Patagonia: Natural History

Patagonia has legendary and spectacular landscapes and wildlife. It captivated early travellers and naturalists, with Charles Darwin as the most notable. Many areas are still as virgin as then. A must for current day eco-tourists and nature lovers, it has striking habitat contrasts. The Andean hills and valleys have forests of Southern Beech, while the plateaux to the east are instead windswept and dry. The emblematic Valdés Peninsula, however, teems with wildlife. Guanacos, Armadillos and the odd Mara (or Patagonian Hare) are readily found alongside Lesser Rheas and Crested Tinamous. Valdés is also known as a breeding site for Southern Right Whales, and a boat trip takes you right next to them.

There are also important rookeries of Southern Elephant Seals and Southern Sea Lions, as well as a huge Magellanic Penguin colony. The extreme south has more dramatic landscapes, and is a mecca for trekkers. Wide U-shaped glacial valleys, stunning granite massifs such as the Fitz Roy and the Paine towers, and glaciers like Upsala and Perito Moreno are renowned attractions. Across the Strait of Magellan is the island of Tierra del Fuego, so named for the fires that indigenous tribes used to light. From a boat trip along the Beagle Channel we will spot Southern Fur Seal and Imperial Shag colonies, and the albatrosses that live in this “uttermost part of the world”.

Punta Tombo has the highest concentration of Magellanic Penguins, and in the peak of their reproductive season over seven hundred thousand individuals can congregate here. For decades, scientists and naturalists have established their study campsites in this place during the months when birds spend a longer time inland. Each year several thousand tourists enjoy this spectacular reserve - certainly the most visited on the Argentine Atlantic coast - which also provides shelter to Cormorants, Terns, Foxes, Guanacos, Armadillos and other species.

The most important forest south of the Amazon is formed by a set of subtropical rainforests which includes the "Mata Atlantica", in the southern states of Brazil, and the Interior Atlantic Forest. Also known as "Selva Paranaense" or "Misionera" after the Jesuit missions which settled in the region, these forests host dozens of exclusive species of orchids, small primates, bats of rare habits and endemic birds. The international conservationist community has concentrated its efforts to protect the few remnants of this unique ecosystem.

The most important remnants of these forests - about a million hectares - are located in Misiones (Argentina). Most of them are linked in a big single block known as the Green Corridor.

This continuous forest is protected in Misiones by a number of reserves, as the worldwide known Iguazú National Park (Declared UNESCO Natural Heritage Site for the magnificent Iguazú Falls).

The emblematic and worldwide known Moreno glacier is the dramatic evidence of a remote era in which Patagonia was covered by glaciers. The (717,800 ha), harbours this - at present the only advancing glacier in Argentina - and 47 other huge glaciers which welcome visitors to their awe-inspiring beauty. This is a unique opportunity to experience the southern Patagonian terrain, carpeted with extremely cold Southern Beech forests, wide deserted terraces and impressive inland lakes. The site has been declared a Worldwide Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The Valdés Peninsula is the most particular landscape feature on the Argentine sea coast; a portion of Patagonia almost detached from the continent, just connected to it by the narrow isthmus called Carlos Ameghino. Its beaches, cliffs, gulfs and coves harbour the most astonishing array of wildlife. Its whole surface (362,500 hectares) is protected in a provincial reserve. It has been proclaimed by UNESCO as a Natural Heritage Site.