Patagonia is a geographical area on the southern finish of South America and belongs to 2 international locations, Argentina and Chile with the unimaginable Andes Mountain vary separating them.
The huge tip of the continent is a playground for a spread of various journey actions being coated in glacier fields, mountains, volcanoes, lakes, and fjords. Sure by the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans the mountains, lakes, fjord, rainforests, glaciers, and deserts are protected by nationwide parks in Argentina and Chile.
We spent 90 days exploring the route of parks of Patagonia and world heritage websites on this fantastic a part of Latin America. Patagonia is a dream vacation spot if you happen to love the outside with lots to supply adrenaline junkies. Go paddling via fjords, white-water rafting, climb spectacular granite partitions, discover the world-famous glaciers (or go off the crushed observe), go fishing, horseback driving, or tenting within the mountains. For us exploring the nationwide parks in Patagonia was all about climbing. The area affords an unparalleled array of climbing trails, there are numerous scenic day hikes in Patagonia in addition to difficult multi-day climbing adventures.
Attending to Patagonia and exploring the world might be difficult as a result of it’s distant with little amenities. Journey round right here by a mix of flights, buses, and ferries and we hitchhiked the complete Carretera Austral (Chile’s Route 7) for a month!
The nationwide parks of South America’s most southern area are nonetheless actually pristine. This space is made distinctive by the wide range of landscapes and distinctive wildlife that may be discovered nowhere else on Earth. With nationwide parks encompassing beautiful glaciers, large Andean peaks, crystal clear alpine lakes, and semi-arid tundra this unspoilt space is a nature lovers paradise.
The logistics of visiting Patagonia is already fairly difficult and making it to the ‘off the crushed observe’ areas is just for hardcore adventurers. Many vacationers embrace of their Patagonia itinerary the three most well-known nationwide parks: Torres del Paine (W-trek), Los Glaciares (Perito Moreno glacier), and Tierra del Fuego (Ushuaia). With good infrastructure, they don’t seem to be too troublesome to succeed in and discover.
On this submit, I’ll talk about our favourite nationwide parks in Patagonia and the logistics of visiting them.
We spent two months climbing and tenting in Patagonia throughout that point we had every kind of climate; from scorching sunny days to hail and storm wind. See our full packing listing for tenting and trekking in Patagonia.
Nationwide Park Excursions in Patagonia
Nationwide Parks in Chile Patagonia
- Torres del Paine Nationwide Park
- Pumalin Nationwide Park
- Cerro Castillo Nationwide Park
- Bernardo O’Higgins Nationwide Park
- Queulat Nationwide Park
- Patagonia Nationwide Park
Torres del Paine Nationwide Park
- Identify of Nationwide Park: Torres del Paine Nationwide Park
- Highlights: Mirador Las Torres and Gray Glacier
- Location: Magallanes Area, Chile
- Closest City: Puerto Natales (50 miles/80 km)
- Measurement: 448,284 acres (181414 ha)
- In style Actions: Cruise to Glacier Gray, Climbing, Climbing, Kayaking
- In style Climbing Trails: W-trek, O-circuit, Many Day Hikes
Torres del Paine Nationwide Park might be probably the most well-known nationwide park in Patagonia and will get its title from the well-known towers, three large granite peaks of the Paine mountain vary, The Torres del Paine (Torres in Spanish means “towers”). The park is really spectacular and seeing the jaw-dropping Mirador Las Torres and Gray Glacier is excessive on my prime issues to do in South America.
The distinguished park is thought for its dramatic Patagonian panorama, weird rock formations, large glaciers, and quite a few turquoise lakes. Torres del Paine was established in 1959 and has a complete space of 181 400 ha. About 300,000 folks go to this common park yearly.
Torres del Paine is a well-known nationwide park with unimaginable surroundings and wonderful climbing trails. Hundreds of individuals come right here for trekking yearly. The park has good infrastructure; well-marked trails, designated campsites, and a wide range of outlets, eating places, and resorts. The native wildlife within the park is exclusive. The Andean Condor is commonly seen circling within the iconic nationwide park. The endangered huemul deer is a uncommon sighting on this Patagonia park. Punta Arenas is an effective place to fly to if you wish to entry Torres del Paine Nationwide Park. Don’t miss the Penguins on Isla Magdelena if you happen to come to Punta Arenas.
