Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael

One of Chile's largest parks, extending 168 square km (65 square miles), Laguna San Rafael encompasses the length of Chile's vast northern Patagonia ice fields. The main attraction at this park is the San Rafael glacier, which begins 4,056 meters (13,310 feet) above sea level at Mount San Valentín. Also located within the park, San Valentín is the highest peak in the southern Andean mountain range. While there are opportunities for serious hikers to go trekking here, it's the glacier that most visitors stop at to breathlessly watch gigantic chunks of ice continually split off its brilliant blue sides and thunderously crash into the lagoon.