The different landscapes of Patagonia inspired the writings of numerous travelers and naturalists. In this section, we are presenting passages from the work of several authors showing their impressions about this magical region.

Patagonia

"The glories of the vegetation of the Tropics rise before my mind at the present time more vividly than anything else; though the sense of sublimity, which the great deserts of Patagonia and the forest-clad mountains of Tierra del Fuego excited in me, has left an indelible impression on my mind".

(In: "The Autobiography of Charles Darwin", written in 1878, four years before his dead)

"When recalling a Patagonian landscape, it comes to mind so complete in all its dimension, with all its details so clearly outlined, that if I were actually looking at it, I would find difficult to see it with more neatness; on the other hand, other landscapes, even those that were beautiful and sublime, with forest, ocean and mountain, and above all, with a deep blue sky and the brilliant sun of the Tropics, they do not appear in my memory neither more clearly nor more complete, and they become more fragmented and misty if I try to remember them better"...

(In: "Idle days in Patagonia", William Henry Hudson, 1893)

"In these latitudes everything moves for strong emotion, sometimes the sad dryness of the planes, sometimes the chaotic aspect of the mountains, and frequently, between the great nature scenes, the majesty of calm nights touches us deeply".

(Ramón Lista 1856-1897, Argentinean explorer and naturalist)

"Behind the fantasy of Patagonia lies the myth of disappearance, of drowning in the desolation of the end of the world. Of course, this is just a metaphor. I can imagine that traveling to Patagonia, is like reaching the limit of a concept, like getting to the end of things".

(Jean Baudrillard, French thinker, El Clarín, 25 de Enero de 1996)

"Patagonia! She is a hard mistress. She casts her spell. And enchantress! She folds you in her arms and never lets go".

(In: "Patagonia", Bruce Chatwin, 1977)

The Steppe

"In calling up images of the past, I find that the plains of Patagonia frequently cross before my eyes; yet hese plains are pronounced by all wretched and useless. They can be described only by negative characters; without habitations, without water, without trees, without mountains, they support merely a few dwarf plants. Why, then, and the case is not peculiar to myself, have these arid wastes taken so firm a hold on my memory? Why have not the still more level, the greener and more fertile Pampas, which are serviceable to mankind, produced an equal impression? I can scarcely analyze these feelings: but it must be partly owing to the free scope given to the imagination".

(In: "A Naturalists Voyage Round The World", Charles Darwin, 1839)

"Unexplainable is the action of nature on the traveler; it is not even describable nor capable of analysis. It is just enough to see a thorny bush growing on an arid "pampa", to feed the admiration I feel, when, in the middle of the desert, I find those beauties, since all these are beauties that arise from the forces that have been evolving from the almost uncreated".

(In: "Voyage to Austral Patagonia", Francisco Pascasio Moreno, 1876)

Starry skies

Up high, a beautiful sky, clear and starry, allows our vision to be delighted on the enchanted landscape of the worlds of firmament. Here, these do not have the softness of the lights that pleases the voluptuousness of inhabitants of the Tropics; on the contrary, they sparkle with liveliness. The spectacle is splendidly beautiful, but sad; it invites to the contemplation of nature and attracts our thinking to it. It feels free here. As it extends its veil over this portion of land, the night has ripped the one that was covering it; during the day, animal life has absorbed everything, the bustle of work has contained it, but in these solitude hours, when we think that the terrestrial nature sleeps, and it seems that only the celestial bodies are watching over it, following its immutable race, the spirit wakes up, it can be said that it looses and feels moved".

(In: "Voyage to Austral Patagonia", Francisco Pascasio Moreno, 1876)

Argentino Lake

"What a delicious awakening! Here, at the dawn of this new day, the harmonies that the Spirit of the Waters intones along the lake waves that are rolling over the stones, are resonating kindly in my ears. What splendid visions are reflected in my mind as I look from my sandy bed to these greenish waters that have lulled my sleep!"

(In: "Voyage to Austral Patagonia", Francisco Pascasio Moreno, 1876)

Perito Moreno Glacier

"Far away, we see an enormous white mass leaning over, a few moments later, sinking with din and producing a great wave that comes rolling until it crushes against our boat. As it disappears, in this place we see white cones rising that disseminate, and also balance the water impulse disturbed by the impact. These are the remains of the Gothic monument, carved and loosened by the skillful nature of the flank of the glacier".

(en: "Viaje a la Patagonia Austral", Francisco Pascasio Moreno, escrito en 1876)

"What a multitude of memories wake up in me while I am directing the rudder to the ice fields! Only now, I understand the writings of polar sailors that I have glanced at so many times, and the reading of which have produced in me unknown sensations so many other times".

(In: "Voyage to Austral Patagonia", Francisco Pascasio Moreno, 1876)