Chile Patagonia tours

Patagonia is the scene of the world’s great adventurers. Even if we know just a bit about the place, the name itself inhabits our subconscious, whispering of an unknown finger of the earth, “El fin del mundo”. We imagine fjords, glaciers, pampas, lonely huasos (cowboys) on their horses herding the sheep, flourishing vegetation, the Andean mountain range and, of course, the world class national park Torres del Paine.

A visit to Patagonia is almost a must for every visitor. Until 15 years ago most of the land was accessible only by air and boat, or via Argentina. This changed with the construction of the Carretera Austral, connecting Puerto Montt with Villa O’Higgins in the south of General Carrera.

Geography has influenced the people of Patagonia. They are independent, refusing to be compared with other Chileans, but are friendly and helpful. If you have a flat tire on the Carretera Austral you can be sure that the next local passing by will stop his car. But you might have to wait a little as only 3% of the whole population of Chile lives in this giant area.

Geographically Patagonia divides into three regions, Chiloé Archipelago, Carretera Austral/Aisen region, and Torres del Paine/Magellan region.

Patagonia - Chiloé Islands
Chiloé is myth, bewitchment, it is unusual, but above all it is still authentic. The Isla Grande of Chiloé is South America’s second largest island and is considered one of the most striking cultural anomalies. Divided by the gentle peaks of the Coast Range, Chiloé’s eastern and western coasts are two worlds apart.

To the west is a wilderness of endless beaches, dune habitat, and temperate rainforests, much of it protected in one of Chile’s most forgotten national parks. To the east we find the scattered islands of Chiloé archipelago, sheltered by Pacific storms, intensely cultivated, home to a traditional culture of subsistence farmers, fishermen and craftsmen.

The history of Chiloé, both human and natural, is full of episodes of isolation. Cut off from the growing colony in Central Chile by a vast impenetrable forests and hostile Mapuche Indians, Chiloé inhabitants depended directly on the Viceroyalty in Lima for provisions. A ship came once a year, if at all, selling astronomically-priced manufactured goods and supplies and buying for a song the fruits of the islanders’ labour.

After two centuries, the Spanish population mixed with the native, and all learned to live with the limited resources offered by the sea, forest and the earth. Meanwhile, Jesuits erected schools and over two hundred elegant wooden churches, nine of which are protected as national monuments. In 2000, Chiloé's churches were added to the Unesco’s World Heritage list.

A rich mythology populated by strange trolls, sea monsters, and eerie ghost ships is yet another mark of Chiloé’s particular history. Famous for its seafood, its woollen handicrafts, and the warmth of its people, Chiloé is still largely unknown despite good walking, biking, fishing, paddling and birding.

Ancud, the northern area of “The Big Island”, is a surprising city and the best equipped in Chiloé. One of its historical landmarks is the San Antonio Fort, the last garrison where the Spanish flag flew in South America. From the lookout in Huaihuén Hill you have a beautiful view of the city. The town of Castro, characterized by its fleets of yellow fishing boats and distinctive houses built on stilts (palafitos) above the tides, is easily accessible and provides a full range of tourist services. The charming islands of the archipelago, unfortunately, can only be visited by boat or kayak.

Carretera Austral & Aisen
Still the most undiscovered part of Chile by Chileans and even less known by foreign travellers. Thanks to limited access until the 1980s with start of the ambitious project of linking Chilean Patagonian territory to the rest of the country, the region is unspoiled and very authentic.

The Carretera Austral stretches 1,200kms from Puerto Montt to pioneer outpost of Villa O’Higgins at the foot of the South Patagonia ice field. It is an adventurous region with thick and unspoiled rainforest, hanging glaciers, glacier lakes, and more than one active and recently erupted volcano.

The remaining 1,500km to Punta Arenas, on the most southern tip of the continent, must be driven on the Argentinean side. The Austral road is rudimentary, discontinuous, requiring several ferry crossings, is frequently crossed by small streams, and in some areas is barely a meter above the river bank. Coyhaique is the only sizable town, with around half the total 80,000 inhabitants of the entire region.

In 1991, the American Douglas Tompkins, a long time visitor to Chile since 1961, bought the Reñihué Ranch to save 42,000 acres of evergreen temperate rain forest from possible exploitation. Since then the Conservation Land Trust has added another 700,000 acres to create the Pumalin Park. In 2003 the Chilean State declared this a Nature Sanctuary, granting it additional environmental protection.

Torres del Paine & Magallanes Province
The first Europeans who gave a glance to this landscape were led by Fernando de Magallanes, who pioneered the passage through the treacherous strait that now bears his name. His expedition named the mainland “Tierra de los Patagones” spawning unintentionally the myth of a race of Patagonian giants.

To the south, they saw the horizon darkened by smoke due to the natives fires, and named the great island Tierra del Fuego. Punta Arenas became one of the wealthiest settlements in South America. Remains of its prosperity are still visible in Punta Arenas downtown where huge mansions and boulevards give you an idea of how comfortably, 100 years ago, they used to live at the very end of the world.

When driving from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales, you can visit the penguin colony at the Bay of Otway. Every year in springtime, the Magellan penguins come back to this place for reproduction and spend the first few months after the birth of the next generation.

Puerto Natales is the starting point for visiting Bernardo O’Higgins National Park, located at the end of Fjord of Ultima Esperanza ('Last Hope'), which you can reach by boat. In summer, several cutter boats offer full day excursions to Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers.

From Puerto Natales it is only a two hour drive to Torres del Paine National Park. Covering 242,000 hectares, it is one of the most famous parks in the world with a great variety of natural scenery that makes it so attractive. The main attraction in the park is the Paine mountain range. These rugged, oddly-shaped, different coloured mountains continue astonishing visitors, even after they have spent a few days in the park.

The scenery changes continuously due to the sun and the “UFO- shaped” Patagonian clouds. Around the Paine range, various glaciers spill down from the southern ice field, which is at 1,350sqkm, the second biggest continental ice field in the world. The leading edges of these glaciers are towering walls of ice up to 120 meters high. At times, a chunk of ice calves off and thunders down into the lake.

More than 25 different species of mammals, such as grey foxes, guanacos, Chilean deer and pumas make their home in the park. Birds are especially abundant; there 105 species, including ñandúes (a type of small ostrich), flamingoes, bandurrias, condors, black-necked swans, eagles, loicas and cachanas. Botanists can examine over 200 kinds of plants, including forests of lenga and coigue, which grow in the microclimate created by the valley’s protective walls and flowers like orchids.