Backpacker Magazine – August 2010

New Life List: Explore Patagonia

Experience the thrill of being a pioneer: Trek to a remote corner of the globe.

by: Michael Lanza

Tags:
• Adventures
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• Destinations
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• Adventure guides
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• International
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• Patagonia
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• Chile
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RESOURCES Getting there Puerto Williams, on Isla Navarino, can only be reached by boat or plane. Aerovias DAP (aeroviasdap.cl) operates one flight six days per week from Punta Arenas, which has regular flights from Santiago on LAN (lan.com). Guidebook Trekking in the Patagonian Andes, by Clem Lindenmayer and Nick Tapp ($25; lonelyplanet.com) Maps Chilean Instituto Geografico Militar Puerto Williams (L, #190) and Lago Windhond (L, #203) ($25; igm.cl) Contact For local lodging and guide services (not necessary, but helpful in case of accidents), contact the Hotel Lakutaia in Puerto Williams: (56) (61) 621 721; lakutaia.cl

SEE TWO MORE
Backpack in Arctic Canada’s Quttinirpaaq National Park on Ellesmere Island. It’s about 68 miles off-trail from Lake Hazen to Tanquary Fjord, where you’ll cross tundra and numerous icy streams in a land of glaciers, wildflowers, and musk oxen. (867) 975-4673; pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/nu/quttinirpaaq

You’ll stay in huts while tramping New Zealand’s North West Circuit  on Stewart Island (home of the country’s southernmost park), but what lies in between are miles of steep, rugged, and often muddy trail. Few cairns aid navigation, and zero bridges help with river fords. Reward: solitude commensurate with the challenge of this 10-day, 77-mile trek. (64) 3 219 0009; doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation


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