NATIONAL PARKS IN PATAGONIA

TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK

This is the biggest tourist attraction park of the Region. It has 181,00 hectares and is located in Ultima Esperanza gulf, 150 km. from Puerto Natales and 400 km. from Punta Arenas.

It was created in 1959 and declared Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978.

It has three accesses: Porteria Sarmiento, Laguna Amarga and Laguna Azul. This park has great beauties and paths fit for trekking different prairie spots, dense Magellan woods, lagoons with ice floes, all this surrounded by gigantic rock masses that distinguish the silhouette of the Cuernos del Paine (Paine's horns)

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NATIONAL PARK PALI-AIKE

Also called "The scum of the devil", has approx. 3,000 hectares. It is located in the driest section of the Magellan steppe. Most of its surface is covered by extensive overflows of basaltic lava, which determines its semi-desert vegetation. It is located about 200 km. northwest of Punta Arenas.

It is possible to watch some mammal species poor in other region sectors (skunks, gray foxes, guanacos and bats, among others)..

The existence of numerous low volcanic cones, natural caves, lava formations and uneven areas, resemble a lunar landscape.

In the Park and adjoining areas are the Pali Aike and Fell caves, where excavations in 1938 allowed to find prehistorical rests covered by ashes and volcanic material of some 15,000 years.

As for the climate, it is of cold steppe, with 200 to 300 mm. of annual rainfall and a yearly average temperature of nearly 4°C.

CABO DE HORNOS NATIONAL PARK

Created in 1945, belongs to the Wollaston and Hermite group of islands, in the south extreme of the American continent. It is located in Cabo de Hornos commune, Chilean Antarctic province.

Not higher than 220 meters, except Piramide hill in the Cape Horn (406 meters), the Cabo de Hornos national park has a surface of 63,093 hectares.

Its vegetation is low and dense, most of it peat bog.

There are also coigue and cinnamon and small sectors with lena dura and nirre.


Besides the park is habitat of an important number of sea mammals and sea birds.

National Park Bernardo O'Higgins is the biggest of the country and it takes up two Regions, part of the XI and part of the XII (from Tortel, Capitan Prat province, until Puerto Natales, Ultima Esperanza province) in Chilean Patagonia. It has a surface of 3,525,901 hectares.

Doubtless one of its main attraction is Pio XI glacier, where is possible to see, with good luck, detachment of huge blocks of ice. The big wall of ice formed is about 75 meters high (about 30 stories of a conventional building) and when it falls creates waves more than 10 meters high, enough to move your ship.

The park may be reached navigating by the Ultima Esperanza gulf (Torres del Paine National Park sector), through Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers

Located at 80 nautical miles from Punta Arenas in a mountainous area where outstands Darwin mountain chain. It has a great number of glaciers and snowdrifts that climbs down by the mountain hillsides to the fiords, gulfs and channels. It has a surface of 1,460,000 hectares.