Tag: Chile

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South America; Ancient Secrets Among Incredible Natural Beauty

on February 25, 2020

The intoxicating locales of South America strike the senses with both something familiar and foreign. From the beachside metropolis of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to icy Patagonian Argentina and on to beautiful Chile, a fascinating blend of cultures and landscapes are both recognizable and exotic at the same time. Majestic snow-capped Andean peaks might make you think you’ve landed in the Colorado Rockies, while the sophistication and bustle of its cities might remind you of a large US capital. One thing is for sure, the samba-stepping street performers and European-style architecture with colonial accents will quickly remind you that you’re not in the United States anymore.

This is South America through and through. It is the place where the richness of fine wines meet untamed Patagonia, where the controlled passion of the tango collides with the unbridled wilds of Iguazu Falls and where Rio’s Christ the Redeemer statue peers down upon Ipanema beach-goers. It all must be seen to be believed and with Gate 1 Travel you will experience it all firsthand.

Brazil:

We start with Brazil that covers more than half the landmass of South America. Brazil was originally named for brazilwood, a tree that once grew up and down its shores. The timber from this tree produced a red dye, so it became a valued commodity in the European cloth trade. Once the indigenous Tupi people caught on to the overseas demand, they put the trees up for sale in exchange for European goods.

Brazil went on to become the largest Portuguese-speaking nation in the world, and the only one in the Americas. Surrounded by Corcovado and Sugar Loaf Mountains and brimming with big-city energy, Rio de Janeiro, the unofficial cultural capital, wears its friendly attitude on its sleeve.

Rio’s beauty unfolds in magnificent splendor: crescent beaches (such as the famous Ipanema and Copacabana), glittering skyscrapers, and forested mountains form an intoxicating hive of activity. Corcovado is topped by the famed Christ the Redeemer, a 124-foot statue of Christ, with his arms outstretched as if embracing the city below. A cog railway train gets you to the summit. On the other side of the city, all-glass cable cars bring you to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain for an incredible view.

Rio certainly demonstrates that Brazil embraces its natural beauty, even in its largest cities. Along the Argentinean border, another spectacular site awaits. Iguazu Falls, a thundering cascade of 275 waterfalls that stretch two and half miles into a horseshoe shape, straddles the two countries of Brazil and Argentina. These incredible falls are wider than Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and higher than Niagara. They are a stunning sight to behold, and that’s just from the much smaller Brazilian side.

Argentina:

About 80% of Iguazu’s falls lie on Argentina’s side and few are more impressive than Garganta del Diablo, or Devil’s Throat. This U-shaped torrent plummets 270 feet over a half mile stretch. A rail car offers spectacular views from the top of the falls.

Argentina’s capital of Buenos Aires offers another type of thrill. This is the city of Eva Peron, or “Evita”. The outspoken First Lady was wildly popular here, speaking out for those without a voice. She is buried in the Recoleta Cemetery, a fantastic miniature city of above-ground tombs and memorials. Buenos Aires is called the “Paris of South America” for good reason: its wide, tree-lined boulevards pass elegant architecture, soaring cathedrals and beautifully manicured green parks. More intimate views of the city can be had in any of the working-class barrios, such as La Boca or San Telmo, each with its own distinct and colorful personality.

Far from the city, in the eastern shadow of the Andes, lies Mendoza. Founded in the 16th century by Spanish settlers, this is today one of the world’s great wine regions. Vines here are planted at some of the highest altitudes in the world and yield Malbecs, Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays. Mendoza is known for more than its wine. It also draws adventurers gearing up to climb Mt. Aconcagua, the tallest peak in the world outside the Himalayas, at 23,000 feet.

In this region of South America, stunning natural beauty, soaring mountains, pristine lakes, and babbling streams seems to beckon from every direction. Visiting the town of Bariloche, you just might wonder how much more beauty could possibly be in store. Nestled at the foot of the Andes, surrounded by forest, and hugging the shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake, Bariloche’s setting feels more Swiss than Argentinean, right down to the chocolate shops on every corner and the sweet scent of cocoa mixing with the clean mountain air.

Yet there is more beauty in store, in Argentine Patagonia. The old wool-trading town of El Calafate is the gateway to Los Glacieres National Park, protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, the Perito Moreno Glacier stands high above the waters of Lake Argentino, a massive ice wall three miles wide and 240 feet tall. It is the largest ice cap outside of Antarctica and Greenland and controls the world’s third largest reserve of fresh water.

