By air
Puerto Natales (PNT) or Punta Arenas (PUQ), ~2 h or ~5 h by road
South America · Chile
Torres del Paine, Chile
Granite towers above glacial lakes
Getting there
Best time to visit
November to March — summer
Don't miss
The Towers
Los Cuernos
Grey Glacier
Salto Grande
Things to do
The W Trek
The hike to the base of the Towers
Kayaking Lago Grey
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: LBM1948 · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Windproof waterproofs, hiking boots
A quieter corner
Lago Grey's floating icebergs
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Torres del Paine?
November to March, the summer months. Whenever you go, pack windproof waterproofs and hiking boots.
Which airport should I fly into for Torres del Paine?
Puerto Natales (PNT) is about 2 h away by road, or Punta Arenas (PUQ) about 5 h. Puerto Natales is also the place to try Patagonian lamb.
What hikes can I do in Torres del Paine?
The W Trek and the hike to the base of the Towers. Los Cuernos, Grey Glacier and Salto Grande are the other sights to look out for.
Is there a hidden gem in Torres del Paine?
Lago Grey's floating icebergs. You can kayak on Lago Grey too.
About Torres del Paine
- Mountains
- Lakeside
Where it is
Torres del Paine National Park is in the Magallanes region of southern Chile, in Patagonia, about 112 km north of Puerto Natales, with granite towers and horns rising above lakes such as Grey, Pehoé and Nordenskjöld between the Southern Patagonian Ice Field and the steppe.
History
Aónikenk (Tehuelche) people hunted guanaco here before sheep estancias spread across the steppe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The national park was created in 1959 and named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1978, and large wildfires in 2005 and 2011, both started accidentally by visitors, burned parts of it.
People
The park has no towns; its rangers, guides and refugio staff come from Puerto Natales and across Chile. The estancias around it keep the gaucho culture of Patagonian sheep ranching, with horsemen, sheepdogs and lamb roasted over fire, and Spanish is spoken.
Known for
- The granite Towers at dawn
- The W Trek and the O Circuit
- Grey Glacier and its icebergs
- The Cuernos del Paine
- Guanacos and pumas
Did you know?
Paine means blue in the Tehuelche (Aónikenk) language, a fitting name for a park of turquoise and deep blue glacial lakes.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.