Tierra del Fuego National Park

Today we toured Tierra del Fuego National Park with a canoe trip down the Rio Lapataia to Bahia Lapataia, and a 5-mile coastal hike -- the longest trail in the park -- ending at Ensenada Zaratiegui. The canoe trip was a nice departure from hiking. It was a beautiful day for a leisurely paddle. The trip had the added bonus of ending at the southernmost point of the Pan-American Highway. The hike took us through a typical Andean-Patagonian forest, a mix of mostly Lenga and Guido trees, with mosses and ferns in the undergrowth. There was also a bush called the Winter Bark, which looked remarkably like a rhododendron. The trail eventually emerged from the forest and hugged the shoreline giving us beautiful views of the sea and mountains. (see Day 11 photos)