Shot of the Month – September 2024

I don’t even know where to begin.

How do I describe this magical place?  In our age of hyper-sensationalism, where a new cookie flavor is “revolutionary” and the latest TikTok dance is “epic,” many superlatives have lost their punch and meaning.  But let me tell you, my dear friend, Patagonia is the real deal.  Stunning.  Awe-inspiring.  Breathtaking. Majestic.

Tolkien’s Middle-earth has nothing on this place.

Where is this Magical Land?

Patagonia covers a massive region at the bottom of South America.

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Patagonia is about 300,000 square miles (1 million square kilometers) in size and spans the countries of Chile (to the west) and Argentina (to the east).  It is an area larger than 80% of the countries on earth, yet is one of the least populated areas on the planet (1-2 persons/sq km).

Stunning landscapes and no people??  My kind of place!

The southern Andes mountain range dominates the landscape in many places.  It really is at the end of the world – the most southern tip is the starting point for voyages to Antarctica.

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Argentina contains 90% of Patagonia, which spans one-third of the country.  Ten percent of Patagonia is located in Chile, covering half of the country.

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What is Patagonia?

Patagonia is a collision of habitats and landscapes, including towering mountains (Andes), crystal blue lakes, massive glacier fields, temperate rain forests, deep fjords, and huge deserts.  Mother nature worked overtime here offering a bewildering array of habitats and biodomes.  The area is also home to a stunning diversity of wildlife including puma, guanacos, Andean condors, penguins, pygmy owls, fur seals, flamingos, whales and…so much more.

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Watch this great video to get a sense of the variety of landscapes that can be found in Patagonia:

Chilean Patagonia is famous for its dramatic scenery – towering mountains, sprawling glaciers, and pristine fjords.  We visited a ranch in Chile that borders the iconic Torres del Paine National Park in search of pumas.  Each day on our hikes we were greeted with one stunning scene after another.  I shot the image above with an iPhone as I walked up to the river’s edge.

Landscape photographers must lose their minds in Patagonia.  How do you choose which scene to shoot when stunning vistas are found in every direction?  Here is just another “average” sunrise:

And another:

So yes, I fell in love with the place.  So much so that we scrapped our original travel plans for 2026 (sorry Madagascar) and instead will return to Patagonia for more soul-filling vistas, once-in-a-lifetime animal encounters and glorious solitude that can only be found at this remote, rugged edge of the planet.

And we had some amazing luck with the wildlife…but more on that in future posts. 

 

Until next month….michael

 

Sources:

Wikipedia: Patagonia

Chilean Patagonia vs. Argentine Patagonia: Which is Right for You?

10 incredible facts about Patagonia

 

Apple Iphone 14 Pro, 14mm, f/2.2, 1/1250 sec, ISO 40