Patagonia, a song of Ice and Fire

Patagonia is a region located at the southern end of South America, shared by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes mountains as well as the deserts, steppes and grasslands east of this southern portion of the Andes. The Colorado River is usually considered its northern boundary in Argentine territory. To the west, it includes the territory of Valdivia through Tierra del Fuego archipelago. Patagonia has two coasts; a western one towards the Pacific Ocean and an eastern one towards the Atlantic Ocean.

In South America's southern frontier, nature, long left to its own devices, grows wild, barren and beautiful. Spaces are large, as are the silences that fill them. For those who come here, an encounter with such emptiness can be as awesome as the sight of jagged peaks, pristine rivers and dusty backwater oases.

The name Patagonia is said to be derived from Patagones, as the Tehuelche Indians, the region's original inhabitants, were called by 16th-century Spanish explorers. According to one account, Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese navigator who led the first European expedition into the area, coined that name because the appearance of the Tehuelche reminded him of Patagon, a dog-headed monster in the 16th-century Spanish romance Amadís of Gaul.

Patagonia is the land of Torres del Paine National Park, of famous Mount Fitz Roy and Parque Nacional Los Glaciares with the famous Perito Moreno Glacier and the Lake District.

Desert and semi-desert cover the Patagonian tableland that extends from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean. The general aspect of this tableland is one of vast steppe like plains, rising in terrace fashion from high coastal cliffs to the foot of the Andes.

South of the Negro River, the plains are much more irregular. Volcanic eruptions occurred in this area until fairly recent times, and basaltic sheets covered the tableland east of Lakes Buenos Aires and Pueyrredón.

Travel through Patagonia to experience its magnificent animal and plant life, the change from icy castles of the glaciers to calm lakes, volcanic landscapes and desserts, and sit outside during the night and revel in the cold distant light of the stars marveling and the clarity of the Milky Way embracing the sky above you.

Patagonia is known for being a place where mysteries and strange things often happen. This beautiful area invites visitors to live an extraordinary journey while learning about local life and lore.

Argentinian Patagonia is rich not just in history but also in myths and legends, transmitted as an oral tradition passed from generation to generation.

One of the most renowned stories is the Kooch, the creator.

The Tehuelches tell that, a long time ago, there weren

When he realized what had he done he stopped crying and he sighed. And that deep sigh was the first wind which started blowing constantly pushing through the fog and waving the sea. That's how the fog went away and the clarity was born.

After that, the sun created the clouds which started travelling through the sky. And the wind pushed them to their liking, sometimes gently, sometimes so violently that made them collide. Then the clouds complained with thunder rumbling and threatened with punitive brightness of lightning. Then, Kooch created an island, where he put the animals, the plants, the birds, the insects and the fishes. The life was great, so Kooch went away to continue creating life.

Photo credits: Dmitry Pichugin, Pablo Caridad, James Broome, Mogens Trolle.