National ParkReserva de la Biosfera

Torres del Paine

Chile · Patagonia (Magallanes)

Patagonia (Magallanes)Declared in 19592,422 km²

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The Torres del Paine, three granite spires above 2,500 metres, are a world icon of Patagonian trekking

Area

2,422 km²

Protection category

UICN II

Parque nacional — what the IUCN categories mean

Declared in

1959

Region

Patagonia (Magallanes)

Climate

Árido / desértico, Templado, Mediterráneo, Polar / frío

Length of its routes

5–8 days

Difficulty of its routes

Alta

Biosphere Reserve

Plan your visit

Length of its routes: 5–8 days
Difficulty of its routes: Alta
Area: 2,422 km²

Highlight

The Torres del Paine, three granite spires above 2,500 metres, are a world icon of Patagonian trekking

Declared in 1959, it is the most emblematic national park in Chilean Patagonia. Its name combines the Spanish torres, towers, with paine, which in the indigenous Tehuelche language means blue, after the colour of its glacial lakes. The three granite towers it is named for were formed some 12 million years ago when magma forced its way up through older sedimentary rock, which later erosion wore away to leave the granite spires standing. It has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1978 and holds one of the best-studied puma densities in the world, thanks to decades of research that have made the park a global model for how mountain tourism and big-cat conservation can sit together.