Torres del Paine, on the Chilean side of Patagonia, is one nature's marvel. But getting there can be complicated. On my way down Chile, as I was hearing more and more stories about the park, I asked people at my hostel: “What is up with the organization and craziness about this place?”, basically.
The reception girl started telling me about the two companies owning each half of the park and ruling the camping the way they want, charging prices no one in their decent mind can afford – and seeing the panic spreading on my face, she asked :
“Have you booked anything yet?
- No.
- When are you supposed to go?
- In ten days.
- Oh, you’re so screwed!” and she laughed so hard panic finally got me.
So here’s what happened: I went anyway. Despite the organization nightmare, the online labyrinth to book a camping accommodation and prices that’ll make you faint, there is another way.
If your goal is the W or the O trek: you definitely NEED to go through the regular process and have camping reservations. They check your itinerary when you enter the park, and they won’t let you in without proof that you’ve booked a camping spot.
But if like me you’re a backpacker looking for another route in order to avoid planning more than two days in advance, here’s the magic itinerary!
Step 1. Getting information
Arriving in Puerto Natales, there is a meeting you must go to: the 3 o’clock talk @ Erratic Rock. They have a hostel and a rental centre, the meetings are at the rental centre, every day of the week.
They know everything about the Torres del Paine national park, how to do the treks (W or O) and they have the best tips on how to face Patagonia’s wind (yup, it will affect even the way you pee). Feel free to ask there any question you have to perfect your itinerary: everyone is willing to help. They rent everything you’ll need: sleeping bags, shoes, walking sticks… Oh, and they have free coffee.
I attended this meeting on a Saturday, and I learned that the camping offices were closed until the next Tuesday. Feeling more frustrated than ever, I finally met two other travelers who were as confused as me by the organisation monster that is this park. They hadn’t booked anything either so we decided to find our own way.
Step 2. Choosing what to see
Needless to say that in two days, you can’t see as much as the W trek (5 days at least).
So the first step is to decide which part of the park is the most beautiful and to organise your itinerary around it.
For us, we chose two “branches” of the W: the Valle Frances, and – obviously - Mirador Las Torres. Looking at the hiking time, it’s possible to do each path in a day (trekking times detailed below).
We decided not to go to Lago Grey, as the glacier’s visibility is dependent on the weather, plus we all had been to Perito Moreno in El Calafate (way more impressive!). For Los Cuernos, you can see them pretty greatly from Camping Pehoe (see below).
Step 3. Getting there
There are some buses and shuttles going from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine. The first bus leaves at 7:00am and is operated by BusSur.
To reach the Valle Frances, there’s a ferry you need to take, they call it a Catamaran. If you take the first bus, you can’t get on the first ferry, yet it is mandatory in order to complete the full valley hike in a day…
What’s the best solution? Rent a car!
OMG the feels when you start driving at 6:00am and the first sign greeting you on the road reads “Welcome on the road to the end of the world – last road before Antarctica”. Seeing the Torres for the first time rising above the horizon and bathing in a gentle morning light felt like a dream.
After driving for about 2 hours, you’ll reach the park entrance at Puerta Laguna Amarga. It opens at 8:30am, you’ll need to register your car and pay the entrance fee (25 000 CH$, around 35 US$).
Then drive to Pudeto Catamaran where you’ll take the first boat leaving at 9:00am. Buy a roundtrip ticket (28 000 CH$) as you’ll get back there at the end of the day. One of the perks of having a car is the ability to leave the camping equipment in the trunk, and trek lightly.
Tip: park your car at the catamaran parking lot, then take 10 minutes to run quickly uphill to the mirador over the lake; you have to catch this view!
The catamaran ride takes about 30 minutes and passes by Los Cuernos – breathtaking.
Step 4. Valle Frances
You get off the boat at Paine Grande. It takes 2 hours to reach the Italiano campsite – just after you cross the cutest bridge.
From the Italiano, it’s usually a 5-hour roundtrip walk to get to the Mirador Britanico: it’s ambitious if you’re like us on a tight schedule.
I stopped at the Mirador Valle Frances, which I found amazing enough, and I took my time going back to Paine Grande. My two trek pals ran all the way to Britanico and completed the roundtrip in four hours instead of five – yes, they were in a better physical shape than me!
