Torres del Paine National Park is a hiker’s paradise that is fast becoming a pilgrimage of choice for nature buffs, adventure tourists, and those with an appetite for the non-conventional.
By JEN ROSS
Stretching long across the extreme south of Chile’s mainland, the unusual geometry of Patagonia’s landscapes, bizarre wildlife, and enchanted forests give it an almost eerie lure.
The surreal sunsets across seemingly endless horizons evoke a sense of expanse and isolation. Almost at the end of the world, there’s no better place to get away from it all. Still, the crown of this rugged land is fast becoming a hub for foreign tourists, eager to explore its jagged peaks, which erupt through lingering clouds and tower above azure lakes.
Covering 242,000 hectares (almost the size of Luxemburg), Torres del Paine National Park is a playground for both expert and amateur trekkers. There seems to be a surprise at every turn along its dozens of winding trails and off-the-beaten-track hideaways.
In 2005, the park received more than 100,000 visitors – its largest influx yet. The greatest appeal has been among European tourists – the bulk of which are German, Spanish, French and British tourists. Chile’s National Tourism Service (Sernatur) attributes the increase to its promotion efforts over the last five years. Europeans are followed closely by Americans, Israelis and Brazilians.
The number of tourists making this remote pilgrimage has risen exponentially in recent decades. A mere 2,464 foreign adventurers came in 1985 – representing only 36% of the park’s total visitors. By 1995, that figure had risen to 27,108 foreigners, who had come to account for 62% of all tourists. But by last year (2005), a whopping 83,233 tourists had made the trek from abroad, making up 78% of the total traffic.
“Its appeal keeps growing as people discover why it’s considered one of the world’s top 10 national parks,” explains Miguel Ángel Muñoz, Sernatur’s Regional Director for Magallanes province. “The park has so much appeal because of its unique setting and the wide variety of special-interest tourism, ranging from bird-watching, to mountain-climbing, to trekking over glaciers.”
Muñoz says the increased traffic is far from concerning because it is spread out around the park, and staggered throughout the year. They’ve also carefully calculated the capacity of each site, and Muñoz says they are far from exceeding any maximum limits.
With 225 km of trails, there are dozens of routes and circuits to choose from, ranging from crossings over swaying bridges hanging above raging rivers, to steep, rocky climbs though whipping winds and snow, to leisurely walks along glimmering lakes. Torres del Paine is also part of Sendero de Chile (Path for Chile) a new government initiative to unite Chile’s existing 1,200 km of hiking paths, from north to south, and expand them to create the world’s longest continuous trek, with more than 8,500 km of habilitated trails by 2010.
To reach Patagonia, you must first fly to Santiago, then to Punta Arenas, then drive or take buses to the park ($20 one-way, Buses Fernandez, Bus Pacheco, Bus Sur, etc.). Some buses leave straight from the airport, but most people opt to spend a day or two exploring Punta Arenas and stocking up on provisions.
Founded as a trading post in 1848, Punta Arenas (pop. 121,000) retains some of the opulent mansions, relics of the wool boom and gold rushes in the late 19th century, which lured English, Scottish and Croatian immigrants to the area. Plaza Munoz Gamero is surrounded by some of these mansions, and the foreign surnames marking the elaborate tombs and mausoleums in the Municipal Cemetery are a testament to the city’s past. Nearby penguin colonies and smaller National parks known for sport fishing make it a worthwhile stopover. The city is also home to the region’s best hotels, including Hotel Finnis Terrae and Hotel Cabo de Hornos. Punta Arenas is equally a gateway for excursions to Tierra del Fuego – the southernmost set of islands, with stunning, barren landscapes. There is even a new cruise line offering two-week escapes to Antarctica.
Another option is to head straight from the Punta Arenas airport to Puerto Natales (pop. 18,000) – a small and slightly depressed fishing town that has become a tourist hub, though it has much less to offer in the way of services and supplies than Punta Arenas. Less than 3 hours from Punta Arenas by bus, and only two hours to Torres del Paine, it has become a gateway by default. But many make the stop to visit the nearby Cueva del Milodon, where you can enter the stalagmite-decked cave, where in 1985, British researchers discovered the skeleton of a prehistoric ground sloth. Excursions to nearby Serrano or Balmaceda also offer spectacular views of nearby fjords and glaciers.
But the highlight is Torres del Paine itself. Most tourists come to either circuit or ‘do the W’ trail around the signature peaks of Torres del Paine (2250 m), Paine Grande (3050 m) and Cuernos del Paine (2200 to 2600 m), while other trails remain almost deserted. There are other trails of varying lengths that take hikers around different parts of the park – including: the Valle Pingo, Laguna Verde, Las Carretas, and Laguna Azul circuits.
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