Patagonia, Chili:

Located in the Aysén Province, in southern Chile you will find an amazing glacier plummeting in the ocean. Covering 6,726 square miles on the Pacific coast of southern Chile, the Laguna San Rafael National Park is one of Chile's major national parks and home to the San Rafael Glacier. The area is also home to the Andes’; one of the most picturesque mountain ranges in the world.  As you travel south the mountains retreat into the increasingly cold fjords, as the weather moves in, people become far and few services are minimal. This weather-beaten landscape is almost unremittingly tough; paths are few and roads are fewer. As you move away from the cities you pass less inhabited settlements and deserted

that surrounds the San Rafael Glacier, which stretches from the mountains and into the sea. Icebergs  carving off in apparent slow motion is spectacular to bear witness to in the frigid fjord. During this ultimate adventure, you’ll have to negotiate with the park authority to spend the night, carry your own supplies and probably get a boat to drop you part of the way from Puerto Chacabuco. You can expect many days of rain, sometimes you will be paddling in windy conditions and breaking waves , sometimes aprox. 4.5 feet. The Campsites are remote. Your days paddling can sometimes start very early, sometimes at night, in order to avoid the winds.  But far better to have earned your time in front of this great retaining wall of ice in calmer morning waters. It is best to experience this adventure in the summer months in the southern hemisphere; October  through March are the best times to get near the glacier.

Story By: Mark R. Jobman

Portions of this text were taken from Rough Guides.