Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
12
Península Valdés &
Southern Patagonia
by Christie Pashby
Drawn to its emptiness, its wind-
swept horizons, and its promise of discov-
ery, many adv enturers ar e driv en to
Patagonia by the sense that it 's the end of
the world. A trav eler can driv e for days
without seeing another soul on the v ast
Patagonian Steppe. The unrelenting wind
spins y our head in cir cles, and conspir es
with the emptiness of the landscape to
warp your perception of time and distance
and convince y ou that y ou're the only
human left on the planet. It is a seduction,
but also an illusion; people do liv e her e,
after all—though just a scant fe w har dy
survivors. S heep still outnumber humans
here.
Patagonia's harsh, bluster y climate and
curious geological circumstances have pro-
duced some of the most beautiful natural
attractions in the world: the annual con-
gregation of the S outhern Right Whale at
Península Valdés, the granite to wers and
expansive glaciers of Los Glaciares National
Park, the S outhern and N orthern Patago-
nian Ice Fields with their colossal glaciers,
and the flat steppe, br oken b y multicol-
ored sedimentar y bluffs. Wildlife lo vers
and divers explore the r ugged coastline of
the spectacular P enínsula Valdés; moun-
taineers stage elaborate excursions through
rugged territories, only to be beaten back,
like their pr edecessors, b y unr elenting
storms.
The area has a fascinating human his-
tory as well. Native groups eked out a life
in this vast land. European explorers, such
as M agellan and F itzRoy, put it on the
map. B rave and gutsy settlers turned the
emptiness into home. Recently, mountain-
eers and adventurers have reached amazing
heights here. The ample pr esence of gau-
chos further heightens the air of r omanti-
cism that distinguishes the region.
EXPLORING THE REGION
In Argentina, Patagonia technically begins at the Rio Colorado Riv er, which forms the
border between the provinces of La Pampa and Neuquén. Thus, Bariloche is in Patago-
nia, and that region is known as “Andean Patagonia” or Northern Patagonia. This chap-
ter co vers the A tlantic Coastal ar ea and the far south of P atagonia, and also includes
Torres del Paine National Park in Chile.
The big challenges in P atagonia are the extr eme distances and the w eather. Destina-
tions can be up wards of 1,000km (620 miles) apar t—and most of those kilometers ar e
on unpaved roads. Yet thanks to modern amenities and air travel, it's nonetheless easy to
travel to Patagonia's most compelling areas today. It's entirely feasible to visit such main
highlights as Puerto Madryn and Península Valdés on the coast and then head inland to
El Calafate and El Chaltén (or reverse), making for a trip that is just over a week long. If
you're planning to hike the trails of Los Glaciares National Park, beneath the lofty peaks
of Mt. FitzRoy and Cerro Torre, for example, you'll want to spend between 3 and 5 days
