Big country, small communities
Not that I was roughing it all the time. Following a new
itinerary from Spain and Latin America specialist Pura
Aventura, Route of the Parks Uncovered, I had my own
4x4, a map and enough freedom to ind, and occasionally
lose, my own way. Which meant days immersed in
the wild, nights tucked up in family-run guest houses
ofering home-cooked meals and generous pourings
of silky Chilean wine. These included Posada Queulat,
whose six snug cabins are surrounded by rainforest and
waterfalls; and El Mirador de Guadal, a lodge with private
verandas gazing across Patagonia’s highest peaks.
Then, a perfect South American moment. Patagonia
National Park, 40 miles south of Puerto Guadal, is the
Tompkins’ crowning glory. “It’s extraordinary, because
there are very few places within the region that have such
diversity,” Kristine told me. “Lakes, rivers, mountain
peaks, grasslands, the Northern Iceield, endemic
species, huge fossil beds — they’re all here.”
But what’s truly special about the park is what they’re
doing with it. When the Tompkins purchased the land
in 2004, the Chacabuco Valley had been decimated by
decades of sheep and cattle ranching. Their genius was
not to manage its restoration by hand, but rather to let
it rewild: tear down the fences, kick out the cattle and
sheep, and then let the land simply be, and heal itself.
And it’s working. As the grassland has regenerated, the
wildlife has returned: guanacos (funny, red-furred llama-
like creatures), Andean condors, pumas and the critically
endangered huemul deer. I hiked the park’s lagship
path, the 14-mile Lagunas Altas Trail, a 3,000t ascent
from the valley to a high summit ridge, and found all of
Patagonia’s wonders — emerald lakes, sparkling iceields,
an amphitheatre of Andean peaks. I could feel the land
humming, feel the regrowth, the rebirth, the return of
native species and balance buzzing in the air.
But such rapid transformation may have a cost. One of
the most alluring aspects of driving the Route of Parks
are the small communities you pass along the way, most
of whom are still following a traditional, rural way of
life — tending small farms, living in hand-built shacks
by the side of the road. I watch gauchos in lat caps on
horseback herding sheep and cattle to pasture. Many of
these people see the Tompkins’ plan as a threat to their
traditional livelihood.
That’s where the Route of Parks comes in. Essentially,
this is the eco-tourism arm of the Tompkins’
conservation dream, which aims to ensure local
communities are connected, and invested, in the
preservation of their own wild land. They’re hoping
to inspire the gauchos to turn into part-time guides,
villages to build B&Bs, restaurants and other tourist
infrastructure. It’s looking hopeful: the project is
projected to generate around $270m (£222.5m) annually
in tourism revenue and create more than 40,000 jobs,
proving that economics and conservation can be good
bedfellows, ater all. This isn’t just eco-idealism, this is a
call to action.
From Patagonia National Park, the route heads 150
miles south to the town of Villa O’Higgins, which marksAs the grassland has regenerated, the wildlife
has returned: guanacos, Andean condors, pumas
and the critically endangered huemul deer
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:
Mirador de Guadal
overlooking General
Carrera Lake; lupins
on the banks of the
Rio del Salto; alerces
trees, Pumalín Douglas
Tompkins National ParkIMAGES: AARON MILLAR; ANTONIO VIZCAINO106 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel
CHILE