Chile:

Patagonia leaves any traveler feeling in awe at nature’s majesty. The charming lakeside village of Puerto Varas will have the same effect. Its setting is spectacular, resting on the shore of the scenic Llanquihue Lake, one of the largest in South America, and overseen by the symmetrical, snow-capped cone of the Osorno Volcano. The town itself is also a sight to behold, rich in the German-style wood-shingled architecture of its past European colonists.

Travel from Punta Arenas to Torres del Paine National Park by way of Puerto Natales where an astonishing canvas unfolds. Chile’s Patagonia thrives with wildlife: Andean condors and eagles soar overhead, keeping watch over farmland grazed by sheep and a vast network of waterways. A full-day expedition cruise brings you face to face with sea lions, abundant birdlife, and spectacular glaciers. In Torres del Paine, you’ll have the chance to hike into the untouched Patagonian forest, where massive granite peaks pierce the sky above, a dramatic backdrop to thundering waterfalls, massive glaciers and wild guanacos.

Back in civilization, more specifically, in the capital of Santiago, a city’s design will amaze you. Over the past few decades, this booming city has grown tremendously, even hosting the tallest building in Latin America, the Gran Torre, or Grand Tower. For a glimpse into its more historic side, head to the Plaza de Armas, the main square of the city. The impressive cathedral is here, with its two bell towers as well as the Central Post Office Building and the 1808 Royal Court Palace.

Easter Island:

One of the planet’s most remote islands, Chile’s Easter Island, is located 1,200 miles from its nearest populated neighbor. This remarkable corner of the world lures archaeology buffs and nature lovers alike. Remnants of an ancient Polynesian culture dot the hilly landscape in the form of 800 massive stone figures, known as moai. Their mystery is twofold: Archeologists can only guess at their purpose, and no one knows exactly how the stone was quarried from the island’s volcanic stone and how the carved figures, weighing some ten tons each, were placed strategically around the island. Gate 1 takes you here so you can enjoy the mysterious island for yourself.

Take Advantage of the Best Value

Incredible places like these tell only part of the Gate 1 story. Our unmatched value in the industry tells the rest. Throughout your South American itinerary, you can sit back and relax knowing that you’ve attained the very best travel experience for your dollar. Excellent accommodations, delicious meals, unique cultural experiences and top-rated local guides add up to the most rewarding journey your travel dollars can buy. We cannot wait to show you South America the Gate 1 way!

#G1PhotoFriday

The Icy, Blue Giants of Torres Del Paine, Chile

on April 20, 2018

Torres del Paine is a beautiful national park located in Southern Chilean Patagonia, the southernmost tip of South America shared by Chile and Argentina. The park is known for its huge glaciers, mountains, wildlife and grasslands, making the park super unique and a true bucket-list locale. The park is a popular spot for hiking, boating, camping and exploring the natural surroundings to see mother nature displaying her very best works of art.

patagonia

 

This week’s #g1photofriday was submitted by user @patiperropro using the hashtag #gate1travel. This harmonious view was taken in Torres del Paine, Chile located in the Patagonia region. Be sure to tag your photos on social media with #gate1travel or #g1photofriday to be featured. Check out Gate 1 Travel’s South America trips here!

Latin AmericaSmall Group Discoveries

Into Patagonia!

on March 22, 2016

There’s more to its sheer magnificence than meets the eye

For those who think that the world has run out of wild, unspoiled places, there’s Patagonia. Here, massive walls of granite huddle around emerald-green valleys. Crystalline waterfalls cascade into babbling brooks and rivers. Glaciers crawl into turquoise lakes, sculpting landscapes in their path.

It’s easy to forget that a rich history has unfolded in places of such beauty, that such a stunning backdrop has been a breathtaking stage to discovery and drama. In the spirit of insight that only a Discovery Tours small group can provide, we’re delighted to share some of it with you here.

There Be Giants

Ferdinand Magellan first brought this splendid part of the world to Europe’s attention when he landed on its shores in 1520. No doubt the magnificent beauty of the land was breathtaking to him and his crew. But you might imagine that its towering rock massifs and labyrinthine waterways were a bit intimidating.

