What to do in Patagonia? The Hiking Mecca of South America

February 13 2009, 6:17pm

Panoramic view from the Bader valley in Torres del Paine, Chile Being in Patagonia was one of my lifetime dreams.  I clearly remember once that I was watching in TV a documentary of Torres del Paine (Chile), and thought that I should visit that place.  Later, when I started climbing, I heard stories of climbers in Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, I was specially attracted by those stories about strong winds that can pull you out from the wall, or that the rope goes up instead of going down when you throw it for rappelling.  So many things I read and I heard, including of course those videos of Ermanno Salvaterra, an italian man that is in love with Patagonia and Cerro Torre.  All those things together made me think that I had to be there, someday. And so, that day arrived, on December 27th, 2008 I was flying to Santiago de Chile, took long bus rides for days and finally arrived to Patagonia, the house of some of the most beautiful mountains and landscapes of the world (at least for me).  I also had the chance to hike up there, to the base of some of these wonderful peaks.  Now, I am back in Ecuador, with the strong feeling that I will soon be back to Patagonia, and thinking that any person that likes outdoors and nature should go there, at least once.  If you are one of those, you will absolutely fall in love with Patagonia. During the next few weeks I will share with you some of my experiences in this part of the world, information about traveling and the highlights of a couple of cities.  Enjoy them.

Fitz Roy Cord