6 Best Day Hikes in Torres del Paine
Parque Nacional Torres del Paine is located in Southern Chile and is one of the crown jewels of all of South America. It is known for its mountains, glaciers, stunning blue lakes, and interesting wildlife. If you find yourself in Torres del Paine, you need to do one of the hikes on this list to really soak in all of the wonders of this region.
Why Day Hike in Patagonia?
While the Southern Patagonia parks are probably most known for their epic backpacking trips and adventurous climbing routes, day hikers will rejoice because there are plenty of hikes in Torres del Paine with amazing views that can be done in a day!
How to Visit Torres del Paine
Torres del Paine is approximately 110 km driving distance from the city of Puerto Natales. To visit the park, most people will fly into Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales, and take a bus to the park. Bus travel is the least expensive way to travel to the park, and is fairly reliable.
Bus-Sur has the most user-friendly website for booking transportation to Torres del Paine, and it is the company I would recommend booking with. The other bus companies seemed to have more of an in-person presence, so if you have a flexible schedule and don’t mind booking things last minute, you could also look into the other companies.
Unfortunately, there is no bus that goes directly from Torres del Paine to El Calafate or El Chaltén in Argentina. You would need a rental car with permission to cross the international border or book with a private tour company. Otherwise, you can take the bus from Puerto Natales to El Calafate and vice-versa.
An entry fee is required to visit Torres del Paine, and to make your life easier, you should pre-pay for your entrance online. There are two fee options depending on how many days you want to spend in the park. One is a three-day entry pass, which costs $35 USD, and a 4+ day pass, which costs $49 USD, as of 2023. You can book your entry pass here.
Do You Need a Rental Car for Torres del Paine?
I went to Torres del Paine using only the bus system. The big goal of my trip was just to get there because I was hiking the O Circuit. But, I ended up going to the park a little early because I wanted to see some places that I wouldn’t be able to see on the backpacking trip.
All this to say is that I did feel a little trapped without my own car. The buses are amazing, and it’s great that they even come out here and drive all the way to Lago Grey, but they only run 3 times per day during the high season and only stop at certain places.
The 2023 Bus Sur schedule inside Torres del Paine.
There were some viewpoints I really wanted to see, but couldn’t, because the bus didn’t stop there. I think if you are only going to be day hiking or doing day trips in Torres del Paine, renting a car is the way to go!
Something to note though is that there are no gas stations outside of Puerto Natales. The round-trip distance from Puerto Natales to Laguna Amarga Entrance station is 220 km, and that doesn’t take into account driving around the park. So, you will probably want to bring extra fuel in a separate container. From what I’ve read, it sounds like rental car companies can provide this container for you.
Should You Do a Tour?
If you are incredibly limited on time, don’t want to rent your own car, and don’t care about catching sunrise or sunset at the park, a tour can be great! I personally wouldn’t do one for day hiking, just because I like to hike at my own pace, and most of the day tours from Puerto Natales are only to hike to Mirador Base Torres, the most popular day hike in the park, which is a long, full-day hike, and the most crowded.
Where To Stay When Visiting Torres del Paine
The best place to stay is in the park! You don’t have to splurge on accommodation either.
If you want a bed, staying in the Central or Paine Grande Refugio is your best bet for easy access to amazing hiking trails.
You don’t have to hike or backpack to get to either of these Refugios either. Central can be accessed by the Las Torres shuttle from the Laguna Amarga entrance station, then by a really short walk from Estancia (the bus station). Paine Grande can be accessed via the catamaran boat from Pudeto, the ferry stop. You can get to Pudeto very easily via the bus (see table above).
You can also stay in the domes at Camping Pehoé for a real bed.
At all of these places, you can buy hot food and snacks, so you don’t even need to worry about bringing meals!
If you are willing to camp, you’ll save even more money! You can camp at all of the above locations, but Camping Pehoé is the only one that allows you to have your car at your campsite too. You can reserve rental camping gear at Central and Paine Grande ahead of time, but Pehoé has limited on-site rentals, as they are more set up for car campers with their own gear. You can always rent gear in Puerto Natales though. There are multiple gear rental businesses.
If you need something a little more upscale, there are multiple hotels inside the park. These hotels usually come all-inclusive with food and tours. You will be paying quite a bit of money to stay in these places, especially during the high season, so be aware!
Paine Grande Campground - the perfect place to stay for day hikes to Glaciar Grey and Mirador Britanico.
Best Campgrounds for Day Hiking
Best Refugios for Day Hiking
Best Hotels for Day Hiking
What to Pack for Hiking in Torres del Paine
It’s true what they say: you can experience all four seasons in one day in Patagonia! The weather is dynamic, even in the summertime.
Good rain gear and layers are really important in Patagonia. You’ll be thankful to have them if the weather turns on you!
