On the hiking trail from Tierra Patagonia.
It’s a tall tale, in the most literal sense … of a land far, far away, inhabited by a race of friendly, dancing giants – said to be twice the size of most human beings.
So intrigued was Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan with the colossal Tehuelche warrior who greeted his ship on the southern shores of Argentina in 1520 that he kidnapped two of his kind, attempting to bring them back to Europe as proof that giants exist.
Of course, as in most fairytales, things didn’t end well for the shackled tall folk: they didn’t survive the ocean voyage. However, for a century, Europe was abuzz with fantastical stories of the lofty people of the distant south – nicknamed “Patagones” by Magellan, after a fictional dog-headed monster featured in a 16th century chivalric novel.
While rumours of the Tehuelche being nearly four metres tall were later debunked (they were more likely about two metres in height, still towering over the malnourished, scurvy-plagued Spanish sailors they had encountered), the name for their homeland stuck – Patagonia, “land of the giants”.
In a rock overhang in the north-eastern region of Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park, a large oxidised handprint indicates the indigenous Aonikenk, or Southern Tehuelche people that inhabited this area, were, indeed, of considerable stature; while the guanaco-skin moccasins they wore on their feet created Yeti-sized footprints that undoubtedly contributed to their gigantic reputation.
We have arrived at this cave, splashed with faded depictions of animals and their human hunters created between 400 and 4000 years ago, via a hiking trail known as the Aonikenk, or Hunter’s Trail, an easy, undulating, eight-kilometre hike rewarded with panoramic views of the snow-capped Paine Massif, the dramatic mountain range dominating this wild, glacier-carved landscape.
Luxury lodge Tierra Patagonia.
Morning rain showers – a predictable daily occurrence amid Patagonia’s unpredictable, ever-changing weather – have cleared to reveal a sparkling blue sky dotted with massive Andean condors, eight-fingered wings outstretched as they glide on thermals searching for prey.
Skittish guanacos graze on the hillsides, batting their luscious eyelashes, while the bleached bones of one that didn’t get away is evidence of another lethal hunter that stalks these windswept hills: the elusive puma.
The half-day Hunter’s Trail hike is just one of many enticing excursions offered by Tierra Patagonia, a luxury lodge located on the shores of Lake Sarmiento, just shy of the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile’s far south.
Poolside at Tierra Patagonia.
Conceptualised to resemble the ancient thrombolites scattered along the lakeshore, this curvaceous wooden structure created by Chilean architect Cazu Zeger is a masterpiece of design, floor-to-ceiling windows capturing uninterrupted views of the snow-kissed, shadow-played mountains across the sparkling blue lake.
All excursions are included in Tierra Patagonia’s rates, along with three meals a day, fine Chilean wines and unlimited pisco sours. While many guests are keen to tackle the bucket list Base of the Towers trek – a challenging 18-kilometre route offering a close-up view of Torres del Paine’s namesake Towers – less strenuous activities are also available, from gentle scenic hikes to horseback riding at a local estancia.
Jacuzzi views … Tierra Patagonia.
In a moody lenga forest near pretty Laguna Azul, we search in vain for both Magellanic horned owls and the abrupt tips of the granite Towers, playing peek-a-boo behind a shroud of mist; while run-off from the retreating southern Patagonian ice fields is at its most thunderous at the terraced Paine waterfall.
All glimpses of sunshine vanish as we set off on a full-day excursion to Grey Glacier, located in the far western reaches of this vast, 181,414-hectare national park. The spiky Cuernos, a circle of horned peaks that rise above scenic French Valley, make a brief appearance as we pass by; but rain (and sleet) gear is required as we set sail on the jaunty red Lady Grey catamaran towards the 19-kilometre glacier.
At the Grey Glacier.
After the intimacy of our private hikes with Tierra Patagonia’s personable guides, this public cruise – packed bow to stern with boisterous tourists – is a rude awakening, particularly when the bar serving free pisco sours chilled with ice chipped off rogue icebergs is declared open.
But, as we approach the first of the three distinct faces of Grey Glacier, all eyes are turned to the imposing 30-metre-high, pale blue wall of ice, interlaced with crevasses of intense cobalt.
Here, in this six-kilometre-wide ice palace, lives another monster (of sorts) – the Patagonian ice dragon, a rare, flightless stonefly about 1.3 centimetres in length. With high concentrations of glycerol (antifreeze) in its blood, the dragon is what scientists call an “extremophile” – an organism that survives in Earth’s harshest environments.
This humble insect also plays a role in protecting its icy host; it feeds on cryoconite – a thin layer of dust made of microbes that, when it accumulates, makes glaciers less reflective and more prone to melting. And with Patagonia’s ice fields shrinking at the highest rate on the planet, the value of this vulnerable little dragon cannot be overestimated.
Another creature of mythic proportions that thrives in the extremes of Patagonia is its baqueanos, or gauchos – the famed horsemen of the steppes. These beret and pantaloon-wearing, maté-drinking, knife-wielding legends are known for their bravado and machismo; so you can imagine my surprise when our horse-riding guide at Estancia Lazo – a 13,000-hectare cattle ranch neighbouring Tierra Patagonia – turns out not only to be female, but a dinkum Aussie chick from Mullumbimby, NSW.
A gaucho on the steppe.
A skilled and experienced horsewoman, Hebe Webber worked as a horseriding guide at Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley before venturing to South America in 2019, riding with a caravan of nomadic equestrians in Guatemala before accepting a three-month volunteer role at Estancia Lazo. She later moved to Argentina, where she worked as guide and manager at the esteemed Estancia Los Potreros in Cordoba.
But the mountains kept calling. In late 2024, she returned to Patagonia, this time as a full-time employee.
“I felt a deep pull to learn from the baqueanos,” Webber tells me as we ride side by side, the black-and-white mane of my sturdy ranch-bred steed, Atahualpa (named after the last Incan king), bobbing in motion.
“It’s a place steeped in tradition, where horses are woven into the very fabric of their being – it called to me like nothing else.”
From the lakeside historic estancia, we pick our way across milky, glacial creeks and through a gnarled lenga forest, emerging from this Lord of the Rings-like fantasy land to a windswept ridge, where snowcapped mountains and fluffy clouds create a backdrop so spectacular, it looks like a CGI creation.
Cosy cabin-style rooms … Tierra Patagonia.
Here, Hebe jumps off her horse to take photos of our group, her gaucho co-worker Ignacio silently and stoically leading each horse into the optimum position.
Hebe’s passion for her work – which includes mustering 250 cattle and 40 sheep, collecting firewood for cooking, hot water and heating, and caring for 40 horses and their nervous riders – is palpable, and it seems, in this untameable, majestic land of giants, she has found her happy place.
“Patagonia stole a piece of my heart the first moment I drew breath in this wild place,” she tells me. “It sings to a part of my soul that no other place has. I’m here for the love, not the money. The love of the land, the people, the horses.
“I feel this place will never stop teaching me, just as I wish to never stop learning from it. It’s the place that feels right. It feels like home.”
The details
Fly
LATAM flies from Sydney to Santiago direct four times weekly, and from Melbourne three times weekly. From Santiago, there are daily flights to Puerto Natales with LATAM. See latamairlines.com
Stay
Tierra Patagonia is open between October and April. All-inclusive rates, including three meals a day, an open bar, airport transfers and one full-day or two half-day excursions daily, rooms start from $US2094 ($3310) a night, with a three-night minimum. See tierrapatagonia.com
Julie Miller travelled as a guest of LATAM and Tierra Hotels.