Bordering the lower eastern leg of South America’s largest ice field (the Southern Ice Field), Torres del Paine National Park might be considered by many as a rough and unfriendly environment, combining as it does a mixture of massive, rugged granite peaks and ancient glaciers at the end of the Andes in Patagonia. Some of the world’s strongest winds and coldest temperatures can be experienced there. Despite this, Torres del Paine offers a sense of beauty and solace that might only be found in such other places as the Swiss Alps or the legendary Shangri-La.
An ideal environment for hikers, this national park offers travelers unlimited opportunities to explore the splendor of nature. From the moment bus or auto passengers enter the park, some two hours drive from the nearest town, Puerto Natales, the feeling of belonging to nature is overwhelming. (That’s one reason why in 1978 that UNESCO and the board of directors that coordinates the International Council of the Man and the Biosphere passed a resolution declaring that, “The Torres del Paine National Park is a constituent part of the International Biosphere Reserve Network.”)
Around 14,000 years ago, when the last glacial period ended in Patagonia, climatic conditions permitted the growth of diverse vegetation. Today many of these species remain in existence throughout the park in two main habitats: tundra and steppes. Plant species include gramineas, ciperaceas, umbeliferas, rubiceas and composites in the herbaceous category; calafate, mata verde, mata amarilla, romerillo, murtilla and matanegra in the forbe strata and coihue, lenga and nirre in the arboreal classification.
Animal species also established themselves in Paine thousands of years ago, including large mammals, some of which still exist today.
Of those extinct, the Milodon stands out as the most important and impressive. To get a sense of this ancient creature, travelers can visit the Milodon cave on the way to Paine from Puerto Natales. The cave was discovered in 1896 by a German explorer, Hermann Eberhard, who found the remains of a bear-like creature, 12 feet high. A recreation of the beast stands inside the cave. Other extinct species include canids (members of the dog family) and the “pampas bear.”
Today visitors can observe such mammals as the guanaco (a member of the camel family and close cousin to the llama), the huemul (a deer-like creature) and wild horses. Spring is the best time to enjoy these animals as they come out to the steppe to enjoy the weather and give birth. Plentiful hares make easy prey for condors and owls. Harder to spot are the carnivores like the puma.
Among non-mammal carnivores found in the park today, and believed to have lived millennia ago, are the Andean condor, the rhea (or ňandu), passeriformes (small birds) and anteriformes (ducks and geese), which also include cormorants, flamingos, upland and ashy headed geese.
Trekking around the park
In Paine, one can choose the pace of the treks because the terrain and scenery will befriend you. To reach a high spot, walkers can choose a longer, softer slope that will make the climb easier. Time is no constraint because the park has built many refugios, or large cottages, for the purpose of providing shelter to visitors. These shelters can be used as part-time stopping points or as long-term lodging facilities. For a very modest price (around US $27 per night) travelers can purchase a bed in a shared room (usually eight to 10 beds per room) with shared bathroom facilities.
These refugios allow trekkers to plan a circuit around the whole park without having to return to the same lodging facilities. Reaching the most desirable hiking spots, like French Valley, can easily take 15 hours of non-stop treks. Staying along the way in these lodges makes the adventure easier. One such refugio is the Refugio Cuernos del Paine, which took me three hours to reach on horseback from Hosteria Las Torres.
The scenery was magnificent as we crossed the Rio Ascencio, a river named after a famous horse thief who roamed from Chile to Argentina. After 45 minutes of enjoying the view of Lake Nordenskjold, named after a Swedish Antarctic explorer, along the foot of Almirante Nieto Mountain in a dry forest of coihues, our first glance of the Cuernos del Paine emerged from the sky. Every minute approaching these magnificent natural granite structures provided a different-angled perspective. The combination of the green glacier waters of the Nordenskjold, the gray granite Cuernos, the clear blue sky and green coihue forest provided a magnificent silent setting where birds flew freely.
Looking over the rocky landscape, my guide explained how previous glaciations had created the boulder-strewn terrain when immensely powerful ice sheets pushed granite rubble before them. However, nobody could explain why several 20-foot-diameter boulders showed up in the landscape every 500 meters or so. They are called “erroneous rocks” because their presence can’t be accounted for. Why are they there?
The Cuernos del Paine stood strong once we came over the last hill. Looking down past the slope, we saw a river of smaller rocks that disappeared into the lake. These rocks were the remains of a glacial moraine that descended from the foot of the Cuernos. The rocks joined a sandy area at the shore of the lake to create a beach. There we arrived at a refugio between the beach and the start of the trail that takes trekkers to French Valley.
Where the best views are
This huge park requires a few days to explore. On its western side, travelers can enjoy the Grey Glacier and its navigable lake. The Hosteria Lago Grey is the best place to stay near this wonderful glacier, and boats depart nearby. In the middle of the park lies the only five-star property in the park, Explora. Its privileged lakeside position offers visitors one of the best views of the Cuernos del Paine. On the park’s eastern side, Hosteria Las Torres has the best vantage for exploring the base of the Towers.
There are two ways to arrive at the Torres del Paine Park. A direct flight from Santiago into Punta Arenas on LAN Chile Airlines will take around 4.5 hours, including a brief stop in Puerto Montt. On a clear day the captain will point out the park from the air about 20 minutes before landing in Punta Arenas. Once in Punta Arenas, there is a three-hour ride to Puerto Natales followed by a two-hour drive on a mostly paved road to the entrance to the park on the eastern side. Another way is to combine a visit to Los Glaciares National Park near El Calafate, Argentina. A seven-hour ride in mostly unpaved roads will take to reach the Paine Park from El Calafate.
Both rides can be accomplished with a combination of bus and van transfer. One can also rent a vehicle in Punta Arenas and ride the park at one’s pace. This is a good and safe way to do it, especially in a 4x4 vehicle. Transfers inside the park from one side to another can be expensive, and if travelers are in group of three or more it’s easy to justify the US $110 per day cost of a 4x4.
It takes time and money to reach the Torres del Paine Park. However, once inside this wonder of Mother Nature, one can begin to feel in unison with wilderness. It is a refreshing feeling that brings happiness to the soul. The animals and landscape are living testimony to the earth’s energy, and one can feel it all around.
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