Climbing in Torres del Paine Nationwide Park
The W-trek is the largest attraction within the park and takes hikers to all of the highlights of the Nationwide Park together with the Mirador Las Torres, Gray Glacier, and Pehoé Lake. The trek is a 100 km/62 miles linear trek that takes 4 or 5 days to finish.
The O-circuit trek is a 120 km/74 miles round climbing route across the Cordillera del Paine in Torres del Paine Nationwide Park and requires 7 to eight days to finish. The route consists of the W trek and a distant route via the bottom of the park. Having to hold all meals and equipment for the complete length of the hike is a part of the problem. I cherished this climbing path, positively considered one of our favourite trails on the earth.
If you happen to want shorter hikes you may come to the park as a day customer to Torres del Paine.
Pumalin Nationwide Park
- Identify of Nationwide Park: Pumalin Nationwide Park
- Highlights: the Reñihué and Comau Fjords
- Location: Los Lagos Area, Chile
- Closest City: Chaitén
- Measurement: : 161874 acres (400,000 ha)
- In style Actions: Highway journey -Carretera Austral, kayak journey -Puerto Varas, Cruise the fjords
- In style Climbing Trails: The Cascadas (waterfalls) path from Rio Gonzalo campsite
Pumalin Nationwide Park positioned on the Carretera Austral within the north of Chilean Patagonia is a spectacular park with a number of climbing trails and in-nature campsites. It is likely one of the new nationwide parks in Patagonia. This nationwide park was a personal reserve, it belonged to the founding father of the North Face gear firm Douglas Tompkins. Tompkins Conservation donated the park to the Chilean state and it grew to become part of the Nationwide Park – the most important park in South America with a complete space of 400 000 ha. on 18 March 2017. Kris Tompkins is the president and co-founder of Tompkins Conservation.
Climbing in Pumalin Nationwide Park
The primary actions in Pumalín Park are climbing and observing nature. There are a number of day climbing trails various between 3 km and 28 km in size. The paths all begin close to the campsites, simply select which one you wish to hike and arrange camp within the closest tenting. Within the western a part of the park, we loved the Cascadas (waterfalls) path from Rio Gonzalo campsite a pleasant 5,6 km return hike, 3 hours. The Volcano Michinmahuida path from Lago Blanco campsite – 24 km return, 8-10 hours. Within the southern a part of the park, we appreciated the Darwin’s frog path from Carlos Cuevas campsite – 2,5 km, 1h30min.
Drive or Hitchhike the Carretera Austral
The Carretera Austral (Chile’s Route 7) is 1200 km/745 mi. lengthy gravel street begining in Puerto Montt, a lovely city within the Lake District in southern Chile, and ending in Villa O’Higgins, a small city within the Aysen Area of Chilean Patagonia. The street goes previous a number of nationwide parks and climbing trails which might be executed on the best way. Driving or hitchhiking the Carretera Austral is a well-liked journey, exploring Chilean Patagonia on the best way. We did loads of wonderful multi-day treks hitchhiking and tenting on Route 7 for a month.
Queulat Nationwide Park
- Identify of Nationwide Park: Queulat Nationwide Park
- Highlights: Mirrador Ventisquero Colgante (hanging glacier)
- Location: Aysen Area, Chile
- Closest City: Puyuhuapi
- Measurement: 370658 acres (150 000 ha)
- In style Actions: Boat experience on the Laguna Tempanos,
- In style Climbing Trails: Ventisquero Colgante path
The Queulat Nationwide Park is positioned within the Aysen Area of Patagonia providing spectacular surroundings, incredible climbing routes, distinctive wildlife, and nice campsites. The big park spans over 1500 km2 of gorgeous forest. The highlights to see within the park are the hanging glacier on the Alto Nevado peak and the spectacular turquoise Tempanos Lagoon. Queulat Nationwide Park has a lovely panorama with jagged peaks, glaciers, rivers, waterfalls, and high-altitude lakes. The park hosts a temperate rainforest with a wide range of uncommon vegetation, wildflowers, and distinctive animals.
There are 4 climbing trails in Queulat Nationwide Park starting from a 20-minute stroll to a difficult 5-hour hike. Don’t miss the Ventisquero Colgante path. The path begins on the automobile park of the Ventisquero entrance of Queulat Nationwide Park and finishes on the spectacular Mirrador Ventisquero Colgante viewpoint, a panoramic view of the gorgeous hanging glacier. It’s a comparatively simple 5.6 km hike taking 2h30 min to three hours to finish the hike.
