Volunteer in Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile with Conservation Volunteers International Program. 

 Because of its exceptional ecological significance, more than 40 years ago UNESCO designated Torres del Paine National Park as a Reserve of the Biosphere. The park’s unique biodiversity includes guanaco, endangered huemul, soaring Andean condors, and the elusive puma. The dramatic granite mountain spires, spectacular glaciers, turquoise lakes and haunting winds draw visitors from around the world. 

Since 2005, ConservationVIP® has been bringing volunteers to Torres del Paine to help protect this international treasure. Our Volunteer Trip offers you the opportunity to experience some of the best of Patagonia while at the same time you help to protect the fragile landscape and protect the flora and fauna from visitors’ encroachment on sensitive habitats.  

ConservationVIP’s volunteers help with important trail projects, making a significant contribution to the protection of this marvelous landscape. 

 No prior trail experience is required. We train you in all aspects of the volunteering, which can include a variety of tasks. You may use a pick or shovel to contour trail tread or shed water, clip vegetation with hand tools to widen trails, remove rocks with rock bars, or move crushed rock to improve trail surfaces. 

 Past volunteers included a wide range of ages and abilities. To participate, you should be able to hike four miles a day on mountainous terrain with some steep ascents and uneven trails, move soil or rock with a shovel, pull unwanted vegetation, and carry stones. Project sites range in altitude from 500 to 2,000 feet, so while the surrounding mountains are beautiful, elevation is generally not a problem. As always, your safety is our priority. 

 Welcome to Patagonia! Our group meets in Puerto Natales, the town in Chilean Patagonia which is the primary transit point for travelers to Torres del Paine National Park.

We meet at 4:00 p.m. for an orientation where you’ll get acquainted with your ConservationVIP trip leaders and fellow volunteers and get an overview of the exciting trip ahead.  After the orientation briefing, the group will share its first dinner together. (dinner and hotel lodging included). 

After breakfast, we will load up our gear, board our private transport and travel for approximately 2 hours to Torres del Paine. Along the way we will watch for guanaco, rheas, condors, and more, stopping for photos as the peaks of the Park come into view.

Once in Torres del Paine, we will take a boat ride across Lago Grey, watching for icebergs from Grey Glacier which float across the Lake.

After we disembark, we will check into Refugio Grey, where we will stay as we repair trails. 

For complete itinerary details, see the trip description on the ConservationVIP website. 

 After breakfast in the Refugio each morning, we will pack our gear and box lunch and head out on the trail. We generally depart our lodging around 8:30am and return around 5:00pm. During the day, there will be a variety of tasks, with the specific tasks depending on the trail section and the volunteers’ interests. Small groups of volunteers are teamed with an experienced leader who will work with each volunteer to find the tasks which best suit the person’s interests and abilities.

During this period, there will be opportunities to hike to the bridges on the Circuit which overlook Grey Glacier. (All meals and lodging included.) 

For complete itinerary details, see the trip description on the ConservationVIP website. 

After breakfast, we will check out of the refugio, complete the boat tour of Lago Grey with close up views of the face of Grey Glacier, then transfer by private transport to the Towers sector of the Park. There we will check into the fully equipped, premium camping area and have our meals at Refugio Torre Central. (All meals and lodging included). 

For complete itinerary details, see the trip description on the ConservationVIP website. 

After an early breakfast, we depart by bus for Puerto Natales where the trip ends. You may catch a homeward-bound flight, or you may opt to extend your stay in Patagonia. (Breakfast included.) 

For complete itinerary details, see the trip description on the ConservationVIP website.