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 745 miles. 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, even if it had hardly any population, had to be connected to the rest of the country in order to provide it with communication, thus reducing the risk of losing parts of the country to other states. The initial costs were about US$ 300 million and 11 lives.

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.

Einer der beeindruckendsten und schönsten Gletscher Südamerikas. Vom Parkplatz wird man mit einem Shuttle-Bus zu den Wanderwegen gebracht. Die Aussichtsplattformen sind sehr schnell zu erreichen und man kommt sehr dicht an die riesige Gletscherzunge heran. Tolle Bilder sind garantiert!

Soaring more than 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 hectare national park was created in 1959 and is today a magnet for hikers and backpackers.

Separated from the mainland by the Strait of Magellan, this archipelago shared between Chile and Argentina is comprised of one large island, Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, and many smaller ones, most of them uninhabited. Countless shipwrecks, failed religious missions and indigenous extinction contribute to the powerful mystique of this “end-of-the-world” location. From strong winds in the plains of the relatively arid north to high rainfall in the mountainous southern half, covered with dense deciduous and evergreen forests, 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, who built the continuous, warming fires that were seen from the ships of the first European travellers who came here in the 16th century.

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.