Der Torres del Paine national park is located in southern Chile in Patagonia and is one of the most famous travel destinations in South America. Since 1978, it has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and is considered a symbol of Patagonia’s wild nature, with its rugged granite towers, glaciers, turquoise lakes, and steppe landscapes. Anyone who visits the park quickly understands why it’s one of the most photographed places in Patagonia .
The striking granite spires that give the park its name are like the Eiffel Tower in Paris - a landmark you simply have to see. For most travelers, the park is a must-visit on any Patagonia trip, and it was also at the top of our list from the very beginning. Even on the way to the park and at the first glimpse of the massive mountain range, we were in awe.
Although Torres del Paine national park is one of the most popular destinations in Patagonia and all of South America, it's not that easy to find all the essential planning information. That’s why in this post, we’ll give you a comprehensive overview for your visit:
- The most beautiful hikes in Torres del Paine - from day hikes like the Mirador Base las Torres to the famous multi-day W-Trek and O-Trek
- Practical travel tips on getting there, accommodation, costs, and planning
- Our personal experience: Is Torres del Paine really worth it, or is the park overrated?
In this article
Best time to visit Torres del Paine National Park
Torres del Paine National Park is open year-round, but conditions vary greatly depending on the season.
Best time to visit for hiking is during the summer months
The best time to visit Patagonia is during the summer. The ideal months for hiking are December to February, as well as the shoulder months of October, November, March, and April. During this time, you can explore the park on your own without the need for a guide. In general, you should be prepared for all four seasons in a single day when in Patagonia. So make sure to pack layered clothing and be ready for rain, sun, wind, and cold.
- Summer (December – February): Longer days, mild temperatures, and ideal conditions for hiking. However, it's also the windiest time of the year. When we visited in January, some trails were temporarily closed due to strong wind gusts - a typical example of Patagonia's unpredictable weather.
- Spring (October / November) and Fall (March / April): Fewer visitors, lower prices, and still good chances of stable weather. Perfect for those who want to avoid the crowds.
- Winter (May – September): Many lodges and campsites are closed, the O Trek is completely closed, and hiking is only allowed with a licensed guide. On the other hand, the park is very quiet during this time.
Important to note: During the high season, accommodations, campsites, and tours are often fully booked months in advance. Early planning is essential.
Getting There, Entrance Fees, and Reservations for Torres del Paine National Park
Getting to Torres del Paine: How to Get There
The closest town is Puerto Natales, located about 75 kilometers south of the park. In this small town, you can stock up on supplies and find several gear shops in case you need equipment. Most guided tours also start from here.
If you're not traveling with your own car, buses run from Puerto Natales to the national park. The journey takes about two hours. You can find current departure times on websites like Bus-Sur or Turismo Zaahj.
Entrance Fees & Reservations for Torres del Paine
Entrance Fees & Reservations for Torres del Paine
Up to 3 days (as of August 2025)
- Adults aged 18 and over: 32.400 CLP (ca. 34 €)
- Teenagers 13 - 17 years: 16,600 CLP (approx. 15 €)
- Children up to 12 years: free of charge
More than 3 days (as of August 2025)
- People aged 13 and older: 46.200 CLP (ca. 41 €)
- Children up to 12 years: free of charge
Important: Tickets must be purchased online in advance through this website . It’s best to download the QR code beforehand, as there is no mobile reception in the park.
Reservations for accommodations and multi-day tours
Since Torres del Paine National Park is one of the most popular destinations in Patagonia, spots for the W-Trek and the O-Trek fill up extremely fast during the summer months (December to February) - often just weeks after the booking systems open for the new season.
The same applies to refugios, campsites, and hotels inside the park: during the high season, you should definitely book your accommodation in advance. Those who want more flexibility have a better chance of finding available spots in the shoulder seasons (spring and fall), but even then, planning ahead is recommended.
Hiking in Torres del Paine: The Most Beautiful Routes
In Torres del Paine National Park, you will find both short and longer day hikes, as well as two of Patagonia’s most famous multi-day treks: the famous W-Trek and the more challenging O-Trek.
Day Hikes in Torres del Paine National Park
Hike to Mirador Base las Torres
If you don’t want to spend several days hiking, the park offers rewarding day hikes and viewpoints. The most famous of these is the hike to Mirador Base las Torres. It leads up to the lagoon at the foot of the three massive granite towers that gave the park its name. This hike is a classic and also part of both the W and O Treks. As a result, the trail is usually quite busy.
