A vast wilderness of glistening lakes, vertiginous peaks, sweeping glaciers, empty, barren plains, and rugged coastline, Patagonia was first roamed by dinosaurs, and later was long the preserve of indigenous groups. The region is perhaps best known, though, for its pioneer era, when visionaries and adventurers came ashore in search of a better life at the bottom of the world.

Two main indigenous groups originally inhabited Patagonia – the Mapuche and Tehuelche. Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to discover the region in 1520. Adventurers, merchants, and pirates followed in his wake, although no permanent colony was established until the late 18th century.

After gaining its independence, Argentina made concerted efforts to settle Patagonia. In 1865, Welsh pioneers landed at Puerto Madryn. In the same decade, the Argentinian government launched military campaigns against the Mapuche and Tehuelche, putting an end to all indigenous resistance in the region. Towns such as Junín de los Andes and Bariloche were founded in the Mapuche heartland and populated by European immigrants. Railroads, ports, and new settlements were built to serve the burgeoning wool industry. Today, oil, gas, and fishing have usurped wool as Patagonia’s major source of income and a blossoming tourist industry has added further prosperity to the region.

Visitors can enjoy a wide range of outdoor activities, including horse-riding, trekking, fly-fishing, boating and rafting, and wildlife watching, all the while admiring Patagonia’s spectacular scenery. Its cities and towns remain busy centers of culture and entertainment, offering excellent museums and restaurants. Some, like Trelew and Gaiman, are still quintessentially Welsh, complete with chapels, teashops, and Welsh-style houses. In essence, the region has changed little from its pioneer past and remains a beautiful, remote, and sparsely populated wilderness.