Trekking Patagonia
Today, we're traveling south to experience one of the world's most spectacular natural landscapes - Patagonia. Occupying the southern tip of Argentina and Chile, this windswept terrain is known for its beautiful mountains, glaciers, lakes, forests, and much more. We'll be taking several treks among some of the region's best sights in this update - I hope you'll enjoy the update!
Our trek begins in the reaches of northern Patagonia, on the Chilean side of the border - which is where you'll find the beautiful Lake District. Towering volcanoes, imposing mountain ranges, and pristine lakes dot the landscape - from high above, it's one of the region's most magnificent sights.
A closeup look at one of the Lake District's most active peaks - Villarica. It might not erupt often, but when it does - it's capable of destroying entire towns and villages. The locals got quite the scare with the last eruption 2015 when the volcano caused thousands to flee - but fortunately, the damages were relatively minor.
Our hike through the Lake District wraps up in nearby Puerto Varas to stock up on supplies, and then we'll be hitting the road. The city's architecture is quite impressive, with the beautiful Church of the Sacred Heart rising above the city's center, which showcases German influence in the architecture from the many immigrants who settled here.
Patagonia is well known for it's many glaciers that dot the mountainous landscape. Despite worldwide trends, many of them here have actually slowly grown in recent years - but that could be changing if temperatures continue to rise even more. The massive Perito Moreno Glacier is a crown jewel of the region and is one of Patagonia's most iconic sights.
The Gray Glacier nearby is another one of Patagonia's finest glaciers - and it's distinctive three heads truly set it apart from the others in the area.
We continue hiking a few miles east, which is where you'll find one of Patagonia's most famous trails - the famous W Trek, with views of some of Patagonia's most iconic mountains. You'll spend up to 5 days hiking through scrub, forests, rocky mountain passes and more - so be sure to bring plenty of camping equipment and supplies. Here we see a typical scene in the from the hike in a densely forested part of the trail.
As we continue on at higher elevations throughout the trail, the path winds its way around magnificently colored glacial lakes - a sight to behold.
At the end of the W Trek, you'll get some spectacular views of the Torres del Paine. These massive granite cliffs and been shaped by heavy wind and rain over the eons, and are one of Patagonia's most photographed locations. It's quite spectacular from above.
We continue backpacking through southern Patagonia - this bleak landscape is usually desolate and barren looking, but during autumn, it erupts into a vibrant display of reds, yellows, and oranges.
The weather along our hike can be brutal at times, with the relentless wind howling at all times of the day. As a result, entire forests of trees in the region have been bent into a permanently crooked angle - resulting in what's known as "flag trees".
We now head back north along the Pan-American Highway, until we reach the next stop along our trek - the beautiful Rio Fitz Roy. During springtime, when the entire area comes to life again after a long winter.
We hike even further towards Fitz Roy - and we get our first look at the rocky ridges surrounding the mountain. Even Fitz Roy's foothills are something to behold, with their nearly vertical, ice-covered cliffs set against a beautiful display of fall foliage.
Our trek across Patagonia concludes with a look over the majestic Mount Fitz Roy with some of the surrounding landscapes now in full view - a truly breathtaking sight from the air.
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-korver
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