Cerro Castillo Nationwide Park
- Identify of Nationwide Park: Cerro Castillo Nationwide Park
- Highlights: The Cerro Castillo Circuit
- Location: Aysén area of Southern Chile
- Closest City: Coyhaique
- Measurement: 354,601 acres (143501 ha)
- In style Actions: Multi-day horseback driving excursions
- In style Climbing Trails: Cerro Castillo Circuit
Cerro Castillo Nationwide Park is a serious new nationwide park in Chilean Patagonia positioned within the Aysén Area, about 75km from the city Coyhaique, the capital of the area. The park is known as after Cerro Castillo, its highest mountain and most important attraction. The world has been a nationwide reserve since 1970, however Cerro Castillo was solely recategorized as a Nationwide Park by the Chilean authorities and Tompkins Conservation in 2018.
The Cerro Castillo Circuit is considered one of our favourite treks in Patagonia. This climbing path is a 50 km multi-day trek via Cerro Castillo Nationwide Park and is extensively rated as top-of-the-line hikes in Patagonia with spectacular surroundings.
Native wildlife on this wonderful park consists of the endangered South Andean deer, guanacos, pumas, the Andean condor, and black-chested buzzard eagles.
Patagonia Nationwide Park (Parque Patagonia)
- Identify of Nationwide Park: Patagonia Nationwide Park
- Location: Chile, Aysén area
- Closest City: Cochrane
- Measurement: 441577 acres (178700 ha)
- In style Climbing Trails: Lagunas Altas “Excessive Lagoons” path
For a brand new park to open these days is a uncommon factor. The model new Patagonia Nationwide Park, in southern Chile’s Aysen area, opened in 2018. Kristine Tompkins, American conservationist and president of Tompkins Conservation purchased and donated land to determine this park to the Chilean authorities. Kristine is the widow of Douglas Tompkins founding father of ‘The North Face’ outside model, additionally they donated the land to determine Pumalin Nationwide Park.
Parque Patagonia (over 700,000 acres) is positioned on the foot of the Andes mountains, across the Chacabuco River Valley. The spectacular park affords a novel mixture of plains, wetlands, and mountains, with loads of water coming from glacier-fed streams and huge lakes. Pure habitat of an enormous number of wildlife together with; guanaco, the uncommon huemul deer, puma (cougars), Andean condors, and a big number of birds the park is a bucket listing merchandise for nature lovers.
Climbing in Patagonia Nationwide Park
With a wide range of stunning landscapes and wealthy variety in wildlife, this large park is crammed with wonderful climbing trails starting from quick walks to multi-day treks.
The preferred path within the park is the 23 km Lagunas Altas “Excessive Lagoons” path with expansive views of the Chacabuco Valley, Jeinemeni, and the northern Patagonian ice area. Put together for an 8-hour hike beginning on the trailhead on the Westwind Tenting website (close to the customer heart). For a difficult multi-day hike in Parque Patagonia strive the 96 km (60 miles) Avilés to Jeinemeni trek. Beginning on the Casa Piedra Campground this path from Chacabuco Valley to Jeinemeni Nationwide Reserve is a real remoted journey via spectacular landscapes.
Nationwide Parks in Argentina Patagonia
- Los Glaciares Nationwide Park (El Chalten and Perito Moreno)
- Tierra del Fuigo
- Nahuel Huapi Nationwide Park, San Carlos de Bariloche
Los Glaciares Nationwide Park
Perito Moreno and El Chalten are two wonderful locations to go to, each positioned in Los Glaciares Nationwide Park
- Identify of Nationwide Park: Los Glaciares Nationwide Park
- Highlights: viewpoint of Mount Fitz Roy, Perito Moreno Glacier
- Location: Santa Cruz, Argentina
- Closest City: El Chalten, El Calafate (Perito Moreno)
- Measurement: 1796275 acres (726 927 ha)
- In style Actions: Glacier hike to Perito Moreno, hike to Laguna de Los Tres, hike to Laguna Torre, and camp in El Chalten
- In style Climbing Trails: Laguna De Los Tres, boardwalks Perito Moreno
See our Detailed Information to Hike the Laguna de Los Tres Path.
El Chaltén (Los Glaciares Nationwide Park)
El Chalten is a village positioned in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares in Argentina. The settlement could be very common for strolling and climbing and lots of long-distance cyclists and overlanders keep right here. Referred to as the trekking capital of Argentina Patagonia there are spectacular climbing trails for all health ranges. There are a lot of campsites in El Chalten which are common to remain in and an important place to satisfy different vacationers and outside fanatics.