Check out my Hiking 101 and 10 Essentials posts for in-depth information. All of these suggestions hold true for hiking in Patagonia.
In general, I would have the following with you:
Backpack with comfortable straps
Sweat-wicking hiking clothes: long sleeves and pants for sun and wind protection
Puffy jacket or fleece for insulation on cold days
Rain jacket for both rain and wind protection
Trail runners or hiking shoes and midweight, sweat-wicking hiking socks
Sun protection: sunscreen, SPF lip balm, sunglasses
Warmth: beanie, lightweight gloves, possibly waterproof shell gloves/ mitts
Map: topo maps downloaded offline. GaiaGPS or AllTrails
Basic first aid kit
Headlamp, especially if doing sunrise or sunset hiking
The Hikes
Mirador Condor
Stats: 1.5 miles round-trip, 720 ft. elevation gain.
AllTrails route description here.
This trail is steep and climbs relentlessly, but it’s not very long. Once you reach the viewpoint, you’ll be happy you put the effort into this hike, because the views of Lago Pehoé and Los Cuernos are fantastic! You can also turn this hike into a loop and walk the main road between the two trailheads. This is a great hike to do if you are staying at camping Pehoé. The trailhead begins at the campground!
Salto Chico
Stats: 0.75 miles, minimal elevation gain
This trail is very short, and while it seems to be on the Explora Hotel property, there is an official National Park signpost there, which to me means you can hike there. You start from the gravel parking lot and national park sign and walk on the rickety boardwalk (watch your step!) towards the water. Keep following the boardwalk until you see the Salto Chico waterfall with Paine Grande in the background. Turn around and go back the way you came and there is a “no entry” sign at the end of the boardwalk where it turns into the hotel property.
Salto Grande & Mirador Cuernos
Stats: 1 mile round-trip to Salto Grande. 4 miles, 630 ft elevation gain round trip to Mirador Cuernos. Add another mile round trip and ~100 ft of gain if you have to park down at Estancia Pudeto.
AllTrails route description here.
The views from this trail are pretty amazing. You will be treated to a front-row view of Paine Grande and Los Cuernos nearly the whole time! If you are short on time in the park, this hike has a little bit of everything: a powerful waterfall, views of the mountains, and the glistening blue Lago Nordenskjold. You shouldn’t miss out on this hike!
Mirador Lago Grey
Stats: 7.25 miles, 1,200 ft elevation gain round trip.
This hike can easily be done as a full-day hike if you catch the morning ferry from Pudeto to Paine Grande, and is an opportunity to see Glaciar Grey from afar! This hike is very moderate and gradual, with little steep climbing over the course of the trail. The trail continues all the way to Refugio Grey, but the end of this route is a rocky overlook with views of Glaciar Grey in the distance. When you’re about halfway to the overlook, you’ll also enjoy Lago los Patos, a small lake with a beautiful deep blue color. Hold on to your hat when you get to the overlook, it can be incredibly windy! Once you’ve enjoyed the view, turn around and head back to Paine Grande. Make sure you make it back in time for the last ferry of the day!
Mirador Base Torres
Stats: 12.5 miles, 3,400 ft elevation gain round trip.
AllTrails route description here.
The crown jewel of Torres del Paine is seeing Las Torres (aka, the Towers) from the base of Lago Torres. If you’re doing this as a day hike, be ready for a long day! The earlier you can leave, the better, since this is the most popular hike on this list. Catching sunrise is pretty incredible, but is a tough feat unless you are staying at Refugio Chileno. Just be sure to be coming down by 3:00 pm. Rangers will be on the trail to stop you from hiking up to the viewpoint if you are still ascending due to weather concerns.
Miradors Frances and Britanico
Stats: 16.7 miles, 3,900 ft elevation gain round trip to Mirador Britanico.
The hike to Mirador Frances is 12 miles, 2,300 ft gain round trip.
AllTrails route description here.
This is another very long day, but an absolutely fabulous hike! If you are taking the ferry during the day, I’d only recommend going all the way to Mirador Britanico if you are a fast and fit hiker. But, if you are going to spend the night at Refugio Paine Grande (highly recommend if you want to do this hike), you can’t miss going all the way to Mirador Britanico! If you can’t make it all the way to Britanico, Mirador Frances is still very beautiful, and it is really awesome to see all of the waterfalls streaming off of the huge chunks of ice still clinging onto the mountain. I will say though, if you don’t have a time crunch, know that the incline from Mirador Frances to Britanico is not as bad as the incline from Italiano to Frances! At the large buildings before the Italiano campsites, you can find bathrooms (no toilet paper though), and a tap for potable water. So no need to carry water for the entire hike!
Mirador Frances
Mirador Britanico
