According to information from the Chilean authority CONAF (Corporación Nacional Forestal de Chile) all trekking routes in the Torres del Paine National Park including the famous W- and O-trek have been reopened to visitors.

The catamaran Pehoe as well as the navigation on the Grey Lake are operating according to schedule. As Refugio Paine Grande, Camping Italiano and Camping Britanico are currently not available, the catamaran Pehoe operates only one-way at 18:30 h from Refugio Paine Grande back. Refugio Grey has reopened on January 27th 2012. Merely Laguna Verde remains closed until further notice.

If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us by sending a message to info@travelart.com.

On our website and on our facebook page we will keep you informed about the current developments.

Update 2.01.2012

Chiloé is an island full of myths, legends, and very special people. The colourful shingle stilt-houses, the fishing boats, the harbour, and the bustling market give it a unique and very special atmosphere. For nature and animal lovers, Chiloé is also known for the rich diversity of sea life found off its shores, including a population of Blue Whales that summer nearby, and it’s a wonderful experience to make a half-day boat trip to see them. This excursion takes you from Playa de Puñihuil on Chiloé’s Pacific coast to the Duatao shoreline, one of the most active sea lion breeding rookeries in the area. During your cruise you’re likely to see a wide variety of marine life, including seals, Humboldt and Magellan penguins, albatrosses, petrels, and several types of whales, including, between December and April, the huge Blue Whales. All passengers will receive an information sheet listing the species that might be observed during the trip. Highlights of the cruise include the Duatao rookery, the high-seas marine birds – and, of course, the whales! This unique experience will provide an impressive introduction to the rich marine life of the Southern Ocean, unparalleled in the world.
For more information about whale watching in Chiloé, and any of our other Chiloé travel programmes, please contact your travelArt sales executive.

Today, January 23, 2012 the trekking trail to camping británico and camping italiano in the National Park Torres del Paine will be reopened. Accommodation should take place at Refugio Los Cuernos.

If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us by sending a message to info@travelart.com.

Update 23.01.2012

We are happy to inform you that hotel Explora Patagonia that is closed due to the fire at Torres del Paine National Park announced its date of reopening which will be on February 23, 2012. Luckily the hotel itself was not damaged by the fire.
If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us by sending a message to info@travelart.com.

Update 20.01.2012

According to information from our partner agency Fantástico Sur the following trekking routes in the Torres del Paine National Park are now open for visitors accompanied by an experienced trekking guide: Trekking to El Silencio Valley and Trekking to Bader Valley.

Sernatur surveyed tourist in the National Park and published the videos on its website: http://www.sernatur.cl/destacado-torres/situacion-en-torres-del-paine-2.

If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us by sending a message to info@travelart.com.
On our website and on our facebook page we will keep you informed about the current developments.
Update 20.01.2012

The travelArt representative in Punta Arenas has travelled to Torres del Paine National Park and brought the following first-hand information:

• The new road from Puerto Natales to the National Park is in perfect conditions. From this point, no smoke can be seen.
• The village Serrano was not affected by the forest fire and the surroundings show no signs of damage.
• The road to the park administration as well as to the building itself are undamaged.
• On the way from the Serrano sector to the administration, burned areas can be seen.
• The intersection Grey where one road leads to the Grey sector and the other way leads to the eastern part of the park is completely accessible.
• Hosteria Grey is undamaged and in perfect conditions.
• The trekking route to Lago Grey is accessible. Few fire marks are visible.
• The round trip navigation Grey to Glaciar Grey has been restarted; the itinerary to Refugio Grey currently remains cancelled.
• Hotel Explora remains closed. A recommendable alternative is the new hotel Tierra Patagonia.

If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us by sending a message to info@travelart.com.
On our website and on our facebook page we will keep you informed about the current developments.

Update 18.01.2012

The private Huilo Huilo Nature Reserve in southern Chile was recognized as the most ecologically-sustainable Chilean tourist destination of 2011 by the Federación de Empresas de Turismo de Chile (Chilean Association of Tourism Companies). The nature reserve was selected for this honour because of its three-pillar sustainability strategy: integration with the local population; active conservation of the area’s natural and cultural heritage; and the development of tourism as an economic activity. The 60,000-hectare park has received increasing numbers of  visitors during the past several years and has contributed to the development of this rural region near Valdivia.

For travelArt and our clients, Huilo Huilo is of particular interest, because in addition to its pristine outdoors experience, it offers two unique hotels that have long been included in our programmes: the Montaña Magica and the Baobab, which enchant their guests with their imaginative, fairy-tale architecture, outstanding service, and fine cuisine.

