Torres Del Paine FAQ's
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The Summer: December, January and February is typically the most popular time for visitors because the weather is warmer and it is the Winter holiday period in the Northern hemisphere.
To avoid the crowds the best time to visit is before mid November or after March.
The opinion of many is that April is the best month to come because usually the wind has died down, there are few people and the weather is often very good.
The Park covers 182,000 sq hectares and is the jewel in Chile’s tourist crown. Just why it’s worth travelling 4hrs from Santiago on a plane and then driving a further 5 hrs by car is only apparent when you stand and stare in amazement at the unbelievable sight of this monumental cluster of mountain peaks that appear to stand all on their own in the middle of an otherwise flat plateau.
The W trek is called so because the footpath (or trekking trail) takes the form of a “W” on the map when looked down upon from above. The Circuit Trek is the footpath that includes the W Trek but also goes around the back of the Central Massif, effectively offering a perimeter path from where you can start and end at.
There are serviced camp sites, refugios, and in one place: Cuernos, there are also private cabins, all of which you can book through us.
You can also stay in hotels, certainly at the eastern end at the Las Torres trail head; and in the western end at Grey. We can also make a program for you based at Puerto Natales with daily excursions into Torres del Paine to the different trail heads.
Alternatively, we can book the luxury lodges and you can do the W Trek, or parts of it, from these hotels.
Visitors need to register at the park entrance they enter by and pay for their entry ticket there.
These are: Laguna Amarga, Largo Sarmiento and Serrano:
Laguna Amarga is located on the Eastern side of the park 150km (2hrs drive) on Ruta 9 from Puerto Natales, which goes via the border village of Cerro Castillo, when the road becomes Ruta Y 150.
Lago Sarmiento is also located on the Eastern side of the park 150km (2hrs drive) on Ruta 9 from Puerto Natales, which goes via the border village of Cerro Castillo, when the road becomes Ruta Y 150 and then at the sign post fork left instead of right (right goes to Laguna Amarga entrance). NOTE: That this entry is often CLOSED and not used that much.
Serrano is 80km (1hr drive), on Ruta 9, from Puerto Natales past the Milodon Cave
(which is worth a visit).
Park Entrance Cost
Park entrance cost in 2018 was Ch$25.000 or approx USD35 per person.
The Park is administered by CONAF (“Corporacion Nacional Forestal”) and income is distributed throughout the organization. The CONAF admin centre is located within the park at the northern end of Lago del Toro, or 11 km past the Explora hotel heading west towards the Rio Serrano end. Here there is an information centre and exhibits the geographical make-up of the Park as well as information on the flora and fauna.
The Welcome Centre is located in the Eastern sector of Torres del Paine about 1.5km from the entrance to Hotel Las Torres, but close to Refugios Central and Norte and a short distance from ECO Camp.
Only if you are entering the Torres del Paine National Park at the Eastern end will you need to enter the Welcome Centre.
Here you need to show that you have confirmed reservations for accommodation on the W trek, if you are staying over. You also need to present, or fill in a visitors form. There are public WC’s here as well as information.
For more information, email us…
- Driving from Puerto Natales to the western, Serrano entrance of Torres del Paine will take 1hr.
- Driving from Puerto Natales to the eastern, Laguna Amarga entrance to Torres del Paine will take 2hrs.
Driving from Puerto Natales to Hotel Lago Grey or Grey beach will take 2hrs.
Advantages
The benefit of having you own rent a car is that you can go from place to place when you want and you have total independence. If you intend to drive around to the sights and not trek much then a car may be a good option, especially if you are four or more people together.
Disadvantages
The unseen disadvantage to renting a car is that unless you use it each day you will be paying for something when it is in the car park, as it may be for several days if you are trekking in Torres del Paine. And if you are trekking you will have to leave it in one place, but then need to get back to that place after the trek, which may require a private transfer to get you back to where the car is. It also costs money with petrol (gas if you are from the United States) and there is a fee to pay to take it across the border to Argentina.
ExperienceChile.Org can arrange rent a car from Punta Arenas, El Calafate and Puerto Natales.
Torres del Paine Zone Rent-a-Car
We offer rent a car as part of any itinerary we are creating for you, but not as a stand-alone service. The advantages to renting a car are that you have total independence to go where you want when you want. The disadvantage is that the driver will usually get tired, miss a lot of the stunning scenery and ultimately often have the problem to get back to where the car is left if you end up do the W Trek in Torres del Paine, for example.
If you feel a car is the way to go, remember that you will need one sufficiently large enough not only for you and your passengers, but also for all your bags.
We can offer rent a car with pick up from Punta Arenas airport or city centre, Puerto Natales city centre, El Calafate airport or city centre, Puerto Montt airport or city centre and Coyhaique Balmaceda airport.
There is NO option to collect or drop off a rent a car in Torres del Paine National Park.
To take a car over the border requires a special permit, which we can arrange and to drop a car off at a different city location to the pick-up location there is a drop-off fee.
We work with one particular, reliable, rent a car provider for the Patagonia area and here below are the car options we can offer along with an approx daily rate in USD. Please note that this rate is approx until we can get an up-to-date cost which will depend on full details of pick-up time, drop off time, location of pick up and drop off.
