Final Thoughts: Patagonia Trip

An adolescent King penguin stands out amongst thousands of Magellanic penguins on an island outside Ushuaia.

If I did my job well, then the last few months worth of dispatches from Patagonia have sold you on the region as a top-notch destination.

I had a blast. And I want to thank G Adventures for allowing me to join them on an End of the Earth tour.

The itinerary lived up to my expectations, and the actual locations exceeded them.

The trip began when we met Nadia in Buenos Aires, and by early the next morning, we were meeting Christian, our mountain guide, and Chief Experience Officer (CEO) for most of the trip.

Fitz Roy Mountain looms over the village of El Chalten

The active stage of our trip began with a hike around Fitz Roy mountain, whose summit remained hidden much of the time.

However, it did not distract in the least from the day.

If you go to Patagonia expecting perfect weather for every hike, you're going to be disappointed.

Ice Climbing on Viedma

The next day, I fulfilled a childhood dream when I went ice climbing on Viedma Glacier.

The morning started out overcast, but by the time we reached the glacier, the skies had cleared.

The surprise ending to our day was something none of us saw coming.

Searching for a connection at Perito Moreno Glacier

Our next big adventure was a visit to Perito Moreno Glacier (photo essay).

The sheer size of the glacier left everyone in awe. It was one of the most spectacular natural sites I've ever had the pleasure to visit.

Hearing and watching ice calve off the glacier only added to the excitement.

Patagonian lamb in Calafate sauce

In addition to the physical activities, we also ate surprisingly well.

I threw caution to the wind and dined on the best food in Patagonia with most of our 10-person group every night.

The skies cleared just in time for us to see the summits of all Three Towers

Upon reaching Torres del Paine National Park, we hiked to the Three Towers, and the following day, to the glacier in the French Valley.

The signs of last December's wildfire did little to detract from the park's natural beauty.

The Cessna I flew

The trip wrapped up in Ushuaia, where we walked amongst three species of wild penguins, and I flew my first plane over the skies above the Beagle Channel.

I can't recommend this region of the world highly enough.

The key is to visit during the (South America) Summer season, otherwise, the normally unpredictable weather is even worse.

Plus, you're less likely to see the mountain tops.

I've been overhearing travelers in hostels talk about their experience visiting Patagonia more recently, and I don't envy them.

I get cold just thinking about the weather down there now.

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Disclosure: This Patagonia tour was in partnership with G Adventures. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio, a food blog. He's been to 65 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Originally from New York, Dave now calls Austin, TX home. Read the complete story of how he became a pro travel blogger.