Carretera Austral Route of the Parks

Introduction

The Route of the Parks is a concept created by the Tompkins Foundation. This is an environmental, eco conservation organisation set up by Douglas Tompkins (who, unfortunately died in a kayaking accident on Lake General Carrera in 2015) and his wife Kristine.

The Tompkins Conservation Foundation

https://www.tompkinsconservation.org/

The goal of the Tompkins Conservation foundation is to protect natural habitats, cultures, flora and fauna as much as humanly possible against the constant erosion of such places from uncontrolled destruction elsewhere on the planet. In South America, particularly Patagonia, fortunately there are still large areas where the natural eco system is intact.

The Foundation has bought large swathes of land that has been donated back to the relevant government (the state) as National Parks, on the condition that such lands are protected and, where required, are helped to recuperate back to their original, natural state. One result of this honourable objective is that by combining the existing Chilean National Parks with the land donated back to Chile by the Tomkins foundation there are now 17 National Parks throughout the Chilean Patagonia region. This area combined makes up one third of the total land mass of Chile.

Considering that the Carretera Austral literally cuts a path through the heart of Chilean Patagonia 10 of these National Parks are accessible (some require sea navigation) to the public because they are all linked via the Carretera Austral and hence the name “Route of the Parks”.

Route of the Parks

The combined space of the 17 national parks (this includes 7 parks in the territory further south of the end of the Carretera Austral and down to Cape Horn) is only second to the natural “green space” of the Amazon forest, covering (and protecting) 28 million acres.

Within this area are temperate and subantarctic rain forests, ice fields, wetlands and a vast number of channels and fiords. The combined, natural ecosystem contains one of the highest carbon storage rates in South America; as well as offering protection to various endangered species such as huemul deer and the Huillin (an otter native to these parts).

What to do in These Parks?

You can appreciate these parks by any of these ways:
1 – Enjoy the view from your vehicle or viewpoint by the road. However, this will not enable you to “get into” what these parks really have to offer.
2 – Trek within these parks to get close to various, spectacular aspects of the geography as well as get sightings, if you are lucky, of the flora and fauna.
3 – Where possible, camp in the Parks where there is an option to do so and experience remoteness from humankind.

The information about these National Parks is provided by the Tomkins Conservation Foundation.