The History of Torres del Paine
Recent History
The first recorded tourists to visit Torres del Paine was a group of five British aristocrats, guided by local "baqueanos" (native horsemen of Southern Chile) in 1879. Among this group was Lady Florence Dixie who, in 1880, published a book about her travels called "Across Patagonia", describing her adventures and the stunning beauty of the zone. About a decade later, in 1910, the first real tourists began to show. Today, approximately 70,000 people per year visit Torres del Paine.
Brief Geographic History
The "Macizo de Paine" (the central massif) was formed around 12,000 - 15,000 years ago when hot volcanic magma cooled and turned into granite. Over millennia, this area was covered by layers of sediment, compressing to form rock (a cap) over the harder granite below. Over thousands of more years unbelievable geographical pressures forced the entire area to rise up. The area was then covered by glaciers and as they retreated the ice carved away the softer, sedimentary rock to reveal the harder granite columns below. The result is the jaw-dropping site of almost vertical columns of rock that shoot up from the ground like towers, rising to just below 3,000 mts in height.
Torres del Paine National Park
The Park is the most popular tourist attraction in the area, comprising 181,000 square hectares. It is located at the end of the fiord called "Seno de Ultima Esperanza", 150 kms from Puerto Natales and 400 kms from Punta Arenas.
Declared a national park in 1959 and a World Biosphere by UNESCO in 1978. Access by road, from Puerto Natales, is via three entrances:
- Portería Sarmiento
- Laguna Amarga
- Laguna Azul
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