​We’ve gathered our key tips to help you plan your visit to Torres del Paine, from choosing your itinerary to sorting out accommodation, meals and hiking gear.

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Getting there and getting around

The best time to visit the park is generally from November to March, although it remains accessible throughout the year. Between May and August, visitors are required to hike with a guide. Note that park tickets must be purchased at least 24 hours in advance (see website).

The nearest major town is Puerto Natales, which has its own airport. From there, you have several options for reaching the park:

• Car rental: This is the option we chose, as it gave us more flexibility and allowed us to explore areas beyond the W and O trekking routes. We rented a car from Rent a Car VHM Natales, a reliable and flexible company. The road between Puerto Natales and the park is in generally good condition, alternating between gravel and paved sections.

• Bus: Regular services connect Puerto Natales with the park’s various entrances.

• Organised tours: Several operators offer guided excursions to the park.

If you’re planning to hike all or part of the W or O Trek, we strongly recommend booking the ferry between Pudeto and Paine Grande in advance (see official website for schedules and reservations). Paine Grande, only accessible by boat, is one of the two access points for both routes, the other one being the Welcome Centre accessible by car.

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Planning your itinerary

You can find a map of the park here. There are several ways to explore Torres del Paine: hike the entire W or O Treks, hike individual sections as day trips, or explore other parts of the park on shorter trails. Below are three sections of the W Trek that can be completed as day hikes, although all three are physically demanding:

• Paine Grande to Mirador Grey: ~600 metres of elevation gain and 23 km return. You’ll need to take the 8:30 am ferry from Pudeto to reach Paine Grande early (see website).

• Paine Grande to Mirador Británico: ~800 metres of elevation gain and 30 km return. Again, you’ll need to take the 8:30 am ferry from Pudeto to reach Paine Grande early (see website).

• Welcome Centre to Mirador Las Torres: ~900 metres of elevation gain and 20 km return.

 

Where to stay

There are two main accommodation options:

• Campsites along the W and O routes, managed by Las Torres and Vertice.

• Lodges and other accommodation outside the park, particularly around Río Serrano.

For a little more comfort and flexibility, we combined nights camping inside the park with nights in a lodge just outside it. Accommodation sells out quickly, especially along the W and O routes, so booking well in advance is essential. We booked four months ahead, and some campsites and lodges were already fully booked.

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We spent two nights inside the park: one at Francés campsite and one at Central campsite. The total cost was €375 for two people for both nights. On both occasions, we opted for semi-equipped tents, with the tent and sleeping mats provided. Other options include dormitory accommodation, bringing your own tent or renting a fully equipped tent with a sleeping mat, sleeping bag and pillow. The facilities are generally well organised. There are showers with hot water at certain times of the day, soap is provided, and the communal areas are reasonably clean and well maintained. There’s also a small shop, although prices are high, as well as drinking water and boiling water for preparing meals. This is particularly useful if you’re bringing dehydrated meals, as you won’t need to carry a stove. We particularly liked Central campsite, where the tents were well spaced out, the facilities were very clean and the overall atmosphere felt comfortable. Francés campsite, by comparison, is more isolated and rustic.

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When we weren’t hiking in the park, we stayed in Río Serrano, which is located ~40 minutes from Pudeto, where the ferry to Paine Grande departs, and around 1h from the Welcome Centre, the starting point for the Mirador Las Torres hike. The drive between Río Serrano and Pudeto is an experience in itself, with spectacular views of the Torres del Paine mountain range. We stayed at Morrena Lodge in a small dome-shaped cabin of around 9 m². It was simple but comfortable, with a private bathroom and good-quality beds. We paid ~€155 per night, including breakfast, which was one of the best value-for-money options in the area at the time of booking. The lodge also serves dinner. At around €100 for two people for a starter, main course and drink, it was fairly expensive, but the food was good and the price was in line with what you’d expect in this part of Patagonia.

 

What to pack

Weather conditions in Torres del Paine can change extremely quickly. Even in the height of summer, you need to be prepared for sunshine, strong winds, rain and snow at higher elevations. Packing the right gear is essential for staying comfortable and safe.

For clothing, we recommend dressing in layers so you can adapt throughout the day as conditions change. We hiked in the park in early March and brought the following:

• A technical T-shirt.

• A breathable thermal base layer.

• A down jacket.

• A waterproof Gore-Tex jacket.

• Hiking trousers.

• Waterproof trousers for rain or snow.

• A warm merino wool top and thermal leggings for camping nights.

Other essentials include hiking boots, sunglasses, a beanie (even in summer), gloves and a pair of flip-flops or sandals for relaxing at camp after a long day on the trail. For hiking, we also recommend trekking poles, a headlamp (essential for early starts in the dark, but also useful for getting around the campsite at night), a rain cover for your main backpack and a first-aid kit. We carried a 3-litre CamelBak hydration bladder along with two 1-litre water bottles to make sure we had enough water throughout the day.

For camping, we brought sleeping bags rated to -5°C, which kept us comfortable overnight, as well as sleeping bag liners, inflatable pillows, a power bank and a microfibre towel. If you’re preparing your own meals, you may also need a camping stove, gas canister and basic cooking equipment, such as a bowl, cutlery, a mug and a small knife. As mentioned above, some campsites rent out sleeping bags and pillows, and you can also bring your own tent and sleeping mat if you prefer.

Our bags weighed around 17 kg combined, including water, several days’ worth of food, camera and electronic equipment, camping gear and a few changes of clothes. On steep, uneven terrain, even a relatively modest load quickly becomes noticeable, so it’s worth keeping your packing list to the essentials. One particularly useful thing to know about the W Trek is that some campsites, including Central and Italiano, allow you to leave your main backpack behind while you head out on a day hike. This is useful when you’re tackling out-and-back sections of the route on the same day, as you can explore with a much lighter daypack.

 

Food and meals

When it comes to meals, you generally have two options: book half-board or full-board through the campsites, or bring your own food. The campsite meal packages are convenient but very expensive, costing ~€120 per person for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We opted to be self-sufficient and bought our groceries in Puerto Natales before entering the park. Since we never spent more than one consecutive night in a tent, the most food we had to carry was for two days. For approximately four lunches, two breakfasts and two dinners, we packed:

• 12 slices of bread.

• 24 slices of ham and cheese.

• One whole cheese.

• Four packets of cooked lentils.

• Around 20 pieces of fruit.

• Dried fruit and cereal bars.

• Individually packaged coffee.

• We also brought dehydrated meals purchased in France before our trip: six portions for two dinners and two portions for one breakfast.

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One important tip: bring enough cash, as there are no ATMs in or around the park. Some accommodation providers do not accept card payments.