Travel Guide Parque Nacional Alberto De Agostini

With an area of 1,460,000 ha, this national park is the third largest protected area in Chile. It is home to fjords, glaciers (Marinelli, which is the largest glacier in the region, Francia, Holanda, de Agostini, Italia, etc.), the Darwin mountain range and is characterized by its many snowdrifts (snowdrifts formed by the wind). The national park also has a few islands such as Gordon Island or the Tuckers Islands where Magellanic penguins can be observed. Rich in historical anecdotes, the park conceals treasures of biodiversity, guanacos, colonies of wolves, elephant seals, whales and dolphins. Some cruise ships sail through the park and its sumptuous landscapes to Cape Horn from Punta Arenas. The park owes its name to the famous Italian explorer who was a missionary, photographer, geographer, writer and ethnologist. Originally from Piedmont, Father Agostini is a mountain lunatic. Known above all for his expeditions to Patagonia, he fell in love with Tierra del Fuego, where he first visited in 1910 as a missionary. He came into contact with the Yagan natives, whom he photographed on numerous occasions. During his peregrinations, he explored the park that today bears his name. He continued to explore Argentina, from Ushuaia to Nahuel Huapi Park, and died on his return to Italy on December 25, 1960. He left behind a large collection of precious photographs and some twenty books on Patagonia.