- Address: Torres del Paine, Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, Chile;
- Size: from 2600 to 2850 meters.
Travel to Chile will be remembered by contrast, which is created by beautiful beaches and mountain peaks, various national parks, in which even more amazing places are hidden. As, for example, in Torres del Paine a unique landscape attracts many tourists. The main feature of the national park is the granite towers Peine.
The history of the appearance of towers
The origin of granite towers Peine is still disputed by researchers and scientists. According to one version, the mountain massifs formed when the glaciers began to melt and retreat to the south, laying deep furrows between the rocks. If you believe another group of scientists, the granite towers were formed more than 12 million years ago as a result of cooling of the earth's crust.
Stone symbol of Chile
Not to notice the three granite towers towering above the landscape in the Torres del Paine National Park is extremely difficult. The height of the lowest peak is 2600 m, and the uppermost - 2850 m. Granite towers Peine represent three needle-shaped huge monoliths.
At sunset, they appear before tourists in an amazing pink color. Towers became widely known in 1880, when the book "Through Patagonia" by the Scottish writer Florence Dixie was published, in which they are called Cleopatra's needles. The author of the granite peaks caused an association with the obelisks established in Paris, London and New York.
After the first mention of granite towers Peine, a crowd of tourists was drawn into the park to see the amazing natural phenomenon. Stone tops are a favorite place for climbers. The very first ascent was made by the Italian Guido Manzino in 1958.
Around the summits are laid hiking trails, along which it is convenient and climb to the top of the climbers, and just walk, enjoying the scenery. But to get to them, you will have to be patient, because the road from the campsite takes all day. Those who want to overcome the road are 11 km away.
How to get to the top?
To see the emblem of the Chilean South Patagonia , you must first arrive at the Torres del Paine National Park. This can be done by bus, which leaves from Puerto Natales at 7.30. It passes through the entire park, stopping three times: near Laguna Amarga, Pudeto and the Administration. During the first stop, you need to buy a ticket to the park, which costs about 18,000 thousand pesos for foreign tourists.
The bus can be used as a free transport if there is a return ticket to Puerto Natales. You just need to remember the places of his stops and schedule. Then it will be possible to intercept it when tired of walking or fatigue will take up.
To find the way to the granite towers will help pointers that are installed in sufficient numbers in the park. You can relax in the camp, located right in the middle of the road, where all the necessary amenities are presented. Ascent to the granite towers of Peine is a big load on a person without sports training, which should be borne in mind when going on an excursion.