Update about the Wildfire

Update: Jan. 04, 2012, 8:32 p.m.

5 of the 6 seats of fire in Torres del Paine National Park are under control.

The area effected by the wildfire has not been growing since yesterday and therefore maintains at 14,504 ha (35,839 acres).

As planned, the national park has partially been reopened and an area of about 100,000 of about 240,000 ha (247,100 of almost 600,000 acres) have been granted accessible to visitors. This supposedly is 80% of the area relevant to touristic activities. I personally doubt that this last number is correct. According to the local media, about 500 visitors have entered the Park today.

Apart from that, a local guide reported the re-initiation of a fire in the area near Lago Scottsberg (between Paine Grande Lodge and Campamaneto Italiano) and as a result that Refugios Los Cuernos is being closed again until at least Jan. 07. The later has not been confirmed yet.

How You Can Help

Support the Local People

Stay as long in Chilean Patagonia as you can! Every Peso you spend in Chilean Patagonia (rather you book a tour or buy a piece of bred at the corner store) helps the local economy to stabilize and hence is a direct support of the local people.

Tell your Friends about his Blog

Many, many of the locals are talking a lot about the wildfire in Torres del Paine - either in person, over the phone and/ or on Facebook, but that's all in Spanish, of course. As a result, it is still hard top find real information about the latest news in English. Please help us and spread the word about this blog. Be creative! Post on your Facebook, your Blog, your travel website, your... Anything helps! The more people know this Blog, the better!

Tell us about other cool Tours in Patagonia

If you have done other cool tours in Patagonia - guided or self-guided, please contact us, so that we can include these options and let other travelers know about it. Also: Post your comments and share your experience about any particular tour. This helps other travelers to decide, which tour suits them them most.

Help us Clean up the Mess

The locals (tour operators, travel agencies, guides, drivers, horsemen, hostel/ hotel owners and many other people who work in and around Torres del Paine) are getting organized to recover the National Park as soon as the fire is out. There is a lot of work that needs to get done! Please help and join a volunteer program.
(Details about volunteer programs coming soon.)

Patagonia PhotoSafari

Exploration Cruise to the Remote Regions of Patagonia

.... very cool! I always wanted to go on this tour myself... ;-)

Online Brochure:
www.patagoniaphotosafaris.com/folletos/revista-en/folleto_eng.html

Contact: Patagonia PhotoSafaris, www.patagoniaphotosafaris.com, infopatagoniaphotosafaris.com, Chiloe 1667, Punta Arenas

Cerro Dorotea

Hiking Tour to Puerto Natales' Loacl Mountain, Cerro Dorotea - Half Day Tour (from Puerto Natales)

Reach the trail head by taxi (CLP 2,500, about USD 5.-) or by bicycle.

The trail takes you though private property (entrance fee: CLP 5,000, about USD 10.- per person). The entrance fee includes a typical "once", a Chilean tea time. Enjoy the chance to get to know the locals.

Duration: about 2.5h there and back

Rewards: View over the city of Puerto Natales and Última Esperanza Sound.


Contact: Dragon de la Patagonia, www.dragondelapatagonia.com, infodragondelapatagonia.com, Tomas Rogers 235, Puerto Natales

Sea Kayaking & Bird Watching

Sea Kayaking & Bird Watching - Half Day Tour (near Puerto Natales)


Contact: Kayak en Patagonia, www.kayakenpatagonia.com, infokayakenpatagonia.com, Tomas Rogers 235, Puerto Natales

Torres del Paine National Park Reopened

Although the wildfire in Torres del Paine National Park has still not been put out yet, Torres del Paine National Park has been partially reopened today, January 04, 2012.

