The Aysen region is one of the great undiscovered destinations of Chilean Patagonia.
Here you will find the world renowned white-water of the Futaleufu river, the marble caves on Lake General Carrera, the San Rafael Glacier, the Quelat Hanging Glacier and stunning scenery.
This part of the country is the least densely populated, so if you want to get away from the crowds this is the place to come.
Access has always been difficult to the region – the principal airport Balmaceda and it was only opened up less than 30 years ago, with the construction of the Austral Road from north to south.
Bariloche is the jewel in Argentina’s Lake District Crown.
Beautiful mountains, forests and lakes make this area perfect for anyone who likes the outdoors.
You can kayak, bike and hike around the stunning scenery of Nahuel Huapi National park.
Or perhaps hike to amazing viewpoints with panoramas over a geographically stunning area of great beauty.
Bariloche also offers the Cruce Andino Lake Crossing into Chile. The best time to visit the area is October-April.
The central coast is a rugged coastline very reminiscent of California – here you will find a string of small fishing coves, holiday towns and cities.
The ramshackle city of Valparaiso, with its colourful houses perched on the hills overlooking the bay, is a cultural icon, with its Museum home of Pablo Neruda, the Chilean Nobel prize-winning poet.
The coastal town of Zapallar is a great place to get away from it all and recharge the batteries.
The Humboldt current means cold water temperatures and currents that are not conducive to sea swimming, but does provide some of the best seafood in the world.
There are plenty of seabirds, including pelicans, and seals as well as sea lions.
The Paraguayan Chaco is a semi-arid, sparsely populated area in Northern Paraguay, and is a rich ecosystem.
The local fauna includes jaguar, ocelot, tapir and giant armadillo and many more species of animals and birds.
Apart from the indigenous peoples, this area has various Mennonite settlements.
Among them is Filadelfia, founded in the early 20th Century and whose inhabitants still live their lives according to their beliefs, and are run by large cooperatives.
Chaco make for a fascinating visit.
The Chapada Diamantina is a National Park in the interior of the state of Bahia in North Eastern Brazil.
It covers an area larger than that of the Netherlands and is a series of flat-topped mountains interlinked by forested valleys, rivers, waterfalls and swimming holes.
The park can be explored on day trips from Lençois or on several day trekking itineraries.
The rainy season is December to March and a great time to see the waterfalls.
If you want to beat the crowds then go in April / May or August to October.
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Deb O. and Lisa B., USA, Self-guided Tailormade Patagonia, Feb 2025 There were so many highlights! The summits and glacier excursions were magnificent. We were blessed with great weather most of the time. Having our own guide in Chalten was great and our guide was fantastic! There were a lot of details to this trip and they all came together nicely. The accommodations were very good. Very clean -no complaints. Guides were wonderful. Food was amazing -everything homemade. I think we benefited the local people. We acknowledged their services with appropriate tips and we patronized many local establishments while there. I can’t think of anything right now that I would do differently! Patagonia has been a “bucket list” trip for me. I will turn 60 and retire this year so it was my treat to myself. It was everything I hoped it would be. I hope it doesn’t change with the ever increasing tourism. It’s such a special place. They are very proud of their heritage and it deserves to be preserved. We found Andean Trails online and the e reviews were good and prices reasonable. It was a leap of faith that paid off. Thank you so much for bringing this experience to me.
C. Valentine, USA, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Mindo, Feb 2025 A highlight was staying at the Reserva Ecologica Santa Rita and hiking the valley between all the volcanoes. It was a smart custom trip plan that felt off-the-beaten trails and was very intimate in the valley of Cotopaxi. This trip pattern framed the Cotopaxi summit nicely as the ultimate trip goal. I was surprised by how lovely the trout was in Ecuador too! I really liked our guide Pablo and I think our group did too. We learned so much from him. After we left Pablo behind, my learning of the Ecuadorian culture and people tapered. Overall 10/10 on the food! Oh my gosh, Mindo was so cool. Loved El Monte lodge. I will return!
