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Torres del Paine in winter

Torres del Paine in low season – worth the trip

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Is it worth visiting the Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean autumn and winter? We say yes and tell you some of the advantages at this time of year.

Autumn in the southern hemisphere starts in March and winter is from June to September. It is of course colder in Patagonia than in the summer time, but it also offers many benefits to the visitor to travel to Torres del Paine National Park in low season.

Torres del Paine reflection

More stable weather and stunning landscapes

There are fewer weather fluctuations as the wind is much lower than during the other months. There is also less rainfall in the park between June and October.

Due to the decrease in wind, the sky is much clearer in the winter time and the visitor has an incredible view of the natural landscape and the snow-capped mountains reflected in the now calmer waters of the lakes. Winter is simply the perfect time to take the most beautiful pictures in Torres del Paine National Park.

The chance of seeing wildlife is greater in the autumn and winter months

Wildlife watching enthusiasts will prefer to visit the park during this time of the year, as there are fewer visitors in the park and animals such as pumas and possibly even huemules can be better observed this way.

Guanaco in winter

Fewer visitors and cheaper prices

The lower number of visitors to the park is a great advantage if you decide to visit Torres del Paine at this time of year. This allows you to enjoy the tranquillity of nature to the full and, for example, to immerse yourself completely in these unique landscapes during a hike.
In addition, the prices for domestic flights and accommodation are significantly cheaper in the low season.

Turavion recommends the hotel Lago Grey during low season. The hotel will be open from May 1st to September 30th offering All Inclusive and Bed and Breakfast accommodations. Guests have the availability of the Grey III Catamaran with confirmed departures twice a week for sailing circuits around the Grey Glacier. Tours to Los Pingüinos Natural Monument on Magdalena Island are available between April 1st and October 30th on board the catamaran Fiordos del Sur.

Travelling Patagonia is stunning in autumn and winter. During autumn, colorful foliage paints the landscape. As winter sets in, snow blankets the park, creating a serene atmosphere. Activities like hiking, horseback riding, and ice climbing offer unique experiences. Whether you prefer vibrant autumn hues or snowy winter landscapes, Torres del Paine promises unforgettable memories in every season.

For more information contact your Travel Consultant or incoming@turavion.com

Pehoe lake
Guanaco baby on a natural winter background
Sunset Torres del Paine
Las Torres in winter
Torres del Paine NP_Route of Parks

Route of parks of Patagonia

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The south of Chile is a paradise for nature lovers and offers numerous opportunities for outdoor activities.

The route of parks of Patagonia takes you to the most beautiful areas of the country. This project initiated by Rewilding Chile (formerly Tompkins Conservation) protects 11.8 million hectares, preserving ecosystems for future generations and supporting more than 60 surrounding communities.

Chile is home to over 100 protected areas, divided into national parks and nature reserves. The scenic “Route of parks of Patagonia” runs over 2,800 kilometres between Puerto Montt and Cape Horn and connects 17 national parks.

NATIONAL PARKS IN THE CHILEAN LAKE DISTRICT

Here you will find the Pumalín Douglas Tompkins, Alerce Andino, Hornopirén and Corcovado national park.

Alerces lake district CL

3,000-year-old alerce trees, beautiful lagoons and evergreen forests dominate the landscape. Numerous hiking trails invite you to explore the surroundings with its rich biodiversity.

Pumalin NP

NATIONAL PARKS IN THE AYSÉN REGION

On this part of the route are the Melimoyu, Queulat, Isla Magdalena, Cerro Castillo, Patagonia and Laguna San Rafael national park, which is the largest in this region.

Queulat NP

Wide valleys, evergreen forests and Patagonian Andeans, waterfalls, rivers, fjords and glaciers offer breathtaking panoramas. A highlight of this region is the famous hanging glacier “Ventisquero Colgante” in Queulat national park.

Torres del Paine

NATIONAL PARKS IN THE MAGALLANES REGION

In this region in the extreme south of Chile, there are 7 national parks: Pali Aike, Kawésqar, Alberto de Agostini, Yendegaia, Cabo de Hornos, Torres del Paine and Bernardo O’Higgins, the largest national park in Chile and one of the largest in the world.

Guanacos

Impressive pampas and valleys, untouched glaciers, turquoise lakes, forests, mountains, caves and fjords form a unique landscape. Torres del Paine national park, declared the eighth wonder of the world, is home to the famous granite peaks, a diverse fauna and is the perfect destination for trekking tours.

PLEASE NOTE: Some of the parks are only open during the high season from October to April. For more information on opening times and required online ticket purchase, see aspticket.cl

SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL
There is the possibility to get a passport to travel this route and to receive a stamp as a souvenir every time you visit a park. When you apply for your “Ruta de los Parques” passport, you accept the zero footprint commitment as a responsible tourist and assume your role as guardian of the route of the parks of Patagonia.

trekking Chile

Insider tips for little known trekking tours in Chile

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Chile is welcoming more and more international visitors to practice trekking. A long and narrow strip of land filled with mountain ranges, volcanoes, valleys, lakes, rivers and glaciers make Chile a perfect place to explore its thousands of hiking trails.

