
Patagonia © Chile Tourism
The fjords, glaciers and magnificent scenery of the Patagonian
region are what attract visitors to this vast wilderness territory.
The north, or Aisén region, can be likened to the Inside
Passage of Alaska or New Zealand's Fjordland on South Island with
its dramatic ice and waterway scenery. Southern Patagonia or
Magallanes, is rugged, mountainous and stormy.
The gravel highway known as the Camino Austral is the access
point to one of the world's last great expanses of wilderness that
makes up northern Patagonia. It begins at the port of
Chaitén and continues to the capital of the region,
Coihaique, and both are good bases for trips in the area. The most
popular attraction in this region, despite the difficulty and
expense of getting here, is the two million-hectare (four
million-acre), glacier-filled Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael,
which has some of the world's most spectacular mountain and fjord
scenery.
Magallanes features glacially sculpted mountains and harsh
landscapes with Torres del Paine National Park the most famous of
the southern region's protected areas. Further south is the town of
Puerto Natales, terminus of the extraordinary ferry trip through
the fjords from Puerto Montt, and exploration base for the
region.
Attractions

San Rafael Lagoon © Vincent Huang/Jespinos
Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael
Created in 1959, the park covers an area of 6,726 square miles
(17,420 sq km) and includes the Northern Patagonian Ice Field. It
was named for the San Rafael Lagoon that was created by the retreat
of the San Rafael Glacier, and has...
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Torres del Paine National Park
Parque Nacional Torres del Paine
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the 180,000-hectare (442-acre) park is
the pride and joy of southern Chile. The park takes its name after
the towering granite pillars that rise over 6,560 feet (2,000m)
above the Patagonian plains. It is a hiker's paradise with many
excellent, well-developed...
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