The Author You can visit Allano's web site by clicking here . The Yelcho at Laguna San Rafael Chile's wild west fiordland coast is a fascinating region of unique natural beauty. The ice fields of northern Patagonia have glaciers that descend into the sea and the famous San Rafael Glacier with its lagoon of drifting icebergs is accessible by cruise ship from Puerto Chacabuco. The ship Lago Yelcho is moored at the jetty. A steady stream of expectant tourists file up the gangplank - 45 in all, although the vessel can take 64 passengers.
Dinner is delicious, poached salmon with caper sauce.
My evening is spent playing chess with a Swiss gentleman who refuses to be beaten. We call it quits and wonder if we should join in the discotheque with all its flashing lights and fantastic rhythm. At 2am I collapse into my reclining bucket seat wondering how the captain can possibly navigate the ship through the maze of channels in the darkness to the famous Laguna San Rafael. Breakfast is a hurried meal because first light shows an intriguing shoreline - first a little fishing village, then a narrow channel between smooth glaciated rocks and stunted beech trees, with clouds scudding around more distant snowy peaks. The ship does a little dance around various navigation beacons and then glides confidently into Laguna San Rafael and its icebergs.