If you would like to learn more about the Huilo Huilo Nature Reserve and the Montaña Magica and Baobab Hotels, please contact your travelArt sales executive.

Additional entrances and parts of the Torres del Paine National Park were reopened on Saturday so that now all roads are accessible for vehicles and tourism. The hiking trails affected by the fire will remain closed, as long as the safety assessment evaluation lasts and the ecological restoration begin.
Our office manager from Punta Arenas has made a personal site inspection at the park so that travelArt can pass first-hand information to its clients.

The following park entrances have been reopened: Laguna Amarga, Laguna Azul and Lago Sarmiento in the eastern part of the park (accessible over the old, eastern road from Puerto Natales) as well as the entrance at the Serrano Sector (accessible over the new, western road). This also facilitates access to Lago Grey.

Opened Trekking circuits (as already informed):
Hiking trail to base las Torres (duration apx. 8 hours, roundtrip)
Hiking trail sector Torres a Sector Cuernos (duration apx. 5 hours)
Hiking trail sector Torres a Serón (duration apx. 4 hours)
Hiking trail sector Serón to sector Dickson (duration apx. 6 hours)
Hiking trail sector Dickson to sector Los Perros (duration apx. 5 hours)
Roundtrip Laguna Azul – Victorina – Dickson (only with experienced guides)

From today, Monday, 16th January 2012 on, the trekking trail to the British and the Italian camp will be reopened with accommodation facility in Los Cuernos.

The following accommodations that were closed due to security reasons are reopened again:

Hotel Lago Grey (open since Saturday)
Refuges of Fantastico Sur (entirely open)
Hostería Pehoe (entirely open)

Hotel Explora Salto Chico and Refugio Paine Grande currently remain closed until further notice. The roundtrip to Glaciar Grey has been restarted; the itinerary to Refugio Grey currently remains cancelled.

Dany Ayalón, vice-chancellor of Israel, is in contact with his Chilean counterpart, Fernando Schmidt, to talk about Israel’s support in the reforestation measure at Torres del Paine National Park. Taking into account that a 23-year old Israeli is accused of having caused the forest fire, the country is developing a two-phase reforestation plan for Torres del Paine National Park.  In a first step reforestation experts will be sent to the park to develop a detailed recovery plan. The next step will be the donation of trees by the state of Israel. I

If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us by sending a message to info@travelart.com.
On our website and on our facebook page we will keep you informed about the current developments.

Update 16.01.2012

According to information from Sernatur (Servicio Nacional de Turismo), Torres del Paine National Park reopened gates and public use areas to visitors yesterday, allowing normal vehicular transit on all roads.

http://www.sernatur.cl/torres-del-paine-update/situacion-en-torres-del-paine

If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us by sending a message to info@travelart.com.
On our website and on our facebook page we will keep you informed about the current developments.

Update 14.01.2012

According to information given by Artur Storaker, mayor of Magallanes, a complete reopening of the Torres del Paine National Park will probably be possible within the next week. A final evaluation of the situation as well as a plan for the reopening will be made today by the forestry cooperation CONAF (Corporación Nacional Forestal de Chile). According to yesterday’s information from the forestry cooperation CONAF (Corporación Nacional Forestal de Chile), the forest fire in the Torres del Paine National Park is currently under control but still active. So far, an area of 16.609 hectares vegetation is affected. Fire brigades are still working on controlling the fire entirely.
CONAF downgraded the alarm level for the park from red to yellow due to the progress made in the fire extinction works yesterday. Nevertheless about 338 persons amongst them experts from CONAF, fire brigades from CONAF, military, park employees, police as well as auxiliary forces are extinguishing the fire. Furthermore two helicopters from CONAF and two ships from ONEMI (Oficina Nacional de Emergencia del Ministerio del Interior) are in action.

The national tourism institution Sernatur (Servicio Nacional de Turismo) informed that current initiatives for Torres del Paine focus on two lines of action. Firstly and most importantly all resources are being activated to fight the fire at the park. Secondly a wide array of promotional measures will be applied in the upcoming months to re-establish a positive public perception of the national park. According to information from Sernatur, tourist arrivals to the park are already on the way to reach last year’s level due to the marketing measures undertaken.

If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us by sending a message to info@travelart.com.
On our website and on our facebook page we will keep you informed about the current developments.

Update 13.01.2012