It is getting late so soon I will have to return to my small hut in the woods. I am soaked, covered with mud but incredibly happy. Finally I was able to “conquer” an old dream. I am alone in an evergreen forest surrounded by huge trees covered with moss, epiphytes and lianas. Everything is green and wet with birds singing strange calls from the depth of the bamboo shrubs. And no, I am not in the Amazon, Congo or in the middle of Borneo rainforest. I am in one of the last pristine temperate forests of the world. I am in Chile in the heart of Puyehue National Park.

I had always dreamed about visiting Patagonia and finally I could make it true. As a Forestry Engineer I came to Chile to research southern temperate forests. And here, I could discover first hand the pure beauty of Patagonia. Its primeval forests, its deep gorges and wild rivers, its glaciers and lakes, its granite walls and needles, its volcanoes and mountains, its fjords and islands…

Now, almost 12 years later, many others have followed this first trip. I have been lucky enough to visit Chile with my camera from north to south, from east to west, and even the magical island of Rapa Nui. Nowadays I no longer write down scientific data on my notebook, I just try to capture the beauty of nature in my photos and films. And that is why I try to return to Chile, so I can always see such amazing places again, to touch them with my own hands.

I honestly believe that Chile is one of the most beautiful countries of the world. A country blessed with awesome landscapes and a very unique flora and fauna. A land of great wilderness, a land of contrast…

WRITTEN BY RA√öL TOMAS GRANIZO