Photo Essay: Cycling Patagonia
A journey that began with an innocent conversation about possible honeymoon destinations resulted in a 2,700km cycle journey up Patagonia. Beginning in Punta Arenas, Chile, we quickly crossed into Argentina and spent two months along the Ruta 40. The deserted highway follows the Andes northward, zigzagging between the tiny towns that dot the Patagonian Steppe. Although a popular motorcycle route, venturing by bike allows the senses to absorb every sound, taste, and view that makes up this legendary region.
1. The Strait of Magellan marks the end of the South American mainland in Punta Arenas, Chile.
2. Wooden fences and thick vegetation are often the only protection from relentless westerly winds in southern Patagonia.
3. Pedaling away from the Andes and onto the Patagonian Steppe outside El Calafate, Argentina.
4. A small borrowing owl lingers during the sunrise in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares.
5. Perito Moreno is one of three Patagonian glaciers that continues to advance despite global climate change.
6. The arid Patagonian Steppe is often interrupted by lush valleys and trout-filled rivers.
7. Rugged and isolated conditions proved too taxing for the now abandoned Austral Felix Aguilar Observatory in Santa Cruz.
8. Unpredictable Patagonian weather results in sporadic snowstorms in both winter and summer.
9. A lone horse grazes freely along the Rio de las Vueltas in El Chalten, Santa Cruz.
10. Wind-protected camping is a huge find, but it isn’t always pretty.
11. Lush green forests replaced dry campo in Parque Nacional Los Alerces.
12. Luxury B&Bs and teahouses introduce visitors to the Welsh heritage near Trevelin, Chubut.
13. A hawk soars above Lago Futalaufquen in Parque Nacional Los Alerces.
14. The gigantic Magellanic woodpecker is a special sight in the Patagonian forest.
15. Autumn arrived early in northern Patagonia after an unusually short summer.
16. Another way to give a horse its much needed exercise.
17. Red volcanic rock and conical peaks mark the end of Patagonia and the beginning of Argentina’s Cuyo region.
18. After one last descent into the Cañon del Atuel, the journey ended in San Rafael, Mendoza.
MatadorU Travel Photography Program
MatadorU’s Travel Photography Program gives you direct feedback on your work, and lifetime access to the most supportive, dynamic, and fun community of Travel Writers, Travel Photographers, and New Media Professionals on the web.
Community Connection
Blog and post pictures from your own cycle tour on the new and improved MatadorTravel 2.0!
About the Author
Related Posts
25 Comments... join the discussion!
-
-
This is gorgeous. Congragulations on a trip well taken and fabulously photographed!
↵ -
Beautiful pictures Jeff, you make me wanna go to Patagonia!
↵ -
Beautiful. I *think* #3 is my favourite, but pretty tough to choose!
I’m curious: how did you take #15?
↵ -
Thanks for the comment.
Number #15 gets lots of interest. Its my wife’s hands on the handlebars, and I took it by leaning in under her arms while we were standing on the bridge. Its a cool angle, but hard to get with any real motion
↵ -
I thought as much…but also thought maybe you set a timer and had the camera hanging round your neck…and then got a completely lucky perfectly composed/non-shaking shot
↵ -
Thanks for the feedback and positive comments!
@ Camden – If you need any help on an itenarary, contact me. I know lots of cool hiking//biking/exploring options in Argentina from Mendoza south.
↵ -
Great pictures – what a cool trip!
↵ -
Wow! I loved #14 and #15. Is the woodpecker enormous, or was it just perched on a thin tree?
↵ -
Great work, as always, Jeff. Number 3 is my personal fave but they’re all very cool. Can’t wait to explore that part of the world — bike seems a fantastic way to do it.
↵ -
Beautiful spread Jeff! Lots of favorites in here.
Love the offbeat quality of #16 with the guy walking a horse while driving
Really nice sense of scale in #18 and the framing of the shot in #10
↵ -
Thanks Lola, the shots you mentioned are definitely some of my favorites as well.
↵ -
Great seeing your work here on Matador Jeff! I really like #9.
↵ -
There are some beautiful photos here, number 14 is my fav, the woodpecked looks intriguing.
↵ -
Wow, these pictures are absolutely beautiful! I’ve been to Patagonia but your photos make me want to do it again–only by bike!
↵ -
Thanks Heather – I’ve made several trips in, around, and across Patagonia but nothing compared to covering the distance on a bike. We saw so much more than is normally possible by car or bus.
↵ -
Awesome photos. For the past few years I have been dreaming of a trip to Patagonia, and these photos have helped to make me think I really want (need?) to go.
↵ -
Great pics. seems u had a great trip. But must have been streneous and you must have prepared a lot for it.
↵ -
Thanks Sanjay.
We actually didn’t prepare at all. Both my wife and I are active and are never in bad physical shape, but we actually started this trip right after a surprisingly lazy 3-month stay in Northern Canada. My biggest advice for aspiring adventure travelers is to just go for it. The body will adjust quickly to new stresses and, worse case scenario, you’ll travel slower than planned for the first few weeks.
↵ -
Great pictures, really inspiring and they have just nudged me a step closer to booking a trip to Patagonia now – thanks!
↵ -
This is a really gorgeous photo essay as it really captures the many different climates/terrains Patagonia has – and to go further, Argentina has, if you include the deserts and the jungles of the north as well.
↵ -
Incredible. I ate this up, and recognized a couple of locales!
↵ -
These pictures are just stunning. I’m Argentinian but unfortunately I’ve never had the chance to do such a trip. I barely know the Patagonia. This trip must have been really refreshing and undoubtedly enjoyable.
Once again, amazing! I’m following you in twitter
↵ -
Hola Revolution,
De donde sos en Argentina? Its beautiful in Patagonia I can’t describe my love for the zone. I wish I could live down there but life has me stuck in Mendoza at the moment
↵ -
Hi Jeff, I’m from Buenos Aires.
My sister and her boyfriend went last summer to Ushuahia and Calafate, she said it was amazing Definitely a beautiful zone. And Mendoza too, you can sky this time of the year. Really nice of you to share the pictures!
Good luck!↵
