Best of Patagonia Argentina

To know where to go and what to see depends on your interests and to what degree you are willing to search deep for something out of the ordinary that you may find intriguing. If you have only a short time each year to take a vacation, love to trek and crave to get away to a destination which will capture the essence of the region at large you should consult the insight of a local and the feedback of one that has done the journey you contemplate.

Patagonia is one of those destinations that is a vast territory spanning the Pampa and the Andes mountains of two countries, Argentina and Chile. To get to know it well requires repeat visits and abundant time few may have. So if you wish to sample Patagonia Argentina , where should you go?

All guidebooks to Patagonia note two national parks not to miss, Torres del Paine and Fitz Roy. While one can hike in the southernmost reaches of Tierra del Fuego as well, the central Patagonia lures most of the visitors and these two parks should definitely be at the top of anyone’s list.

Most of us shop for airfares and settle for the lowest in price, but the ultimate logistics of your Patagonia travel should be determined by where you plan to visit though at first look political boundaries may suggest otherwise.

While certain parts of Patagonia are easily accessed via either capital city, Buenos Aires or Santiago de Chile, other parts of Patagonia may be more cumbersome to reach if coming from the wrong direction.

Torres del Paine constitutes one of those magnificent destinations which although politically in Chile is easier to visit from Argentina via El Calafate north of the national park and thus should be included in your trip to Patagonia Argentina. If plan to visit Torres del Paine via Santiago the main access point for the park is Puerto Natales south of the park and an easy drive from Punta Arenas, Chile’s major airport in Patagonia.

Undeniably rivaling Torres del Paine, the most popular destination in Patagonia Argentina is the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares dominated by the Fitz Roy massif. The park’s gateway is the town of El Chalten, easy bus ride some four hours away from El Calafate. To make the best of your trip to this part of South America you should include both parks in your itinerary.

In sheer count the most visited and certainly one of the stunning parts of the Argentine Andes is its Lakes District which spans both sides of the border. San Carlos de Bariloche is the main alpine resort of Argentina and a fashionable and sophisticated town in all respects it is.

If you come to Patagonia to trek and plan to visit Bariloche you should not miss a trek in the Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, the oldest of Argentina’s national parks. A trek to do here is a one through a magnificent region of granite spires and alpine lakes, the Nahuel Huapi Traverse. The trailhead for the trek is the Villa Catedral ski village and the terminus five days later is Puente Lopez.

Anywhere in the Lakes District crossing from Argentina to Chile and vice versa is tempting as well as rewarding. Though the bus journey between the two countries is sunning in its own right, a grand Andean traverse to do is a wonderful trek starting in Argentina that follows the spine of the Andes over Paseo de las Nubes with fantastic panorama of Monte Tronador to the west, then crosses the frontier over Paseo de Perez Rosales and finally descends to Peulla in Chile.

There are certainly more than enough options for trips and hikes elsewhere in Patagonia Argentina, and plenty to consider in the same region in Chile, but focusing on Fitz Roy and the Lakes District out of Bariloche is a great place to start.

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ECUADOR – one state with four absolute different geographical markets

The three main geographic regions on the mainland are:

• The coast also designated “La Costa” on the Pacific Ocean
• The highlands also designated “La Sierra” which means the mountain range of the Andes running from North to South through the whole country
• and the Amazon rainforest also named “El Oriente”.

The Galapagos Islands (in german: Ecuador Galapagos Inseln) – the fourth region – is an insular region in the Pacific Ocean.

It is a breath taking moment, standing there on an island where nobody lives – only some endemic species you cannot find anywhere else in the world. Swimming with sea lions, sea turtles and sharks is nearly as overwhelming as walking over one of the islands, watching fascinating species like the blue-footed boobies, lava lizards, albatrosses, marine and land iguanas, mockingbirds and uncountable different kinds of finches. This is what this province of Ecuador is known for: the vast number of endemic species.

So if you are interested in fascinating animals and plants this is the place for you! Even if you have not been interested in plants and animals before, there is a great chance you will be after visiting this archipelago of volcanic islands that is also located around the equator.

Usually you land at “Baltra” where you find the airstrip. From there you can go to one of the bigger islands called “Santa Cruz” with the biggest city on the islands – “Puerto Ayora”.

At Santa Cruz you can visit the Charles Darwin Research Station with a tortoise breeding center as well as the highlands where you find a beautiful mangrove forest and interesting volcanic formations like the two big holes “Los Gemélos”.

Another interesting but very small island is “Santa Fe”. On Santa Fe you find a lot of land iguanas and sea lions as well as a forest of Opuntia cactus.

“Española”, the oldest island of the archipelago, hosts a large number of endemic fauna furthermore albatrosses and marine iguanas that change their colour during the breading season. This island offers the most beautiful beach for swimming and snorkelling: Gardner Bay.

The island “Floreana” – named after the first president of Ecuador (Juan José Flores) – shelters species like pink flamingos and green sea turtles that nest on the island between December and May.

A wooden barrel is kept at Post Office Bay where post could be picked up by ships passing by and was delivered to its destination.

Formidable underwater volcanic coral formations can be found snorkelling or diving in Glapagos at the “Devil’s Crown”.

Ecuador is a country like a dream – only by going there you can find out yourself!