In 1879, the Scottish writer Lady Florence Dixie rode on horseback through southern Patagonia and became the first outsider to gaze upon the peaks she named “Cleopatra’s Needles.” Published a year later, her account helped introduce the world to a landscape that today lies within Torres del Paine National Park.
Born in 1855, Lady Florence led a life unlike that of most women in Victorian aristocracy. She was a writer, a journalist, and an early advocate for a greater role for women in public life — and a traveler drawn to places far from the well-worn routes.
At age 23, she decided to step away from British social life and set out for Patagonia. She traveled with her husband and two of her brothers. Once they reached Punta Arenas, the group gathered horses, supplies and guides, and headed deep into the wilderness for several weeks.
For Lady Florence, Patagonia was exactly what she had come looking for: distance, freedom and a landscape wholly unlike any she knew. Read more about her remarkable adventure here
