Torres del Paine National Park – Chile
Torres del Paine National Park is world famous for the Torres, and it is located in the XII Region de Magallanes and the Chilean Antartic, south of Chile. This park was founded in 1959. It comprises mountains, glaciers, lakes and rivers in the Chilean Patagonia. Torres del Paine National Park is located at 112 km from Puerto Natales, and it shares a border with another Chilean National Park, Bernardo O´Higgins to the west, and the Argentinian territory to the north.
“Paine” means blue in Tehuelche language, and this is the most visited park in Chile. The Torres (Towers) are three distinctive granite peaks of the Paine Mountain Range or Paine Massif. They go as high as 2,500 meters above sea level and are joined by the Cuernos del Paine. In this Paine Massif you will find several major peaks:
Paine Grande
Principal Summit: 3,050 m
Central Summit: 2,730 m
Bariloche Summit: 2,660 m
Cuernos del Paine (Horns)
North Cuerno: 2,400 m
Main or Principal Cuerno: 2,600 m
East Cuerno: 2,200 m
Torres del Paine
North Torre: 2,600 m
Central Torre: 2,850 m
South Torre: 2,900 m
Peineta (Comb): 2,550 m
Almirante Nieto: 2,670 m
Also in the park you will find the deep U-shaped valleys that separate the granite spires and mountains of the massif. There are four valleys: Valle del Frances this is the heart of the “W” circuit, Valle Bader this is a restricted area you need to enter with a guide, Valle Ascencio this will take you to the towers lookout and Valle del Silencio, which is also a restricted area you can only enter here with especial guides.
Among the splendorous lakes we have: Sarmiento Lake which is my favorite with its incredible blue color. It is 86.2 km long and it is 312 m deep. Nordenskjold Lake is situated at the base of the horns. Pehoe Lake is well known for its turquoise color, Grey Lake is born in the glacier with the same name, and two more lakes Del Toro Lake, and Dickson Lake.
Valle del Frances Peaks (French valley)
Aleta del tiburón (Shark Fin): 1,850 m
Cabeza de Indio (Indian Head): 2,230 m
Punta Catalina (Catalina´s point): 2,100 m
Trono Blanco (White throne): 2,430 m
Escudo (Shield): 2,700 m
Fortaleza (Fortress): 2,900 m
Mascara (Mask): 1,850 m
Hoja (Blade): 1,950 m
Espada (Sword): 2,050 m
The main rivers flowing through the park are Paine River and the Serrano River. Other points of attraction are the glaciers: Glacier Grey the biggest one you can find in the park, it is 6 km long and 30 meters high. Glacier Los Perros (the dogs) is a hanging glacier as well as the French Glacier. The Glacier Pingo is closer to the fjords and Glacier Tyndall without direct access, and it is a restricted area.
For easy access to the Torres del Paine hiking trail you could stay at the Hotel Las Torres, located in the same park. It is a great place to relax and just enjoy the beauty of the park.
Before trekking into the park you should check the rules on their web page www.conaf.cl Corporacion Nacional Forestal or National Forest Corporation. Chile has 36 National Parks, 49 National Reserves and 16 Natural Monuments.
As published in
Upside down in Chile: Two years living in Santiago
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