Luis Patricio Ruiz Silva

Luis Patricio Ruiz Silva has spent more than a decade learning how to read landscapes and share their stories. Born in Santiago, Chile, he began guiding in the Atacama Desert before working in central Chile and eventually making his way south to Patagonia, where, he says, he “fell in love with guiding again.” Now entering his sixth consecutive season at Tierra Patagonia, Luis brings an unusually wide-ranging curiosity to every excursion. His training spans wilderness first aid and rescue, mountain guiding, geology, glaciology, Indigenous history and cultures, and even astronomy, while he is currently studying history and literature at university. “Continuing to learn is very important as a guide,” he says, “because I can always bring new knowledge and stories to our guests.”

That curiosity is matched by a sense of adventure. Luis jokingly describes himself as “an Indiana Jones of my own,” equally excited by interpreting the landscape and heading into the wild to experience it firsthand. He is particularly passionate about the 22-kilometre (14-mile) journey to Base Torres, an eight-to-ten-hour trek that he sees as far more than a hike. Along the way, there is time to build relationships, observe wildlife, and experience the scale of Torres del Paine before returning to the lodge on foot with a profound sense of accomplishment. Yet even after years in Patagonia, Luis tries never to lose his capacity for wonder, whether watching a condor overhead, encountering a shy huemul, or spotting guanacos and pumas in the landscape. “Patagonia is already an incredible place by itself,” he says. His role is to help guests connect with it deeply enough that they leave carrying a little piece of the experience home.