The reopened areas of the national park are:

1. Sector Lagua Amarga: park entrance Laguna Amarga
2. Sector Las Torres: Hotel Las Torres, Refugio Torre Central, Refugio Torre Norte, Campground Las Torres, Refugio El Chileno, Campground El Chileno, Campamento Las Torres, Hike to Torres del Paine lookout "Base Las Torres"
3. Sector Los Cuernos: Refugio Los Cuernos, Cabañas Los Cuernos, Campground Los Cuernos, Hike Las Torres - Los Cuernos
4. Sector Valle del Francés: Despite what is shown on the map below, Valle del Francés, Campamento Italiano, Campamento Británico remain closed.
5. Sector Laguna Azul: park entrance Laguna Azul, Hike Laguna Azul - Victorina - Dickson (only with guide)
6. Sector Dickson: Refugio Dickson, Campground Dickson, Hike Las Torres - Campground Serón - Dickson
7. Sector Los Perros: Campground Los Perros, Hike Dickson - Los Perros

The following areas remain closed:

1. Park entrance Lago Sarmiento
2. Park entrance Río Serrano
3. Park entrance Laguna Verde
4. Lago Grey (incl. boat trip on Lago Grey), Lago Pehoé (incl. Pudeto and catamaran), Lago Sarmiento, Laguna Verde
5. Hotel Explora
6. Hotel Lago Grey
7. Hostería Pehoé
8. Paine Grande Lodge, Campground Paine Grande
9. Refugio Grey, Campground Grey
10. Campground Pehoé
11. Administración (park ranger's administration center)
12. Campamento Torres ("the upper one", in Valle Ascencio, at the foot of the rock field)
13. Valle del Francés, Campamento Italiano, Campamento Británico
14. John Gardner Pass
15. Valle Pingo
16. Mirador Ferrier

The reopened areas of the national park on the map:

Note

"ZONA REABIERTA" = "reopened area"

"ZONA CERRADA POR INCENDIO" = "area closed because of the wildfire"

What is this blog all about – a Mission Statement

Torres del Paine is clearly one of the most amazing national parks in Chile and Patagonia, and therefore it is for many travelers the main attraction in the far South of the country and many times the main reason, why people travel the long way at the End of the World.

Since be beginning of the devastating forest fire on Dec. 27, 2011, these travelers are now searching alternative tour options in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.

We would like to do our part in showing these alternatives to Torres del Paine in a clearly arranged way.

Our first post in this blog was nothing more that copying and pasting the tour options, which we have been publishing on our own website for years. That was simple and fast.

Nevertheless, it is important to empathize that this is not about personal profit based on a severe catastrophe!

This is what this is all about:

• We would like to inform English speaking travelers about the latest news about the wild fire in Torres del Paine National Park.

• We would like to prevent that on top of the fire one of the region's most important economic sector, tourism, collapses.

The later could especially effect small and medium-size businesses in Puerto Natales that work in tourism in and/ or around Torres del Paine and through that simply make their bred-and-butter.

With this blog, we would like to invite the local community to get together even closer and offer help to help themselves by publishing tour alternatives on this blog, which are currently not part of our own programs.

Press Release of the President of Chile

Press release of the President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera

January 02, 2012, 11:00 a.m. (Chilean Standard Time)

• Until now, more than 12,000 hectares (almost 30,000 acres) have been effected by the fire in Torres del Paine National Park. 1/3 of this being native forest, and 2/3 being grassland and steppe.
• There are 753 fire fighters working on the control of the fire.
• There are 6 seats of fire, 4 of which are being controlled, although it cannot be excluded that they may expand again, due to the strong wind.
• The other 2 seats of fire are not growing, but work still continues to control them.
• The Government is preparing and is taking all measurements to partially re-open Torres del Paine National Park from Wednesday, January 04, if the conditions maintain the same as until now or get better.
• This re-opening will be initially in the Northern sector of the Park, corresponding to Laguna Azul, Laguna Amarga, Campamento Cuernos, Campamento Serón, Campamento Perros. In the first stage, 100,000 to 150,000 hectares (about 250,000 to 370,000 acres) will be re-opened, which is the area with most tourists visit.
• The objective of all of this to maintain the touristic season as normal as possible.
• On top of this, the Government will put special emphasis on protecting the existing flora and fauna in Torres del Paine National Park.

Please note that this is my own, lose translation, which might not be 100% correct and therefore cannot reflect President Sebastian Piñera's words.