After arriving at Ushuaia we were driven 20km north of the city where we would stay for 2 nights at Solar del Bosque refugio in the Tierra Mayor valley.. The next day we went on a hike to Laguna Esmeralda where along the way we witnessed damage to the ecosystem caused by beavers

Views not as spetacular as Torres del Paine or Fitz Roy but it was a pleasant tail end to the 2 weeks in Patagonia

Our guide was Geraldo, who was leading his first group of English speakers. I'd have taken a picture of him but he was always so far ahead of the group.

Our group was joined by 4 people. Chris from London and 3 friends travelling together, Ralf from Germany, Mark from Switzerland and Michael from France

 

More evidence of localized flooding caused by beaver dams

Precision gnawing

Beavers are not native to this area. They were introduced from North America and they have spread unchecked having no natural predators in the area. Another example of man upsetting the natural order of things and paying the consequences

view of the valley from the Ojos Del Albino Glacier viewpoint