Upland geese (Chloephaga picta), Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, Argentina.

The Andes Part 3: The Andes of Patagonia

Andes of Patagonia are virtually uninhabited. The highest mountains are covered with extensive icefields. In the far south, the mountains continue to Tierra del Fuego and the Scotia Arc.

Views of Cerro Fitzroy, PN Los Glaciares, Argentina.

Torres del Paine, Chile.

The eastern slope is very windy and relatively dry, with intermontane valleys either covered with shortgrass steppe or filled with huge glacial lakes. The southern part of that area is the most scenic. Parque Nacional Torres del Paine in Chile and Parque Nacional Los Glaciares in Argentina have some of the world's most impressive mountain landscapes, such is Fitzroy Range (above). Remote and pristine just a decade ago, these parks are now popular tourist destinations.

Clouds, PN Torres del Paine.

Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, Argentina.

Perito Moreno Glacier in bad weather.

Perito Moreno in PN Los Glaciares is now the most visited glacier in South America.

Perito Moreno Glacier in good weather.

Perito Moreno Glacier flows from the South Patagonian Icefield.

Perito Moreno Glacier enters the forest in some years.

This glacier is easily accessible. It's also very active. Small-scale calving can usually be seen every hour or two; larger icebergs break off at least once a day.

Alfa male guanaco on a lookout. PN Los Glaciares.

River flowing out of Perito Moreno Glacier.

Edge of Perito Moreno Glacier forms a tiny ice shelf.

Chilean flamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensis), PN Los Glaciares.

Andean foothills have plenty of wildlife, such as guanacos, pumas and huge concentrations of birds, especially around small lakes. In winter some wildlife is easier to see, but the weather can be brutal.

Chilean flamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensis), PN Los Glaciares.

Giant Gunnera plants, Parque Nacional Chiloe.

My car in Gunnera "forest", Parque Nacional Chiloe.

Rainbow over Carretera Austral in Parque Nacional Queluat.

The western side of Patagonian Andes is no less scenic, but seldom visited. It is a labyrynth of fjords, islands, and channels, with slopes covered by dense temperate rainforests, mostly of southern beech (Notofagus). It can be accessed by Puerto Montt-Puerto Natales ferry, or by Carretera Austral, one of the most beautiful and remote highways in the world. Most of the region is now protected by a network of huge, very pristine National parks.

Unidentified flower, Carretera Austral in PN Queluat.

The most famous flowers of Chile include 12 species of Calceolaria (left) and 35 species of Alstroermia (right, with Brachysternus beetle). Isla Chiloe.

Melpa (Empetrum rubrum), Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael, Chile.

This area has a lot of endemic plants, most of them survivors of ancient Antarctic flora. Parasitic plants are especially diverse. Wildlife includes two endemic species of deer, numerous rodents, and some little-known predators such as Patagonian weasel (Lyncodon patagonicus).

Unidentified parasitic plant, Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael, Chile.

Sunday in Balmacedo, Southern Chile.

Carretera Austral, Parque Nacional Hornopiren.

Notophagus forest, Parque Nacional Queluat.

Many parts of the region have never been explored thoroughly. If there is a place on Earth where you might still hope to find dinosaurs, it's probably the remote valleys of Southern Chile. Cold-resistant dinosaurs have lived there in the past; other "living fossils" are still present.

Hanging Glacier, Parque Nacional Queluat.

Perito Moreno Glacier.

Part 4. The Andes of Argentina

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