9-Nights Patagonia: Torres del Paine & Los Glaciares National Park - The Geluxe Collection

Patagonia, Argentina

Patagonia begins in central Argentina, about 450 mi/725 km southwest of Buenos Aires, and stretches from the Rio Colorado to the Strait of Magellan. This vast, beautiful region is a haven for naturalists and adventurers. It comprises almost 30% of Argentine territory and is filled with a rich diversity of plants and animals, including guanacos, penguins and elephant seals; windswept and barren terrain; lakes and unspoiled nature.

It's a popular destination for those who like to fish, especially November-May, when trout and salmon can be hooked in the rivers and streams flowing through the Andean foothills. Big-game hunting is also a popular sport in Patagonia.

There are three major areas: the Rio Negro and Neuquen Province (access via Bariloche); Chubut Province (includes Puerto Madryn, Gaiman, Los Alerces National Park and Comodoro Rivadavia); and Santa Cruz Province (Rio Gallegos and Glaciers National Park).

Layered clothing, including a windbreaker, is a must, as it can dip below freezing traveling south, even during the hemisphere's summer months.

Los Glaciares National Park

Glaciers National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site 1,300 mi/2,080 km southwest of Buenos Aires, has some of the most spectacular sights in Argentina. One of the planet's few advancing glaciers, Perito Moreno Glacier periodically dams the Brazo Rico of Lago Argentino, causing the water to rise. Eventually the melting ice below can no longer support the weight of the water behind it, and the dam collapses in an explosion of ice and water.

This spectacular event had been occurring, on average, every four years until a 16-year lull struck in the 1980s and '90s. In March 2004, a dramatic collapse took place, much to the delight of visitors lucky enough to be there. It subsequently ruptured again in 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2016.

The 22-mi-/35-km-long glacier is spectacular, and from a series of catwalks and vantage points on the Peninsula Magallanes you can watch and listen as tremendous chunks of ice crash into the Canal de los Tempanos. Visitors in good physical condition can hike on the iceberg itself. Buses run from Calafate to Moreno during tourist season (November-February). You can take a one-hour boat ride to get near the glacier's walls.

In the far north of the park are Mount Fitzroy and Cerro Torre, popular with climbers and hikers. Chalten, the village closest to the mountains, can be reached by bus from El Calafate, which is the best base for visitors to the area. El Calafate is also a good jumping-off point for tours to the Torres del Paine National Park, across the border in Chile.

Torres del Paine

Puerto Natales

El Calafate