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Patagonia
At South America's southernmost tip lies a vast and wild land that has been barely settled or civilised since humans first arrived tens of thousands of years ago. Patagonia is, as Bruce Chatwin famously wrote, "the farthest place to which man walked from his place of origin," and to this day it retains near-mythical status in the minds of the world's adventurers.
Spanning both Argentina and Chile, Patagonia is home to fantastic mountain peaks, vast and empty steppes, glaciers and icefields, and stunning national parks. It is an incredible display of natural beauty, virtually untouched by the hands of man.
Top Patagonia Holidays
Patagonia Highlights
Duration:10 Days
Route:Punta Arenas to El Chalten
Tour Code:HPPE
Patagonia Adventure
Duration:12 Days
Route:Santiago to Buenos Aires
Tour Code:HPSB
Chile, Argentina & Brazil
Duration:18 Days
Route:Santiago to Rio de Janeiro
Tour Code:HPSR
10 Facts about Patagonia
- The term Patagonia comes from the word patagón used by Magellan in 1520 to describe the native people of the region. At the time Magellan believed the natives to be giants, however it is now believed that these Patagones were actually Tehuelches, who were somewhat taller than their European counterparts.
- The area of Patagonia spans a massive 1,043,076 km squared, occupying almost half of each country and yet only home to less than two million inhabitants.
- The most popular national parks in Patagonia are: Torres del Paine (Chile), Los Glaciares (Argentina), Laguna San Rafael (Chile), Nahuel Huapi (Argentina), Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) and Alberto de Agostini (Chile).
- Torres del Paine is one of the largest and most visited parks in Chilean Patagonia. The park is an extremely popular hiking destination with many marked paths and refugios that provide basic services and shelter.
- In December 2011 Torres del Paine National Park was ravaged by a fire that destroyed 17 thousand hectares of forest. Reforestemos Patagonia is attempting a reforestation campaign, the largest such initiative in Chilean history.
- The region offers some of the world's best whale-watching and Puerto Madryn is the perfect place to see these beautiful creatures up close. Located in the Chubut Province of Argentine Patagonia it is also the gateway to penguin spotting on the Valdes Peninsula.
- Measuring 30km long, 5km wide and 60m high, the Perito Moreno Glacier, located in the southern region of Los Glaciares National Park, is one of the greatest tourist attractions in Argentine Patagonia. The glacier is also constantly moving, it inches forward up to 2m per day and is one of the world's few glaciers that is still growing.
- The Neuquén Province in northwest Patagonia is known for its many dinosaur fossils. In fact, the fossilised skeleton of the biggest dinosaur to ever walk the planet, Argentinosaurus huinculensis, was discovered near Plaza Huincul.
- Patagonia is home to some of the largest Welsh communities outside of Wales! Settlers first arrived in 1865 in Puerto Madryn and slowly started travelling further afield. It's common to see Welsh tea houses in the region.
- And finally, there are almost as many penguins as people in Patagonia! The region is home to the largest population of Magellanic penguins in the world, reportedly some 1.7 million of them. Compare this to the human population of around 2 million, that's a lot of penguins!
Patagonia Blogs
What to pack for a trip to Patagonia
Patagonia is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited – in fact I am still longing to return one day! I travelled on the Tucan Travel Patagonia Highlights tour in November 2019 and spent the weeks running up to my holiday gazing at photos of mountains and trying to plan what I should pack. Patagonia has an unforgiving climate, and I read that the weather changes daily (I can confirm – it does!), not to mention the remote locations we would visit would require me to be prepared. I have compiled my top tips for packing for Patagonia and the essential items you should bring.
What to expect on a trip to Patagonia
Patagonia is the wild child of South America, nestled deep in the south of the continent straddling both Chile and Argentina. Coated in mountains, forests, lakes, glaciers and more, the rugged region has been attracting keen hikers for decades. Having just embarked on my own Patagonian adventure for two weeks, I have compiled a list of what you should expect if you’re planning a holiday to Patagonia.
