It was a golden hour for nature lovers at Patagonia Park – an bold wildlife restoration challenge that protects an enormous swathe of land bigger than Higher London within the Santa Cruz province of southern Argentina. Woke up by the bizarre bleating of the guanaco, a llama-like animal native to Patagonia, I unzipped my tent to see their long-legged silhouettes outlined by the rising solar on the ridge above the campsite.
It is a well-known spot for pumas, a big mountain cat that hunts guanacos, however quickly the camelids have been secure and noisy previous the tents on their technique to the campground’s water provide.
Patagonia Park contains former ranching land bought by the NGO Rewilding Argentina, with the monetary help of the philanthropic Freyja Basis. It was first established in 2011 as a rewilding space. Now the world will turn out to be a part of Argentina’s latest nationwide park. For British guests, the low price of journey and the unusually excessive buying energy of the pound imply that this distant South American area has by no means been cheaper to go to.
I climbed out of the tent to absorb the view on a Patagonian summer time morning. Giant mesas (flat plateaus) towered over deep ravines carved centuries in the past by retreating glaciers, whereas fellow campers rose for dulce de leche and low earlier than the day’s mountain climbing started.
Giant herds of guanacos, one among South America’s largest mammals, as soon as roamed the Patagonian steppe, however the arrival of Europeans within the sixteenth century initiated a gradual depopulation of native wildlife. In Argentina, the land was later divided into ranches, cougars have been killed on the spot by farmers, and overgrazing by sheep and cattle led to the destruction of a once-rich ecosystem.
Now the huge landscapes of Patagonia Park are slowly being returned to their former biodiverse glory. Fences have been pulled down in order that the animals can roam freely. Invasive plant species and non-native animals are being eliminated and regionally extinct animals similar to Wolffsohn’s viscacha, a uncommon, giant, bushy rodent, are being reintroduced.
“It is wonderful the way you see the wildlife change and the landscapes change with it,” says Nicolás Guastavino of Rewilding Argentina. “Now the guanacos have returned and have even gotten used to people.”
Rewilding Argentina’s broader purpose is to develop what the group describes as a “nature-based economic system”. Former cougar hunters are inspired to guide treks within the rewilderness zones, whereas tourism offers employment as an alternative choice to ranching and mining.
“What we wish is for folks to know that by visiting these locations, they’re already a part of the nature-based economic system,” says Laura Cambiaire of the group. “By tenting, mountain climbing and touring with native guides, they contribute to Patagonia Park.”
Patagonia Park could also be a 24-hour drive from Buenos Aires, however for adventurous vacationers searching for a brand new and distant out of doors vacation spot to discover, now could be the proper time to go to. Ten new signposted trails, ranging in size from a 1.6-mile hike to an 11-mile trek, opened in January, a brand new planetarium might be accomplished this 12 months, and the following part of the reforestation plan will doubtless embody Patagonia Park in Patagonia Nationwide Park.
I spent the night time underneath darkish skies and shiny stars at La Señalada campsite in Patagonia Park, the place pitches inside protecting Argentine-style picket palisades constructed to beat the ferocious winds are a worthy $1,000 pesos (£4) funding for a welcome night time of relaxation. This was one among 5 new campsites within the park, which vary in worth from free to $2,000 pesos (£8) for a pitch with entry to bogs and showers. In the event you favor extra consolation, guide at La Posta de los Toldos, a ranch turned lodge, the place charges for all meals begin from $21,000 pesos (£84).
The low costs are one of many largest attracts for UK guests proper now. Entry to the park and mountain climbing trails is free, a bottle of native craft beer to drink across the campfire could be purchased for $800 pesos (£3.50) and a bottle of malbec for lower than $2,000 pesos (£8). Carry money to Argentina and trade it on the unofficial “Blue Greenback Charge” and you may double your buying energy in comparison with the official trade price.
After getting up early with the guanacos, I hiked by means of the Pinturas River Canyon, house to the stunningly colourful Cueva de las Manos (Cave of the Fingers), a Unesco World Heritage Web site with 9,000-year-old cave work.
Patagonia Park’s lengthy ravines are house to 80 well-known archaeological websites, and you may be a part of guided strolling and historical past excursions for $19,000 pesos (£76) per individual per day. A cougar trek prices £200 for as much as 4 folks – a cut price in comparison with Chile, the place the identical excursions price greater than $500 (£400) per individual per day.
As I exited the canyon on a steep uphill path, I noticed an armadillo hiding within the rocks and guanacos beneath. Guastavino is satisfied that reforestation will remodel landscapes again to their pure state.
“Patagonia has a excessive proportion of degraded and desertified land, and if you happen to go to neighboring ranches, it is laborious to see wildlife, not to mention a cougar,” he says. “Right here you may stroll into the canyon and see a herd of guanacos they usually do not run from you. That may be a signal of success.”
Journey necessities
Tips on how to get there and round
Portal Cañadón Pinturas, 60 km south of the city of Perito Moreno (to not be confused with the glacier of the identical title), is the principle gateway to Patagonia Park, parquepatagoniaargentina.org.
The doorway is on Route 40, a preferred street journey that continues south to El Calafate (eight hours) or north to San Carlos de Bariloche (10 hours).
The closest airport is a five-hour drive east of Comodoro Rivadavia.
The place to remain
Excursions and lodging could be booked by means of La Posta de los Toldos (lapostadelostoldos.com), and campsites could be booked by means of the Patagonia Park Customer Heart (parquepatagonia.arg@gmail.com).
Extra data
The Argentine economic system has an official and unofficial trade price. £1 is at the moment formally redeemed for about $235 pesos. On the unofficial “Blue Greenback Charge”, £1 can run you about $470 pesos. To reap the benefits of one of the best charges, trade US {dollars} for money at a neighborhood Cambio.
Argentina Tourism Workplace: argentina.journey
