Patagonia Holidays & Tailor-made Tours

One of the world's great wilderness regions, stretching from the Colorado River to the straits of Magellan. In between, discover lakes, volcanoes, mountains, fjords, glaciers and incredibly scenic countryside much of it protected National Parks. Remote and invigorating!

The region of Patagonia was named by the Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan in the 16th century and translates to the huge area of land. The area ranges from the south of the Colorado River and extends south to the straits of Magellan. Most of Patagonia is actually in Argentina, where much of the land except the Andes is vast and flat. Chilean Patagonia splits into district areas, from the Chilean Lake District and the island of Chiloe in the north leading to Patagonia National Park, with its centre in the Chacabuco Valley. The park is over 3,000 square kilometres in size, much of it left for the restoration of wildlife and nature. Continuing south the Chilean Fjords are a magnificent coastal region south of Chiloe Island to the southernmost tip of the country and inland the famous Torres del Paine National Park. Patagonia is not a region of Chile; the region of Aysen covers most of Chilean Patagonia.

The region remains one of the world’s great wildernesses, with volcanoes, lakes and picturesque countryside in the Lake District, the mighty Andes dominating on your left as you travel south through remote country and small towns. It is harder to travel overland near the coast, as the topography is dominated by fjords and glaciers that tip into the sea. The best way to explore the coast is on a Skorpios expedition cruise from either Puerto Montt or Puerto Natales. Skorpios’s  custom-made ships can sail through ice-fields and close to the glaciers, as well as sailing through scenic and remote fjords.

Inland from the fjords brings you to the incredibly scenic Torres del Paine National Park, famed for its three granite towers. There are an excellent choice of lodges to suit all budgets and local trekking guides will create itineraries suited to your fitness and other requirements.

At the southern tip of Chilean Patagonia is Punta Arenas, a small city some interesting museums on the history, flora and fauna or the region. Punta Arenas is also the gateway for 4-night Australis cruises to Cape Horn, or longer expedition cruises to Antarctica.     

The best time of visit depends on how south you wish to go. If you just want to experience the lake district, the weather here has a lovely mediterranean climate with warm spring, summer and Autumn from October to April. Further south and the weather is cooler year round. December and January is the most popular high season due to up to 18 hours per day of sunshine - an ideal time for trekking and observing the scenery, wildlife and birds, Spring and Autumn travel to Southern Patagonia can also be highly rewarding with fewer tourists and cheaper prices. In the south, the region remains closed in their winter (May to September).