It’s believed that one of Magellan’s first human encounters was with the Tehuelches. Members of this indigenous tribe were much taller than the Europeans of Magellan’s day, and they wore oversized leather moccasins that left larger-than-life footprints on beaches and in marshes. Legend tells us that when the Spanish explorers first saw these footprints, they thought they had landed in a land of giants. They noted in their journals that they had discovered the land of patagón, or “big foot.” The name stuck, and even maps of the New World drawn up after those first voyages depicted this largely uncharted area as regio gigantum, or “region of the giants.”

Later expeditions proved that the indigenous people of this newfound land were not literal giants, though at 6-foot-6, they did tower over Europeans. Still, everything here is gargantuan and dwarfs any human, no matter their shoe size. Vast plains stretch to forever. Monolithic rock faces reach to the heavens. Glaciers advance and recede over landscapes like icy sloths. And serpentine waterways wind their way through it all, coursing past fertile shores and feeding forests of exotic lenga and coihue trees and ferns. It must have seemed a lost world to those first explorers, far removed from anything they had ever witnessed. And so it is for today’s travelers, too.

Darwin Explores and Europe Expands

Though known mostly for his Galapagos Islands exploration and subsequent theories of evolution, Charles Darwin spent his early days collecting and cataloguing rocks and local species in Patagonia. His colleague Robert FitzRoy—a scientist and vice admiral of the Royal Navy—had invited him in 1831 to accompany a voyage on the HMS Beagle to chart South America’s coast. During their time in Patagonia, the young Darwin not only gathered substantial insect and marine samples; he also became fascinated by fossils and explored inland with local gauchos to pursue his curiosities further.

While Darwin was busily collecting samples, Mapuche nomads (a collection of indigenous tribes) were migrating into Patagonia from the north. They settled throughout the region to raise cattle or—with Europeans gaining more control and more land—to steal cattle from settlers. As the decades unfolded, conflicts erupted, with concerns from Argentina that the Mapuche would ally themselves with Chile, which seemed more sympathetic to tribal causes. At one point, Argentina even dug a huge trench and erected watchtowers—a barricade known as the Zanja de Alsina—to deflect cattle raids on Buenos Aires.

By 1870, Chile had established its authority in the western half of Patagonia by founding the city of Punta Arenas. As for Argentina, tensions with the Mapuche rose to the point where they marched into the eastern regions and called them their own, a conflict known as the Conquest of the Desert. It wasn’t until the beginning of the 20th century that a firm Patagonian border was agreed to between Chile and Argentina; by then, the British had formed some Welsh settlements in search of gold. The Crown stepped in to mediate any remaining dispute.

Priceless Natural Treasures Preserved

The 20th century ushered in the modern development of Patagonia—though, truth be told, it remains one of the least developed parts of the world, thanks to both local and international preservation efforts. The Argentinean outpost town of El Calafate, once a place for wool traders to simply hang their hats for a few days, was officially founded in 1927 to bring attention to settlement opportunities in the region. To be sure, it must have been very tempting to live in such a pristine place, with Lago Argentino, the country’s largest freshwater lake, right outside your door.

Little did the locals know that just ten years later, in 1937, the Perito Moreno Glacier would attract international interest among the pre-war leisure set. As the crowds grew in number, it became clear that this unspoiled region was at risk, and so the Perito Moreno National Park was established. Its massive glacier spills into Lago Argentino and is a remarkable sight to behold: a glistening three miles wide and up to 240 feet tall, almost as high as a football field is long. It is the largest ice cap outside Antarctica and Greenland and is actually growing year to year.

Just across the border in Chile, the rock-wall massifs of Torres del Paine National Park reach to the sky like so many fingers. The world was introduced to these spectacularly jagged mountains by British travel writer Lady Florence Dixie, who in 1880 described three particular granite towers as “Cleopatra’s Needles.” She and her party could well have been the first foreign tourists to visit. You can be sure that many more followed, including curious scientists, geologists, and adventurers. Since 1978, the park’s 700 square miles have been protected as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.

Cleopatra’s Needles and the park’s countless other granite pillars form massive rings around the great Patagonian Steppe. Many have compared the visual effect of these natural walls to that of a mighty cathedral. One thing is certain: their transporting beauty is made more transcendent by the park’s azure lakes, emerald forests, thundering waterfalls, and ice-blue glaciers.

A History as Grand as Its Setting

History, indeed, does whisper within this spectacular setting. We invite you to peel back its layers in a Discovery Tours small group.

Learn more about our South American Glaciers, Forests & Lakes trip here!