Northern Patagonia

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The Carretera Austral between Coihaique and Cochrane.

Getty Images/Aurora Creative

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Overview

For a century, Northern Patagonia has been the most rugged and remote part of continental Chile, the place where scant pioneers quietly set forth a Wild West existence. While life here may still be tough for its residents, Northern Patagonia doesn't lack for scenery. Exuberant rainforest, scrubby steppe and unclimbed peaks crowd the horizon, but the essence of this place is water, from the clear cascading rivers to the turquoise lakes, massive glaciers and labyrinthine fjords.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

The guanaco (Lama guanicoe), a camelid native to South America, stands between 1.0 and 1.2 m at the shoulder and weighs 90 to 140 kg. Its color varies very little (unlike the domestic llama), ranging from a light brown to dark cinnamon and shading to white underneath. Guanacos have grey faces and small, straight ears. The name guanaco comes from the South American Quechua word huanaco (modern spelling: wanaku). Young guanacos are called chulengos.

Parque Nacional Patagonia

Northern Patagonia

Dubbed as the Serengeti of the Southern Cone, the 690-sq-km Parque Nacional Patagonia features Patagonian steppe, forests, mountains, lakes and lagoons…

La Confluencia

Northern Patagonia

Don't miss this dramatic viewpoint, where Chile's most powerful river, the Baker, froths into a broad, behemoth cascade before merging with the milkier,…

Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael

Northern Patagonia

Awesome and remote, this national park brings visitors face to face with the 30,000-year-old San Valentín glacier in Chile's Campo de Hielo Norte…

Parque Nacional Cerro Castillo

Northern Patagonia

Cerro Castillo's basalt spires are the crowning centerpiece of Parque Nacional Cerro Castillo, a sprawling 1800-sq-km park located 75km south of Coyhaique…

Parque Nacional Hornopirén

Northern Patagonia

Relatively unknown and not often accessed, Parque Nacional Hornopirén protects a lush wilderness of alpine terrain. It remains obscure mainly because…

Parque Nacional Queulat

Northern Patagonia

The 1540-sq-km Parque Nacional Queulat is a wild realm of rivers winding through forests thick with ferns and southern beech. When the sun is out it’s…

Reserva Nacional Coyhaique

Coyhaique

Draped in lenga, ñire and coigue, the 21.5-sq-km Reserva Nacional Coyhaique has small lakes and Cerro Cinchao (1361m). The park is 5km from Coyhaique …