There are several trekking routes throughout the country with different levels of difficulty, aimed at experienced hikers but also families.

Navarino

THE SOUTHERNMOST TREKKING ROUTES IN THE WORLD

In the extreme south of Chile there are two routes that are not so well known and therefore not so crowded: Dientes de Navarino and Cruz de los Mares. They are aimed at more experienced hikers.

Dientes de Navarino: this multi-day trail is approximately 40-50 kilometres long and is located on the island of Navarino which is part of Tierra del Fuego. The trail is named after a small mountain range that resembles a tooth.

Cruz de los Mares: this trekking route starts in Puerto Bulnes, south of Punta Arenas and has a high degree of difficulty, since rivers must also be crossed.

TREKKING ROUTES FOR THE DAY IN THE LAKE DISTRICT

The Lake District covers two of Chile’s regions: the 9th region, more evocatively known as La Araucanía, and the 10th region, Los Lagos.

Paso Desolación: journey that runs through the Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park from the north of the Osorno volcano to the southeast, to the Petrohué sector, following a path that was originally a cattle trail along which animals were moved between Todos los Santos lake and Llanquihue lake. The route, doable in a day, allows to go through dramatic changes in the landscape: from volcanic slag heaps to dense nothofagus forests, all of which is nuanced by excellent views of the Tronador and Osorno volcanoes.

Caldera de Sollipulli

Caldera de Sollipulli: In the south of the Conguillío National Park in Araucania, there is a very special trail where you climb up to a huge caldera and admire the largest crater in South America. Its summit hosts a huge glacier with a diameter of about 24 km2, offering beautiful landscapes and breathtaking views.

HIKING IN THE NORTH OF CHILE

Las Lomitas: Trail in the north of Chile, in the Pan de Azúcar National Park. It is a relaxed hike over small hills in the middle of the desert with breathtaking panoramic views in combination with a perfect opportunity to discover the flora and fauna until you reach a large coastal cliff at 820 m above sea level.

El Túnel: It was part of the old road connecting Calama with San Pedro de Atacama. This route takes you over the Cordillera de la Sal with majestic views of the valleys Valle de la Muerte and Catarpe with desert landscapes and stunning contrasts of colours..

Pan de azúcar

For more information about trekking tours in Chile contact your Travel Consultant or incoming@turavion.com

Karukinka NP

Karukinka Park on Tierra del Fuego

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Karukinka Park is like a paradise on earth and ideal for ecotourism at the end of the world.

300,000 hectares of sub-Antarctic forests, wetlands, steppes, coastal landscapes, snow-capped mountains, lakes and rivers full of life make up this park in the Chilean province of Tierra del Fuego in Patagonia.

The park offers many recreational opportunities where you can hike, kayak, fish or cycle and at the same time enjoy being surrounded by pure nature.

Karukinka is the largest protected area on Tierra del Fuego and has been managed since 2004 by WCS Chile, an international scientific organisation with almost 125 years of experience in conserving the most valuable wildlife and ecosystems on earth. The park was named Karukinka by its founders, meaning “our land”, the name given by the ancient settlers of Tierra del Fuego to their present home.

The park contains the largest sub-Antarctic forests and wetlands in the south of the world and is home to the largest populations of guanacos, condors and fueguino foxes in Chile. A visit to the park is therefore ideal for those who like to observe animals in the wild and explore the diverse landscapes on a trekking tour. There are hiking trails with different levels of difficulty, but they have one thing in common: pure wilderness.

Valle Chacabuco

Patagonia National Park – one of the 100 best sites of 2021

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The renowned US magazine Time published its third annual list of the 100 best places in the world in 2021 to explore, where Chile figures with the Patagonia National Park.

Time highlighted its fauna of condors, guanacos, pumas and deer, but also the fact that since September the energy used by the park is 100% renewable.

https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places-2021/6079294/patagonia-national-park-chile/


The Patagonia National Park is a nature reserve and includes the area of the former national reserves Lago Jeinimeni and Lago Cochrane. The Chacabuco Valley is also part of this national park, an area donated to the Chilean state by the Tompkins Foundation, which used to care for the conservation of native flora and fauna.

The Chacabuco Valley is also the heart of the park, an ideal place for hiking and observing Patagonian wildlife such as guanacos and condors. The park has an infrastructure of hiking trails and campsites. In the middle of the valley is a lodge surrounded by pure wilderness.

For more details on visiting this park or other national parks, please email incoming@turavion.com.

Valle Chacabuco
Valle Chacabuco 2
Valle Chacabuco 3