- Distance: approx. 20 kilometers
- Elevation gain: around 900 meters
- Duration: 7 - 9 hours (round trip)
- Difficulty: moderate, but the last kilometer is very steep
The hike starts at the Torres del Paine Welcome Center. You can park your car there or arrive by shuttle/transfer from Puerto Natales. Toilets, snacks, and drinking water are available. After about 5.5 km, you reach Refugio Chileno, where you can take a break and refill your water bottle. From there, the trail continues up to the viewpoint. At the lagoon, you’ll be rewarded with one of Patagonia’s most spectacular views.
Tip: If possible, we recommend starting the hike early in the morning before the day tourists arrive from Puerto Natales. That way, you'll have much more peace and quiet on the trail. On our way back, we encountered a massive stream of people, so we were very glad we had started at 6 a.m.
Hike to Mirador Salto Grande and Mirador Los Cuernos
A short, easy walking trail takes you 1.4 km to Salto Grande, a waterfall that connects Lago Nordenskjöld with Lago Pehoé. From Mirador Salto Grande, you can continue to Mirador Los Cuernos. This hike is 6.4 km long and mostly flat. Mirador Los Cuernos offers a beautiful panoramic view.
Other Day Hikes in Torres del Paine National Park
A good overview of other day hikes in the park can be found in the article by imprintmytravel.
Multi-Day Treks: W Trek & O Trek at a Glance
W-Trek
The W-Trek is one of the most popular multi-day hikes in South America. The route is about 80 kilometers long and takes 4 - 5 days, leading to the park’s major highlights:
- Mirador Base Torres - the famous viewpoint at the lagoon beneath the three granite towers
- Valle del Francés - the French Valley with impressive glacier and mountain views
- Grey Glacier - a massive ice field that calves into Lago Grey.
Difficulty: The W-Trek is considered moderate but requires a certain level of fitness. You should be able to walk about 15 - 20 kilometers daily. Especially the ascent to Laguna Torres demands some fitness with around 900 meters of elevation gain. One advantage of the route: Many sections consist of out-and-back paths to viewpoints (e.g. Base las Torres). This allows you to leave your luggage at the camp and hike only with a small daypack, which saves energy.
The W-Trek can be hiked without a guide from about October to April. In the winter months it can also be done depending on the weather, but then only with a licensed guide. In bad weather, the park can close parts or even the entire route.
O-Trek
The O Trek (Circuito Grande) is the longer of the two multi-day hikes in the park. It is a circular hike of about 130 kilometers that usually takes 8 - 10 days. Besides the well-known highlights of the W Trek, it also leads to the quieter back side of the mountain range, where significantly fewer hikers are on the trail.
Difficulty:The O Trek is considered more demanding than the W Trek, mainly due to the total length, longer daily stages, and more luggage. Since it is a circular route, the luggage must be carried the entire time and cannot be stored at the camps like on the W Trek.
Practical information about the W- and O-Trek:
- Campsites and refugios must be reserved several months in advance - the cheaper spots fill up very quickly and even the expensive ones are rarely available on short notice.
- There are different accommodation categories, from basic camping to comfortable lodges.
- The O Trek is only open from November to March/April. It is completely closed in winter. The W Trek can be done in winter with a licensed guide. However, depending on weather conditions, parts of the trek can also be closed.
- Reservations are mandatory for all campsites and refugios along the treks.
- You can bring a camping stove and cook yourself or pre-book meals at the camps.
- Costs for the W Trek: at least around 300 US dollars for two people (as of 2025).
- Costs for the O Trek: at least around 700 US dollars for two people (as of 2025).
- Booking: for example, via platforms like Torres Hike.
Other activities in Torres del Paine National Park
The national park is not only known for its famous multi-day hikes but also offers plenty to discover and spectacular landscapes to experience:
Boat tour to Grey Glacier
If you don’t want to hike, you can take a boat tour across Lago Grey right up to the massive ice wall of the Grey Glacier. The departure point is Hotel Lago Grey, where boats leave several times a day. The cost is 100,000 CLP, about 90 € per person.
