Patagonia and other adventure travel destinations
A blog for adventurers who like to travel in style
Discover moreSantiago Rivas is an Argentine expedition guide and travel writer based in Ushuaia. He specializes in sharing experiential and technical stories that connect nature, history, and adventure in Patagonia. Through his work with Australis Cruises, he invites readers to experience the thrill of discovery in one of the planet's last wild frontiers.
As a native of Tierra del Fuego, his connection to the landscape runs deep. With over a decade of experience exploring the most remote corners of the region, he brings a unique perspective to his writing.
Santiago focuses on revealing the untamed side of the territory, offering insights into local wildlife, exploration history, and the technical aspects of the journey. His narratives aim to bridge the gap between the traveler and the environment, encouraging a profound understanding of nature and history.
Patagonia is the adventure playground of South America, and tourists flock here for its blend of extraordinary flora and fauna and superlatively tall mountains that are just begging to be hiked.
The city’s oldest barrio or neighborhood, San Telmo, Buenos Aires is a hot spot of sultry tango dancing, colonial architecture and lively street markets. It’s also considered the birthplace of tango; a dance which found its way onto the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2009. San Telmo remains an important district for learning about tango, which […]
An Anglo-Irish explorer, Ernest Shackleton acquired fame for his three expeditions to the Antarctic in the early 1900s and was an important figure in the time period now known as the “Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration”. This was an era of international scientific and geographical exploration – and one that is celebrated for its exceptional achievements despite […]
A little-known protected area in the very south of Chile, the Alberto de Agostini National Park is the third largest in the whole country, covering an area of 5,637-sq. miles (14,600-sq. km). It takes its name from the Italian priest of the Salesians of Don Bosco order, Father Alberto María de Agostini, who drew up […]
Ojos del Salado, which is located on the Chilean/Argentine border, has one substantial claim to fame. The highest active volcano in the world, it towers over the altiplano at a breath-taking 22,615 ft. (6,893m). It’s also the second highest mountain in the southern hemisphere, falling just short of nearby Aconcagua’s stately 22, 838 ft. (6,961m) above sea […]
Glacier Bay National Park is the location of an incredible feat of natural engineering and a prime area of scientific study. Its uniqueness is due to the fact that over only a short period of 200 years, what was once a complete sheet of glacial ice, retreated – uncovering the dormant land and waters beneath. […]
Thanks to a Portuguese sailor’s description of the native Tehuelche people as “Patagones” or people with “big feet”, Patagonia has since been known as the land of the giants. Quite fittingly, this remote southern region symbolizes everything on a superlative scale and is famous as the land of mountains of giant proportions and landscapes so […]
A captivating symbol of Argentina, its countryside and its people, the traditional gaucho lifestyle remains a central tenant of rural life in many parts of the country. Visitors travelling here as part of an Argentina vacation will often pass through small towns and remote estancias (ranches) that continue to showcase this compelling way of life.
Within moments of arriving in Chile, it becomes clear why it was awarded the prestigious title of “South America’s Leading Adventure Tourism Destination” in the 2016 World Travel Awards. The mountain fringe that overlooks Santiago – otherwise known as the Andes Mountains – is a quick hint at how Chile holidays are synonymous with adventure.
Although one of the most expensive regions to explore in South America, discount travel in Patagonia is possible for those hoping to encounter this land of fire, ice and water.