Rugged, wind-blown, and infinitely wild, Patagonia is one of those places you just need to see to believe. And even then, the grandeur of it all doesn’t seem quite real. Whether you’re driving toward Mt. Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre in Argentina or cruising toward Los Cuernos and Los Torres in Chile, these epic peaks and vast Patagonian steppes will sing their siren songs from miles away.
I first fell in love with the area (and South America in general) three years ago on my first journey to this magical place at the ends of the earth. It’s one of my few destinations that still feels truly wild, truly remote. There are still infinite discoveries at your fingertips. And after that first glimpse into this extreme locale, I knew I had to journey back to venture deeper into the backcountry and heart of this region.
My husband and I began our journey in El Chalten, a bustling little trekking town, where on a clear day, the iconic Fitz Roy looms overhead from every vantage point in the town. As all of the trailheads leave directly from El Chalten, we opted to stay at both a cozy hosteria, and some of the coolest eco yurts I have ever laid eyes on.
From there, the explorations are endless. From Laguna Capri for an easy day, to Laguna de los Tres for a true challenge, the Argentinian Patagonia delivers hanging glaciers, waterfalls, and at the end of the day, a quaint town chock-full of great food and drinks to wind down after a day of adventure. After five days of exploring all we could in our short time in Argentina, it was time to head on towards Chile and Torres del Paine.
Torres del Paine is one of the more breathtakingly beautiful spots I have ever laid eyes upon, and when you see “the horns” with Lake Pehoe in front of you for the first time, I promise you will be smitten. We did many hikes from here, jumped in the alpine lakes, got completely drenched from random downpours, and loved every single second of it.
One of the hikes that you must do if you find yourself here is The Towers. It’s a grueling all day hike, but at the end you will find yourself with a view of the parks namesake and everything will feel right in the world. At the end of 10 days, my partner in crime headed back to the “real world”, and I stayed on, alternating between multi-day 2am start time hikes to the base of the Towers for that perfect sunrise, to road trips to epic glaciers and back again.
For the final leg of the trip, I met up with a group of feisty Australians for more shooting and backcountry adventures. We started off at Camping Pehoe, which is possibly the most picturesque campsite I have ever laid eyes upon. Just steps from epic views of the horns at sunrise and sunset, it just doesn’t get any better than this. We were a motley crew, cooking whatever dehydrated foods we could find, wandering around in a constant state of awe, and forever bonded by whatever it is that multiple days living in the wild does for people.
We ended the trip with our last trip to the Towers, and from a woman who had just broken her back, to a man who had never been hiking, we all made the grueling hike to the base, the stars gave way to the sun, and the most gorgeous alpenglow I have ever witnessed illuminated to peaks perfectly. It was one of those moments and experiences where you just feel a little more alive. Driving away, with the mountains in your rearview mirror and miles and miles of land stretched out in front of you, I dare you to not imagine turning that car around and keeping a good thing going for as long as you can.
Patagonia is a powerful, mysterious, gorgeous force that I pretty much guarantee will find a place deep in your heart and settle right on in.