Further activities in the park
Day hikes are the cheapest activities you can do in the park. If you don’t want or can’t hike, there are other activities available, but some are extremely expensive. These include:
- Horseback riding tours with local guides
- Kayaking and canoeing on the glacier lakes
- Wildlife watching - with some luck, you might see guanacos, condors, or even pumas
- Photography tours at sunrise, when the Torres and Cuernos are bathed in red light
Accommodation in Torres del Paine: Hotels, Refugios & Camping
In Torres del Paine National Park, there are various accommodation options - from luxury hotels to basic campsites. As a rule, accommodations along the W- and O-Treks must be booked well in advance, as they often sell out months ahead. But even hotels and lodges away from the two treks should be booked somewhat in advance during the high season. Here is an overview of the accommodation options in the park.
Camping with a camper van
The options for staying overnight in the park with a motorhome or camper have been greatly restricted in recent years. Proper campsites for motorhomes are hard to find, and the hotels that allow camper overnight stays are usually very expensive and offer little in return. We ourselves stayed once at the Welcome Center (starting point for the hike to Mirador Base las Torres). As far as we know, this is no longer allowed today. It’s best to check the latest listings on iOverlander to find a suitable spot.
Our personal experience: Is Torres del Paine really worth it?
Torres del Paine is considered an absolute must-see in Patagonia. That’s exactly how the national park is promoted in travel brochures, blogs, and social media, and it was also at the very top of our list. However, after three days in the park, we were honestly rather disappointed. If someone asks us today which places we grew to love in Patagonia and which we would probably skip next time, unfortunately, Torres del Paine falls into the latter category.
Our impressions:
- Mass tourism: In the high season, the park is extremely crowded. On popular routes, such as to Base las Torres, there are actual bottlenecks. On narrower sections, it was often hard to pass others. For us personally, there were too many people.
- Very expensive and commercialized: Entrance fees, activities, and accommodations are comparatively expensive. For the money, we expected more: for example, there was no printed map, only a version to photograph, which didn’t provide real information about the hikes. Also, it was generally very difficult to get information in the park.
- Camper situation unsatisfactory: Although we could park with our camper, the toilets closed at 8 p.m. The result was that toilet paper was left scattered in the surrounding bushes. Overall, the park is not really designed for campers.
- Poor information: We missed a really good visitor center. Although we stayed at the Welcome Center, there was hardly any information besides current weather data and details about the hike starting there to Base las Torres.
Our conclusion:
The nature in Torres del Paine is undoubtedly breathtaking, especially the hike to Mirador Base Torres was a real highlight. Still, overall, the park felt too crowded, too expensive, and too commercialized for us. Our impression: beautiful, but overrated.
Patagonia has so much more to offer than just Torres del Paine. Many other national parks are less touristy, cheaper, and have equally spectacular landscapes, often with better information available. Maybe we just had bad luck with our experience, but when asked where we wouldn’t travel again, we say without hesitation: Torres del Paine.
Even though the park was not one of our personal highlights, it remains an iconic destination in Chile. Whether you want to visit it yourself depends a lot on how important world-famous landscapes are to you compared to quiet moments in nature.
Patagonia has so much to offer - from lesser-known national parks like Cerro Castillo in Chile or Perito Moreno National Park in Argentina to Los Glaciares Park in Argentina or remote regions in Tierra del Fuego. So if you’re planning a trip to Patagonia, it’s worth looking beyond Torres del Paine.
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Torres del Paine National Park
For the W-Trek, plan about 4 to 5 days; for the O-Trek, at least 8 to 10 days. If you only want to do day hikes, 1 to 3 days are enough to experience highlights like Mirador Base Torres or the Grey Glacier.
That depends on your budget and travel style. There are hotels, refugios, and campsites directly in the park (expensive and often fully booked). Many travelers choose Puerto Natales as a base because it’s cheaper and offers more options. From there, buses run daily to the park.
Most visitors start from Puerto Natales. Several bus companies run daily trips to and from the park. There are also connections from Punta Arenas or El Calafate in Argentina, but these involve longer travel times.
Yes, during the high season (October to April) you can visit the park on your own. In winter (May to September), a licensed guide is required for all hikes.
The best time for hiking is from December to February (summer), when days are long and temperatures are pleasant. However, it is also the busiest and windiest time. In autumn (March/April) and spring (October/November), it’s quieter and a bit cheaper.
Yes, you should carry Chilean pesos. Not all accommodations and services accept credit cards, and there are no ATMs in the park. Entrance fees and reservations must be paid online in advance.
Yes, but only at official campsites. Wild camping is strictly prohibited. Campsites in the park should be reserved well in advance due to limited availability. There are a few spots where you can park a motorhome. For current info, check iOverlander.
