- Address: Magallanes-i-la-Antarctica-Chile, Chile;
- Official page: conaf.cl;
- Area: 2420 km ²;
- Foundation date: 1959;
- Attendance: about 2 million people a year.
Torres del Paine is a Chilean national park located in the south of the country, near the border with Argentina. Looking at the map, you can see that there is no green area in Chile . The area is rich in representatives of flora and fauna, because of what it is very appreciated, and is protected by the authorities. Torres del Paine also includes the Andean desert, which has completely opposite characteristics.
General information
The first boundaries of the park were established on May 13, 1959, the same day is considered the date of its foundation. But the traveler Guido Monzino continued to explore the south of Chile and reported both the result of the expeditions to the government of Chile and in the 70s insisted that the area of the park be increased. So, in 1977 Torres del Paine increased by 12 thousand hectares, as a result of its total area has become 242,242 hectares and remains this, to this day.
Today the reserve belongs to the protected natural areas of Chile, and in 1978 it was declared a biosphere reserve. Torres del Paine is the third park for attendance in the country, 75% of tourists are foreigners, mostly Europeans.
The reserve is a complex of natural objects, and the territory itself has a unique relief. Torres del Paine includes mountain ranges, valleys, rivers, lakes and glaciers. Such a variety is difficult to meet elsewhere.
Interesting fact: in the special edition of the National Geographic magazine the reserve was named the most beautiful in the world. In 2013, the popular site Virtual Tourist held an open vote for the most beautiful national park, as a result of Chilean Reserve voted more than 5 million users, which is why Torres del Paine was named "The Eighth Wonder of the World."
What to see?
The national park is full of natural attractions, the most notable of which is the Cerro-Peine Grande mountain, which is 2884 meters high. It has amazing shapes, and each side has its own unique features. On the one hand Cerro-Paine looks absolutely fabulous, sharp rocks look upwards and are completely covered with snow, on the other - it is cut by winds, therefore it has smooth lines.
Another mountain that attracts the attention of tourists is the Cuernos del Paine . It has several sharp tips that are reflected in the blue water of the lake, located at the foot. Photos of Cuernos del paine are often found on the covers of magazines and photo exhibitions, as it is not easy to find a more "photogenic" mountain.
In Torres del Paine there are several glaciers: Graz , Pingo , Tyndall and Geiki . They are mainly concentrated in the central part of the reserve. In order to see them, it will be necessary to overcome not a few obstacles, including river crossing.
Fauna Torres del Paine is very diverse, on a vast territory live: foxes, skunks, armadillos, small nandoo, guanaco, pumas, eagles, ducks, black-necked swans and many others. A few dozen species of animals could not have felt comfortable if there were scanty vegetation here. In the reserve there are tundra, huge forests where cypress and beech plants grow, as well as several species of orchids.
Tourism
The Torres del Paine National Park is visited annually by hundreds of thousands of tourists, a record number of travelers was registered in 2005 - 2 million people. The nature reserve offers its guests hiking. There are two perfectly organized routes:
- W-track, designed for five days. After passing it, tourists will see the Peine mountain range and the lakes. The name of the route was due to its floridity, if you look at the map, it will have the shape of the Latin letter "W".
- O-track, designed for 9 days. The trek ends at the same point from where it started and runs through the Cerro Peine Grande.
Night lodging takes place in mountain shelters, there are replenished stocks of food for a day. Cooking takes place in specially designated places, but, unfortunately, not all tourists follow the rules, because of which Torres del Paine is often affected by fires. The first of them occurred in 1985, when a Japanese tourist during a break from a long journey was forgotten and did not put out a cigar. The result of this oversight was the death of several hectares of forests. Twenty years later, a tourist from the Czech Republic, lit a fire in the wrong place, which also caused a large-scale fire. The last tragic event occurred in 2011 because of an Israeli tourist who killed 12 hectares of forests. These facts are told to almost every tourist group to persuade to observe safety rules and to protect a unique nature.
How to get there?
Towards Torres del Paine leads one single route - number 9, which originates in the same city and ends and the shores of the Magellanian Straits, running through the whole southern part of Chile .