Torres del Paine, and the wind that comes with it

Torres del Paine National Park lies in Chilean Patagonia, near the southern end of the Andes, where the mountains break up into a jumble of peaks, glaciers and lakes before they reach the edge of the vast Southern Patagonian Ice Field. At its heart stands the Paine massif, a small, separate group of mountains rising abruptly from the steppe. Its most famous features are the three Torres, or towers, great pillars of pale granite more than two thousand metres high, and the Cuernos, or horns, peaks of pale granite capped with dark sedimentary rock.

The park is a landscape of turquoise and milky lakes, fed by glaciers, of waterfalls, beech forest and open grassland. It was declared a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1978.

The walks

Torres del Paine is best known for its multi-day walks. The most popular is the W, so called because of its shape on the map, which takes about four or five days to visit the three great valleys on the southern side of the massif. Its three arms lead to the base of the towers, up the French Valley between the peaks, and to Grey Glacier, a great river of ice that ends in a lake dotted with floating icebergs. A longer circuit, the O, goes all the way round the massif in about a week or more.

But you do not have to carry a pack for days to see the park. Many of its best viewpoints can be reached on day walks. The walk to the base of the towers is the classic: a climb of several hours through a valley and forest, ending with a steep scramble over boulders to a small lake at the foot of the three granite pillars. Other shorter walks lead to waterfalls and lakeside viewpoints with the Cuernos across the water.

The wind

The wind in Patagonia is famous. It comes off the ice field and the Pacific, and it can blow with astonishing force, especially in spring and summer, the main walking season. Gusts have been known to knock walkers off their feet, and on the shores of the lakes the wind whips spray from the water into the air. The weather changes quickly, and it is said that you can see all four seasons in a day. Good waterproof and windproof clothing is essential, and the walking times on any route can change with the conditions.

Wildlife, and a warning

The park is one of the best places in South America to see the guanaco, a wild relative of the llama, which grazes the grasslands in herds. Pumas live in the park and are seen more and more often, especially by those who go out with specialist trackers. Andean condors soar over the ridges, and rheas, flightless birds like small ostriches, run across the steppe.

The park is fragile. Large areas have burned in fires started by careless visitors, and the scars are still visible. Fires are strictly forbidden outside designated places.

Patagonia beyond the park

Puerto Natales, a small town on a fjord, is the gateway to the park. Punta Arenas, on the Strait of Magellan, is the regional capital, and from there boats visit Magdalena Island, home to a large colony of Magellanic penguins. Across the border in Argentina, the town of El Chaltén lies at the foot of Fitz Roy, a jagged granite peak, and near El Calafate, the Perito Moreno Glacier calves great blocks of ice into a lake.

Explore Worldwide's Highlights of Chile: Atacama to Paine, twelve nights, includes Torres del Paine and Puerto Natales, Punta Arenas, Magdalena Island and Isla Marta, with the Atacama, Santiago and the Lake District.

Explore Worldwide's Adventures in Patagonia, thirteen nights from October to March, includes Torres del Paine National Park, Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas in Chile, and Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego National Park, El Calafate, Perito Moreno Glacier, El Chaltén and Fitz Roy in Argentina. Just You's Chile: the Atacama to Patagonia, fifteen nights for solo travellers, includes Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales; Torres del Paine is not named among its places, so check the itinerary if the park is the point of your trip.

The walking season runs from about October to April, with the longest days and most settled weather in the southern summer, from December to February, which is also the busiest time. Book accommodation in the park well ahead.