11 Things I Still Can’t Believe I Experienced in Patagonia

Hike through some of the world’s most remote and endemic environments in Torres del Paine National Park, and feel the earth shake under your feet as you witness giant snowpack shaking loose from craggy peaks. Even if you aren’t in eyesight of the awesome monstrosity—you’re bound to hear the shudder.

Going with a guide can be a huge advantage in spotting wildlife. A field expert can help point out things an untrained eye might never consider looking for, like a mama puma frolicking with her cubs—early in the morning and dusk are the best times for puma spotting.

[Author’s note: We spotted a mother and cubs and a solo hunter, but the photos came out awful because I was too excited.]

You don’t need to be a biologist to spy earth doing its thing all over Patagonia. Walk the trails to witness superlative nature—even a random tree felling alongside your path.

Fill up your water bottles from the cleanest, coldest freshest source you’ll ever taste. With a hint of mineral for extra yum.

Glacial lakes in Patagonia are a milky electric blue, colored by the slowly pulverized rocks of Andean glaciers turning land into fine-grained sediments called glacial flour. A flock of dazzling pink flamingos on the water pop with saturated surrealism to shock the muted tones of the prehistoric land.

The chilla, or South American gray fox, may dart alongside your travels unseen—unless you’re lucky enough to watch a domesticated dog chase him into plain site (absolutely no hunting!). Most horseback rides are accompanied by a guiding baqueano, or Chilean cowboy, and their trusty pup by their side. The pair can help tourists spot the wildlife they might otherwise overlook.

“Just having lunch.” Fodors’s Editor @rachaellevitt watches wild horses gallop across Patagonia from her hotel #visitchile #fodorsonthego

A post shared by fodorstravel (@fodorstravel) on Apr 6, 2017 at 10:51am PDT

Baguales, or wild horses, run free in Torres del Paine National Park. The unpredictability of their appearance only enhances the enchantment—like they’ve deigned to visit and grace you with their untamable fierceness.

Almost 40,000 acres of Torres del Paine National Park burned in 2012, a fire caused by grossly irresponsible tourists’ conduct. The native forests mature over 200 years, so there is no quick fix to repopulating the trees. Scorched remains serve as a ferocious reminder to protect the fragile environmental conditions and practice strict observation of park rules.

The sunlight bends over the end of the world in gorgeous light. Because of Patagonia’s location at the bottom of South America and its steep changes in altitude, the scene is set for exquisite sunrise and sets, often illuminating the sky pinks and purples that extend in a sunset that completely encompasses.

Many of the native fauna in Patagonia has grown used to human activity in their peripheral. Because of that, guanaco, a type of camelid that resembles a llama or alpaca, charge the roads, unafraid of vehicles stopping or going. Rheas, non-flying ostrich-like birds, peck around the brush without notice to snapping tourists.

It’s been said that the Southern Hemisphere is the better half for star-gazing, and from the darkness of Patagonian night, you can clearly spot lots of good stuff. Globular clusters, neighboring galaxies, nebula, and the Milky Way all twinkle and shine alongside the brightest stars in the night sky: Sirius, Canopus, and Alpha Centuari.