Wilderness in South America

Situated way down south on the Southern Patagonian Ice Field is the village of El Chaltén popular amongst hikers, campers and adventurers as a gateway to the Los Glaciares National Park. Stopping in at the ranger’s station close to the entrance of town, visitors can obtain a photocopied map of the national park and venture out by themselves on a number of day trip and overnight hiking trails. Don’t let the photocopied map on an A4 piece of paper discourage you as the trails are well marked and most lead to the same spot at the camp close to Mt. Fitz Roy. The mountain is the tallest in the area, standing at 3,375 m which is small by South American standard’s. It does however create a challenging walk for climbers taking the windy route to the glacial pool situated at the base of the mountain.

Braving the cold environment and the bitter wind of Southern Patagonia, the small town known as El Calafate is named after the small purple, edible berry found in the region. It is popular amongst hikers, walkers and four-wheel-drive enthusiasts (evident by the large amount of Land Rover Defenders) and due to its vicinity with the southern Andes, people flock to El Calafate to catch a glimpse of the giant Perito Moreno Glacier, which is one of the most active and accessible glaciers in the world. Fragments of the glacier brake off every hour creating a thunder through the valley and a popular sight with tourists standing at the ready with cameras rolling. The boardwalk system devised by the Argentines is first class allowing visitors to see the whole leading edge of the glacier from the safety of the opposing hillside.

Torres del Paine National Park covers approximately 180,000 acres, and one can easily spend 2-3 days in the park. The area is beautiful and very varied with mountains, glaciers, forests, beautiful ice blue lakes and is covered with fire bushes with bright red flowers. A number of mammals live there, for instance several fox species, guanacos (a llama species), huemuls (a deer species) and pumas - the latter very rarely. It is also here that the mountain range Torres del Paine is located, and when trekking to the higher peaks, it can be a challenge to stand firm on the hillside, where you encounter the wild winds of Patagonia.

The cloud forests in the eastern part of Ecuador make up for some of the birthplaces of the mighty Amazonian rainforest. Waters here eventually trickle, little by little, down to the Amazon basin. Well, the water all trickles except for the thunderous San Rafael Waterfalls which has a drop of 150 m. Not frequently visited, the falls are the largest known falls in the country. Viewing areas are easily accessible from the main road heading up to Lago Agrio. However, due to some unsavoury (read dangerous) activity in the region, few people make it out this way. The falls are well developed, with trails and viewing platforms. Sadly, with a hydro-electric dam planned for a bit upstream, the days of the mighty falls are certainly numbered, a real shame. See it now while you can.

With vast swathes of jungle area, Venezuela is a great place for swapping car horns for howler monkeys. Unquestionably, the easiest place to do so is where the mighty Orinoco river spills out into the ocean at the Delta del Orinoco National Park. Several jungle camps are well set up as bases for jungle walks, wildlife spotting and visits to the villages of the indigenous Warao people. Knowledgeable local guides teach you the ins and outs of sustainable living both on the myriad of waterways and in the seemingly endless untouched jungle. Be prepared for up close encounters with many plants and animals plus a tasting of a few of them. A wild experience.