Patagonia

ANIMALS

Typical for Patagonia are armadillos, guanacos, pampas hare, and rheas in the steppe. They often visit you on the road or during meals. Along the coast, there are sea lions, elephant seals, and penguins. In the water, there are whales, orcas, and dolphins.

LANDSCAPE

Since all the rain gets stuck in the Andes and pours out there, Patagonia in Argentina receives very little rain. Accordingly, the landscape here resembles a desert, but the inhabitants insist that it is a steppe, so let's call it a steppe. Patagonia is pretty flat here, with occasional hills.

WIND

Also very typical for Patagonia is the strong wind that comes from the interior of the country. It can easily reach speeds of up to 90 km/h. What we call a storm is considered normal wind here. This wind can cause problems when driving and searching for a place to sleep. When driving on the mostly straight Route 3, the wind often hits the car and you find yourself on the opposite lane. It's almost like being in a ditch on the other side until you have counter steering. Because the wind is so strong, we almost always have to drive at full throttle and can reach speeds of almost 80 km/h. The fuel consumption per 100 km easily doubles! Unfortunately, there are not many gas stations, so as soon as you see one, make sure to refuel!

SUN

The ozone layer is thinner here, so apply plenty of sunscreen to avoid sunburn. Even the sun that comes through the clouds is enough for that.

OIL

The landscape is often interrupted by large oil extraction plants. For us, this is very fascinating as we have never seen these pumps in real life.

So, Patagonia really doesn't make it easy for people here.