THE SOUTHERN PATAGONIAN ICE FIELD
The Southern Patagonian Ice Field or Campo de Hielo Sur is the largest expanse of ice in the southern hemisphere outside Antarctica, stretching about 350km north to south and covering an area of about 16,800km2 – some 14,000km2 of which lies within Chile (predominantly within Bernardo O’Higgins national park), the rest being in Argentina. The average elevation of the Southern Ice Field is about 1400–1600m, although several of the glaciers descend to sea level in the west, and it reaches well over 3000m in places. Largest among its huge glaciers is the Pío XI or Bruggen glacier (the longest in the southern hemisphere outside Antarctica), some 64km long and covering an area of 1265km2; others include the O’Higgins (820km2), Jorge Montt (510km2), Tyndall (331km2) and Grey (270km2) glaciers in Chile, and the Viedma (978km2), Uspala (902km2) and Perito Moreno (258km2) glaciers in Argentina.
In all 48 major outlet glaciers have been identified, together with a further 100 smaller cirque and valley glaciers. Most of the major glaciers either terminate in the sea (on the Chilean side), including the Jorge Montt, Pío XI and the Serrano, or in freshwater lakes such as those in Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares national parks. Only three of these glaciers are not retreating, the Pío XI, San Rafael and the Perito Moreno. Otherwise, the retreat of glaciers in the area has been exceptionally rapid, the Grey some 2.3km and the Tyndall some 1.6km over the past 22 years, and the O’Higgins retreating 14.6km and losing an area of over 50km2 in the period 1896 to 1995 – one of the largest glacial retreats of the 20th century. Almost all of the glaciers are calving (shedding huge chunks of ice from their snout), often in spectacular fashion, into adjacent lakes or fjords.
Glaciar Grey (Walks 1 and 2)
The Southern Patagonian Ice Field forms only one part of what was once the Patagonian Ice Sheet; the North Patagonian Ice Field (now contained within the area of Chile’s Laguna San Rafael national park) is the other, smaller, remaining portion. About 17,500–18,000 years ago, during the last glacial period (the Llanquihue glaciation, as it is called in Chile), the Patagonian Ice Sheet covered an area of some 480,000km2, stretching roughly as far north as Puerto Montt, and also extended across the Andes some distance into Argentina.
Climate
The 16th-century English navigator and adventurer Thomas Cavendish had little positive to say for the Patagonian climate, describing it (or more specifically, the conditions he encountered in the Straits of Magellan) as ‘vile and filthy foul weather’. This is a little harsh, however, for while it is true there can be plenty of wind and rain in this part of the world, the climate isn’t always that grim. In Torres del Paine national park, days are long during the summer, and the weather can be wonderful, with some of the most magnificent cloud formations. You just need to come prepared for, well, foul weather.
Lone Ñirre (Nothofagus antarctica) and low cloud, near Mirador Cuernos (Walk 3)
Daytime temperatures in January/February (that is, summer in the southern hemisphere) in Torres del Paine average around 11°C, although it can vary enormously from around 24°C to just above freezing, and at night will feel much cooler. Precipitation levels also vary, generally increasing further west, and nearer the South Patagonian Ice Field.
Windswept trees near Glaciar Los Perros (Walk 1)
Weather conditions in Torres del Paine are notoriously difficult to predict, the huge glaciers in the area giving rise to various microclimates, which make accurate long-term weather forecasts almost impossible.
One thing trekkers have to get used to in Torres del Paine is the wind, which fairly blasts off the South Patagonian Ice Field straight into the Paine massif, and when it gets really strong (gusts of well over 100km/h are not uncommon) it can make walking almost impossible. Huts carry (tentative) forecasts for at least two or three days ahead, so it’s worth checking these and timing certain sections of your route – such as the crossing of Paso John Gardner – accordingly. It is not always windy, and there are plenty of days when it’s perfectly calm – but if you get round the entire Circuit without getting at least one day of high winds, not to mention a good dousing of rain, you can count yourself fairly lucky.
The wind is at its worst during the peak visitor months of January and February – conditions tend to be rather more settled (but naturally much colder) during the winter. But to quote the excellent local magazine Black Sheep (which has now sadly folded): ‘Wind is as much a character [of] the landscape as the mountains, trees and pampas themselves…. Prepare yourself as best you can, arm yourself with a good attitude, and enjoy.’ Sound advice.
Further north in Chile the climate is very different, with average daytime temperatures in Santiago during the summer reaching around 29°C. The Argentinian side of the border tends to be drier, and it is possible to travel from clear skies and brilliant sunshine in Los Glaciares national park to low cloud and rain in Torres del Paine national park.
When to visit
The trekking season in Torres del Paine lasts roughly from early summer to early autumn (late November to late April). January and February are peak season, coinciding with school holidays in Chile, and during these months campsites and trails can become quite crowded, especially on the more popular ‘W’ route. Mosquitoes are at their worst at this time. March is on balance the best month to visit, although December and even April are also good. During the winter bitter temperatures and heavy snowfall put most people off, but this can also be a beautiful time to visit (some agencies offer winter ski touring) – and free from the wind and mosquitoes.
Wildlife and plants
Mammals
Almost synonymous with images of Torres del Paine national park is the Guanaco (Lama guanicoe), a large cameloid closely related to the Llama. Around the approaches to the national park they have become rather relaxed about busloads of visitors jumping out to take photographs of them. However, in more remote areas such as Sierra Baguales, where humans remain much more of a novelty, they tend to be rather more inquisitive. The calves are born during the spring, and are known locally as chulengo. The word ‘guanaco’ is pronounced with the accent on second syllable.
The other two South American cameloids, the Llama (Lama glama) and the Vicuña (Vicugna vicugna), are present in other parts of Chile; the Guanaco and the Llama are the slightly larger of the three. There is a fourth cameloid in Chile, the Alpaca (Lama pacos), but this is actually a domesticated and selectively bred form of the Vicuña.
Far more elusive is the now endangered Huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus). This small, shy, deer-like animal was once quite common, but was hunted to near extinction by early settlers and is now extremely rare. Male Huemul are slightly larger than the female and stand up to about 90cm at the shoulder. CONAF (Corporación Nacional Forestal), which oversees Chile’s national parks, asks that any Huemul sightings are reported to the national park office. The Huemul was incorporated into the Chilean coat of arms in 1834 and still appears there, alongside the Condor. The Southern Pudu (Pudu puda), the world’s smallest deer, is present in other parts of Chile but not in Torres del Paine.
Guanaco (Lama guanicoe), Sierra Baguales (Excursion 3)
The largest predatory land mammal in Chile is the Puma (Puma concolor) – a beautiful, lithe and (despite the fact that it seems to decorate half the tourist literature of Patagonia) highly elusive big cat. In the highly unlikely event that you see a Puma, count yourself lucky! On a more practical note, if you do happen to meet one and it doesn’t run first, do not run, but maintain eye contact and back away slowly, raising your arms to make yourself look as large as possible. Never approach cubs. Also present in the park is the