, a few restaurants, tour operator offices and other things that tourists need here.
Despite the immense offer, we find it - in the middle of the main season and without a reservation - difficult to find. After almost 10 attempts, we still find something in an eight-bed dormitory in a hostel. We have delicious grilled food for dinner, after which we practically didn't eat anything today. Then we squeeze into the hostel.
