Some say Paine was an early settler. Others say the name comes from an ancient Indian word meaning blue-hearkening to the intense blue of the area's lakes. Whatever the name comes from or means, this is a spectacular park, comparable to Yellowstone or Yosemite in the U.S. Founded in 1959, Torres del Paine takes in 450,000 acres. In 1978 UNESCO recognized it as a World Biosphere Reserve, and advocates are now lobbying to have the park inscribed as a World Heritage site.
What Cuernos del Paine would look like on a clearer day
This is a spectacular waterfall on the short stretch of river linking the two glacial lakes Lago Nordenskjold which lies in front of the Cuernos (Horns) of Paine, and Lago Pehoe.
