Elite Traveler May-June 2016

THAN LIFE Straddling Argentina and Chile, Patagonia touches the coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It encompasses steppe, arid desert, turquoise lakes, glaciers andmountains.

EXPLORE PATAGONIA

ChrisMoss heads to this immense triangle of breathtaking wilderness and finds luxurious touches at the southern tip of the Americas Patagonia gets its name from the word patagónes , which navigator Ferdinand Magellan used to describe the natives he encountered upon making landfall in 1520. The sailors thought these wild-looking nomads were giants – they weren’t, but everything else down here is pretty gargantuan. Intrepid travelers from all over the world visit Patagonia, including fly fishermen in search of lonely rivers where they can wrestle with big, sea-run trout, whitewater rafters wanting something new and adrenaline-charged, dreamscape-loving drivers, historians exploring connections with the far flung estancias (ranches), dinosaur fossil hunters, skiers, wine-lovers, sybarites, backpackers and luxury-seekers – in recent decades, hotel and estancia accommodation has entered a new, high-end phase, with some stunning properties found in the most remote areas. There’s great potential for active and adventurous outings, including helicopter flights over the ice fields (the biggest on earth outside Antarctica and Greenland), cruising the icy sounds and fjords in a private boat and paddling up to glaciers on a kayak expedition. Then there is superlative trekking, mountain biking, horseback riding and climbing. But even the most leisurely traveler will be blown away by the landscapes. While rugged steppes dominate Patagonia’s interior, its edges are rich in topography and wildlife. The Andes boasts many photogenic marvels, including the Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina and the Grey Glacier in Chile, vast temperate rainforests of beech, larch, cypress and monkey puzzle, and impressive mountain ranges such as the Torres del Paine and Fitz Roy massifs. All these provide habitats for extraordinary wildlife and birdlife, including the puma, guanaco, gray fox, culpeo fox, mara, huemul and pudú deer, condors, hummingbirds, giant woodpeckers and parrots.

The Atlantic Coast is also a biodiversity hot spot, with the frothing waters around Valdés Peninsula bursting with marine life, including penguin, fur seal, sea lion and elephant seal colonies and orca. During the southern winter they’re joined by southern right whales. Established tourism is found in the northern lake districts of Argentina and Chile, and around Parque Nacional Los Glaciares in the former and Parque Nacional Torres del Paine in the latter. Visits here are easy to organize, with plenty of accommodation, food, drink and activity options. Because of the long distances involved and the relatively poor roads (especially traveling east to west) there are airports with paved runways for medium-sized passenger jets in all sizeable towns, including El Calafate, Puerto Madryn, Trelew and Ushuaia in Argentina and Coihaique (Balmaceda airport), Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas in Chile. Patagonia used to be a tough wilderness, an inhospitable zone of extremes, a beyond kind of place; it’s still wild, but, these days, it’s very welcoming too.

Right: The stunning Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentinian Patagonia