In the meantime please mention in your enquiry the type of car you want, time of pick-up, where and time and place of drop off.
Experience Chile is a distinguished partner with all the accommodation options mentioned below. Please let us know which type of accommodation you would like to include within the itinerary we create for you.
We have created a new description for the Torres del Paine area, which is the Torres del Paine Zone. The Torres del Paine Zone is the area that encompasses Puerto Natales in the south and runs east from Puerto Natales to Cerro Guido (the border village); then north to Estancia Cerro Guido and up to the border with Argentina (this sector near the border includes the Torres del Paine Massif and Glacier Grey) and on the western side running from Puerto Natales past the Milodon Cave and on to the Serrano Village. Accommodation ANYWHERE within this area is perfectly well placed in order to get into the heart of the park.
Many people believe, mistakenly, that the only place where they should book accommodation is at hotels, lodges and high-end camp sites within the official boundary of Torres del Paine National Park, however, this is a fallacy and leads to often-rushed decisions, and disappointment if one cannot get into a hotel “within” the park.
The Torres del Paine central massif can be seen, on a clear day, from a point near to Puerto Natales such is the immense scale of the mountainous formation. So it is NOT at all necessary to be in a hotel “within” the official park lines.
Within the official park boundary is takes a good 2hrs to drive from the western end to the eastern end of Torres del Paine. In other words, from Lago Grey (Grey Lake) to Laguna Azul. This is the same time it takes to drive from Puerto Natales to Grey Lake or Puerto Natales to the park entrance at Laguna Amarga (near Laguna Azul). The point being that it does not matter if you have accommodation inside the official boundary of the Park or if you are staying in Puerto Natales.
One of the great advantages to staying in Puerto Natales is that there are a number of nice restaurants and a populated village with some “life”. It is also located in a pretty location next to the water with mountains in the distance. If you want a rest day then Puerto Natales is a good option, especially if we book one of the hotels with a spa and pool.
If you stay at Serrano village, you will get fine views to the Torres del Paine Massif. If you stay at Patagonia Camp, located 15km before the entrance to the Torres del Paine Serrano entrance, you will get fine views over Lake Toro and to the Torres del Paine massif. If you stay at the Estancia Cerro Guido you will get fine views to the Towers of Torres del Paine and if you stay at Tierra Patagonia or Awasi (both luxury-level lodges) you will also have fine views of the Torres of Torres del Paine.
Therefore, please, do not worry if you cannot get into one of the hotels within the official Park boundary. Daily tours from any hotel within the Torres del Paine boundary, as well as from Puerto Natales, will involve from between 1hr to 2hrs travel in a vehicle. The only exception to this is if you are trekking the W trek or the Circuit trek and for these two trails you will benefit from staying over at one of the refugios, ECO Camp, Hotel Las Torres and / or Hotel Grey.
Having said that, we can arrange from most of the hotels that are further away a section of the W trek each day, so you can stay in comfort and do a part of the W trek every day and after four days you will have completed the W trek. There are also options to do the iconic Torres Base trek in one day from Puerto Natales.
You can enjoy the stunning scenery, fresh air, witness moving glaciers, walk through woods, challenge yourself with adventurous trekking and be in the heart of nature during the day in Torres del Paine. But at night you have the following types of accommodation where you can relax and get your sleep:
Serviced Camping Sites
The serviced camp sites offer tents with bedding and ground mats, and food taken inside the adjacent refugio or small dining hut where there is no refugio.
Serviced Camp Sites on the W trek & Circuit Trek trails:
Central, Serron, Perros, Grey, Paine Grande, Cuernos and Chileno.
Refugio, Domos &Cabins
Refugio – basically a hostel with dorm rooms and bunk beds, 6 people to a room, communal “canteen style “dining room. These are located on the W Trek and the Circuit Trek.
Refugios Located At:
Dickson (Circuit Trek), and on the W Trek – Chileno, Cuernos, Paine Grande and Grey.
Cabins Located at:
Cuernos (W Trek).
Domos Located at:
Frances (W Trek)
Mid-level hotel
A hotel with private rooms and en-suite bathroom or shower rooms, restaurant, decent food and wine selection. These are located in different areas within the Torres del Paine zone and, of course, at Puerto Natales.
Mid-Level Hotels are:
Hotel Las Torres, Hosteria Pehoe, Hotel Lago Grey, Hotel Rio Serrano, Hotel del Paine as well as in Puerto Natales – Hotel If, Hotel Altiplanico Sur and Weskar Lodge.
Luxury Hotels & Lodges
World-Class hotel lodges with luxury-level private rooms; en-suite, well-equipped bathrooms, plus spa and pool facilities, quality food and wines. Such hotel lodges are in the Torres del Paine zone as well as in Puerto Natales we offer The Singular and Remota Hotels.
Luxury Hotels & Lodges are:
Explora Salto Chico, Tierra Patagonia, Awasi, Singular (Puerto Natales) and Remota (Puerto Natales). NOTE: For Explora Salto Chico, Tierra Patagonia, The Singular and Hotel Remota we have an offer – please see our Featured Hotels.
