Argentina Guide
Patagonia
Parque Nacional Los Glaciares
Declared a "Patrimony of Humanity" by UNESCO in 1981, the wild expanse of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares encompasses environments ranging from enormous glaciers that flow down from the heights of the Hielo Continental Sur to thick, sub-Antarctic woodland of deciduous lenga and ñire, and evergreen guindo and canelo; and from savage, rain-lashed, unclimbed crags to dry, billiard-table Patagonian meseta. The vast majority of this is off-limits to the public, and most will visit only the Fitz Roy sector for superb trekking in the north and the sightseeing area in the south around the GlaciarPerito Moreno, one of the world's most famous glaciers. Serving as bases for these two areas are the villages of El Chaltén, in the north, and El Calafate, in the south, both of which cater well to a burgeoning influx of outdoor enthusiasts.