Centurion Middle East Winter 2022

|Places| PHOTO ©

|Places| PHOTO © EXPLORA Where the Huemul Roam Chile’s wild and wonderful slice of Patagonia is home to a new lodge – which also opens up exploration itineraries across the whole region. By Claudia Whiteus W elcome to Patagonia National Park. Stretching to more than 300,000 hectares, it is formidable and fascinating terrain with vast stretches of wide-open grasslands; rugged, rocky hillsides; dense forests; furiously flowing, glacier-fed rivers; glassy lakes and rare wildlife. Conferred its protected status just a few years ago, the unique ecological niche – which is wedged between the steppe of Argentina and Chile’s beech forests, among the majestic snow-capped peaks of the Andes – has recently seen the arrival of Explora’s 13- key lodge to Chacabuco Valley, giving the new national park an even newer nexus. The sixth of now seven lodges from the Chilean adventure outfitter (others are CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM 19