Resting on the tree-lined shores of a turquoise-tinged glacial lake in Chilean Patagonia, Terra Luna is a remote getaway in the heart of some of the world's most breathtaking alpine scenery. This small resort is perched on a hillside overlooking island-studded General Carrera Lake and beyond to a bevy of jagged Andean arêtes that beckon to willing guests.

Spread out on Terra Luna's 15-acre ranch are two small lodges, four bungalows, and two camp huts. Its main lodge has the

Resting on the tree-lined shores of a turquoise-tinged glacial lake in Chilean Patagonia, Terra Luna is a remote getaway in the heart of some of the world's most breathtaking alpine scenery. This small resort is perched on a hillside overlooking island-studded General Carrera Lake and beyond to a bevy of jagged Andean arêtes that beckon to willing guests.

Spread out on Terra Luna's 15-acre ranch are two small lodges, four bungalows, and two camp huts. Its main lodge has the look of an oversized log cabin with a gabled roof and picture windows with immense views of the Northern Patagonian Ice Field, the largest continuous mass of ice outside of the polar regions. A bright, open dining room encourages guests to dine family-style, and its sprawling wraparound deck is a great place to take in the enormity of the landscape. San Valentin, the smaller lodge (with just three rooms) is more like a cottage with its own rambling porch lined with flower boxes.

Beyond Terra Luna lies a Patagonian playground of epic proportions, but the resort has its measure (well, almost) with a variety of guided adventures. The lodge can be used as a base camp for trips ranging in length from two hours to 20 days (the longer expedition is an ascent of San Valentin, which stands as Patagonia's highest peak at 13,314 feet). Popular excursions include taking a Zodiac out on Carrera Lake and exploring the Cueva del Lago, which has been dubbed the "marble cave" for the smooth, polished look of the rock cut-outs there. There's also trekking to the multi-tiered waterfalls of Rio Maqui or to Fuentes Glacier, one of the 28 ice floes that drape off the sides of the gargantuan ice shelf. Guests can saddle up a horse or a mountain bike to roam unspoiled territory; paddle and fly-fish on endless lakes; or raft the tempestuous Baker, Chile's wildest river.

Heather Hansen is co-author of Disappearing Destinations: 37 Places in Peril and What Can Be Done to Help Save Them and has written for publications including Men's Journal, Outside, and Mother Jones.