Patagonia | Girovai

If the outdoors with amazing scenery is your thing, Girovai.com gives you the opportunity to explore spectacular glaciers, the Andes and lakes, following paths used by the locals in this pristine part of the world shared by Argentina and Chile.

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Geography

With Its Attractive Scenery With Abundant Lakes, Canals, Marine, Hot Springs, Fjords And Dense Forests, Patagonia Offers A Rugged Beauty With Multiple Scenarios For Adventure Activities Close To Nature Such As Hiking, Ice Trekking, Kayaking Sea And River, Fishing And Horseback Riding, Among Other Options.

Patagonia is divided into two zones:

1) Western or Chilean Patagonia;

2) Eastern or Argentinian Patagonia .

Part of this zone of the Andes mountain range is the boundary between Chile and Argentina. However, both sides of the mountains have different characteristics.The large areas of eastern Patagonia are dominated by extensive plateaus crossed by “canyons.” Some of the plateaus are very high and difficult to access, as in the case of the Central Highlands of Santa Cruz or Somuncurá Plateau in Rio Negro. Eastern Patagonia presents abrupt geographical changes including depressions with their bottoms below the ocean, while other areas are relatively flat, known as “pampas”. Similar features are also present in the Magellanic sector of the territory under Chilean administration, much of the island of Tierra del Fuego and the area around Coyhaique, where elevations are low and generally flat or slightly undulating moraine. In eastern Patagonia there are mountain chains located parallel to the Andes, as Patagónides or Domuyo and several ranges of steep hills that “run” in latitudinal direction from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean.

During the last glaciation, Patagonia was covered by ice that greatly eroded its relief. Thus, in the western part of Patagonia, the Cordillera de la Costa gave rise to a series of archipielagos as the Chiloé and the Chonos to disappear in the Taitao Peninsula. Further south, the Andes mountain range loses height and erosion caused by the action of glaciers created the fjords. Already in the ocean, the Andes is dismembered creating countless islands and islets disappearing into Cabo de Hornos, sinking into the Drake Passage and reappearing at the Arc of the South West Indies and in the Antarctic Peninsula.

In the Patagonian Andes there are large masses of ice known as Ice Fields that correspond to the largest reserves of water in the Southern Hemisphere outside Antarctica.

Photo: Wikipedia.com

Wildlife

In The Southernmost Regions Of The Country, There Are Large Tracts Of Evergreen Forest, Emphasizing Its Economic Importance Guaitecas Cypress, Now Mostly Destroyed.

Towards inland, deciduous forests grow where Lenga dominates, and further east, large hard grass steppe formations.

In the southernmost part of the Patagonia, the vegetation is reduced to a few scrubby trees, such as cinnamon, coigüe of Magellan and ñirre, as well as various shrubs and grasses, lichens and mosses.

In the Patagonian steppes there are guanacos, rheas, piches, peludos, pumas, foxes, etc. In this area sheep ranching, which had in the “estancia” (ranch) its biggest social and cultural expression, was developed. The huemul present in Chile´s coat of arms, and that formerly inhabited much of the country, only survives in areas of difficult access in this zone. In the fauna of the coast there are: sea lions, elephant seals, penguins, petrels, cormorants and whales.

Photo: Wikipedia.com

History

The First Inhabitants Of Patagonia Were The “Chonos”, Who Began To Disappear In 1870. On The Other Hand, The Tehuelches, A Nomad People Who Came To Tierra Del Fuego, Left A Permanent Mark.

Today you can see the cave paintings left by the community as well as drawings and paintings that are sold as postcards in the region. The Tehuelches had contact with the Spanish conquistadors, whose horses were served to cover more territory in less time, and to market animals and animal skins.

Other indigenous peoples of the southernmost region were the Onas or Selknam, Yamanes or Yaganes and Alacalufes or Kaweskar. These nomad people settled in different locations, using the natural resources of the region to survive. Many lived only on what the ocean gave them, using what the animals need for food and the rest to build houses, boats, and clothing.

Exploration and conquest expeditions began in 1810 and the first villages were founded. Later, in the twentieth century, industrial and livestock enterprises arrived in Patagonia with the consequent migration of people towards the south of the country. Tierra del Fuego, meanwhile, received hundreds of people who came to their lands in search of gold, at the end of 1890. Today the region has enormous potential in both tourism and energy, that is why there are plants for the extraction of oil and coal in Tierra del Fuego.

Climate

Extremely Humid Climate Characterizes The South Coast Of Puerto Montt, Where Rainfall Often Exceed 2,000 Mm Annually.

The high frequency of frontal systems crossing the region from the West explains the high number of cloudy days (20 to 25 days per month). The ocean effect helps moderate temperatures, which are higher during the winter and lower during the summer, compared to that observed in the interior of the continent, at the same latitude. To the west of the region, the effect of “rain shadow” of the Andes, explains the considerably drier climate, where annual rainfall is lower.

To visit the Patagonia is recommended:

Good health.
Willingness to accept the unpredictable climate changes, characteristic feature of the world’s southernmost region.
Learn about the place that you will have the opportunity to explore.

What to wear

Dressing For Patagonia

Glasses with UV filters, sunscreen, lip balm, camera and video camera, extra batteries, binoculars, quick-dry shirt, fleece or similar jacket, waterproof breathable fabric jacket, fleece gloves or the like for the more chilly, fast drying fiber legs or leggings, waterproof trousers plus another pair of warm trousers, trekking shoes high pole to avoid spraining, sleeping bag synthetic fiber from -20 º C to 0 ° C, preferably small inflatable mattress.