Cambios

In the northern part of the trail from Santiago to about latitude 35° S (about 150 km direct line) the Andes are very high with several summits exceeding 6000 m. Here passes exceed 4000 m altitude and steep rocky walls and glaciers impede walking along the main mountain chain and the Continental Dividecontinental divide. Therefore in this northern zone the trail (GPT01 to GPT04) climbs through the Precordillera mainly along the first mountain range next just east of the central valley. But don’t misunderstand “Precordillera” as low; here the regular route reached the highest point with 3300 m. The mostly semi-desert like vegetation is adapted to the dry and hot climate.

From about latitude 35° S to about 39° S (roughly 450 km direct line) the Andes get substantially lower but remain a continuous high mountain range. Summits rarely exceed 4000 m but most passes are still above 2000 m. Here the terrain is much more suitable for hiking. Therefore the trail (GPT05 to GPT12) passes along the main mountain range close to the continental divide. Here In this area the continental divide forms also the border between Chile and Argentina. A large number of options provides you many hiking choices in this area. You can opt between lower trails and higher more demanding routes that get you in very remote areas of the Andes. Climate during summer is still quite dry but provides sufficient precipitation to maintain a relative open forest in the valleys.

South of latitude 39° S you do not find any more a continuous high mountain chain. The higher summits are still above 3000 m but numerous Numerous depressions form break deep breaches in into the main maintain rangemountains (Spanish: cordillera). These The depressions or valleys were created by immense glaciers during past ice ages and remain partly filled by lakes. Many Several of these breaches in the passes between Chile and Argentina main mountain range are located lower than 500 m, some even only 200 m. These gaps in the cordillera shift the continental divide far to the east. The mountains are like islands in between these valleys and depressions with the higher summits are mostly between 2000 m and often below 1000 3000 m, some are as low as 200 . Only few exceptional high peeks exceeding 3000 m. The sometimes significant offset between the main mountain range and the continent divide .  Frequent rain maintains a very dense forest that is also called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valdivian_temperate_rain_forest Valdivian temperate rain forest]. Due to this geography the route (GPT13 to GPT40) goes up and down between the depressions and the island-like mountains. Here having a packraft becomes beneficial (GPT17P to GPT39).