Posts in Chile
WHERE THE OCEAN AND THE FOREST MEET: The Valdivian Coastal Reserve

On a land destined to be logged, some of the most pristine valdivian temperate forests are now protected by this Nature Conservancy reserve. With its rugged coasts, ancient trees, impressive sand dunes, and local culture, it is a beautiful place to explore. Interview with Liliana Pezoa, administrator of the reserve. 

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"ROUTE OF PARKS": Chile’s Model for the World

Over the last few decades, a major effort has been in the works to create one of the world’s greatest natural wonders: a connected system of national parks through one of the planet’s great wildernesses. Chile’s Route of Parks, or Ruta de los Parques, will create a chain of 17 national parks, crossing 1,500 miles of Chile, from the northern Valdivian temperate rainforests of Patagonia, to the windswept southern reaches of the continent.

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ENDANGERED ECOSYSTEMS: The Inspiring Story of the Ahuenco Park

On the western coast of the Island of Chiloé lies a privately protected area of 1,120 ha (2,768 acres), which is a lesson on the power that a handful of determined individuals have to produce change. An interview with Gonzalo Pineda, Director of the Ahuenco Park. 

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“THE WILD SIDE OF CHILOÉ”: Conservation in Tantauco Park

Tantauco Park is a large-scale private conservation initiative, protecting 118,000 ha of wilderness at the southern tip of the Island of Chiloé. Hiking here was one of the biggest adventures we've had in Chilean Patagonia, as we went accompanied by a massive storm rushing through the island. An interview with Alan Bannister, General Manager of Tantauco. 

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VISITING TANTAUCO: Chiloé’s Southern Wilderness

Tantauco Park, or Parque Tantauco, is a well-built, well-managed conservation project that is working hard to protect and restore the extremely rare Guaitecas cypress and its ecosystem. For visitors, the park hosts over 130 km of well-built trails, as well as domes, a lodge and backcountry cabins. A description of the hike through this beautiful park. 

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THE CHOICES WE MAKE: The Vegetable Garden in Patagonia Park

"The quality of the products is, therefore, incomparable. Every lettuce, every carrot grows at its full potential and the nutritional value is at its highest". A lesson on sustainable living and mindful food production from Francisco Vio, head gardener in the Patagonia Park. 

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DESIGNING THE PATAGONIA PARK: Conservation and the Pursuit of Beauty

"A person that leaves here inspired has the potential to inspire more people. Therefore, the best way to inspire is to surround yourself with beauty". Interview with Johanna Zajc, lodge and restaurant administrator of the Patagonia Park.

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BRINGING BACK THE DARWIN’S RHEA: Wildlife Conservation in the Future Patagonia National Park

Interview with Alejandra Saavedra, park warden and coordinator of the Darwin's Rhea breeding center in the Patagonia Park, and with Cristián Saucedo, Director of Wildlife Conservation for Conservacion Patagonica.

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BIODIVERSITY IN THE CHACABUCO VALLEY: Restoring a Unique Ecosystem

We created the space needed for the recuperation of native species. It gave them the chance to repopulate the space they had lost with the arrival of livestock." Interview with Conservacion Patagonica's Director of Conservation, Cristián Saucedo Gálvez.

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JEINIMENI, CHACABUCO & TAMANGO: Connecting a Future National Park

Wild rivers, rugged mountains, free-roaming guanacos, wind-swept grasslands, rarely-seen huemuls, colorful deciduous forests, prowling pumas, pristine lakes, hidden glaciers, soaring condors and a robust park infrastructure: this is what makes up the future Patagonia National Park.

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BEYOND TORRES DEL PAINE: On the Ultra Fiord Route

"In a way, I didn’t create the level of difficulty; it was made by Patagonia itself." Interview with Stjepan Pavicic, the mind behind the Ultra Fiord and other iconic adventure races in Chilean Patagonia, mixed with the description of our own experience backpacking on an amazing portion of the route. 

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LOOKING DOWN: Photographs of the Micro Worlds in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve

Staring at these microscopic organisms for days, I found them to be creators of complex beauty, geometry and art. Discovering the diversity of shapes and colors, their juxtaposition, their patterns and textures was always a surprise.

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VISITING KARUKINKA: La Paciencia Trail

For those that make the journey, their patience will be rewarded with incredible views of the Darwin Range, rare sightings of Fuegian biodiversity, and vivid emotions that might only be found in the remaining wildernesses of the world. 

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TRAVEL CONFESSIONS: That Tarn Mountain In Patagonia

I’m not a hiker, really. My story of summiting a peak ended with a lousy failure, right here in Patagonia, four years ago. It was this obscure mountain, Tarn they call it, which like every other place so far seems to have a connection with Charles Darwin if one searches for it on Google.

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