Patagonia

Patagonia is the most remote and most dramatic wilderness destination in the Americas — a vast territory at the southern tip of South America, shared between Chile and Argentina, where the Andes meet the Patagonian steppe, where glaciers calve into turquoise lakes, and where the Torres del Paine massif rises 2,850 metres above the Patagonian plain in one of the most extraordinary mountain landscapes on earth. It is a destination that rewards the determined: the journey is long, the weather is unpredictable, and the rewards are extraordinary.

Explora Patagonia, on the shore of Lago Peñoe inside Torres del Paine National Park, is the most celebrated hotel in Patagonia — a 49-room lodge designed by Germán del Sol, with an all-inclusive model that includes guided excursions, horses, and a spa. The hotel's position — facing the Cuernos del Paine across the lake — is the most extraordinary in the park. Awasi Patagonia, with 14 private villas and a dedicated guide and 4x4 per room, is the most exclusive: a private-safari model applied to the Patagonian wilderness.

Tierra Patagonia, on the shore of Lago Sarmiento, is the most architecturally ambitious hotel in the region — a 40-room lodge designed by Cazú Zegers, with a curved timber facade that echoes the wind-sculpted landscape. It is the most design-forward hotel in Patagonia and the most photographed. Eolo Lodge, on the Argentine side of the border near El Calafate, is the most atmospheric: a 17-room estancia-style lodge above the Patagonian steppe, with views of the Andes and the most complete gaucho experience in the region.

The activities — not the spas or the dining — are the point of Patagonia. The W Trek and the O Circuit in Torres del Paine are the most celebrated multi-day hikes in South America; the Perito Moreno Glacier, accessible from El Calafate, is the most accessible and most dramatic glacier in the world. Fly-fishing in the rivers of Chilean Patagonia is among the finest in the Southern Hemisphere.

November–March is Patagonia's season: the longest days, the most stable weather, and the best conditions for hiking and outdoor activities. December–February is peak season with the highest rates and the most visitors. April–October is winter: many lodges close, the W Trek is inaccessible, and the weather is severe. The best value window is November and March.