3 very civilised days in Torres del Paine National Park

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
10
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
1
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
4
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
5
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
9
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
75 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
101st/454
Top 30%
continent
South America
country
Chile
Length of time
3-4 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$280 ($650-$850 in 2019 prices)
Time of year visited
January
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Glacial lakes Hiking Mountains
All Tags
Fabulous hotel Ferry Forests Glaciers Lakes Unusual hotel Wildlife - Flamingos Wildlife - Llamas/Alpacas/Guanacos/Vicunas
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Summary

To experience Torres del Paine, you have the classic choice of the famous “W” trek over 5 days, the even more ambitious “O” trek of 10 days, or for a bit more civilised (. . . easier!) tour.  We were a bit pressed for time, and maybe just a little lazy, so chose the tour and glad we did because we had just the most fantastic time

Your 3 days should include a hike up to the famous Base of the Towers, a night staying in the wonderful Hotel Lago Grey, a day checking out the Grey Glacier from the small ferry, staying at the Hosteria Pehoe (a hotel which, although quite low quality, must be in the running for world’s most stunning hotel setting), and a day for general wandering through the park with a guide.  The price also includes a night either side staying at the domes in Puerto Natales which are fun

The hiking was balanced out by relaxing in the hotels with their outstanding views.  Far more civilised than staying in tents!

Highlights
IMG_1738-aspect-ratio-900-675

#1 Seeing the stunning mountains of the Paine range that are the focal point of the Torres del Paine National Park

IMG_1710-e1579577958905-aspect-ratio-900-675

#2 Having a pisco sour looking out from Hotel Lago Grey over the mountains and the Grey Glacier after finishing a day of hiking - heaven!

IMG_1815-aspect-ratio-900-675

#3 Seeing the guanacos play king of the castles

IMG_1701-e1579578038846-aspect-ratio-900-675

#4 Bracing the wind to take the ferry up Lake Grey to see the Grey Glacier in its glory

IMG_1754-aspect-ratio-900-675

#5 Taking a walk through the central of the park to see the lakes and breathe it all in

IMG_1736-1-aspect-ratio-900-675

#6 Staying in two hotels, each with out of this world views

IMG_1713-aspect-ratio-900-675

#7 Taking a breather in one of the drives across the park and just taking it all in

IMG_1893-aspect-ratio-900-675

#8 If staying in Puerto Natales, staying in the domes was a fun experience

IMG_1647-e1579577994289-aspect-ratio-675-900

#9 Hiking up to the base of the famous Towers

  • Arrival day – arrive in Puerto Natales and stay in the domes
  • Day 1 – transfer into Torres del Paine National Park.  Trek to Base Torres (18km, ~8 hours, 35,000 steps) with your guide.  Spend the evening at Hotel Lago Grey
  • Day 2 – Grey glacier boat tour and transfer to Hosteria Pehoe to spend the day gawping at the views and the evening in the Hotel
  • Day 3 – full day light trekking through the park.  Transfer back to the domes in Puerto Natales
  • Departure Day

Travel Tips

  • Tour company – we didn’t really have time for the “W” hike, so relied more on a tour company to plan the days for us.  Highly recommend the Garden Domes for the accommodation and organising the days in the park.  Expensive but very much worth it
  • Hotel Lago Grey – you must toast your day of hiking up the the base of the Towers by having a drink in the stunning lounge of Hotel Lago Grey.  The view across the glacier, lake and mountains behind is magnificent
  • Hosteria Pehoe – nothing special as a hotel, but stunning views around from the centre of the park more than make up for it
  • The Base of the Towers – these are the famous sight of the National Park.  The hike to the base of the Towers is busy so be prepared for crowds and for an 8 hour / 18km / 35,000 steps round trip
  • Towers vs rest of the park – if pressed for time, I’d actually prioritise the glacier and the general view of the park ahead of the base of the Towers hike.  Yes they are stunning, but its a there-and-back hike and it really is busy
  • Guanacos – ask your driver / guide to keep an eye out for the guanacos.  There are heaps of them around and the locals are so used to them that they may not appreciate just how much you may appreciate them!
  • Just a thought (and one of the reasons this experience didn’t rate higher) – there looked to be many places on the way to Torres del Paine from both El Calafate and Puerto Natales that looked stunning, but without the fame and therefore tourists of Torres del Paine.  Maybe worth a bit of investigating to see if could have one of these world class experiences to yourself
  • Parrilla and mate tea – make sure you try to a local parrilla (grill) and get a local or guide to let you try some mate (tea).  But do make sure you ask them to tell you the right etiquette first!
  • Books
    • I couldn’t more highly recommend This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson, one of my favourite books.  This charts, in historical fiction-style, the true story of Captain Fitzoy’s journey to chart the Tierra del Fuego, meeting the native Fuegians and bringing the young Charles Darwin with him
    • In Patagonia.  Bruce Chatwin’s account of his journey through Patagonia to see the windswept landscapes, descendants of Welsh immigrants, forgotten legends and a feeling of adventure in seeing “the uttermost part of the earth”
Experiences nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

Similar amazing National Park experiences

A day walking through Yosemite National Park
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A trip to the end of the earth, 4 days in the Tierra del Fuego
⭐⭐⭐

Campervanning through Yellowstone National Park
⭐⭐⭐

Cycling and drinking craft beers around the Chico Circuit in Bariloche
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lake Como – the world’s most beautiful lake
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Fairytale views by Lake Bled
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hiking the 4 day / 3 night Inca Trail
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

3 days relaxing and diving by the beautiful Lake Atitlan
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hiking Zhangjiajie National Park
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Taking a boat trip through Milford Sound
⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Blue Mountains on a train from Sydney
⭐⭐⭐

The natural mountain amphitheater of Cirques de Gavarnie
⭐⭐

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *