The Leave No Trace principle "plan ahead and prepare" takes on new meaning in the backcountry, where students rely upon good topographic maps and navigational charts to find their way. Photo: Bruce Smithhammer

NOLS Patagonia FactsYear Founded: 1992 Operating Season: Sep.-April Location: Coyhaique, Chile In-town Staff: 23 Skills offered: Mountaineering, Fly Fishing, Sea Kayaking, Backpacking, Rock Climbing

Patagonia is a frontier of campos (ranches) hidden in isolated mountain valleys, among ragged icy peaks, and on turbulent rivers and island archipelagos. This is a land that demands exploration, and you will experience firsthand its dramatic peaks, valleys and waterways.

At NOLS Patagonia, in the heart of Chilean Patagonia, our main base is a working farm of several hundred acres in the small town of Coyhaique. We do all of the planning and logistics to make your expedition into the wilderness an educational experience that lasts a lifetime. Here you’ll meet your instructors and get to know them and your fellow expedition members as you prepare for your course.

NOLS is an important contributor to the outdoor community in this region. Since 1992, NOLS has been offering specialized courses for Chilean educators and park rangers, teaching No Deje Rastro (Leave No Trace), outdoor skills and leadership.

The hallmarks of a NOLS Patagonia course are exploration, remoteness and fickle weather. Patagonia has mountains that have never been climbed and valleys populated by pobladores (subsistence ranchers). The conditions in this part of the world are extreme, but we will teach you how to hike and camp in the valleys, explore the mountains, paddle the archipelagos, and stop to enjoy the people you meet along the way.

Leadership development comes quickly in these adverse conditions where teamwork is a necessity, not a luxury. You’ll return from Patagonia with communication skills, the ability to motivate yourself and others, and the proficiency to plan and carry out expeditions to the remotest corners of the world.