Patagonia National Parks trekking vacation

Planet

The Route of Parks is a beautifully scenic route between Puerto Montt and Cape Horn - some 2800 km and almost a third of the length of Chile - encompassing 17 of Chile’s national parks and protecting key environmental zones. It celebrates the reason many tourists want to visit Patagonia – to experience untouched wilderness. The tourism industry in these parks helps to sustain the rewilding and conservation projects that are vital to sustaining local wildlife. Thanks to these projects, you'll be able to see guanacos, flamingoes, birds of prey, pumas, and more as you travel the route! In addition to the national parks we visit on this itinerary, we also visit smaller, lesser-known protected areas, which broadens the horizons of our guests, reduces impact and foot traffic at the popular parks, and shows that lawful protections of local lands and wildlife should be extended beyond the bounds of the national parks.

Our Patagonian suppliers pursue a variety of environmentally-friendly techniques, such as using solar panels for energy and decreasing or eliminating single-use plastics. Long-distance driving is unfortunately a necessary evil in Patagonia due to the vastness of the territory, but we employ a special fleet of transport vehicles that reuse treated water from local companies, minimizing water usage and pollution in the area. We closely adhere to Leave No Trace principles when out in nature, giving local species like pumas and guanacos lots of space, sticking on the trail, not feeding wildlife, removing litter, and so on.

People

Investing in conservation and sustainable tourism is also good for local economies, as it provides well-paying, steady jobs for locals and further reinforces local support of environmental protections. But one of the most enriching elements of this itinerary is the opportunity to connect with local people, which exposes travelers to the region’s unique regional culinary experiences and gives them the chance to learn more about local culture and history. Patagonia is home to a diverse, multicultural population from all over the world, and through our regional connections and local guides and staff who hail from the Magallanes and Lakes District regions, we’re able to connect our travelers with locals who’ve been living here for years or even generations.

Due to Patagonia's isolation, bringing in food and other supplies from other parts of the nation is not only expensive but also leaves a huge carbon impact. For this reason, we only use food that is produced locally. This also means our visitors also develop a greater knowledge and appreciation of Patagonia's gastronomic and cultural legacy by solely using locally sourced foods and ingredients.