You'll walk along a lake, be softly rocked by the wind, wander between old trees, cross a suspended bridge and drink from a cascade, before sitting down at Mirador Frances and watching the ice gently falling from the glacier in front of you like nature’s glitters.
We took the last boat back at 6:30pm, after walking for about 8 hours.
Step 5. Camping
Talking with the Erratic Rock volunteers, we found out about a campsite outside of the park-delimited territory, therefore not ruled by Fantastico Sur or Vertice Patagonia: the Camping Pehoe.
Returning to your car after hiking Valle Frances, drive South towards Pehoe; the road meanders along the lake, you’ll pass a beautiful resort (Hosteria Pehoe) and some wild huanacos before reaching the campsite. We may had got lucky that day as we hadn’t booked a thing upon arrival and still got a tent camping pitch for that same night.
Borrowing a stove and a corkscrew to a French guy camping next to us – thank God French people always have something to open a wine bottle on them – we slept like babies that night.
Waking up on the Pehoe lake is absolutely breathtaking – it is one of the moments you travel for. It made all the driving and hiking in a day so worth it. You’ll only get this view on the park and its Cuernos from Camping Pehoe.
Step 6. Las Torres
This is what we all come for, isn’t it? The three nature marvels carved through time and weather storms, standing tall as if they’re reaching to the stars: the Torres del Paine.
Leaving Pehoe, drive all the way back to the Laguna Amarga entrance, and this time take a left to Torres Central. There’s a parking lot and a refuge, park your car, start walking and when reaching a crossroad, take right; left leads to Los Cuernos.
Climbing up to the Mirador Las Torres takes around 5 hours, depending on the weather you’ll have. In Patagonia, the four seasons can happen in a day. We started walking under a warm sun and ended climbing down under a pouring rain for four hours straight. If you need a break, and a coffee, there’s the Chileno campsite halfway through.
The path follows the side of a valley, crosses rivers and goes through deep woods…
Stop on the way by some cascades to refill your water bottles!
Maybe you’ve heard it before, and it’s no legend: the last kilometer is the hardest. It takes an hour to hike one kilometer, as it is steep!! Be careful with your knees, tie your shoes correctly and do not hesitate to use your hands. Walking sticks are no luxury here.
Great rewards come with great effort: after 30 minutes walking in rocks, not knowing if you’ll make it, sweating like never and the next minute getting wet by a pouring rain, here they finally are: the Torres! You might have seen a thousand pictures of them, it’s never as satisfying as discovering them after such a physical effort.
Please be careful with the wind up there, blowing away your plastic wraps into the lake… Run and grab them before they’re lost in nature forever.
When you’re ready, drive back to Puerto Natales. Congratulate yourself for having walked 18 hours in 2 days, seen one of the most beautiful places on earth and survived Patagonia’s winds and craziness.
Itinerary sum up & map
Puerto Natales
Go to Erratic Rock’s meeting: every day, 11am or 3pm Manuel Baquedano 719, Puerto Natales
Rent a car in the city center, you’ll need a driver licence (not necessarily an international one) and a deposit
Day 1: Valle Frances
Leave Puerto Natales at 6:00am and drive towards the entrance Laguna Amarga Length: 100km - 2 hours Park opens at 8:30am Entrance fee to the park: 25 000 CH$
Drive to Pudeto to take the catamaran
Buy a roundtrip ticket: 28 000 CH$ First departure: 9:00am Boat ride: 30 minutes until Paine Grande
From “Paine Grande” to “Italiano”: 2 hours From “Italiano” to “Mirador Britanico”: 5 hours roundtrip
Last ferry from Paine Grande to Pudeto: 6:30pm
Drive from Pudeto to Camping Pehoe
Day 2: Las Torres
Drive from Camping Pehoe to Torres Central
Start walking and at the crossroad, take right (left leads to Los Cuernos)
From Torres Central to Mirador Las Torres : 5 hours The last kilometre is steep!
Come back to Torres Central at the end of the day and drive back to Puerto Natales
Total of the day: 10 hours walking + 2 hours driving, get ready
Prices mentioned in this article were effective when I went to Torres del Paine in December 2017. Due to inflation and rising numbers of tourists, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had risen since. Please double check on official websites.
Useful links
Comments