Patagonia Wilderness

Patagonia has legendary and spectacular landscapes and wildlife. It captivated early travellers and naturalists, with Charles Darwin as the most notable. Many areas are still as virgin as then. A must for current day eco-tourists and nature lovers, it has striking habitat contrasts. The Andean hills and valleys have forests of Southern Beech, while the plateaux to the east are instead windswept and dry. The emblematic Valdés Peninsula, however, teems with wildlife. Guanacos, Armadillos and the odd Mara (or Patagonian Hare) are readily found alongside Lesser Rheas and Crested Tinamous. Valdés is also known as a breeding site for Southern Right Whales, and a boat trip takes you right next to them.

There are also important rookeries of Southern Elephant Seals and Southern Sea Lions, as well as a huge Magellanic Penguin colony. The extreme south has more dramatic landscapes, and is a mecca for trekkers. Wide U-shaped glacial valleys, stunning granite massifs such as the Fitz Roy and the Paine towers, and glaciers like Upsala and Perito Moreno are renowned attractions. Across the Strait of Magellan is the island of Tierra del Fuego, so named for the fires that indigenous tribes used to light. From a boat trip along the Beagle Channel we will spot Southern Fur Seal and Imperial Shag colonies, and the albatrosses that live in this “uttermost part of the world”.