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Cloudwatching in Patagonia
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Nature seems to thrive on a much grander scale in Patagonia, even in the sky. With it's big open skies and powerful winds, sometimes there's just as much beauty up above your head as there is at ground level. This cracker of a cloud was spotted overhead en route to Cerro Torre in Argentina.
Red sky at night, photographer's delight - as seen from above El Chaltén in Argentina, base for hikes around Mount Fitz Roy.
Photo or a painting? If you ever find yourself wandering the streets of El Chaltén as the sun sets, please don't forget to look up from time to time.
Cloud is a constant companion in Torres del Paine. The great peaks can be shrouded in cloud until a gust of wind clears them and reveals the jagged granite peaks which lurk below, in all their glory.
Sometimes the clouds seem to roll down to our level, adding an extra layer of drama to the landscape. This photo was taken by my colleague in the Beagle Channel at the very bottom of South America, en route to legendary Cape Horn.
A cascade of clouds hangs above the rewilded grasslands of the newly formed Patagonia National Park in Chile.
Sometimes nothing beats a bit of whispy cloud to seemingly elevate Patagonia's great peaks to even loftier hights. This is the wonderfully sculpted peak of Cerro Torre in the Southern Patagonian Icefield.
Another corker of a cloud near El Chaltén, as seen from the Rio de las Vueltas valley.
Even in a land of mountains and forests, the skies of Chilean Patagonia can seem vast and infinite. Catch them at the end of the day, and something magical often unfolds up above.
Beauty at ground level and in the sky at Lago Argentino, near El Calafate.
Clouds of a more foreboding kind are part of the territory in Patagonia. Coming here without a rain mac is never a good idea at any time of the year.
But of course, sometimes the last thing you want to see in the sky are clouds. This beautiful starry sky in Torres del Paine under a blanket of cloud cover.
These photos hint at the beauty of Patagonia, but nothing prepares you for the scale - its immense skies, glaciers, mountains, grassland and forests. Sometimes, its profound emptiness. For that, you'll need to come and see for yourself. Take a look at our Patagonia holidays to get some ideas flowing.
