Things to do in  Patagonia

Part of the UNESCO–listed Los Glaciares National Park, Perito Moreno is known as one of the most beautiful glaciers in the world. The third largest in Argentina, it’s one of South America's last advancing glaciers, and boasts an area that’s bigger than Buenos Aires. But facts aside, this section of the South Patagonian ice field is a vision of crackling celestial blue, especially when you witness gigantic chunks of ice crashing into the water below.

PaLos Glaciares National Park (Parque Nacional Los Glaciares) protects Argentina’s wild Patagonian expanses of icy glaciers and mountain lakes. With a massive 47 glaciers, the Andean ice cap is the largest outside Antarctica and Greenland. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to several natural wonders, including Perito Moreno Glacier and Mount Fitz Roy.

When travelers make their way to the far southern reaches of Argentina, chances are they’re heading into Tierra del Fuego National Park. The country’s only coastal national park protects the Andean-Patagonian forest, a land of peat bogs, beech forests, glistening lakes, remote beaches, and snow-capped peaks ideal for outdoor adventures.

The epic massifs at Torres del Paine National Park (Parque Nacional Torres del Paine) draw visitors to an area of unspoiled beauty in the wilderness of Chilean Patagonia. But while the granite towers are a well-known symbol of the park, the landscape offers many additional natural wonders to admire; glittering lakes, glaciers, and ancient forests sit beneath the snow-capped spires of the Cordillera del Paine.

The snow-capped cone of Osorno Volcano is one of Chile’s most recognizable landmarks. Towering over Lake Todos Los Santos and Lake Llanquihue in the Andean mountain range, Osorno is the starting point of Chilean Patagonia and is a magnet for adventurous outdoor enthusiasts who come here to ski, hike, and trek.

Milodon Cave (Cueva del Milodón is a Chilean Natural Monument and site of paleontological interest. It was here that, in 1896, German explorer Eberhard Hermann found the fur and bones of a Mylodon, an extinct huge ground sloth. With a small museum and displays, the site pays homage to its former inhabitant.

This glacial lake in the south of Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego National Park entices outdoor enthusiasts with its fishing spots, Patagonian forest hikes, and shoreline campsites. Crossing the border into Chile, where it becomes Lago Errazuriz, the area is also a convenient launch point for wider Andean adventure.

The roaring waters of Chile’s Petrohué Waterfalls (Saltos del Petrohué) tumble through the lush, volcanic landscape of Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park in Patagonia. The falls’ steps are made up of dramatic basalt formations, brought to the surface eons ago by the snow-capped Osorno Volcano, which rises photogenically above the cascade.

Located in Vicente Perez Rosales National Park, Lake Todos los Santos is often referred to as Lago Esmerelda due to the vivid emerald color of its waters. Formed by both glacial and volcanic activity, the 69-square-mile (111-square-kilometer lake is ideal for kayaking, swimming, and fishing, and promises unobstructed views of the Osorno Volcano.

In the heart of Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park, Lago Nordenskjold (Nordenskjold Lake) is famed for its unique milky turquoise color and magnificent waterfall, Salto Grande. Walking along the lake’s shore affords spectacular views of Valle Frances (French Valley) and the Paine Massif and the chance to spot wildlife such as condors and guanacos.

The second-largest lake in Chile, Llanquihue sits at the base of the near-perfect conically shaped Osorno Volcano, creating a defining image of the country’s Lake District. This is the starting point of Chilean Patagonia and—with its beautiful scenery and bounty of activities on offer—a magnet for outdoor enthusiasts.

Established in 1926, Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park is Chile’s oldest national park. Natural highlights include the Osorno, Puntiagudo, and Tronador volcanoes, and Lago Todos los Santos, hailed as one of the most beautiful lakes in Chile.

Only reachable via one of Patagonia’s most iconic treks, Laguna de los Tres is an ultra-marine lake with a backdrop of jagged mountains. The glacier lake sits in the shadow of Mt. Fitz Roy, a mountain that threatens one of the planet’s most-challenging ascents. The trek to the lake is 1 miles (25 kilometers long.

Tumbling into Grey Lake (Lago Grey) in the heart of Torres del Paine National Park, massive Grey Glacier is almost 100 feet (30 meters) high at its peak. An arresting backdrop of snowcapped mountains adds to the glacier’s frozen enchantment.

The Nao Victoria Museum in Punta Arenas invites visitors to explore replicas of world-famous ships, including Magellan’s Nao Victoria, Shackleton’s James Caird lifeboat, and the HMS Beagle, which a young Darwin called home for five years. Replicas of antique weapons, sailing instruments, and important documents are also displayed.