# Torres del Paine: map, what to do and when to go

A national park in Chilean Patagonia with granite towers, glacial lakes and Grey Glacier. You visit it on the W circuit, with every night booked in advance, from Puerto Natales.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/torres-del-paine/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Torres del Paine: How do you get to Puerto Natales and the park?** The Puerto Natales aerodrome (PNT) is 7 km north of town, and from Punta Arenas (PUQ), 247 km away, Bus-Sur buses take 3 hours 15 minutes.
- **Torres del Paine: How much is the park entrance?** In CONAF's 2026 fee table, a foreign adult pays CLP 32,400 for the one-day pass and CLP 48,500 for the pass of more than two days; children under 12 don't pay.
- **Torres del Paine: How many days should you stay?** Six days: one in Puerto Natales to sort out bookings, food and gear, and five on the W circuit, with four nights in the park.

## Puerto Natales: bookings, shopping and Puerto Bories
Arrive in Puerto Natales by the aerodrome, 7 km to the north, or by bus from Punta Arenas, in 3 hours 15 minutes.
- Puerto Bories

## Pudeto, the catamaran and the trail to Grey
Take the 7 a.m. bus and get off at Pudeto, the second stop.
- Lake Pehoé

## The Valle del Francés to the Mirador Británico
Leave early with a light pack and go back to Italiano, 30 minutes.
- Valle del Francés and Mirador Británico

## Along the Nordenskjöld shore to the Central sector
Walk east along Lake Nordenskjöld to the Los Cuernos refugio. Francés is on the way between Italiano and Cuernos, 2 km from Italiano; from Italiano to Cuernos, CONAF counts 5 km and 2 hours 30 minutes, so from Francés to Cuernos about 3 km remain.
- Mirador Cuernos

## Mirador Base Torres and the return to Natales
Start before 7 a.m., with a headlamp and a windbreaker: it is about 4 hours 30 minutes of climbing to the viewpoint.
- Mirador Base Torres

## Mirador Base Torres
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/torres-del-paine/#g-lugar-mirador-base-torres
Half a day or more
The viewpoint at the foot of the three granite towers. From Hotel Las Torres, CONAF counts 5 km and 2 hours to the Chileno refugio, another 3 km and 1 hour 30 minutes to the Torres guard station and 1.4 km and 1 hour of moraine to the viewpoint: about 4 hours 30 minutes of climbing. The last stretch is moraine terrain, which CONAF rates as demanding and with a risk of joint injury. The entry cutoff is counted at the Laguna Amarga gate and changes by month: in the 2025–2026 season bulletin, entry was until 10 a.m. in September, 9:30 a.m. in October and November, 10 a.m. from December to February and 9:30 a.m. in March and April, and exit from the viewpoint until 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively. The 2026 fees and hours page lists a single pair, entry until 9 a.m. and exit at 3 p.m., without saying where it is counted from: check the hours in force before you go.
Check access

## Valle del Francés and Mirador Británico
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/torres-del-paine/#g-lugar-valle-del-frances
Half a day or more
A valley between the Cuernos and Paine Grande, climbed from the Italiano campsite: 5.4 km and 3 hours to the Mirador Británico, rated demanding. In the 2025–2026 season bulletin, entry to the stretch was until 2 p.m. and exit from the viewpoint until 4 p.m. The CONAF Italiano campsite was closed, and the base used is the Francés campsite, 2 km and 30 minutes from Italiano.
Check access

## Grey Glacier
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/torres-del-paine/#g-lugar-glaciar-grey
Magalhães e Antártica Chilena · Half a day or more
The tongue of ice that descends from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field to Lake Grey, in a front about 6 km wide split in two. You can see it three ways. On the W trail, it is 11 km and 3 hours 30 minutes from Paine Grande to the Grey refugio, and the 2025–2026 bulletin lists the Mirador Glaciar Grey in that mountain sector, with entry until 3 p.m. and exit until 5 p.m. The boat trip leaves from Hotel Lago Grey, lasts about 2 hours 45 minutes and starts with a 30 to 45 minute walk along the beach to the boat. On the road side, the Playa Grey trail has entry until 4 p.m. and exit until 7 p.m. in the same bulletin.
Check access

