The region of Patagonia lies at the southern tip of South America and includes portions of Argentina and Chile. The southern Andes mountain range is only one part of a varied landscape which is home to a huge variety of birds and wildlife. I know very little about this part of the world, but it’s clear from the photos and postcards in my photo album that the scenery is beautiful and sometimes a bit overwhelming!

If you look closely at the photo below, you might be able to spot a South American gray fox; I’ve cropped it quite a bit, but it was originally shot looking through a window from inside the tour bus. And since the fox is so adept at camouflaging itself, our South American traveler wisely included a postcard image of the adorable Lycalopex griseus, also known as the chilla or gray zorro.

The Guanaco, cousin of the llama and vicuna, is critically endangered

This sign near Ushuaia, the capital of Tierra del Fuego, identifies birds that might be seen in the area. The names are in both Spanish and English and include Black-crowned Night-Heron; Kelp Goose; Crested Duck; Flying Steamer Duck and Flightless Steamer Duck; Black Oystercatcher; Magallanic Oystercatcher; and Rufous-backed Negrito.

This postcard displays “typical architecture” of the city of Ushuaia. Clockwise from top left: the Volver Restaurant, Provincial Legislature, Territorial Museum, another restaurant named Barcito Ideal, and a family home.

Paso Sobrestante Luis Garibaldi (Garibaldi Pass)

Ushuaia is located on Ushuaia Bay at 6 meters above sea level, surrounded to the west, north, and east by the Andes Fueguinos. It is the only city accessed from the rest of the country by crossing part of the Andes mountain range that runs along the southern edge of Tierra del Fuego. National Route 3 crosses the Sierra Alvear through the Garibaldi Pass to enter the Carabajal Valley, where it follows the Olivia River through the Sierra Sorondo to the Beagle Channel and Ushuaia Bay. For this reason, in Argentina it is considered the only trans-Andean city (ciudad trasandina) — from Wikipedia

The city of Ushuia was founded in October 1884. Its motto (in Spanish) is Ushuaia, fin del mundo, principio de todo — “Ushuaia, end of the world, beginning of everything.”