Patagonia

A wilderness at South America's southern tip shared by Argentina and Chile, with the Torres del Paine, Mount Fitz Roy, the Perito Moreno Glacier and Ushuaia at the end of the world, a mecca for hiking and glaciers.

Patagonia is the vast area of South America south of about 40°S. The Andes divide it into Argentine Patagonia on the east (dry steppe and plateau) and Chilean Patagonia on the west (fjords, ice fields and temperate rainforest); the two countries share the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, and it does not correspond to any single administrative region. Main highlights: Chile's Torres del Paine National Park (the three towers, the W and O treks, Grey Glacier); the Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina's Los Glaciares National Park (from El Calafate) and El Chaltén, the trekking capital (Mount Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre); Ushuaia on Tierra del Fuego (the End of the World Train, the Beagle Channel, the departure port for Antarctic cruises); penguins at Punta Arenas and Isla Magdalena; on the Atlantic side, the Valdés Peninsula near Puerto Madryn (southern right whales, elephant seals, Magellanic penguins); and, in the northern Lake District, Bariloche, and the Marble Caves along Chile's Carretera Austral. Classic combination: El Calafate 2–3 days – El Chaltén 3 days – Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine 4–5 days – Punta Arenas/Ushuaia 2–3 days, about 2 weeks. Distances between areas are huge, so people usually combine domestic flights with long-distance buses or driving, and cross borders at points such as Cerro Castillo. Campsites and mountain huts in Torres del Paine must be reserved months in advance. The weather can deliver four seasons in one day and the wind is extremely strong, so bring windproof and waterproof gear. Chinese citizens need separate visas for Argentina and Chile.

Destinations

Itineraries