| Torres del Paine National Park Parque Nacional Torres del Paine | |
 | |
| Area type | National Park |
|---|---|
| State | Chile |
| Region | Chilean Patagonia |
| Surface | 242.242 ha |
| Institutional website | |
Torres del Paine National Park is located in the Chile.
Torres del Paine National Park: full screen map.To know
Torres del Paine National Park is one of the protected areas of Chile. In 2006, it occupied an area of approximately 242,242 ha. It is one of the largest parks in the country and one of the most important. It is the third for number of visits, of which about 75% correspond to foreign tourists, especially Europeans. The park was created on May 13, 1959. TheUNESCO declared it a biosphere reserve on April 28, 1978.
Geographical notes
The park is located 112 km north of Puerto Natales and 312 from the city of Punta Arenas. It is one of the eleven existing protected areas in the Magellane Region and Chilean Antarctica (together with four other national parks, three national reserves and three national monuments. Overall, the protected forest areas comprise 51% of the region's surface (6,728. 744 ha), bordered to the north by the Los Glaciares National Park, in Argentina. The park has a great variety of natural environments: mountains (among which stands the Cerro Paine complex, whose main peak reaches 3,050 m a.s.l., the Torres del Paine and i Cuernos del Paine), valleys, rivers (such as río Paine), lakes (including Gray, Pehoé, Nordenskjöld and Sarmiento), glaciers (Gray, Pingo, Tyndall and Geikie, belonging to the Campo de Hielo Patagónico Sur).
Flora and fauna
Guanacos, flamingos, pumas, Nandu, Gray Fox and Andean condors.
When to go
According to the Köppen climate classification, the park is in the "temperate climate of cold rain with no dry season." The park's weather conditions are variable due to the complex orography. But you have to be prepared for the harsh climate. Wind and strong sunshine are normal, and the weather can go through as many as four seasons in the course of a day, as the locals say. The area is characterized by cool summers, with temperatures below 16 ° C (61 ° F) during the hottest month (January). Winter is relatively cold, with an average July temperature of 5 ° C (41 ° F), and an average low of -3 ° C (27 ° F). The wettest months are March and April, with an average monthly rainfall of 80 mm. [[
How to get
By car
 | ATTENTION: The closest gas / petrol guaranteed filling station is located at Puerto Natales. |
It is accessed in any season of the year from the Ruta CH-9, which joins Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales. In the winter season the use of chains is recommended due to the variability of climatic conditions.
There are four main entrances (porterías) at the park:
- Route Y-150: Laguna Amarga - The main entrance to the park, which is closest to the Las Torres complex.
- Route Y-156: Sarmiento Lake - The least visited, located near the shores of Lake Sarmiento.
- Route Y-160: Laguna Azul - The north entrance of the park, used mostly by those who rent horses for the trails located nearby.
- Route Y-290: Serrano - The most direct route to Puerto Natales (approximately 90 kilometers, 1.5 hours) and the closest to the administration building and visitor center.
You can also access the park via Route Y-180 / Portería Laguna Verde.
Permits / Rates
To enter the national park you must pay an entrance to CONAF, the institution dedicated to the conservation of national parks in Chile. Payment can only be made in cash, although this can be in Chilean pesos, dollars or euros. By 2014, the costs were as follows:
| High season (Oct-Apr) | Low season (May-Sept) |
|---|---|
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How to get around
What see
- 1 Torres and Cuernos del Paine. They are a group of huge granite monoliths formed by the outcrop of a laccolith of igneous rock, which was later eroded by ice, water and winds. They are the main tourist attraction of the park. Three towers form the group. The Central Tower is almost 2,800 meters high and is the tallest of the three. It was first climbed in 1963 by Chris Bonington and Don Whillans. Torre Norte was first climbed by Guido Monzino and Torre del Sur by Armando Aste.
What to do
Shopping
Where to eat
Where stay
High prices
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Torres del Paine National Park
Commons contains images or other files on Torres del Paine National Park
