Argentine Patagonia
Why go?
See also our separate guides for:
The Argentine
Lake District to the northwest
Chilean
Patagonia across the border to the west
Patagonia remains one of the most iconic regions of the world.
Utterly wild, constantly windswept, and so unimaginably vast that
it could easily encompass several countries, Patagonia inspires you
to leave it all behind and start again. It’s attracted
explorers (Darwin), outlaws (Butch and Sundance), revolutionaries
(Che Guevara) and writers (Chatwin, whose account leaves a lot
unsaid). There’s so much of it to see, there’s a danger
you’ll spend several days just travelling. Far better to
choose one region, take time to really get under the skin of it,
and let Patagonia work its magic.
The Andes form the western spine to Patagonia, which -
geographically speaking - includes everything south of the
Río Colorado (just south of Bahía Blanca) to the
bottom of the island Tierra del Fuego. Patagonia measures 1000km
from north to south, so we've divided it here into its 3 most
exciting constituent parts:
Southern Patagonia is glacier country: see the massive icy
walls carve off with a deafening roar into the milky turquoise lake
below, or even hike over the sculpted surface. Vast and pristine,
this is an unforgettable experience unique to Argentina.
Nearby, the granite towers of Mount Fitzroy rise up from the
steppe, in a centrepiece to a dramatic massif which makes for
perfect hiking with constantly astonishing views.
The Atlantic Coast is home to an astonishing array of
wildlife along its length. Most miraculous, though, is the small
splay of land Península Valdés, where Southern Right
Whales come to breed in Spring, and where you can find Wales of
another kind in the Welsh colony of Gaimán.
Tierra del Fuego, at the very end of the world, truly
becomes a land of fire when lenga forest carpeting the mountain
slopes turn crimson in April. Start at the breezy little pioneer
town of Ushuaia, a welcoming base for the beautiful national park
and boat trips down the famous Beagle Channel.