Trekking in El Chaltén
The highlights of climbing in El Chalten are the wonderful views of the 2 most distinguished peaks, Cerro Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre
The Fitz Roy path (Laguna De Los Tres) is the most well-liked day hike you are able to do from El Chaltén and is an iconic hike in Patagonia. This 21-kilometer path to the perspective of Mount Fitz Roy towering above the glacial lakes might be executed over two days with campsites alongside the best way within the park.
Perito Moreno (Los Glaciares Nationwide Park)
Perito Moreno is the largest glacier on the earth accessible by land and one of the spectacular websites in South America. Visiting Perito Moreno might be the closest you’re going to get to a glacier in Patagonia.
A sequence of boardwalks convey you inside a couple of hundred meters of this unimaginable glacier. One of many highlights is to see enormous chunks break off the face of the glacier and fall into the water with an unimaginable splash. The simplest strategy to go to this pure marvel is to take a Perito Moreno Tour from El Calafate.
Tierra del Fuego Nationwide Park
- Identify of Nationwide Park: Tierra del Fuego Nationwide Park
- Location: Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina
- Closest City: Ushuaia
- Measurement: acres 155676 acres (63 000 ha)
- In style Actions: climbing, snowboarding, and crusing
- In style Climbing Trails: Laguna Esmeralda
Tierra del Fuego Nationwide Park (Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego) is the southernmost nationwide park in Argentina. The park is thought for its subantarctic forest and coastal surroundings. It’s positioned close to probably the most southern metropolis on the earth, Ushuaia. One of many distinctive nationwide parks in South America.
Tierra del Fuego interprets to Land of Hearth and is often known as ‘The Finish of the World. Shared by Argentina and Chile, that is an archipelago comprising a number of islands and covers an space of about 70,000 sq. kilometers. The archipelago on the southern tip of South America affords incredible climbing, snowboarding, and crusing.
Climbing in Tierra del Fuego Nationwide Park
Climbing within the subantarctic forest of the rugged Tierra del Fuego Nationwide Park there are a selection of trails, from quick day hikes to difficult multi-day treks, with views over snowcapped mountains, forests, lakes, lagoons, and seashores. Laguna Esmeralda might be the most well-liked of the day hikes in Ushuaia. It takes 4 to five hours to finish this 9 km hike. For a multi-day hike think about the Torres del Río Chico Basecamp Trek, a difficult 3-day trek from sea-level close to Ushuaia as much as a excessive Andean plateau.
Nahuel Huapi Nationwide Park
Identify of Nationwide Park: Nahuel Huapi Nationwide Park
Location: Lake District Argentina
Closest City: Bariloche
Measurement: 1759999 acres
In style Actions: Climbing, swimming, kayak, standup paddleboard, canoe, fly fishing
In style Climbing Trails: Refugion Frey
Situated close to town of Bariloche in Argentina’s Lake District, Nahuel Huapi was established in 1934 and is the oldest and second-largest nationwide park in Argentina. The park is 1759999 acres (712246 ha) and is roofed in lakes and forests. Water actions like swimming, kayaking, standup paddleboarding, canoeing, fly fishing, and crusing are extremely popular in Nahuel Huapi with greater than 60 lakes and lagoons.
Climbing in Nahuel Huapi Nationwide Park
There are many day hikes in Nahuel Huapi Nationwide Park. Two climbing routes to Refugio Frey are common day hikes, each rated as troublesome hikes. The trailheads for Refugio Frey are Cerro Cathedral 11.6 miles (19 km) a technique or Villa Los Coihues 7.3 miles (12 km) a technique.
Most of the huts in Nahuel Huapi Nationwide Park are linked by a sequence of trails making it doable to do multi-day hikes and keep over within the huts. Climbing first to Refugio Frey after which persevering with to different huts a number of hut-to-hut climbing choices are doable.
Please observe and like us:
The sturdy half of Stingy Nomads, a nomadic aquaman that may be completely satisfied to spend all his life within the water diving, browsing and spearfishing however usually has to compromise with Alya and go climbing as a substitute. Campbell is liable for all our marine adventures and following them with write-ups. He loves touring, braai (BBQ in South Africa), purple wine and spending the day in a wetsuit.
