In pictures: The sheer magnificence of northern Patagonia

Many first time visitors to Patagonia assume that the further south they venture, the more spectacular the landscapes they will encounter. In some ways this assumption is entirely correct: the rugged, raw beauty of Torres del Paine, Tierra del Fuego and El Calafate is indeed very hard to beat.

But the more northerly (and thus more easily accessible) sections of both Chilean and Argentine Patagonia are picture-postcard-pretty too.  Known as The Lake District to some, it really is the kind of place to which words do no justice, so I'll stop rambling and let you take in the jaw-dropping magnificence of the photo gallery below.

Simply click on the thumbnails to view in full size. Or sit back and let autoplay do the work...

Happy (armchair) travels.