TORRES DEL PAINE–THE BREATHTAKING NATIONAL PARK IN CHILEAN PATAGONIA

[PATAGONIA, CHILE] — Going to Torres del Paine in Patagonia was always  one of my lifelong goals, well, at least for the last 25 years. Then, I finally bit the bullet and decided to go, paired with a visit to the Atacama Desert in the northern half of Chile — the driest place on the planet (you can see that part of the trip here). Here’s my overview of some of the best hikes in Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia. Where to go in Patagonia. What to do in Torres del Paine. A review of Tierra Patagonia adventure hotel. And the best things to do Torres del Paine.

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Patagonia is a region that actually straddles both Chile and Argentina at the very tip of South America and I could never figure it out or decide which side to go to.  I finally just picked Chile and didn’t get a chance to see the Argentina side, which I’m saving for my next visit.

Where is it? Look at a map, find South America, then take a right and go aallll the way to the bottom. It’s there. Patagonia. End of the earth.

I only went to Torres del Paine national park, but there are several sub-regions to go to… and new tens of millions acre parks recently opened all across Patagonia, leaving more to explore in the future.

View of The Horns Torres del Paine
The view of The Horns (Los Cuernos) from Lago Azul, the same views you see on a lot of guidebooks. It is jaw dropping. What’s eerie is that it all looks so calm, but the winds were gusting 65-70mph when I took this. If you stay at the Explora Patagonia lodge, this is your view, which I think is superior to the Tierra Patagonia hotel I stayed at.  But the Explora has been there for 30 years, I liked the architecture and cheaper price of the Tierra.The wind, like everywhere in Patagonia, is ever-present and A Thing to Deal With. In some places, often a constant 100mph/hour. Everything you read says “bring windproof clothes”… I never heard of such a thing. But the place is built for it.

Torres del Paine — The Most Magical Place on Earth

Torres del Paine is the main national park in Chilean Patagonia, although there are a half dozen other parks to explore. But TdP is the Crown Jewel, famous around the world with some of the most stunning landscapes I’ve ever seen. So many amazing and jaw-dropping vistas you’ve ever seen.

Torres del Paine Chile map
To get to Patagonia, go to South America and turn left and go aalllll the way down. Last house on the left. I meeeeaaan, Torres del Paine is literally at the bottom of the earth, or close to it. You fly into Punta Arenas at the very tip, overnight, then the hotel pics you up for the windy 5 1/2 drive north to the park. Lots of sheep.

You can backpack and camp in the park, many follow the famous and arduous W Circuit that last for multiple days, zigzagging throughout all the park’s highlights.  There are also some budget hotels outside the park, some raffish, some nicer, but the coolest thing to do is stay at one of the three luxury adventure hotels scattered along the edges of the park.

Tierra Patagonia–The Best Place To Stay in Torres del Paine National Park

There are three main luxury adventure hotels right on the edges of the park, the only ones — the Explora, the Tierra and the Awasi. Each has their own secluded section of the park, with uninterrupted views. I chose the Tierra, which had great reviews, a stunning design and was less expensive than the others. (However, still expensive.) Here’s a huge post I made about the incredible Tierra Patagonia, where I stayed.

Tierra Patagonia hotel

The Tierra Patagonia hotel is all-inclusive — meals, booze, guides, transportation, all included no nickel and dime-ing you for what you want to do.  If you want to sit in the lodge and just look out, the same price as going on two guided tours a day.

view of Lago Sarmiento from lobby of Tierra Patagonia
Tierra Patagonia best hotel Torres del Paine
Lago Sarmiento Torres del Paine Tierra Patagonia
View from Tierra Patagonia
room view from Tierra Patagonia
This is your room view. There are only a few hotels inside Torres del Paine, Tierra Patagonia is one of them.

The lobby of Tierra Patagonia is centered around this huge “adventure map”, the main guide jefe greets you and asks about your interests and desire for adventure. He then makes a number of suggestions to help plan out your stay.

Tierra Patagonia Adventure Map
The lobby of the hotel is centered around this huge “adventure map”, the main guide hefe greets you and asks about your interests and desire for adventure. He then makes a number of suggestions to help plan out your stay. An easy day. A hard day. A spa day. They make it so easy to maximize your stay.

They are great at guiding you to what you want to do, managing your time in the most efficient way to maximize your time here. Adjusting to what you want to do and se. Even suggesting some ALT plans that you can slip in if you’re up for it.

