Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia - Chile (HD)

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• published: 20 Aug 2014
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Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile Tourism (HD) Travel Videos HD, World Travel Guide http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=World1Tube Torres del Paine National Park is a national park encompassing mountains, glaciers, lakes, and rivers in southern Chilean Patagonia. The Cordillera del Paine is the centerpiece of the park. It lies in a transition area between the Magellanic subpolar forests and the Patagonian Steppes. The park is located 112 km (70 mi) north of Puerto Natales and 312 km (194 mi) north of Punta Arenas. The park borders Bernardo O'Higgins National Park to the west and the Los Glaciares National Park to the north in Argentine territory. Torres del Paine National Park is part of the Sistema Nacional de Áreas Silvestres Protegidas del Estado de Chile (National System of Protected Forested Areas of Chile). In 2006, it measured approximately 242,242 hectares. It is one of the largest and most visited parks in Chile. The park averages around 150,000 visitors a year, of which 60% are foreign tourists,[4] who come from all over the world. The park is one of the 11 protected areas of the Magallanes Region and Chilean Antarctica (together with four national parks, three national reserves, and three national monuments). Together, the protected forested areas comprise about 51% of the land of the region (6,728,744 hectares). The Torres del Paine are the peaks of the mountain range, Cerro Paine. They extend 3,050 meters above sea level, and are joined by the Cuernos del Paine. The area also boasts valleys, rivers such as the Paine, lakes, and glaciers. The well-known lakes include Grey, Pehoé, Nordenskiöld, and Sarmiento. The glaciers, including Grey, Pingo and Tyndall, belong to the Southern Patagonia Ice Field. Tourism Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia - Chile ============ The national park has over 140,000 visitors per year.[2] It is a popular hiking destination in Chile. There are clearly marked paths and many refugios which provide shelter and basic services. Hikers can opt for a day trip to see the towers, walk the popular "W" route in about five days, or trek the full circle in 8 to 9 days. Make reservations for the night you will stay at each refugio. If you stay inside, dinner is served and there are hot showers. There is also breakfast and an optional picnic lunch. For a lesser fee one can rent a tent and sleeping bag and sleep on the grounds outside of the refugio, where cold showers are an option. The refugio locations are also appropriate for pitching one's own tent and cooking with one's campstove. Cooking with the campstove is not permitted except in refugio locations. Camping is only allowed at specified campsites and wood fires are prohibited throughout the park. Fantastico Sur and Vertice Patagonia are the two owners of the various refugios in the park. For less adventurous visitors, there is a luxury hotel at the entrance to the park. Hikers are not allowed to stray from the paths in the national park. The visitor impact on the park has been scientifically measured. A certified guide is required to access some parts of the park. These arrangements need to be made before entering the park. Visiting the park is recommended between late December and late February, during the southern summer. Not only is the weather more hospitable, but daylight hours are very long given the extreme southern latitude. Outside of this time frame, the weather becomes too extreme for the majority of the public. During the southern winter, daylight dwindles to only a few hours a day. The park has been elected as the 5th most beautiful place in the world by the National Geographic.