The Patagonian Steppe, Argentina & Chile

The bus journeys from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas in Chile, from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales, and from Puerto Natales to El Calafate took me over vast expanses of Patagonian Steppe, bleak grasslands, almost unpopulated, mainly flat but interspersed with a few undulating hills, a few lakes and with spectacular views over the Andes in the distance. These terrains seem to be principally inhabited by thousands of sheep, although I also caught a glimpse of some large flightless Ostrich-like birds, which I later discovered to be Ñandú (aka Darwin Rhea), a few Llama and some flamingos in a lake. I found an interesting site about Patagonian wildlife here.