Tierra vans take you out and into the park, often with a driver and guide, usually set up to feed you in some remarkable place. Groups are small, whatever fits into a 13 passenger Dodge van, but are usually 6-8 people from the hotel. You meet some cool people, you also might get stuck with a couple of high maintenance ones, but you deal, enjoy it, then come back for a celebratory cocktail at the cool bar, recounting the day.

Tierra Patagonia Guide on trail
There are a dozen guides at Tierra, each with their own specialty. Our Aussie guide Chris on one hike was incredible. He didn’t just lead us up a trail like sheep, but stopped at the most invisible spots and opened our eyes to the incredible scenes before us.

Tours are broken out into half-day and full-day excursions, some are easy as a van taking small groups somewhere cool, setting up lunch or breakfast. Others are more strenuous. You pick what you want to do.  What’s great is if you’re with a spouse or group, everyone can do their own thing, joining others in small group excursions, then meeting back to share stories in the restaurant at night.  You don’t really eat anywhere else.

Tierra Patagonia guide led tours

The Best Hikes in Torres del Paine National Park

There are lots of great hikes in Torres del Paine, especially if you are backpacking on a multi-way backwoods trek and camping in the mountains. I didn’t get to all the best hikes — wishing I got into the French Valley, many people talk about the Condor Ridge — but I did get some amazing hikes in.

Here are my favorite hikes during my too-short stay.  I wish I was there longer, but that leaves more to go back to.

View of The Towers Torres del Paine
Just when you’re having fun, along comes a waterfall….The first stop on this easy hike was to this picture-perfect setting, with roaring waterfalls and the Towers looming overhead. In person, they are really much closer feeling.

On my first day arriving at Tierra Patagonia, I was itching to get out and see this magical place. The adventure concierge suggested an easy first day excursion — all the guides are included in your all-inclusive stay — to a nearby lake with views of The Towers, the signature mountain range that dominates the views from the hotel.

waterfall detail Torres del Paine

Lots and lots of glory without much effort. It’s the perfect first day hike. I saw more wildlife on that trail than any other — herds of guanaco, rheas, ducks and birds of all shapes and sizes. And nobody, literally nobody, else on the trail.

guanacos Torres del Paine
Just by luck, not by plan, I picked to travel in the Springtime, which many people say is the best time of the year to go. Less wind and every single thing is popping, all at once. Especially babies. So freaky, nearly every species of animal was surrounded by all their new spring births. Makes you really feel small in the world as it does its own magical thing. Everything happening simultaneously.
guanaco herd Torres del Paine
The very first day, the very first adventure, we were driving in the van to see waterfalls and off into the distance, a moving brown line caught my eye. A big herd of guanacos — I’d never heard or seen them before — was zooming across the brush like hovercraft. You could only see their upper bodies, legs dancing amidst the brush, a gentle stream moving fast across the land, popping up and over a fence line like it didn’t exist. I was hooked.

It is awesome, especially towards sunset. You get to see the backside of the Towers, fronted by a stunning lake. Breathtaking…..but then again, the whole place is breathtaking….

view of lake Torres del Paine
Torres del Paine view across lake
view of The Towers from afar Torres del Paine
Best hikes TORRES DEL PAINE The Towers

Seven Hours to “The Towers”

The namesake of Torres del Paine National Park, “The Blue Towers” are the centerpiece hike of this whole park. You can see them for miles, in every direction. A tryptique of pointy granite shards, rising dramatically for all to see.

The Adventurous People arrive to The Towers by the famed W Route, camping at great heights along the way. Us sedentary people have a nice breakfast at the hotel and are dropped off at the base with our knowledgable hotel guide who points out invisible things we don’t see, because we’re alternatively swiveling between looking at our feet and the amazing views.

hotel at start of The Towers trail Patagonia

It’s a long, hard hike, a full day of at least seven hours. You start in a rustic hotel parking lot, cross a roaring river on a picture-perfect bridge, then climb through a stunning forest of spiky lenga trees (Patagonia’s iconic beech trees). Lenga trees are very rare, growing in only a very narrow latitude in Chile and Argentina from here to Tierra del Fuego.