Estancia Hotel
Country-style, large, private rooms with large en-suite bathrooms at an authentic Patagonian working estancia. Restaurant, good food and wines. Here, you can experience life in Patagonia and also sense and feel the history of the past 100 years. There is only one such place and it is located in the Torres del Paine zone.
Estancia Hotel is:
Estancia Cerro Guido
“Glamping”
Luxury kitted-out camping in either Yurt or Dome tent (two different places in different areas of the Torres del Paine zone). One has communal bar and dining area with wine, and in the other has more of an up-market restaurant with good wines. Both options are located within the Torres del Paine zone.
Glamping are:
Patagonia Camp and ECO Domes
There are, in total, four hotels and one up-market camp (glamping) that are within the official boundary lines of Torres del Paine National Park (TDP) and these are Hotel Las Torres, Explora Salto Chico Lodge, Hotel Lago Grey, Hotel (Hosteria) Pehoe and the ECO Camp.
To the west, literally just over the “boundary line” of TDP on the other side of the Rio Serrano are: Hotel Rio Serrano and Hotel Paine, with a few others such as Pampa Lodge, Lago Tyndal and Nash lodge nearby.
To the east of TDP we have Tierra Patagonia, Awasi Patagonia and Estancia Cerro Guido.
To the south of TDP we have Patagonia (Yurt) Camp.
Trekking in Torres del Paine requires attention to safety, personal responsibility and commonsense. You need to come with the right clothes, be very aware of changing weather conditions and also bring other items such as a torch, water and food for the period when you are out trekking. If you are in need of serious emergency help it may well be VERY SLOW in arriving. Helicopters cannot often get into the park because of high winds and the long distance from Punta Arenas. Normally rescue from the remote sectors of the Park will mean transport by horseback or being carried on a stretcher over rough terrain to the nearest road vehicle and then be driven for 3 hrs to Puerto Natales or even longer to Punta Arenas.
Distances within the park can be quite long between refugios, hosterias and campsites. The park is also a 2 hr drive from Puerto Natales and visitors should therefore ensure that they have full fuel tanks when leaving Puerto Natales if they are in their own car rental. Cerro Castillo, about half way between Puerto Natales and the Torres del Paine park entrances, sometimes has petrol but can also be sold out. There is an emergency supply of petrol in the park near the CONAF centre close to Posada Rio Serrano, but again, this should not be relied upon.
BETWEEN PUDETO JETTY AND REFUGIO PAINE GRANDE
This service is subject to local weather conditions and can be delayed or cancelled.
Reservations are NOT taken in advance. You need to organise your crossing directly at Pudeto or Refugio Paine Grande. The journey takes about 25mins.
You need to pay in Chilean Pesos even though prices below are shown in USD, but in high season they accept other currencies too (established hard currencies like Euro and USD).
Prices 2018
One way is approx USD40 per person / Return fare is less than two singles
One backpack is included, but USD10 per extra backpack up to 50Kg)
FLORA
With regard to vegetation Torres del Paine can be divided into four different zones that relate to the different environments and conditions in the area.
These zones are:
Patagonian Steppe.
Pre-Andean Shrub land.
Magellan Deciduous Forest and Andean Desert.
Among the varied types of vegetation are these principal verities:
MATORRAL PREANDINO
This is a herb that has adapted to the cold and dry conditions found growing principally in the areas around Lago Sarmiento, the Salto Grande and Mirador Nordenskjöld.
BOSQUE MAGALLANICO
These are woods comprising native trees such as Lenga and Coigue found in the areas around Lago Grey,Valle Pingo, close to Glacier Grey, Valle Frances and Valle Los Perros.
TUNDRA MAGALLANICO
A type of grass that grows principally in humid conditions.
CALAFATE
The Calafate (the Argentine town El Calafate has its name derived from this plant) is a plant that produces a small, black fruit and yellow flower.
NOTRO
A very small tree that produces a red flower.
CAPACHITO
A floral herb with orange-coloured flowers.
ARMENERIA
A medicinal herb that produces a rose-coloured flower.
ARVEJILLA
Often confused with lavender because of its move-coloured flowering, which is is not.
FAUNA
There are 25 species of mammal including:
Pumas.
Cougars.
Grey Foxes.
Culpeos Foxes.
Patagonian F||oxes.
Skunks.
The Chilean Huemul and many Guanacos.
There are also 105 species of bird including fifteen birds of prey species.
Among the birds of prey are:
The Andean Condor.
Eagle.
Black-Chested Buzzard Eagle.
Rufous-Tailed Hawk.
Cinereous Harrier.
Chimango Caracara.
Magellanic Owl and Austral Pygmy Owl.
Other species include:
Rheas.
Black-Neck Swans.
Parrots.
Flamingos.
Raguas.
Ducks.
Caiquenes.
Escurridzos.
Nandues.
Striped Woodpecker.
Black Woodpecker.
Fish Martin.
Magellan Woodpecker.
Magellan Goose.
Buff-Necked Ibis.
