Construction of Chile’s Ambitious Tourist Trail Looks Good

At least 550 miles of land have been prepared for Chile’s Tourist Trail, a project that’s destined to boost up environmental protection and love for nature all across the country.

The program’s coordinator, Diego Flores, said the endeavor is backed up by such institutions as the Forest Confederation, the National Tourism Service, the Ministry of National Assets, a number of municipalities and the Armed Forces.

In the same breath, the project is being sponsored by the National Environmental Protection Commission (CONANA) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). It comprises as many as 5,000 square miles of spectacular scenery in the Atacama Desert, the Robinson Crusoe Island and the Patagonia.

The objective behind the Chilean Tourist Trail –it should be finished in 2010 to mark the 200th anniversary of the country’s independence- is to foster the protection of natural resources and ease people’s access to nature.

Chile’s Tourist Trail, embracing part of the Andean mountain range, will feature not only hikes, horseback rides and bicycles dirt tracks, but also courses for college students and professional researchers.