Crossing bridge Torres del Paine
Bridge on Torres base hike
Tierra Patagonia guide in lenga forest Torres del Paine
The best part of Tierra Patagonia are the knowledgable hotel guides who point out invisible things we don’t see, telling all about the iconic Patagonia lenga trees.
Trail leading to The Towers Base Patagonia
Lenga trees Torres del Paine
Lenga trees are my new favorite tree.
Coyote Torres del Paine Patagonia
Our Tierra guide Chris spotted this guy 100 yards away like he was a native, not an Australian. Snoozing away, paying no mind to us, then casually got up and sauntered away….
rocky cliff Torres del Paine Patagonia
It was a lot of UP. To the base of the Towers it’s about a 3,000ft elevation gain, which is a lot.
top of the The Towers hike Patagonia
By this point on the trail, just minutes from the top, I was nearly crying like a little girl. Don’t know what happened. Legs were shot. Breath nearly gone. My bad spine was killing me. I started out the trail telling everyone “I’m from Colorado, I hike all the time!”, but towards the top I was gasping like a guppy for air. Everyone else seemed fine. I started Pilates right after I got back.

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UPDATE: Funny, I’d hiked all over the world, for years I could never figure why I ran out of steam so badly on this hard hike. Fast forward to the Summer of 2025 when I was walking around my neighborhood and started to feel a cramp under my shoulder blade and a sharp pain in my left pec. I tested it out more by walking up more hills, then went to the Emergency Room. They wouldn’t let me go home.

During the Stress Test at the hospital, I gasped for air and experienced that exact same feeling, gasping like a guppy in mud. It was crazy to be inside the CAT machine and being teleported back to this very moment years before — like a smell that takes you back in time.

Turns out, I had a 90% blockage in the main artery feeding my heart. That explains everything. (At least it’s an excuse; I’m going with it!). Anyway, I’m fine now, they rootered me out and I feel better than ever, hoping to get back to hiking. This time with vigor.

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The Towers in mist Torres del Paine
And then we finally made it. The Base of the Torres — you see it in all the guidebooks, a crystal clear day with sharp views of all the Towers. But in reality, we were told by our guide that you see a view like this only 40% of the time, so pick a clear day. All that Up and not seeing these puppies up close and it would be ego-crushing. Save this hike for your last days after building up some stamina.
closeup of The Towers Patagonia
Hiking to the Towers Patagonia
Yeah sure, I’m smiling. 20 minutes earlier, after an hour of slugging through the moraine and I was about to cry like a little girl.
Tierra Patagonia hot tub
The best part about Tierra Patagonia is after all day of adventures, you can come back home to restore in a hot tub or pool with the best views in the world.

 Windsurfing the Path to Los Cuernos–“The Horns”

The craziest thing about Torres del Paine are the winds. Crazy, crazy winds, all the time. They can reach 100mph and sweep you off your feet. Los Cuernos are the signature peaks you see in all the guide books. It’s one thing when you see a picture, but in person they are surreal. The moody devil black hats capping the silvery granite cliffs below.

The Horns Torres del Paine
What’s really eerie about the winds is often you can’t see them. See these gorgeous peaks? You have no idea how hard it was to hold my camera, the winds were hitting 90mph at this point. But in the photos, it looks like nothing is going on.
best hikes Torres del Paine
The first half mile of the trail is just stupendous.
wind off the lake The Horns Patagonia
White clouds of spray gets whipped up from the turquoise lake. It looks windy over there, but it was equally windy right here. Do you see how peaceful this looks above? Now check out the clip below. 👇
Hiking to Los Hornos Torres del Paine Patagonia
riding the wind Torres del Paine
And then we hit the wind. It was insane walking into 90-100mph winds. You have to crab walk, planting one foot before lifting the other lest you get tossed to the side of the trail.
leaning into wind The Horns Patagonia
Lean in. The wind will take care of you. We spent a half hour doing this….grown men, squealing and giggling like nine year olds.
high winds Torres del Paine Patagonia

We’ve all seen reporters during hurricanes, facing intense winds. But in Patagonia, here you get to experience it yourself. You can get bummed out by it, or embrace it. Such a blast.

Me in Patagonia
Los Cuernos black and white
waterfall Torres del Paine Patagonia
We could barely stand up at this waterfall on the way down, holding onto rocks.
side view of The Horns Los Cuernos Patagonia
Nordenskjold Lake
I don’t think it gets better than this.
Torres del Pain Los Cuernos views
Torres del Pain Los Cuernos peaks
Torres del Pain lake

Chasing Glaciers on Lago Grey

On the Southside of the park is Lago Grey, a high altitude lake fed by the famous Grey Glacier.

