Hiking Patagonia Offers a Range of Terrains in One Trip
Do it alone or take a guided tour
For exotic vistas and exhilarating challenges, you can't beat hiking Patagonia. The region encompasses parts of Argentina and Chile and incorporates the glorious Andes mountains on the western and southern sides and intriguing plains and plateaux to the eastern side. Such varied landscapes offer hiking enthusiasts the opportunity to experience different terrains in the one expedition. Thus, hiking Patagonia offers an irresistible invitation to put on the boots, grab the backpack and head to South America.
Not only are there steep rises and awesome open spaces to enjoy but the region offers fresh water streams, glistening ponds and lakes, and also the southern hemisphere's largest ice-fields besides those found in Antarctica. Hiking Patagonia affords the opportunity to tread amongst hugely interesting topography and geology and to share the region with an abundance of animal species, including a seemingly incongruous neighboring of penguins and condors. In fact, bird watching is a popular pursuit in the Patagonian area.
Tour companies
A number of different travel companies offer tours of Patagonia and whether you are looking for a tame vacation experience or a full-on, do-it-tough expedition, there are choices to suit. You can go it alone or enjoy the company of others on a fully organized itinerary designed to show you the best the region has to offer. Hiking Patagonia needn't be about roughing it because there are tours that offer very comfortable accommodations, including hygienic toilets, the latest tents and even hot showers. You can camp, bed down at a refugio or indulge at a top class hotel. Travel the lakes and summits, visit the glaciers, take a guided tour to more remote parts such as Tierra del Fuego, and enjoy it all with the assistance of English speaking guides as well as wonderful food and copious information.
For those who have energy to burn, try a combined hiking/kayaking trip. The only thing better than hiking Patagonia is kayaking it as well! There are trips that utilize horseback riding as transportation to some of the best hiking spots in the world, and you also get to kayak stunning waterways with all the safety equipment you could require.
Climate
More adventurous hikers will not be dictated to by climatic variations, however those who prefer less arduous conditions will prefer hiking Patagonia when and where temperatures are more comfortable. Patagonia's eastern slope's temps are commonly higher than those on the chillier west. The western slope also receives a far greater annual rainfall so this may make it more of a challenge as well. For hiking, the Patagonian landscape is best enjoyed during the southern summer, that is between December and March.
What's not to like?
Patagonia is a region full of contradictions with its icy fjords and snow-capped mountains combined with volcanoes, plus its extraordinary array of wildflowers one moment and practically zero vegetation the next. A surprise around every turn is a good way to describe hiking Patagonia and you will find that the memories you bring back from such a trip will have you craving to return soon.