CONAF launches safety plan at Torres del Paine on 12 November

Torres del Paine National Park (Parque Nacional Torres del Paine) hosted the launch of Chile’s 2026-2027 high season on 12 November 2026, bringing new visitor-safety equipment and a digital pilot to the protected area near Puerto Natales. CONAF, the regional presidential delegation and the municipality of Torres del Paine presented the measures at the park administration area.

Safety launch adds vehicles and an offline app

The plan includes new pick-up vehicles, quad bikes and a mountain UTV for patrol and mountain rescue. It also introduces a pilot of the Mountain Safety Passport, an offline application developed by CONAF and dTicket.

The app is being tested in the northern part of the Paine Massif circuit. Its named control points are Coirón, Dickson, Los Perros, John Gardner Pass, Grey outpost and Paine Grande. The operator says the tool is intended to record routes, provide weather alerts and support emergency notification. The CONAF launch notice also describes a campaign on safer puma viewing.

The wider safety package includes a wildfire-prevention plan for the 2026-2027 season and three new mountain-rescue stretchers. CONAF received one stretcher, Carabineros received another and the municipal health post received the third. The launch therefore connects the season’s visitor information with equipment intended for patrols and emergency response inside the park.

How the safety plan fits the national park

CONAF created the national park by decree on 13 May 1959. Its granite Paine Massif, glaciers, lakes, rivers and Patagonian landscapes sit in the Magallanes region of southern Chile, between the Andes and the steppe. The park’s highest summit reaches 3,050 metres above sea level, according to the CONAF park profile.

The area became part of the Torres del Paine Biosphere Reserve in 1978 under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme. That setting gives the 12 November launch a specific practical context: the new passport pilot follows the northern mountain circuit rather than applying only at an entrance or visitor centre. UNESCO describes the reserve as a landscape of ridges, crags, glaciers, waterfalls, rivers, lakes and lagoons.

Rules and routes remain part of the visit

The park’s visitor guidance says travellers should check official CONAF and Pases Parques information before setting out. It also states that visitors must stay on authorised trails, avoid feeding wildlife and not enter rivers or lakes. Sources of heat are restricted to designated places, while domestic animals are not permitted.

Those rules matter alongside the new safety measures because the park combines roads, long mountain trails and remote sectors. The Mountain Safety Passport pilot is concentrated on named control points in the northern circuit, while the park’s wider regulations continue to govern every visitor’s conduct.

Visiting Torres del Paine National Park: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The high-season launch took place at the park administration area on 12 November 2026, and the 2026-2027 plan now includes new pick-ups, quad bikes, a mountain UTV and the Mountain Safety Passport pilot.
• The pilot covers Coirón, Dickson, Los Perros, John Gardner Pass, Grey outpost and Paine Grande; visitors should follow guard instructions and check current CONAF information before entering mountain areas.
• Puerto Natales is the reference town. CONAF lists regular buses from Puerto Natales and road access through Route 9 Norte or the Lago Porteño route.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Torres del Paine National Park

What happened at Torres del Paine National Park on 12 November 2026?

CONAF, the regional delegation and the municipality launched the 2026-2027 high season with new vehicles, a wildfire plan and a Mountain Safety Passport pilot.

What is the Mountain Safety Passport at Torres del Paine?

It is an offline application developed by CONAF and dTicket for a pilot covering six named control points in the northern Paine Massif circuit.

Where is Torres del Paine National Park and how do you get there?

The park is in Chile’s Magallanes region near Puerto Natales, with road access through Route 9 Norte or Lago Porteño and regular buses from Puerto Natales.