WILD AT HEART
Wild at Heart - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Wild at Heart | |||||
| By: Marc Llewellyn, Issue 33 - Summer 2008 | |||||
| (Fly Fishing - Chilean Patagonia, South America) | |||||
| HELICOPTER INTO THE CHILEAN PATAGONIA WILDERNESS FOR THE ULTIMATE IN FLY-FISHING | |||||
| I am sitting in an outdoor spa bath on top of a small ship as a bright-red helicopter hovers above my head. Downpours of sunshine break through the clouds and light up the glaciers and the snowy mountain peaks. I’ve caught several huge trout today, and I’m looking forward to an appetiser of fresh ocean krill and pickled quail, followed by the spiky red legs of the Patagonian king crab. Three days earlier we had sailed out of the Chilean city of Puerto Montt, the gateway to Patagonia. After a night’s journey we arrived in the land of penguins and albatross. I’d lways imaged Patagonia to be a flat expanse of windswept tundra, but the first thing that strikes me is the thick rainforest clinging to the hills that edge up to the calm waters of the fjord we are moored in. Chilean Patagonia is very different to the sparse steppe lands that dominate the Argentinean side of this enormous area of wilderness. We are aboard Atmosphere, a purpose-built expedition vessel run by Nomads of the Seas. It carries a Bell 407 helicopter, a top-of-the-range army-surplus zodiac, six jet boats, six goodsized tinnies for heli-fishing excursions, and plenty of rafts and ayaks. A crew of 32, including eight fishing guides and an ex-Chilean Navy captain, cater to just 24 passengers, including a maximum of 16 anglers. The boat’s owner, ex-banker Andres Ergas, spent US$20 million to create this state-of-the-art eco-cruiser. “A lot of the people who come aboard have bigger oats, with more teak and more mahogany,” he tells me, “but none of them have better boats.” There are 10 deluxe cabins with twin beds and two more with king-size beds on the Passenger Deck. All have exteriorview windows. Upstairs on the boat deck there’s a dining room and various sitting areas with comfortable lounges. Two premium cabins with king-size beds are on the same level as the helipad. Just to make sure he has one of the best craft of its type in the world, a second helicopter is due to be added for the 2008/2009 season. Ergas is a passionate angler, dedicated to the catch-and-release philosophy that his guides uphold, and he loves Patagonia so much that he accompanies his clients on almost every cruise. Much of this part of Patagonia remains largely unexplored, and many of the watercourses have never been fished. The guides often take off on scouting trips to find virgin places to cast a line. This is the cruise ship’s second season. I’m told that during the inaugural season the company’s clients fished more than 100 lakes and rivers. While we are having breakfast the helicopter takes off and swoops away with a tinnie hanging from a cable beneath it. The boat is dropped on a waterway, far from any sign of civilisation. The helicopter then returns to collect its passengers for some ‘Ultimate Fly-Fishing.’ Our first day turns out to be cold and misty, and the helicopter keeps close to the water and beneath the low clouds. We land on a pebbly beach, but bouts of driving rain mean we opt for a short time trolling for trout out of the lake and an extended lunch. Our guides erect a portable gazebo and table and chairs. A crisp white linen tablecloth is produced, along with fine Chilean wines. We huddle under a tree, around a campfire, as our guides cook up a feast in a wok. Despite the weather, we are content. This is part of the adventure after all, and we’d been pre-warned of the unpredictable climate in this wild part of the world. Hence, the six layers of clothing we are all wearing. The next day brings a complete change. The day is hot and sunny. We catch fish in the reflections of dramatic snowy peaks. Waterfalls tumble down hillsides towards our beautiful lake. It’s all just so perfect and peaceful, and the fishing is incredible. We reel in brown and rainbow trout, one after another, most weighing well over 2kg each. Then, on the way back to the mothership, we fly over volcanoes and glaciers, and zip across lagoons and swamps to a soundtrack of U2 in our headphones. Eco-tourism is a big part of the Nomads of the Seas experience too. We spend a couple of days on the zodiac, creeping up to penguin colonies and rocks barking with sealions. Dolphins zip in our wake, and we spot dozens of species of waterbirds, most endemic to the area. These waters are also famed for whales. Not just humpbacks, but gigantic blue whales and sperm whales. In January and February you can see dozens in a day. One day we go searching for Orcas (Killer Whales). We use an underwater video camera to film the sealions at play too, and listen to dolphins singing to each other beneath the waves. Our guide is so enthusiastic that even the early-season chill can’t dispel the magic of this rain-soaked, windblasted place. Other specialised eco-tourism adventures include bird-watching helicopter trips to remote wetlands, and heli-treks through isolated mountain forests in search of wild cats and woodpeckers. You can kayak in the fjords, or go white-water rafting in lonely rivers darting with kingfishers. During our time off on board we enjoy the spectacular scenery, the talks on sealife and anthropology, the traditional pisco sour cocktails from the open bar, and the impressive evening feasts with wines to match. Then there’s the sauna, and those outdoor spa baths bubbling with heated salt water, and a range of massages to get the blood flowing after a few hours sitting in a jet boat. A great thing about a small cruise ship is that you never feel as if you are just part of the crowd. On Atmosphere the staff are exceptionally courteous and naturally friendly. They are all in awe of Chilean Patagonia, and I suspect they all love their jobs, and feel just as privileged as their guests to be able to visit this incredible place. | |||||
| Details: A seven-night trip aboard Nomads of the Seas can be booked through Abercrombie and Kent. An option is to combine the Nomads of the Seas cruise with Abercrombie and Kent’s eight-night Inside Chile tour. www.abercrombiekent.com.au | |||||
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