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WONDERS OF NATURE
Patagonia. Nature miracle
Argentina is the second largest country in South America after Brazil. Most of it is occupied by the pampa - free tall grass steppe, similar to Ukrainian or Canadian. But to the south of the RioColorado River begins a peculiar, unlike anything in the world and enchanting with its wild and harsh beauty, Patagonia.
Its vast territory occupies a third of Argentina, but it is still almost deserted, and a few towns huddle up to the Atlantic coast or to the foothills of the Andes. The originality of Patagonia is determined primarily by the climate, unique to the temperate zone. From the west, from where the winds predominantly blow here, it is protected by the highest ridges of the Andes, on which the moisture brought by them from the Pacific Ocean remains, so that Patagonia is in a kind of "rain shadow". But the winds from the south bring here the icy breath of Antarctica. Therefore, a cold semi-desert reigns here, where precipitation is less than in the Kalahari, and the temperature in summer (in January) does not exceed fifteen degrees Celsius. In winter, however, it stays at the level of plus five, and only on high plateaus does it fall below zero. The main part of Patagonia is occupied by flat dry plateaus, dissected by deep canyons of river valleys. Flat hills rise in gigantic steps from the Atlantic to the Andes. All Patagonian rivers start high in the mountains from snowfields and glaciers and cross the plateau in deep steep-walled gorges, receiving almost no tributaries here. Here and there in the widenings of the canyons thin willow groves are molded along the banks - the only kind of forests in these parts. And on the surface of the desert, windswept plateaus grow sparse grasses and low islands of shrubs, similar to dense gray-green pillows. The entire space between them is occupied by a continuous cover of boulders and pebbles - the "desert pavement", formed as a result of blowing fine soil particles by strong winds. Only in the foothills of the snow-covered Andes does the landscape come to life. Rivers and streams running along the slopes, as well as glacial lakes turning blue in the hollows, are surrounded by extensive forests of mighty oaks and beeches, reaching forty meters in height and two meters in diameter. Under them, fuchsia grows luxuriantly. Here it is not the usual flower in a pot on the windowsill, but a solid three-four-meter tree. The Indians have long used the elastic branches of fuchsia to build the frames of their huts. There are also ferns and bamboo in the undergrowth. The forests of the Patagonian Andes are always noisy and lively. On the upper floors it is hosted by the largest representatives of the feathered kingdom: an eagle, a Magellanic eagle owl, a black red-headed woodpecker and flashy motley parrots with greenish-bronze wings and orange-red tails. And on the first floor, in the undergrowth, swarming, pecking at something and filled with loud trills, a lot of small birds, similar to robins, wrens and canaries. In winter, a proud handsome Andean deer lives here, in summer it goes high into the mountains, to alpine meadows. Everywhere there are holes of a large rodent - viscacha. Once in these forests it was not difficult to meet the graceful relative of the llama - vicuña, mountain tapir and cautious jaguar, but, being desirable trophies for hunters, they have now become an exceptional rarity and are found only in the National Parks of Argentina and Chile. But nutria - the indigenous inhabitant of the Andean forests - is found here in abundance, and there is no river where this intelligent peace-loving animal would not meet the traveler. But even on the arid plateaus of Patagonia, surprisingly, you can see a lot of the most diverse animals. Nimble small rodents with the funny name tuko-tuko and businesslike armadillos live in burrows under bush cushions. Sometimes there is also a chinchilla famous for its delicate silvery fur, and from ungulates - a wild llama guanaco and a swift-footed pampas deer. The predators of the lowland Patagonia also do not look like the animals of the northern hemisphere familiar to us. This is a Magellanic dog and a pampas cat, attacking rodents, and, on occasion, an armadillo or nutria. But the most predatory beast of Patagonia is, of course, the cougar. This "American lion" has no rivals in these places and is a formidable enemy for the careless guanacos and nandu grazing with them - the American relatives of the ostrich. Nandu are the smallest of this family of flightless birds, but in terms of running speed they successfully compete with a horse, and it is not easy for hunters to catch up with it. Another characteristic inhabitant of Patagonia lives in its mountainous part. This is the famous condor - the largest bird of prey on our planet. The wingspan of a condor reaches three meters! The southernmost archipelago of America, Tierra del Fuego, is usually referred to as Patagonia. This sparsely populated group of islands, discovered four hundred years ago by Magellan, remained unexplored by scientists for a long time. Only three centuries after the great Spanish navigator, the famous Darwin visited and studied it during his round-the-world voyage on the Beagle ship. The traveler who expects to see here, on the eve of the Antarctic, the meager lifeless plains and bare rocky peaks, is pleasantly surprised to encounter magnificent evergreen forests on these islands. After the deserted Patagonian plateaus north of the Strait of Magellan, the landscape of Tierra del