Few landscapes surpass the beauty of those in northern Patagonia’s Lake District, where Fuji-like volcanoes, blanketed by glaciers, tower above deep blue lakes, ancient forests and farmland. Good explanations for why this region is a magnet for both national and international tourism!

The Carretera Longitudinal Austral Presidente Pinochet, also known more simply as Route 7, starts at Puerto Montt and parallels the Argentine border for more than 1,200 km (745 mi). It terminates in Villa O’Higgins at the foot of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Although more and more sections are being paved the road is still a challenge. Pinochet had a military reason for its construction: all the territory within Chile had to be connected to the rest of the country in order to reduce the risk of losing parts of it to other states. The initial costs were about US$ 300 million.

The Fitz Roy Mountain Range is a rugged wilderness with shark-tooth shaped summits. It is the de-facto mountaineering Mecca of Argentina. When the clouds clear, the view of the almost 12,000 ft. high mountain blocks is stunning and attracts both world-class climbers and hikers from the whole world.

This glacier is one of the most impressive and most beautiful in South America. There are shuttle busses, which take you from the parking to the hiking trails. It is very easy to get to the platforms where you will be able to get pretty close to the gigantic glacier tongue.

Soaring more than 1,800 m (6,000 ft.) above the Patagonian steppe, the nearly verticle “Towers of Paine” are spectacular granite pillars that dominate the landscape. It’s a miniature Alaska filled with shimmering turquoise lakes, roaring creeks, rivers and waterfalls, sprawling glaciers, dense forests and abundant wildlife (guanacos, rheas, Andean deer, condors, foxes, flamingos and many other species). Originally a part(!) of a sheep estancia, this 240,000 hectar (593,000 acre) national park was created in 1959 and is today a magnet for hikers and backpackers.

Separated from the mainland by the Strait of Magellan, the archipelago is comprised of "Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego" and many smaller, uninhabited ones. Countless shipwrecks and indigenous extinction contribute to the powerful mystique of this “end-of-the-world” location. From strong winds in the plains of the arid north to high rainfall in the mountains one can experience every possible climate on a single day. The name “Tierra del Fuego” (Land of Fire) goes back to the now nearly extinct Yaghan Indians with their warming fires, seen by the first European travellers.

With a population of almost 65,000, this southernmost city of the world, with its steep streets and jumbled buildings, and set between the Beagle Channel and the snow-capped Marital Range, takes full advantage of its end-of-the-world status as an increasing number of Antarctica-bound vessels call in to port. In 1870, the British-based South American Missionary Society settled here to take care of the indigenous Yaghan Indians. After successfully showing them the shortcut to heaven (most of the Yaghans were wiped out by foreign diseases), Argentina followed England’s example by making the city a penal colony for its most notorious criminals. Since 1950 the town has been an important naval base. Tierra del Fuego’s tourism has become big business, and the comparatively high wages draw Argentines from all over to resettle there.