Three vertical granite towers rise sheer above a turquoise lake at the eastern edge of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Torres del Paine gathers glaciers, wind-scoured steppe and one of South America’s best-known multi-day treks into a single national park in Chilean Patagonia.
At a glance
Torres del Paine National Park covers 1,813 square kilometres of Chilean Patagonia, in Última Esperanza Province, Magallanes Region. It was declared a national park in 1959 and designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1978. It has been on Chile’s tentative list for World Heritage status since 1994 but is not inscribed as a World Heritage Site.
The park’s centrepiece is the Paine Massif, whose geology combines an older dark hornfels and shale cap with a younger, paler intrusive granite exposed by glaciation. This produces the two-toned profile of the Cuernos del Paine and the pale granite spires of the towers themselves. Weather here changes quickly and is shaped by strong westerly winds; conditions are considered most settled in the Southern Hemisphere summer, from November to March.
Key facts
- Location: Última Esperanza Province, Magallanes Region, Chile
- Area: 1,813 km²
- Established: National park since 1959; UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1978
- The towers: South Tower (Torre Sur, 2,850 m), Central Tower (Torre Central, 2,800 m), North Tower (Torre Norte, 2,500 m)
- Main treks: The W Trek (72 km, around 4 days) and the O Circuit (115 km, around 8–9 days)
- Notable features: Cuernos del Paine (2,600 m), Grey Glacier and Lago Grey, Lago Pehoé, Lago Nordenskjöld, the Paine River
History
The Tehuelche, or Aónikenk, people inhabited the Patagonian steppe including the area now covered by the park from around 10,000 BCE until the nineteenth century. They were nomadic hunters whose principal prey was the guanaco, the wild ancestor of the llama and still the characteristic large mammal of the steppe.
Ferdinand Magellan is recorded as the first European to see the Patagonian coast, in 1520. Chilean Patagonia was colonised through the nineteenth century, when sheep estancias spread across the steppe, displacing the indigenous population and altering the native grasslands that guanaco had previously grazed.
The Chilean government established Torres del Paine as a national park in 1959, and UNESCO designated it a Biosphere Reserve in 1978.
What you see
The three granite towers stand together above Laguna Torres, rising 1,600 to 1,800 metres above the lake at their base. They face east, so early morning is when they catch the strongest light, and a walk from the Torres base camp to the lake before dawn is the classic way to see them lit at sunrise. The South Tower was first climbed in 1963 by Armando Aste with a team of Italian climbers; the Central Tower was climbed the same year by a British expedition led by Chris Bonington and Don Whillans.
Elsewhere in the park the Cuernos del Paine show the massif’s two-toned rock clearly, their dark hornfels caps sitting above pale granite bases, and are seen to particular effect from the turquoise waters of Lago Pehoé. The Grey Glacier, the park’s largest, calves icebergs into Lago Grey, and lies on the eastern flank of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the largest temperate ice field in the Southern Hemisphere outside Antarctica.
Most visitors experience the park on foot. The W Trek links the Torres viewpoint, the hanging glaciers of the Valle del Francés and the glacier and icebergs at Lago Grey, with overnight stops in refugios offering beds and meals. The longer O Circuit adds the Paso John Gardner, a mountain pass crossing the massif with the ice field on one side and open steppe on the other.
Practical information
- When to go: The summer months from November to March are generally considered the most reliable for weather and trail access; conditions can change quickly at any time of year.
- Accommodation on the trails: Refugios along the W Trek and O Circuit offer beds, meals and showers, but fill up in peak season and are best booked well ahead through the park’s official channels.
- Wind: Strong westerly winds are a constant feature, particularly at the base of the towers, and should be taken seriously when planning any hike.
- Current entry and trail conditions: Check the park’s official visitor information before travelling, as access and booking arrangements change.
Getting there
Torres del Paine is reached via Puerto Natales, the main gateway town in Chilean Patagonia, from which onward transport runs into the park.
Nearby
- Puerto Natales — the principal town serving the park, used as a base for supplies and transport.
- Southern Patagonian Ice Field — the vast temperate ice field, shared between Chile and Argentina, on whose eastern flank the park sits.
- Lago Grey and the Grey Glacier — within the park, reached on foot or by boat, with kayak trips run among the icebergs.
Sources
- UNESCO
- Chilean government (national park designation)
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