This isolated settlement in the core of Chile's Patagonia is one of nature's last practically untrammelled wildernesses. Situated just north of Punta Arenas, the southernmost town in the world, it is a lonely area of irresistible beauty that was not charted until the 1930s.

The 600,000-acre system of bottomless aquamarine lakes, rushing rivers, growling glaciers, pampas, and inlets is best known for the Cuernos del Paine - impressive 10,000-foot towers of rose-coloured granite that are part of the Cordillera Paine mountain range. The twelve-foot wingspan of the legendary Andean condor rarely appears against the sky in this dreamlike landscape; it is one of more than 100 different types of indigenous birds, from the ostrich-like rhea to untamed flamingos and black-necked geese.

Little doubt that Charles Darwin and Jules Verne were among those who fell under the magic charm of this area at the end of the world. Here the plenitude of air, light, time, and space come together the sense of detachment from life as you know it. Make the most of the experience with a stay at the Hotel Salto Chico, situated on the shoreline of the glacial Lake Pehoe in the Torres del Paine National Park.