## Lake Pehoé
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/torres-del-paine/#g-lugar-lago-pehoe
Magalhães e Antártica Chilena · Up to half an hour
The lake that separates Pudeto from Paine Grande, at the foot of the massif. The catamaran covers the roughly 11 km in about 30 minutes and links the road to the west side of the W. The official sales site is bookingpatagonia.travel, with times and prices by leg; Bus-Sur reports that tickets are sold at the dock, in cash. Check ahead and bring cash.
Check access

## Salto Grande
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/torres-del-paine/#g-lugar-salto-grande
Torres del Paine · Up to half an hour
The waterfall of the Paine River between lakes Nordenskjöld and Pehoé, a short walk from the Pudeto sector. In the 2025–2026 bulletin, entry to the trail was until 6 p.m. and exit until 6:30 p.m.
Check access

## Mirador Cuernos
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/torres-del-paine/#g-lugar-mirador-cuernos
One to two hours
A continuation of the Salto Grande trail, on the shore of Lake Nordenskjöld, with the Cuernos del Paine straight ahead. In the 2025–2026 bulletin, entry was until 5 p.m.
Check access

## Mirador Cóndor
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/torres-del-paine/#g-lugar-mirador-condor
Up to half an hour
A viewpoint on the road near Hostería Pehoé, above Lake Pehoé. In the 2025–2026 bulletin, entry was until 4 p.m. Worth it for those who sleep in the roadside campsites and want to fill the end of the afternoon.
Check access

## Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/torres-del-paine/#g-lugar-monumento-natural-cueva-del
Última Esperanza · One to two hours
A cave about 30 m high, 80 m wide at the front and 200 m deep, 25 km north of Puerto Natales, where remains of Mylodon darwini, an extinct giant sloth, have been found since 1896. The Cueva Grande trail is 350 m long, takes 30 minutes and was designed for people with reduced mobility, and it accommodates wheelchairs with assistance up to the viewpoint inside the cave; the Cuevas y Aleros trail is 4.3 km. A section of the main trail is closed until December 31, 2026.
Check access

## Puerto Bories
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/torres-del-paine/#g-lugar-puerto-bories
Natales · Up to half an hour
The old sheep meatpacking plant of the Sociedad Explotadora de Tierra del Fuego, in operation since 1915, with pavilions declared a National Monument in 1996. Today it is the hotel The Singular Patagonia, 5 minutes by car from Natales, and the plant museum is open to the public every day from noon to 5 p.m., with a CLP 10,000 entrance fee.
Check access

**Torres del Paine: How do you get to Puerto Natales and the park?**
The Puerto Natales aerodrome (PNT) is 7 km north of town, and from Punta Arenas (PUQ), 247 km away, Bus-Sur buses take 3 hours 15 minutes. From Natales to the park, Bus-Sur lists daily departures at 7 a.m. and noon and about 2 hours to the Laguna Amarga gate.

**Torres del Paine: How much is the park entrance?**
In CONAF's 2026 fee table, a foreign adult pays CLP 32,400 for the one-day pass and CLP 48,500 for the pass of more than two days; children under 12 don't pay.

**Torres del Paine: How many days should you stay?**
Six days: one in Puerto Natales to sort out bookings, food and gear, and five on the W circuit, with four nights in the park. The O Circuit takes eight or nine days, includes the W and only opens from November to March. In 2026, CONAF closed it initially until October 31; confirm reopening through the official channels before booking.

**Torres del Paine: Can you climb to Base Torres without sleeping in the park?**
Yes, because the mandatory reservation applies only to overnight stays. The 7 a.m. bus takes about 2 hours to Laguna Amarga, where the entry cutoff is counted; from there it is another 25 minutes by minibus to the Centro de Bienvenida and about 4 hours 30 minutes uphill from Hotel Las Torres. The December-to-February margin depends on the 2025–2026 bulletin’s 10 a.m. cutoff; the 2026 page lists 9 a.m., when the bus arrives at the limit. Confirm the current cutoff; a tour leaving earlier may be needed.

**Torres del Paine: When is the best time to go?**
November to March, when all the refugios and campsites run by the operators on the W and the O Circuit were open in the 2025 to 2026 season; January and February are the busiest months, and from May to September there is snow on the trails and several stretches of the W can only be done with a guide.


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 6 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/torres-del-paine/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/torres-del-paine/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/torres-del-paine.md