In 2018 I was fortunate enough to visit Patagonia for the first time. My journey took me from Puerto Natales by boat into Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. 

The area is famed for its wild weather, and as I was to experience, it lived up to its raucous reputation.

Traveling towards Mount Balmaceda by boat from Puerto Natales up the Última Esperanza Fjord.

Traveling by boat offers fantastic views that are missed if you travel into the park by road. 

The weather in Patagonia is highly changeable. A sunny day can quickly be overtaken by a squall without warning. 

Approaching the Balmaceda Glacier. The glacier is in retreat due to climate change and no longer reaches the fjord below. 

Freshly calved ice sits in the lake in front of the Serrano Glacier.

For the last leg of the journey, we swap from the ferry into rubber dinghies. In front of us is the first sight of the majestic Torres Del Paine National Park.  

On arrival in Torres del Paine, we pitch up at a spot with a majestic view.  

A short walk up the hillside from our camping spot gives us a great view of the Torres del Paine granite massif and Lake Pehoe in the foreground. 

The view from the W Trail looking back towards our camping spot. 

The view from the hiking trail in the French Valley which forms part of the W trek circuit. 

The three granite towers of Torres del Paine illuminated at sunrise at the end of the W trek circuit. 

If you’re interested in visiting, check out the national park website for more information. If you would like to take the boat from Puerto Natales into Torres del Paine then please visit Turismo 21 de Mayo for more information and booking.

Have you visited Torres del Paine? Let me know your experience in the comments below.

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Hi, I’m Andy, a professional filmmaker and photographer travelling to the remotest places on earth.

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Leg 1: Eyemouth, Scotland to the Orkney Islands

Let’s face it i’m the last person who should be planning another trip. I’ve been home a few weeks after a 3 month journey that has taken me to some of the remotest corners on the planet including Antartica and South Georgia.

I should be glued to my computer editing the thousands of photos and countless hours of video I have accumulated. As it turns out i’m gazing out at the endless grey of the North Sea around 5 miles off the coast of Aberdeen. It’s 9pm and i’ve just begun my first night watch on a yacht called Impromptu. As I stare out at the orange, shimmering lights of the coast I contemplate the voyage that lies ahead. A sailing journey of epic magnitude from the UK to our final destination, the remote coast of east Greenland where we plan to spend a few weeks exploring.

The passage from Eyemouth to the Orkney Islands. 

Fellow adventurer Michele on the helm of Impromptu as we depart Eyemouth.

It started a little over a week ago when I saw an advert online that read ‘crew wanted for an expedition to Greenland’. The passage plan read like my dream list of remote places I have yet to visit – The Orkney Islands, The Faroe Islands, Iceland and then the most mysterious and least explored of them all, Greenland.

I called the skipper of the boat and persuaded him that I would be a good fit for the crew. As it turned out the person that pulled out at the last minute was a filmmaker and I would fill that gap nicely. I spent a frantic week shopping around for the required equipment for our shore landings. I crammed my ice axe, crampons and filming gear into a rucksack and jumped on a train to Scotland. I boarded Impromptu in Eyemouth and this morning set sail for Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands. If our passage goes to plan we should be there sometime tomorrow afternoon.

Approaching the Orkney Islands as stormy conditions approach. 

After a gusty night with winds speeds up to force 8 we safely arrive Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands after 28 hours at sea. Strong winds are forecast for the next few days and we are happy to be in shelter from the encroaching storm and ready to sample some local ales.

Impromptu safely alongside in Kirkwall.

A sunset from the pier in Kirkwall.

Hi, I’m Andy, co-founder of Secret Atlas, currently on a personal journey to travel to the most remote places on earth.

If you are interested in visiting Svalbard or Greenland on a small ship expedition please check out our tours here.

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