Self-guided Trek through the Torres del Paine O Circuit (Paine Circuit). Includes accommodations in campsite and transport from/to Puerto Natales.
There is high demand for this tour and there are limited spots available. Spots for some dates run out months in advance, so we recommend planning your trip as far in advance as possible.
Supplement
Non-resident foreigners in Chile must present their passport and entry card to the country at the check-in of each accommodation. If the required documents are not presented, they will have to pay the VAT (IVA) for their stay directly at the accommodation.
*The campsites confirmed for every night of your program will depend on the availability they have during the date of your trip. Because of this, the program could be confirmed with the Base of Torres del Paine Trek at the beginning instead of the end of the itinerary, moving that way all nights of accommodations in a day (1st night in Central, 2nd night in Serón, 3rd night in Dickson… and 7th night in Cuernos.)
*Prices subject to change without notice.
*Full board: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, starting with dinner the first day and ending with lunch the last day. Lunch is always packed to go, while breakfast and dinner can be packed or served, which will depend only on the availability of meals in every accommodation (you cannot choose). In Camping Perros, both dinner and breakfast are always packed to go.
*This is only a reference itinerary, because it might have modifications according to the places of confirmed accommodations and the definitive times of transports.
Start: Day 1 at 7:00 am in Puerto Natales Bus Station.
End: Day 8 at 9:30 in Puerto Natales Bus Station.
Day 1: Departure from Puerto Natales and Serón Trek (9 km, 5.6 miles, 4 hours).
The program starts in the Puerto Natales Bus Station to take the bus to the Portería Laguna Amarga, where you will enter the Torres del Paine National Park. After that, you will be able to take another ground transport to the Welcome Center, where you will have to register. After one of the best views of the Torres del Paine you can have from the starting point, if weather is good enough, you will enter the Patagonian landscape through a slope, the first test of the hike. You will have views of the surrounding valleys and the Cerro Paine, while you continue on the side of the Paine river until reaching Serón Campsite, where you will stay this first night.
Day 2: Dickson Trek (18.5 km, 11.5 miles, 6 hours).
After breakfast, you will take the route parallel to the Paine River, to get closer to the Cerro Paine side. You will go up by a steep track to the higher part that you will have to tour during the day, and in which you will have a privileged view of the surrounding mountains, besides the Paine Lake. Then, you will walk by the sides of the mount, parallel to the river. You will have time to stop in the Guardería Coirón for lunch and recover energy, before keep walking through the fields with views of granite walls. After that, you will see the Dickson Glacier in the distance, which means that that's the end of the hike for today. You will reach Dickson Campsite, near the lake with the same name and from the Paine River begins.
Day 3: Perros Trek (9 km, 5.6 miles, 4 to 5 hours).
You will start early to take the route marked by Los Perros River. You will go a couple of hours through a nothofagus forest to a small bridge to cross the river. There you will start going up the moraine until identifying the Los Perros Glacier, which is on the side of the lake with the same name. From that point, you will be a couple of minutes from the Perros Campsite, in which you will stay to face the challenge of the next day.
Day 4: Grey Glacier Lookout Point Trek (22 km, 13.7 miles, 10 to 12 hours).
The recommendation is getting up very early to begin the adventure. This morning will be necessary the use of a headlamp, because you will start walking before dawn. You will begin a demanding walk up in the middle of the woods and, while you go forward, you will be able to see the first lights of the sun over the park. You will continue the road to the John Garner Pass, the higher point of the trek at 1,200 meters (3,937 feet) of altitude that will test your strength and that, needless to say, you must do very carefully. Once in the pass, you will have the first view of the Grey Glacier and the beginning of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, one of the characteristic images of the Torres del Paine National Park, which you will see for a while before descending through another forest. You will pass by the Guardería El Paso, where you can have lunch before keep walking to the suspension bridges, the road that borders the Grey Glacier. You will be able to take pictures and visiting some privileged points to admire the lake and the glacier, before reaching the Grey Campsite where, rightfully, you will get some rest.
*Depending on the weather conditions, the CONAF park ranger might forbid going up through the John Garner Pass and you would have to go back to Perros Campsite.
Day 5: Optional activity in the glacier and Paine Grande Trek (11 km, 6.8 miles, 4 to 5 hours).
