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TORRES DEL PAINE AND PUERTO NATALES

Only 247 kms. northeast of Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales welcomes visitors with its typical black-neck swans and seals, in the middle of a beautiful peer, which invites people to discover one of the most enigmatic places in Chile.

Puerto Natales, which name comes from the word 'natalis' (birth), is the capital of the Ultima Esperanza province, in front of the Andes and by the Senoret Canal, the entrance way to beautiful landscapes such as the Milodon Cave Natural Monument and the Glaciers Natural Park, the ski center in Rio Turbio, the seven glaciers of the Mountain Channel, Sofia, Diana and Dorotea Lagoons; Balmaceda and Toro Lakes; Dorotea and Prat hills; Almirant golf, Cisnes and Guanaco islands; Bories and Consuelo Piers, the Fiscal dock, Paso del Kirke, Antonio Varas Peninsula, Serrano and Tres Pasos Rivers, De Agostini Museum and the Bernardo O 'Higgins National Park, where you can go to the Balmaceda and Serrano Snowdrifts, the Balmaceda Mount, the Pio XI Glacier and the Southern Ice Fields.

There is, however, another place here that is described as one of the most wonderful creations in the planet: the Torres del Paine. Located in the Magallanes region, and 145 kms from Puerto Natales, between the Macizo del Paine and the Patagonia ESTEPA, it is the most recognizable face in the National Park of the same name.

Created in 1959 and named Reserve of the Biosphere by UNESCO in 1978, the Torres del Paine National Park has an area of 242.242 hectares, with mountains as high as 3.050 meters over sea level. There are three entrances to the Park: Sarmiento, Laguna Amarga and Laguna Azul.
In the park you can find the famous Torres (Towers) and Cuernos del Paine (Paine Horns), both of which are mountains of incredible altitude, adorned with snow all year round. Between their peaks there are lakes in the middle of glaciers, which are the home of pumas, guanacos, foxes, condors, wild geese, black-beck swans and native forests, known by the 'beards' they create in this magical place.

There are hotels inside the park, which offer comfort and the proper service to enjoy quietness and relaxation. Also, there are excursions and walks available every day, all of which allow you to visit interesting points inside the park.

Another option is to go trekking, horseback riding, or hiking; there are camping areas and refuges to spend the night surrounded by natural life.