Roughly 29% of Chile is preserved in over 100 national parks, national monuments, reserves and conservation areas. Among Chile’s top international attractions, the parks receive over three million visitors yearly. Visits have doubled in the last decade. But while scene-stealing parks such as Torres del Paine are annually inundated, the majority of Chile’s protected areas remain underutilized and wild. Hikers have their pick of trails, and solitude is easily found, especially outside the summer high season of January and February.
Chile’s protected areas comprise three different categories: parques nacionales (national parks); reservas nacionales (national reserves), which are open to limited economic exploitation; and monumentos naturales (natural monuments), which are smaller but strictly protected areas or features.
National parks and reserves are administered by Conaf, the National Forestry Corporation. Different from a National Parks Service, the main focus of Conaf is managing Chile’s forests and their development. Because of this distinction, tourism is not often a primary concern of the organization. In recent years, the management of huts and services within parks has been given to private concessionaires. Advocates are lobbying for a National Parks Service to be created, but for the time being, the status quo remains.
In Santiago, visit Conaf for basic maps and brochures. Increasingly, in-park amenities like refugios (rustic shelters), campgrounds and restaurants are being run by private concessionaires. Conaf is chronically underfunded and many parks are inadequately protected, which makes issues like forest fires a particularly serious concern. However, other government-financed projects are showing a commitment to ecotourism, including the megalong Sendero de Chile, which links 8000km of trails from Chile’s top to bottom.
Chilean law permits private nature reserves: áreas de protección turística (tourist protection areas) and santuarios de la naturaleza (nature sanctuaries). But private parks started making Chilean headlines when American conservationists Kris and Douglas Tompkins started creating parks throughout Patagonia. Their first was Parque Nacional Pumalín, followed by Parque Nacional Corcovado and Parque Nacional Yendegaia in Tierra del Fuego, and most recently Parque Nacional Patagonia is open for visitors. All of these have been donated to the state or are in the process of donation. While these parks first ignited hot debate about land ownership and use, they have inspired others, including President Sebastián Piñera, who created Chiloé’s Parque Tantauco. Other notable parks include Parque Natural Karukinka and Huilo-Huilo Biological Reserve.
Chile has around 133 private parks, totaling almost 4000 sq km. Codeff maintains a database of properties that have joined together to create Red de Áreas Protegidas Privadas (RAPP; Network of Private Protected Areas).
CHILE’S NATIONAL PARKS
| PROTECTED AREA | FEATURES | HIGHLIGHTS | BEST TIME TO VISIT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parque Nacional Archipiélago Juan Fernández | remote archipelago, ecological treasure trove of endemic plants | hiking, boat trips, diving, flora | Dec-Mar |
| Parque Nacional Bernardo O’Higgins | remote ice fields, glaciers, waterfalls; cormorants, condors | boat trips | Dec-Mar |
| Parque Nacional Bosques de Fray Jorge | cloud forest in dry desert, coastline | hiking, flora | year-round |
| Parque Nacional Chiloé | coastal dunes, lagoons & folklore-rich forest; birdlife, pudú, sea lions | hiking, wildlife-watching, kayaking, horse trekking | Dec-Mar |
| Parque Nacional Conguillío | mountainous araucaria forests, lakes, canyons, active volcano | hiking, climbing, skiing, boating, skiing | Jun-Oct |
| Parque Nacional Huerquehue | forest, lakes, waterfalls & outstanding views | hiking | Dec-Mar |
| Parque Nacional La Campana | coastal cordillera: oak forests & Chilean palms | hiking, flora | Nov-Feb |
| Parque Nacional Laguna del Laja | Andean foothills, waterfalls, lakes, rare trees; condors | hiking | Dec-Mar |
| Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael | glaciers reach the sea at this stunning ice field | boat trips, flights, hiking, climbing | Sep-Mar |
| Parque Nacional Lauca | altiplano volcanoes, lakes, steppe; abundant birdlife & vicuñas | hiking, wildlife-watching, traditional villages, hot springs | year-round |
| Parque Nacional Llanos de Challe | coastal plains; ‘flowering desert’ after heavy rains; guanaco | flora & fauna | Jul-Sep in rainy years |
| Parque Nacional Nahuelbuta | araucaria forests, wildflowers; pumas, pudú, rare woodpeckers | hiking | Nov-Apr |
| Parque Nacional Nevado Tres Cruces | volcano Ojos del Salado; vicuñas, flamingos, guanacos | climbing, hiking, wildlife | Dec-Feb |
| Parque Nacional Pan de Azúcar | coastal desert; penguins, otters, sea lions, guanacos & cacti | boat trips, swimming, hiking, wildlife-watching | year-round |
| Parque Nacional Patagonia | restored steppe & high alpine terrain; guanaco, flamingo, puma | hiking, wildlife-watching | Dec-Mar |
| Parque Nacional Puyehue | volcanic dunes, lava rivers, forest | hiking, skiing, hot springs, biking, lake canoeing | hiking Dec-Mar, skiing Jun-Oct |
| Parque Nacional Rapa Nui | isolated Polynesian island with enigmatic archaeological treasures | archaeology, diving, hiking, horseback riding | year-round |
| Parque Nacional Torres del Paine | Chile’s showpiece park of spectacular peaks, forest, glaciers; guanacos, condors, ñandú, flamingos | trekking, wildlife-watching, climbing, glacier trekking, kayaking, horseback riding | Dec-Mar |
| Parque Nacional Vicente Pérez Rosales | Chile’s oldest national park, crowded with lakes & volcanoes | hiking, climbing, skiing, rafting, kayaking, canyoning | Jun-Oct |
| Parque Nacional Villarrica | smoking volcanic cone overlooking lakes & resorts | trekking, climbing, skiing | hiking Dec-Mar, skiing Jun-Oct |
| Parque Nacional Volcán Isluga | remote altiplano, volcanoes, geysers, unique pastoral culture; rich birdlife | villages, hiking, birdwatching, hot springs | year-round |