Karukinka Natural Park

Karukinka covers about three thousand square kilometres of southern Tierra del Fuego - lenga forest, peatlands and steppe - and it came into conservation by an unusual route: an American investment bank ended up holding the land after a forestry venture failed, and in 2004 donated it to the Wildlife Conservation Society rather than sell it for logging. The peatlands store very large amounts of carbon and are one of the reasons the site matters. Guanaco, condor and culpeo fox are present, and the park runs a long-running programme against the beavers introduced from Canada in 1946, which have devastated forest across the island.

What you actually see

• Three thousand square kilometres - forest, peatland and steppe.
• Donated in 2004 - after a failed forestry venture, to a conservation society.
• Peat that stores carbon - a main reason for protecting it.
• A war against introduced beavers - brought from Canada in 1946.

When to go

December to March. Several days.

Honest expectations

This is not a visitor-oriented park - access must be arranged in advance, roads are long gravel, and facilities are minimal. Weather is severe. It is a working conservation and research site rather than a destination.

Nearby

Porvenir is north; the King Penguin park is at Bahia Inutil.