Route of the Parks

Alerce Andino is home to the Alerce tree – with over three thousand years of life this tree is a living, breathing example of how ancient this park truly is.

Over 12,000 years ago, Los Lagos was covered by glaciers but Alerce Andino remained isolated from them, making for a biosphere that can’t be found anywhere else on earth.

The forests are known around the world for their unique fauna – one in three species in Alerce Andino can only be found here.

Honropirén is a park of rich and ancient biodiversity that covers over 170,000 acres of the Chilean Lakes region.

The park is part of the World Biosphere Reserve of Temperate Rainforests of the Austral Andes, and in the Pleistocene era there was great glacial activity that shaped this region’s volcanic landscape.

In the Park there are also geomorphological features typical of the Patagonian Pacific Cordilleras, with rivers and fjords modelled by tectonic, volcanic and glacial processes, which have given rise to a landscape of tall, abrupt mountains and narrow, deep valleys.

Pumalín Douglas Tompkin’s seemingly endless forests stretch all the way to the famous Patagonian fjords, creating for a simply stunning coastline that can only be found in this part of the world.

See the hundreds of waterfalls that rush down from glaciers over towering walls of granite, and take in the Chaitén and Michinmahuida Volcanoes that dominate Pumalín’s skyline.

Although not currently open to the public, Corcovado is rugged and almost completely untouched by human activity.

The Corcovado Volcano towers at over 7,500ft above sea level and many see the park’s diverse flora, fauna and natural features as a microcosm of the entire Route of the Parks.

Corcovado’s boundaries stretch for nearly 1,000,000 acres.

During the summer, the coasts of Melimoyu are estimated to be home to 10% of the world’s population of cetaceans. In other words, marine beasts such as blue whales, orcas and humpbacks feed along the shores of this unique national park.

Like Corcovado, not all of Melimoyu’s 258,000 acres are presently open to the general public.

It was once considered to be a possible entry point to the mythical City of the Caesars.

First seen in the 18th century by Jesuits searching for the mythical City of the Caesars, Queulat, or ‘Sound of Waterfalls’ in the language of the Chong people, is a lush, wild area of land steeped in the rich history of the many native peoples.

Still served by the Carretera Austral, the evergreen Andean forests and the magnificent waterfalls of Queulat make this park undeniably one of the highlights of the entire route.

Queulat is also home to some of the more challenging trekking routes and is perfect for those wanting to venture completely off the beaten path. A wide variety of species can only be found in this part of Patagonia: the Piche (Dwarf Armadillo) and the Huemul (South Andean Deer) in particular.

Only accessible by sea, Isla Magdalena is one of the few parks on the Route best explored by boat.

It lies near to the vast Guaitecas Archipelago, close to Puerto Cisnes. With 80% of Magdalena’s surface protected by the Chilean government, the island is large yet undisturbed.

The coastal bluffs of Isla Magdalena make it very hospitable to species such as penguins, cormorants and sea lions.

Traversed by what is considered to be one of the most beautiful trekking circuits in Patagonia, Cerro Castillo is a hiker’s dream.

From the vibrant trees of the lenga and ñirre forests to the snow-capped Cerro Castillo peak, all 354,000 acres of the park have something to offer. Species such as the huemul (South Andean deer) and the puma call Cerro Castillo home.

The region was once occupied by the Aonikenks, or Tehuelche people – nomads who travelled through Patagonia on foot.

The scenery and landscape transforms drastically as you make your way into Patagonia National Park.

The vast valleys, elegantly sculpted by the Chacabuco River, are covered by grasslands that after years of overgrazing by gaucho's animals are now recovering and play host to the highest levels of biodiversity in the Aysén region.

The tale of Patagonia National Park is one of ecological restoration – an idea that underpins the core values behind the Route of the Parks. Welcome to the Patagonian steppe.

Containing the largest glacier in the southern hemisphere and one of the largest ice expanses on the planet, Bernardo O’Higgins National Park can only be fully explored by boat or kayak.

That does not take away from the experience whatsoever; the park is home to an abundance of activities and sights for adventure-seekers and in a sense, it makes the adventure far more unique.

The park was first occupied by the Kawésqar people who arrived on extremely sturdy boats made from coigüe bark.

Torres del Paine National Park is one of a kind; the park is host to colossal towers of rock that sit atop striking turquoise lakes and immense icebergs and waterfalls.

Two trekking circuits that cover the expanse of the park – the W and the O – have been described by many as one of the few ‘must-visit’ trails in the world, and for good reason.

The Paine Massif is one of the most dazzling groups of mountains in the world, and to see these geological pieces of art that formed 12 million years ago is nothing short of a privilege.

Kawésqar is one of the largest national parks in the world. It comprises over 6,000,000 acres of cordilleras, glaciers, forests, lakes, valleys, fjords and wetlands.

The park boundaries cover the rocky archipelagos of Magallanes and Última Esperanza and there is almost no human influence in the region making it perfect for those seeking a more rugged and demanding adventure.

The Magallanes rainforest sprawls over the landscape with species such as Coigue de Magallanes, Ciprés de las Guaitecas and Canelo all inhabiting this vast expanse on the Route of the Parks.

Pali Aike is home to a wide variety of avian species that are dotted around the unusual landscape.

Described as having a ‘strange, moon-like beauty’, Pali Aike gives off an essence that doesn't truly belong on this planet.

The horizon stretches out for miles across the expansive, flat and arid Patagonian steppe, with occasional craters from a volcanic eruption that occurred just after the Ice Age. Pali Aike is a place like no other.

Named after the Salesian priest and mountaineer who explored and photographed the region in the early 20th century, Alberto de Agostini National Park is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve that is home to a rich variety of flora and fauna.

It's also famous for its immaculate icefields and glaciers that graze Chile’s thin coastline.

The wide channels and fjords of the 370,000-acre Yendegaia National Park show why Yendegaia means ‘deep bay’ in the Yagan language.

Although not currently open to the public, it is one of the most remote yet scenic parks on the entire planet, and Yendegaia’s harsh beauty is home to culpeo foxes and the last sub-Antarctic beech forest.

The only meeting place of the Pacific and Antarctic oceans, Cabo de Hornos, or Cape Horn National Park, is the last stop on the Route of the Parks and can only be reached by boat.

The park is steeped in history and the legends of hundreds of thousands of sailors that have tried to reach the planet’s southernmost point are closely associated with this special part of the world.

As rugged land meets boundless sea, Cabo de Hornos feels limitless. Few have made it this far – and for good reason. There are no hiking trails and essentially no evidence of human civilisation.