Introducing Southern Patagonia

Mysterious, storied Patagonia may claim the lower third of Chile, but the heart and the ethos of the region lie in the southern states of Magallanes (Magellan), Última Esperanza (Last Hope) and Tierra del Fuego (The Land of Fire). Along with the deep Amazon and a few stretches of Alaska, this area at the bottom of the Americas is the final frontier of the New World. It is here that you will find the imposing rocky spires of Torres del Paine, islands inhabited only by penguin colonies, hard livin' gauchos, and the raw landscapes and remote towns that attracted the likes of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Through much of this region, the lines are blurred between Argentina and Chile (although the border guards don't think so). There is much more Argentine-Chilean bonhomie than you will find in the north; this is the only place in the country where you may spy an elusive Chilean cheering for the Argentine national soccer team (not against Chile, of course). Like many locals it is likely that you will skip back and forth between the two countries.

The main destination in Southern Patagonia is Chile's Parque Nacional Torres del Paine and the seemingly obligatory 'W' trek. Arguably the best park in Latin America, Paine attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, but does not yield its charm or mountainous magic. Other visitors come to see the crumbling icy glaciers that illustrate how this land was carved out millennia before humans set foot on the continent. Some travelers just want to head as far south as possible to say that they have been to the 'end of the world.'