Torres del Paine National Park

Torres del Paine National Park, with its area of approx. 2,400 sqkm, is famous for its three distinctive granite peaks of the Paine Massif, which extend up to 3,000 metres above sea level. The weather in the park is fast changing but, when it is clear, stunning panoramas combining peaks, lakes and pastures are present everywhere.

Before its creation in 1959, the park was included in a large sheep estancia. Since 1978, however, it is part of Unesco’s Biosphere Reserve system and home to flocks of ñandús (ostrich-like rhea), Andean condors, flamingos and many other bird species. Its star success in conservation is undoubtedly the guanaco (a variety of small lamas with a dark cinnamon fur), which graze the open steps – where pumas cannot approach undetected. After more than a decade of effective protection from poachers, these large growing herds are oblivious to humans or vehicles approaching. This provides the puma population with ample sources of prey and supports the increase in the number of these stunning big cats.