National Parks

(Phrygilus patagonicus) The Patagonian Sierra-Finch is an endemic species of Patagonia and one of the most colorful birds in this region. It belongs to the Thraupidae family and is strongly linked to the Andean-Patagonian forest. It lives on Nothofagus and Araucaria forests and its borders, up to 1,500 m high. They feed on seeds and fruits of bushes of the Berberis genus, insects, and nectar of tubular-shaped flowers such as Fire-Bush (Embothrium coccineum) and Fuchsia magellanica.   In winter they form big mixed flocks with Rufous-collared Sparrow, Black-chinned Siskin,...

Like every year by mid-May the Patagonian forest is bursting in autumn colors, as lengas, ñires and other Nothofagus trees are turning into yellow, orange and fire-red on the mountain slopes. Last year in San Martín de los Andes area we had the Calbuco volcano eruption, and the forest was partly covered in grey ashes, but this year the fall is being as spectacular as it used to be. As in the north hemisphere spring is starting to melt the ice and the snow, warming the weather and making the minds dream about the prospect of summer holidays, here down south days are turning shorter and shorter,...

After spending the last couple of days in the pristine Perito Moreno National Park we started the third and last part of our tour. Our last destinations were two of the highlight spots in Southern Patagonia: El Chaltén and El Calafate, both in Los Glaciares National Park. This park protects an area of 724.000 hectareas of colossal glaciers and lakes, surrounded by magnificent landscapes of steppe and forest. Due to its amazing splendour this park was declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1981 and it is undoubtedly one of the most wonderful natural landscapes in the world. El Chaltén,...

On this post we will relate the second part of our last Route 40 tour from San Martín de los Andes to El Calafate with Ana, Pedro and Gaetano. South of Esquel Route 40 turns slightly to the east, moving away from the Andes mountain range and entering the immense and mostly flat Patagonian steppe. Even for the Argentinians this is a very unknown and almost uninhabited territory; there are no major towns and the only little ones are very distant one from the other. Most part of this apparently void land is privately owned, divided in huge estancias or ranches, separated by wire fences. When...

Last February we were on the road again, on a new edition of our ever-changing "Lake District" & "Southern Patagonia" tours, this time starting from San Martín de los Andes, instead of Bariloche. Our travelling companions were Ana & Pedro from Spain and Gaetano from Italy. It was their first time in Patagonia, so we designed a comprehensive itinerary for them catching the best of Patagonia from north to south in two weeks filled with landscapes, wildlife and action. We can divide the itinerary in three sectors: the Lake District in north Patagonia, the steppe in the middle and the glaciers...

The Baker River in Chile, runs by the south of the Aysen Region, going from the Bertrand Lake to reach the Pacific Ocean in Caleta Tortel. It is the drainage of the huge bi-national Buenos Aires/General Carrera Lake, the second largest in South America, which is fed by the melting of the Northern Patagonian Ice Field. Along its course of 175 Km. the Baker River valley delivers unforgettable landscapes and an enormous environmental richness, being one of the main attractions of the Chilean part of Patagonia.     From its source in the Bertrand Lake the Baker River is wide, carrying...

Yesterday, April 22nd, 2015 (ironically the Earth Day) the Calbuco Volcano in Chile erupted. Let’s take a look to what volcanoes are and what are then main ones in the Patagonia region. HOW VOLCANOS ARE FORMED The inner structure of the Earth is made of three concentric layers: core, mantle and crust. The outermost part of the crust is called lithosphere, and there is where the geological processes occur. The core is an alloy of iron, solid in the centre and partially molten on the exterior. The mantle is made of molten rocks, with different temperatures and density; that creates a convective...

Geography Lanín volcano, with a height of 3,776 m, is one of the highest peaks in Patagonia and an icon both for the Mapuche culture and the Neuquén province. It is located near the town on Junín de los Andes, on the border between Argentina and Chile. Three quarters of the volcano are on Argentinian territory, where it gives its name to the surrounding National Park, the Lanín National Park. The other quarter belongs to Chile, where is part of the Villarrica National Park.   Being in a relatively plain area, and surrounded by much lower mountains, Lanín is visible from very far away,...

Los Alerces National Park, considered one of the most beautiful in Argentina, is located in Patagonia, on the Andean region of the Chubut province with the Chilean border by its west side. The park has a total surface of 236,000 has., comprising several different ecosystems: the Valdivian Temperate Rain Forest, the Andean-Patagonia Forest, the High-Andean Steppe and the Patagonian Steppe. The AlerceThe park was created in 1937 with a main goal: protecting the pure forests of one of the most emblematic species of the Andean-Patagonian forests: the Alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides), or lahuán,...

Perito Moreno National Park (do not confuse with Perito Moreno Glacier, which is 450 Km south, in Los Glaciares National Park) is a protected area on the center west of the Santa Cruz province, in the southernmost part of the Argentine Patagonia. Limiting with Chile on its west side it has a surface of 115,000 has., covering a representative mix of the Patagonian Steppe and the humid Subantarctic Forest. The area was declared national park in 1937, and due to its isolation and harsh weather it is one of the most unknown national park in Patagonia. It also the less visited, with less than 2,000...