Hello dear travelers. In my first post about our South American trip, I shared with you the Iguaçu Park. This time I want to talk about the journey we made in Argentine and Chilean Patagonia. During our trip, we had the chance to see world wonders such as the Great Perito Moreno Glacier, unique animals and breathtaking natural landscapes. If you're looking for a tourism route where nature is still pristine and the scenery enchants you I believe Patagonia is perfect for you.
Our journey began in the city of Punta Arenas in Chile. The magnificent mansions and palaces in the city center remind one of its former glory. There's also a statue called World Tour placed here to commemorate Magellan's first circumnavigation. Here you can see how his ships looked and imagine how challenging and dangerous those exploration voyages were.
Later we set off to Torres del Paine National Park and along the way, we took a short break in the coastal town of Puerto Natales, famous for its scenic harbor and lively atmosphere. We were lucky to catch a glimpse of llamas similar to guanacos, mammals living in South America.
Torres del Paine National Park is spectacular with its stunning landscapes. Here you can find almost all the landscapes of Patagonia, glaciers, subpolar forests, steppes and the Andes mountain deserts. It's a wonderful place to enjoy the tranquility nature offers us. We spent the night in a cozy wooden hotel at the foot of the mountain, where we met hospitable locals who treated us to a real Patagonian meal called asado, which is a traditional dish made of grilled meat popular among shepherds in Argentine and Chilean Patagonia.
After spending a cold and snowy night,we explored the scenic terraces of the park a bit more and once again enjoyed the magnificent snowy landscape. We then headed towards Argentina, especially to the town of El Calafate. It's an extremely interesting place. This small, charming town mainly thrives on tourism. According to legend, everyone who tastes the barberry fruits here returns. In reality once you come to El Calafate, you wouldn't want to leave. However what kept me awake at night was the excitement of visiting the next Perito Moreno Glacier, so we headed straight there without hesitation.
This glacier is considered the eighth wonder of the world due to its uniqueness and beaut and it's worth seeing. You'd think you could touch the blueness of the ice with your own hands. Perito Moreno is just one of the many glaciers that feed the southern region. We were fortunate to visit the glacier by purchasing a boat tour ticket. During the tour, you can sit in a warm room and observe this natural wonder in all its splendor by standing on the upper deck.
After our tour on the boat, we still couldn't leave this wonderful place and decided to go to a special observation platform to see it from a different perspective. From there, we enjoyed the views of the mountains and even managed to catch one of the landslides.
There are several wonderful hotel options with lake views in El Calafate. Some even organize shows where pink flamingos dance on the lake in the evenings. Here you can feel all the passion of traditional Argentine tango.
The next day, we headed back to Chile and stopped at a restaurant on the way. There, we had a perfect dinner with delicious Patagonian lamb, bananas and cinnamon-flavored natural desserts. We also had the opportunity to enjoy their specially prepared coffees.
As our journey continued, we encountered more landscapes and interesting rock formations. Finally we visited the Marble Caves, one of the most beautiful cave systems in the world. These caves are located on the largest limestone peninsula in the world and are almost in the center of General Carrera Lake. You can explore this natural wonder with tour boats and boats and at low water levels, you can even enter the caves.
The next day we crossed into Argentina. There we went to a town called Bariloche and had dinner at a restaurant called "Patakon" which is famous for its wooden architecture and is known as a place visited by former President Bill Clinton from time to time. We tried the region's specialties of lamb and beef dishes and were pleased with their authentic flavors. To complete our acquaintance with Bariloche, we took a cable car to the summit of "Cerro Campanario" one of the city's popular tourist spots. The view was amazing. Since it was a sunny day, we were able to enjoy the snow almost like cream.
I recommend everyone to visit these places of magnificent beauty. I hope you also visit this enchanting Patagonia. Thank you for reading.