In contrast to the vast plains of Eastern Patagonia, the Patagonian Andes of Aisén form a mountain range with countless pointed peaks, cliffs, forests, and volcanoes. Its wide, open valleys are abruptly divided by mountain ridges. Great masses of eternal ice alternate with forests full of twisted trunks. Ancient native species form a dense forest that drops from the cliffs to the very edge of the sea. Lengas and cypresses grow on the mountain tops, while the slopes are covered with coigües, tineos and mañíos, whose brightly-colored leaves offer a brilliant autumn show.