Chile unveils Patagonian Route of Parks scenic trail Published duration 27 September 2018

image copyright AFP image caption The region includes spectacular scenery

Chile has launched a huge scenic route through its Patagonian wilderness to boost tourism and highlight the need for conservation.

The Route of Parks covers 2,800km (1,740 miles) from the city of Puerto Montt down to Cape Horn.

The trail was the idea of Tompkins Conservation, the foundation set up by US billionaire Douglas Tompkins and his wife Kristine.

Last year the foundation donated vast amounts of land to Chile's government.

The land has helped create a network of 17 national parks and the new route - called the Patagonian Route of Parks - connects all of them.

"We want Chile to be internationally recognised for having the most spectacular scenic route in the world, and thus become a benchmark for economic development based on conservation," said Carolina Morgado, executive director at Tompkins.

The sparsely inhabited terrain is known for its lakes, waterways and rich habitat of flora and fauna.

image copyright Getty Images image caption Chile's network of national parks is a haven for wildlife

The website includes advice on transport, accommodation and more than 50 GPS-traced paths.

Mr Tompkins, a keen conservationist and the founder of North Face clothing, died in a kayaking accident in Chile in 2015. The businessman had bought up huge swathes of land in southern Chile and Argentina to preserve it.

image copyright Getty Images image caption Douglas Tompkins and his wife Kristine, pictured in 2009, were keen conservationists

Then Chilean President Michelle Bachelet called the signing an "unprecedented preservation effort".

The foundation described it as "the largest land donation in history from a private entity to a country".

Other famous long-distance trails

The Great Trail is a winding network of paths, waterways and roadways running 23,000km (14,900 miles) across Canada

is a winding network of paths, waterways and roadways running 23,000km (14,900 miles) across Canada The Appalachian National Scenic Trail in the US is about 3,500km (2,190 miles) long and travels through 14 states from Georgia to Maine

in the US is about 3,500km (2,190 miles) long and travels through 14 states from Georgia to Maine The 3,000km (1,800 mile) Te Araroa trail in New Zealand stretches from Cape Reinga in the north to Bluff in the south

trail in New Zealand stretches from Cape Reinga in the north to Bluff in the south The Great Himalaya Trail runs for 1,700km (1,000 miles) and traverses the whole length of the Himalayas in Nepal