Alberto de Agostini National Park travel guide

Glaciers in Ainsworth Bay (Photo: https://www.flickr.com/people/aztlek/, CC BY-SA 2.0)

Alberto de Agostini National Park (Spanish: Parque nacional Alberto de Agostini) is a large national park with an area of over 14,600 km2 (5,600 sq mi) in Chilean Patagonia. It is one of both Chile's and Patagonia's most off-the-beaten-path destinations, and is only accessible by ship.

Understand

Junta Glacier seen from the Beagle Channel (Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0)

History

The park, founded in 1985, is about 148 km (80 nautical miles) southwest of Punta Arenas. There are huge glaciers in the process of detachment, namely De Agostini and Marinelli. The park covers practically the entire southwest of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. It encompasses the entire mountain range of the Cordillera Darwin with its highest mountain, Cerro Darwin (2,488 m).

Together with Cabo de Hornos National Park, Alberto de Agostini National Park has been part of the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve since 2005.

Landscape

The coast of the park is characterized by fjords. In its centre is the Cordillera Darwin, whose sheer slopes drop to the sea. It is dominated by

• Monte Darwin (2,438 m) and Monte Sarmiento (2,246 m). Many valleys and plateaus are covered with glaciers and have shaped the landscape. The Beagle Channel stretches between the main island of Tierra del Fuego and the islands of Hoste and Gordon, as well as several smaller islands.

Flora and fauna

The flora and fauna of the park is reflects its Subantarctic climate. A total of 49 bird species have been recorded, although Andean jackal and Argentine fighting fox roam the site. Its waters are home to, among others, white-bellied and Peale's dolphins, sea lions and sea otters. Leopard seals, maned seals, and southern elephant seals can be seen on the coast.

Climate

The park's climate has a sub-polar character – it is cold, humid and windy.

Visitor information

Park website (in Spanish)

• InterPatagona (in English)

Get in

The only way to access the park is by ship. There is no road access to the park.

By ship

• Supply ship from Punta Arenas and Puerto Williams
• Ferries from Ushuaia to Porvenir and back.
• From Ushuaia to Puerto Montt
• Tour by catamaran or sailing ship through the Beagle Channel.

See

• Agostini Fjord (Agostini Sound). On a map, this fjord doesn't look anywhere remotely important apart from it separating two branches of the Cordillera Darwin, but you'll see some impressive ice-capped mountains and glaciers from this fjord.

Glaciers

The Glacier Alley (Photo: Balou46, CC BY-SA 4.0)

The part of the Beagle Channel between Gordon Island and the main island of Tierra del Fuego is known as Glacier Alley.

• Holanda Glacier.
• Italia Glacier.
• Alemania Glacier.
• Romanche Glacier.
• Pia Glacier.

Buy, eat, drink and sleep

There are no eateries, shops, accommodation, bars, etc., within the park. All of it must be done on your ship.

Go next

Your best option is to return to where you departed from.

Where this page came from

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