Alberto de Agostini National Park, National park in Magallanes Region, Chile
Alberto de Agostini is a national park in Magallanes Region that encompasses the Darwin Mountain Range with deep fjords, glaciers, and untouched forests across about 14,600 square kilometers of Patagonian terrain. The landscape shows steep mountain slopes, turquoise waters, and a mix of snow fields and forest areas.
The park was created on 22 January 1965 from land formerly part of the Hollanda forest reserve and Hernando de Magallanes National Park. It honours Father Alberto Maria De Agostini, the Italian Salesian priest, explorer, photographer and writer whose maps and photographs documented the region. In 2005 it was named, with Cabo de Hornos National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
The waters surrounding this land were home to the Yámana people, who developed fishing techniques in the Beagle Channel over thousands of years. Visitors can still see the landscape that shaped this indigenous way of life.
The park is accessible only by ship from Punta Arenas, with private companies operating regular voyages on established routes. Navigation through the fjords requires patience and appropriate clothing for the harsh, changeable climate of this southern region.
The park's landscape appears on the front of Chile's new 10,000-peso banknote, alongside the Cordillera Darwin. The Marinelli Glacier, the park's largest, was recorded in retreat as of 2008. Monte Sarmiento, 2,404 m high, was first climbed on 7 March 1956 by Carlo Mauri and Clemente Maffei.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,998 contributors worldwide.