Fuego seems simply fantastic. This "change of scenery" makes a particularly strong impression when the traveler sails up to the archipelago on a ship. Even the day before, the ship entered the Strait of Magellan, and the passenger watched from the deck of the liner all the same gloomy and sad shores as on previous days. But waking up in the morning near the port of Punta Arenas, he suddenly sees a landscape overboard, as if drawn by a kind storyteller. The ship glides along narrow straits and bays, into the calm waters of which lively penguins rush from the rocks. Marvelous green mountains, dressed in lush forests to the very peaks, frame this idyllic picture, and the noise of the leaves mixes with the singing of birds and the splashing of the waves. In the distance, half-hidden by nearby mountains, majestic peaks rise, crowned with sparkling snows; mighty glaciers descend from them in deep ribbons. Like silver threads, countless waterfalls fall from the coastal cliffs. The slanting rays of the sun, penetrating from behind the clouds, illuminate the surrounding landscape with some kind of unearthly light. The further the ship deepens into the straits, the grander the picture that opens up to the eye becomes, the mountains seem higher and higher, and in the distance new, even more numerous and majestic snowy peaks appear. Especially picturesque is the Darwin Strait. There, giant glaciers descend from the mountains almost to the very seashore, forming icefalls up to six hundred meters high. The mighty bluish wall of ice hanging over the water contrasts with the bright green wooded mountains, making an indelible impression on the viewer. Such a landscape cannot be seen anywhere except Tierra del Fuego. Coming ashore, the traveler discovers that there are no roads paved by people in these deserted forests, and in order to get to know them, one will have to use the paths trodden by guanacos. But in the dense impassable thicket surrounding the trail, the tourist is not in any danger: there are no predators on Tierra del Fuego, except for the Antarctic fox. There are also no snakes, no mosquitoes, no poisonous spiders, and only thorny branches of bushes spoil the traveler's mood. However, having already risen to five hundred meters, you find that the forest ends and stunted mountain meadows begin, completely unlike the alpine ones and rather resembling the tundra. And only bare rocks remain even higher, in some places enlivened by patches of snowfields. But the scarcity of vegetation underfoot is more than redeemed by a delightful view from above of the green islands, whimsically scattered through the labyrinth of straits and channels, and the foggy strip that borders them at the very horizon - the Pacific Ocean! Today, Patagonia attracts numerous tourists both in summer and winter. Some of them choose dangerous and exciting safaris in the desert canyons of the Patagonian plateaus, others prefer to admire the wild beauty of the Straits of Fireland from the deck of a cruise ship, and still others choose the most difficult climbing routes on the slopes of the Patagonian Andes sparkling with icefalls or skiing along the dizzying Andean slopes. But perhaps the most picturesque route in Patagonia is a trip to the Nahuel Huapi National Park, striking in its beauty and diversity of natural landscapes. The area where this park is located is not accidentally called "Argentinean Switzerland". Here, in a relatively small area, you can see the nature of a high plateau with its semi-desert landscape, and picturesque glacial lakes surrounded by forests of southern beech, and Andean glaciers, stunning in their beauty and grandeur. At the same time, most of the trip can be made by boat along the winding stretches of the huge lake Nahuel Huapi, landing on its shores and islands in the most interesting places, and finally climbing into the mountains to the foot of the extinct Tronador volcano, from the slopes of which eight glaciers descend at once. From time to time, huge blocks of ice come off the glacial tongues and fall with a roar into deep gorges. Here, unique forests of Patagonian larch, a giant tree resembling a California sequoia, have survived. In addition, the area of the National Park, located at the junction of various natural zones, allows you to get acquainted with a number of rare animals, such as a tiny, hare-sized, pudu deer, mouse opossums, a cute fluffy viscacha rodent and an unusual predator for this continent - a gray fox. Of course, there are also the usual inhabitants of the mountainous and lowland Patagonia: Andean deer and condor, guanaco and rhea, armadillo and coypu. Poorly flying short-tailed birds tanakulos dart along the ground like mice, black Magellanic woodpeckers knock with their beaks on larch trunks and Chilean hummingbirds and wedge-tailed parrots sparkle with their plumage. Particularly attracts tourists located on the eastern shore of the lake "Enchanted Valley". Here, water, wind and glacier carved bizarre sculptures from ancient rocks, which received romantic names: "Castle", "Finger of God", "Penitent", "Thoughtful India" and others... I must say that the most beautiful corners of the Southern Hemisphere are still little known to travelers from the Old World. This is especially true of the southernmost regions of our planet. Meanwhile, the landscapes of these peculiar places, absolutely unlike the pictures of the nature of North America, Scandinavia or Siberia, will give the traveler real pleasure and will remain in memory for a long time. Author: B.Wagner
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