Patagonia National Park

About this place

Patagonia National Park lies in Chile's southern Aysén Region, between General Carrera Lake to the north and Cochrane Lake to the south, reaching the Argentine border to the east, and its centre is about 46 km in a straight line north-east of the town of Cochrane. It began as a private reserve open to the public, created by Conservación Patagónica, and in 2018 Tompkins Conservation donated it to the Chilean state, where it was combined with the Lago Jeinimeni and Lago Cochrane reserves. Its heart is the Chacabuco Valley, a pass across the Andes that forms a transition between the grassy steppe of Argentine Patagonia and the southern beech forests of Chilean Patagonia. Wide golden steppe where guanacos graze stretches below rugged mountains, blue and turquoise lakes such as Lago Verde and Lago Gutiérrez shine between the peaks, and glaciers spill from the mountains in the Valle Hermoso. In autumn the beech woods turn red and orange, and the wildlife also includes condors and rheas. The park has a network of trails, campgrounds and a visitor centre. It is far from any city, roads are gravel and the wind is strong, so plan several days and bring supplies.