Conservacion Patagónica (now Tompkins Conservation), founded by Kristine Tompkins and her late husband, Douglas Tompkins, has been instrumental in the rewilding of vast tracts of land in Patagonia and expansion of national parks in both Chile and Argentina. Tompkins Conservation’s most significant rewilding effort in Chile is centred around Patagonia National Park – an area with 130,499 acres (52,811 hectares) with projected total area of 691,895 acres (280,000 hectares). As well as restoring habitat for biodiversity, PNP has the potential to drawdown over 100 million metric tonnes of carbon.

An iconic east-west valley sculpted by the Chacabuco River forms the heart of Patagonia National Park. The Chacabuco Valley, a natural corridor through the Andes formerly used by nomadic peoples and wildlife, had suffered serious damage from past livestock grazing. The transition from ranch to parklands included dismantling hundreds of miles of fencing, removing sheep and cattle, and developing public-access infrastructure. The park is also home to Tompkins Conservation–led rewilding efforts focused on protecting cougars, Andean condors, Darwin’s Rheas, and the endangered huemul deer.

Park History

In 2004 Kris Tompkins arranged for her nonprofit, Conservacion Patagonica (now merged into Tompkins Conservation), to acquire Chile’s third-largest ranch as the core of a future park. Subsequent purchases increased the private conservation holdings. The 2017 protocol between Tompkins Conservation and the Chilean state formalized the donation of about 206,983 acres, which were combined with the existing Jeinimeni and Tamango National Reserves to create Patagonia National Park.

The Chacabuco Valley is the setting for Explora Parque Patagonia (formerly Lodge at Valle Chacabuco). Conservacion Patagonia’s approach to rewilding included developing public access infrastructure to support nature-based tourism, which in turn helped to sustain the parks and local economies. This former ranch has been repurposed into a lodge has eight bedrooms and five suites, built with local and recycled materials in a style inspired by Patagonian architecture.

While open water swimming is off-limits in Patagonia National Park, trail running and mountain biking options are abundant – the X-83 route suits both hikers and gravel/MTB riders.

Learn more about explora.com. Discover other national parks via the Tompkins Conservation library.