Enchanting, awe-inspiring, magical, unbelievable, insane. Just a few words we’d use to describe the epicness of Patagonia. A vast expanse of legendary land spanning the southern tips of South America, here are 5 reasons to add Patagonia to your bucketlist.

You love mother nature

Snow capped mountains, emerald forests, turquoise lakes, if those are things you look for in your travel adventures you’ll be in your element in Patagonia. It’s a fairytale for mother nature lovers. And then there’s the ice.

No doubt you’ll have seen photographs of glaciers, but until you’re standing right in front of one it’s impossible to grasp the sheer awe of them. And staring into a giant ice hole that just falls away into an abyss, that’s an experience no one can forget.

You love a challenge

If you’re the outdoorsy type who enjoys nothing more than finishing the day covered in a layer of muck and sweat, getting up close and personal with some of Patagonia’s more extreme landscapes will be your gig.

And if you’re a fan of the cold, even better. Fancy climbing a mountain to sleep between two glaciers? Trying out the thrill of glacier walking? If you’re looking for a challenge on your next travels, Patagonia will throw it down in the adventure stakes.

You love adventure

As soon as you step into this part of the world, it feels like there is an adventure waiting at every turn. And the best part, as long as you’re fit and healthy, much of it can be explored independently. Just grab a bag with some essentials and off you go.

And if you fancy going completely Bear Grylls, pack your camping equipment and get prepared for some epic sights on the multi day hikes. Yes there’s the odd puma around, but chances of one trying to sneak into your sleeping bag are pretty low… or so we heard.

You love wildlife

Speaking about animals, if you prefer your wildlife wild you’ll be happy as a pig in muck in Patagonia. The biggest penguin colonies outside of Antarctica, gigantic warring elephant seals, soaring condors that near on block the sun, it’s all right there.

Flamingos, armadillos, dolphins, skunks… seriously you’ll feel like you’ve just stepped into an episode of Blue Planet. And if you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of some killer whales snatching seals right off the beach.

You love ancient history

But it’s not all about just crazy landscapes and supersized wildlife, there’s also a deep and rich culture unique to Patagonia. In particular belonging to the nomadic Tehuelche tribe, who have a history of over 14,500 years in the region.

If ancient culture is your bag you’ll enjoy visiting The Cave of Hands. Called such because of the 13,000 year old artwork outlining the hands of people who once lived there. They were created by paint sprayed from pipes made of bones. Yep bones.