View of Torres del Paine mountains Patagonia
3d model of Grey Glacier Torres del Paine

When you first get to Lago Grey, your brain fries a little bit. Soaring mountains in the distance, a dark sand beach ahead and then animal-shaped blue icebergs floating right in front of you.

Lago Grey Torres del Paine
You have to pinch yourself, the views are so mind-blowing.
Grey Glacier Torres del Paine
The contrasts are just breathtaking. Glaciers tumbling into the lake. You can see the scars they created on the mountains right behind them.
closeup view Grey Glacier Torres del Paine
Crossing a bridge Patagonia

After a short hike across a bouncy bridge across the raging river, you duck into the forest before arriving at a very well-built dock. A giant boat waiting to pick our vested passengers up and to the glacier.

tour boat on Lago Grey Torres del Paine
Loading boat in Lago Grey Patagonia
The tour boat is surprisingly big, it holds 100 people. Best to book a reservation beforehand.
Glacier boat Lago Grey Patagonia
The thing I couldn’t get over was “How’d they get this giant boat all the way up here?” Turns out they had to truck it the whole way up here.
Iceberg on Lago Grey Patagonia
Animal iceberg Lago Grey Patagonia
It’s eerie to get right up close to these sphinx-shaped ice cubes. Silent bobbing in this grey landscape.
Grey Glacier with clouds Patagonia
Patagonia view of Glacier Grey from boat
Grey Glacier Torres del Paine from boat
Grey Glacier Patagonia
Cascading glacier Lago Grey Patagonia
Grey Glacier Torres del Paine
Tierra Patagonia Guide reflection
Hiking group Grey Glacier Torres del Paine
The best thing about the small group excursions is that you can come by yourself or a couple and meet great life-minded people who become friends.

 — Last Visited December 2013; Post Updated August 2025 — 

More Information on Tierra Patagonia and Torres del Paine National Park

How to Get To Torres del Paine

To get there, you fly to Santiago then take another 3 1/2 hour flight down to eerie, end-of-the-world feeling Punta Arenas — a stunning flight straight over the snow-capped Andes, get a window seat on the left — to the bottom of the continent, right above Tierra del Fuego, the place we all studied in grade school.

You literally do feel like you’re at the end of the earth there, what I imagine far northern Alaska to be. The place where explorers load up on provisions and set off in boats into the great unknown.  From Punta, the hotel van picks you up for the five and a half hour drive back north — yes five and and a half hours — through endless Sheep Country, nothing but sheep, dotting along the coast and inland vast flat savannas until you take a sharp right and climb up to the high plains before Torres del Paine national park.

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When To Go to Torres del Paine Patagonia

Being south of the equator, the seasons are switched, so our Winter is their Summer. Chile is thousands of miles long but thin, so you’re never far from the ocean.  Just by luck, not by plan, I picked to travel in the Springtime, which was at the end of November there, which many people say is the best time of year to go. The high altitude of Torres del Paine has its own microclimate, so you can actually go there in all but a few months a year.

Satellite view of Torres del Paine national park
Torres del Paine is the main national park on the Chile side of Patagonia. Huge mountains and glaciers soaring over turquoise blue lakes. It is unreal. I only saw a fraction of the park. Freaky blue lakes. Drop dead mountain ranges. Glaciers. Waterfalls. Hikes galore. Killer hotels. Animals you’ve never seen before. A lot of everything… except people. Google Map it and dive in. You can spend hours on your computer or days on the ground having the adventure of a lifetime.

Here’s a post I did about Tierra Patagonia’s amazing sister hotel in the super dry Atacama Desert in Norther Chile. And all the cool things you can do in Atacama, the driest place on earth. And if you like remote adventures, you should read my post on Argentina’s amazing undiscovered Salta province.

Here Torres del Paine is listed by Conde Nast Traveller as one of the Top 50 Most Beautiful Places on Earth.

Here’s a great NYTimes article from Ondine Cohane on Torres del Paine national park. And another great NYTimes article about the other parks in Chilean Patagonia. And another NYT article on roughing it a little more at Hosteria Pehoe.

This is just a fantastic roundup of all the higher end hotels in Patagonia, you really can see them all in nearly side by side.  I love Tablet so much.

Here is the official website of the Torres del Paine national park.

TORRES DEL PAINE National Park was included in this great article from Travel & Leisure on the 55 Most Beautiful Places in the World, check it out.

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