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Visual Adventure: Patagonia

For a wide array of landscapes and geography, look no further than Patagonia. There’s lakes, mountain ranges, glaciers, forests, and even volcanos! With a wealth of national parks to explore, your camera’s shutter will be working overtime as you attempt to capture all the postcard-perfect shots that Patagonia has to offer. Here’s a few examples!

by Greg Snell Posted on 18 September 2013

For a wide array of landscapes and geography, look no further than Patagonia. There's lakes, mountain ranges, glaciers, forests, and even volcanos! With a wealth of national parks to explore, your camera's shutter will be working overtime as you attempt to capture all the postcard-perfect shots that Patagonia has to offer. Here's a few examples!

A panoramic of the viewpoint from Lago los Tres at the base of Mt. Fitz Roy. This is the highlight of the 18km round trip hike from El Chalten in the Argentine Patagonia.
A Magellanic Penguin calls in vain for its mate on the Isla Magdalena outside of Punta Arenas, Chile. The island plays host to 75,000 breeding pairs of these little guys every Patagonian summer (Nov.-April). These Penguins mate for life, once and only once. Amazing!
This is the north face of the Perito Moreno glacier in (aptly named) Glacier National Park, Argentina. The most famous glacier in Patagonia reaches some 32km back and 8km across. It is truly a sight to be seen and luckily easily accessible from El Calafate.
Guanacos! The long lost cousin of the Lama, Vicuña, and Alpaca lives in the far south reaches of stunning Patagonia. They are completely wild and a protected species in both Chile and Argentina. This photo was shot in Torres del Paine National Park where the resident Guanacos are somewhat domesticated and getting a good close up is relatively easy.
A great overview of the Paine Massive taken from Lago Pehue in Torres del Paine National Park. This the famed W trek starting on the far right with the Torres, crossing the Cuernos (horns), going up the middle into the French Valley, then around Paine Grande eventually ending up in the Grey Glacier trough before exiting via this lake. Quite the stunning view to say goodbye to an amazing four days hiking 60kms.
Three awesome G travellers, Lucy, Karina, and Jess jump for joy (in their matching shirts) upon reaching Lago los Tres on an absolutely perfect day visiting the base of Mt. Fitz Roy in the northern reaches of Glacier National Park outside El Chalten, Argentina.
This is a personal favourite, a simple shot highlighting the beauty of the Lenga (beech) forest which defines much of the Patagonia mountain landscape. This shot was taken mid April in the height of Fall down south. Note the colours. Love it!
This is something most people don’t think about when they think about Patagonia, the inside of a prison. Ushuaia, Argentina was originally set up a s a penal colony for high profile and political prisoners. The prison has now been turned into a naval, Antartic, and local history museum. It truly an amazing sight to be seen and a must visit for anyone in the ‘furthest most reaches of the earth’.
Volcan Osorno outside of Puerto Varas, Chile is a classic post card shot. This is a much see in the northern Patagonia and Chilean Lake District. The perfect cone is smothered in glacial ice and snow covered all year round. There are many hiking trails along its base and it is actually possible to circumnavigate the volcano in one (very long) day. There is also a ski hill operating in winter and options to trek the summit for those daring enough to try. I still find it somewhat amusing that someone would want to invest in a ski resort on a volcano.
This is a great reflection shot taken at the Lago Amargo lookout just before entering Torres del Paine National Park. It is a good contrast to my other Paine Massive overview photo above. This one was taken before the W trek and I can personally attest to the completely different mindset one has before and after the famous 60km route. The photos change as does the photographer’s mood. This shot was the perfect early morning reflection that I just had to capture as the excitement of the day of hiking lay before me.
Self portrait of the photographer at a lookout point over Mt Torre in the northern reaches of Glacier National Park outside of El Chalten, Argentina.
Tags: Glacier National Park, Glaciers, Lago los Tres, Mountains, Mount Fitz Roy, National Park, Patagonia, Penguins, Perito Moreno Glacier, South America, Torres del Paine, Travel Photography, volcanoes
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