Patagonian Expedition Race
Location Guide - Cordillera Darwin
Will Gray (PER) / 18.02.2012
If the race was tough so far, it’s about to get tougher – so what can racers expect as they head into the Cordillera Darwin?
This awesome mountain range sits at the end of the mighty Andes – and it is here where teams will experience some of Chile’s wildest scenery.
The area from here right down to Cape Horn is designated a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve and some fjords in the region have only been discovered in the past century.
The range itself is a collection of 2,000m high peaks entirely within Chilean territory, named after Charles Darwin. Much of it is covered by a giant icefield the size of Luxembourg.
Many of its geological wonders are both untamed and unnamed - but there is one accessible national park down here, the Parque Nacional Alberto de Agostini, which is named after an Italian missionary.
Most visitors view the range from cruise boats that head down from Punta Arenas, travelling into inlets on the irregular coastline where glaciers and mountains slope dramatically drop into the sea.
The teams, however, will get right to the heart of the range – and the crossing will be spectacular.
[Click here to learn more about this region]
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