Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile

© Marco Bottigelli/Getty Image

Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile

Wildlife roams freely in one of Chile's most stunning protected areas, where towering peaks and ancient glaciers shape the land. Established on this day in 1959, Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia spans over 181,000 hectares. Originally called Grey Lake National Tourism Park, it was renamed in 1970 and later designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1978. Its most recognisable feature—the three massive granite peaks known as the Torres—stands over 2,400 metres tall. These formations took shape through magma intrusion and uplift, followed by millions of years of glacial erosion, leaving behind the jagged spires seen today.

The park's lakes and rivers, fuelled by melting ice, create a hydrological network that sustains its wildlife. Four major glaciers—Tyndall, Grey, Dickson and Zapata—are fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Originating from Dickson Lake, the Paine River flows through various bodies of water, including Paine Lake, Nordenskjöld Lake and Pehoé Lake. Wildlife thrives here, including pumas, endangered southern huemuls (south Andean deer), Chilean flamingos and chimango caracaras. With grasslands, wetlands and forests, the park supports a range of plant life, including lenga, Antarctic beech and cushion plants that endure the harsh climate.