This day, during the morning, you can go to the base from where you can make one of the two optional activities available:
After this experience, you will go back to the campsite to collect your things and start the trekking to arrive to the next camping, walking that is much less demanding that the one the day before. You will border the Grey Lake, path in which you will have the last views of the glacier and the small icebergs, passing by the Los Patos Lagoon, before entering a small valley from where you can see the Pehoé Lake. You will get to the Paine Grande Campsite, from where you will have a great view of the Cerro Paine Grande and the Cuernos del Paine.
Day 6: Francés Valley Hike (22 km, 13.7 miles, 8 to 10 hours).
The general recommendation is starting early, because it is a long distance that you have to walk. You will pass by the border of the Skottsberg Lake, following the track to the Italiano Campsite, which is the entrance door of the Francés Valley. You will go into a Patagonian forest, to leave to the Francés Lookout Point, which gives you access to the views of different mountains surrounding the valley, besides the Francés Glacier. If you have time and energy, you will be able to go on to the Británico Lookout Point from where you will have another perspective inside the same Torres del Paine Park. The way back is by the same path until Italiano Campsite, from where you have to go to the Cuernos Campsite.
Day 7: Central Trek (11 km, 6.8 miles, 5 to 6 hours).
After breakfast, you will start walking going over by the Nordenskjöld Lake, identifying different vegetal and animal species, besides seeing the Almirante Nieto Mount, and maybe identifying its hanging glacier. The destination will be the Central Campsite, place where you can rest to face the last day of walking.
Day 8: Base of Torres del Paine Hike and arrival to Puerto Natales (22 km, 13.7 miles, 8 to 9 hours).
The last day of activity is considered for the Base of Torres del Paine hike, the great image of the park. To reach this place, you will have to get up very early and go to the old bridge that crosses the Ascencio River and enter to a typical Patagonian forest. You will get to the moraine, which you will have to climb for about 45 minutes until getting to the Base of Torres del Paine Lookout Point, finishing touch for all the effort in completing the Paine Circuit. There, you will be able to take pictures, enjoy your lunch and rest a moment before starting the return through the same path you just made. You will arrive to the Welcome Center, same place from where you started the trek, to board the connection transport and the bus that will take you to Puerto Natales.
There are no refunds no reschedule in case any of the following situations may prevent making part or the entire program: adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, fires, flooding, road cuts, accidents, strikes, demonstrations, pandemics, epidemics, flight cancellations, lost luggage, accidents of the passenger inside the park, and personal or health problems of the passenger. For passengers that have travel insurance (suggested), due to the impossibility to make part or the entire program because of the reasons described above and whose insurance policy covers the case at hand, we will provide the required documents to be presented to the insurance company.
This program is self-guided (without a guide), so you will go on your own walking through the tracks of the park. This way is possible due to all tracks in the park are duly marked and that before starting the program we will send you all the details and a map of the circuit.
In a program with accommodations in campsite you will sleep in a double private tent (sleeping bag and sleeping pad included) with shared bathroom (hot shower). Notice that the tent will be set up in every accommodation place, that is you won't have to carry, set nor disassemble the tent.
Breakfast include coffee, tea, milk, bread, eggs, cheese, ham, jam, juice and fruit. Box lunch usually is a cold sandwich, cereal bar, chocolate bar, dried fruits and fruit. Finally, dinner includes menu of the day, with first course, second course, dessert and water.
Yes. All meals can be adapted to your dietary restrictions. If you have any dietary restrictions, please indicate them in the “Additional comments” box during the online booking process.
In much of the circuit, no. Only in some specific spots in the park (usually at the beginning and end of the circuit), it is possible reaching places for having some signal.
Yes. In every accommodation there is satellite internet (paid with credit card, from CLP$ 10.000 for 1 hour).
Yes. In common areas of the accommodations there are sockets, which work until 00:00 am (time in which power is cut off). Because there are just a few sockets, there's not always availability, so our recommendation is bringing a power bank with you.
Yes. All accommodations have drinking water that comes from the natural springs of the park.
All accommodations have hot showers, except for Perros Campsite.
During the whole year, even in summer, weather is ever-changing. In a single day you can have sun, clouds, rain and wind. So, our recommendation is be prepared for all kind of weather.
