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Explore Patagonia’s Welsh heritage

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Discover the legacy of the formidable Welsh community in Patagonia - teas, museums, choirs. 

The huge, wild expanses of rough grasslands and desolate, arid hills inland from the Atlantic Ocean in Argentine Patagonia, along with a harsh climate, was enough to put off European immigrants in the early years of colonisation.  But from mid 19th century onwards, hardy farmers from the UK, especially Wales, observed similarities with their homelands and moved into the valleys and plains to farm and to rear sheep.

Seeking religious freedom, the Welsh aimed not only to sustain themselves through agriculture but also to create a “little Wales beyond Wales” away from the pernicious influence of the English.

The Patagonian landscape here really does recall the Cambrian mountains; tree-sheltered-farmhouses; disused railways; chapels and cottages could have been transported wholesale from present-day Wales. For the Welsh visitor, a stay here is imbued with nostalgia, for the rest of us, it is a monument to courage and an enterprising spirit.

There is little remaining of Welsh culture in Puerto Madryn and Trelew, the pleasant main port and principal town of the region. But smaller settlements such as Trevelin have jealously preserved their Welsh heritage,  taking pride in the determination of ancestors, with Welsh choirs, museums, cemeteries and, famously, Welsh teas, served in the picturesque village of Gaiman, which hosts an annual Eisteddford in October.

Argentina
Valdes Peninsula and Atlantic Patagonia
Patagonia

Holidays Explore Patagonia’s Welsh heritage

From expertly designed Private Journeys to trail-blazing Group Tours, browse our range of carefully crafted holidays.

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Private Journeys

Argentina / Iguazu Falls / Patagonia

Argentina Wildlife: Tropical wetlands and Patagonia

14 days from £4,260pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

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Private Journeys

Chile / Argentina

Patagonia cruise: Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn

13 days from £4,600pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Papagaio

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Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

  • Heloise
    Heloise Buxton - Travel Expert

    Heloise started her Latin American journey as an exchange student in Santiago, Chile. With extended summer holidays this was the perfect opportunity to backpack through Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Brazil.

  • Carrie
    Carrie Gallagher - Travel Expert

    A former JLA tour leader, Carrie brings a wealth of on-the-ground experience to our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours department.

  • Paul Winrow Giffin
    Paul Winrow-Giffin - Travel Expert

    After graduating in Computer Science, Paul spent seven months travelling from Colombia to Argentina and came home hooked on Latin America.

  • Charlotte
    Charlotte Daubeney - Travel Expert

    Charlotte's fascination with Latin America began with a family holiday to Belize. She went on to study Spanish in school and at university before spending a year living in Santiago, Chile.

  • Lina
    Lina Fuller - Travel Expert

    Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.

  • Hannah
    Hannah Donaldson - Travel Expert

    Having spent part of her childhood in Colombia and worked in Brazil and Costa Rica, Hannah's ties to Latin America run deep. Hannah is a much valued Travel Expert in our Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tours sales team.

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