SANTIAGO -- An American woman who got lost in Torres del Paine National Park, some 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) south of Santiago, was found unharmed over the weekend by Chilean park rangers after spending a night outdoors in bad weather, the National Forestry Corporation, or Conaf, said.

Shylaya Balagopal, who is between 35 and 40, got lost on Saturday while hiking on a trail that leads to Camp Grey, located at an altitude of 1,200 meters (3,934 feet) above sea level.

The tourist opted to hike without her guide on the narrow snow-covered trail during a "white wind," a storm of swirling snow that causes total loss of visibility, Conaf said.

The guide tried to follow the woman, but he decided to turn back as the weather worsened and notify Conaf, whose park rangers launched a search that ended successfully on Sunday.

This was the first case involving a lost tourist in Torres del Paine National Park in the 2008-2009 season.

Most of these cases, according to Conaf regional director Juan Jose Romero, "occur because of imprudence on the part of visitors."

"Every time a tourist is going to climb, we tell them they should not go with snow and a bad forecast, but many times they don't do so and decide to go on with the inevitable consequences of getting lost. Fortunately, we found the woman in good condition. She was just scared and, of course, really cold," Romero said.

Several weeks ago, six Israelis got lost in Villarrica National Park after leaving a trail. The tourists ended up in a ravine but were rescued alive.