1. Trek the ‘W’ and ‘O’ multi-day circuits
These circuits attract trekking fans from all over the world and there are plenty of dedicated websites and blogs with opinions and tips on how to tackle them. You’ll also find standard itineraries for both of them in the following section of this guide. Therefore, I’ll just provide a brief overview of each circuit here.
The ‘W’ circuit
This is considered a medium-to-high difficulty circuit. It covers approximately 47 miles and takes between 4 to 5 days to complete. The route takes you through the most important landmarks of the park, forming the shape of a ‘W’ along the way.
You will visit Ascencio Valley, the base of the Towers, Lake Nordenskjöld, Los Cuernos sector, the Francés Valley, Paine Grande, and Grey Glacier.
Although the circuit can be hiked starting from the east or the west, it is usually done starting in the east. However, you will experience part of it from the west if you undertake the ‘O’ circuit.
The ‘O’ circuit
Also known as the Macizo Paine Circuit, this medium-to-high difficulty trail takes visitors on a counterclockwise circle around the Macizo Paine. It covers approximately 83 miles and takes 7 to 10 days to complete.
The route starts at Hotel Las Torres and encompasses landmarks in the northern part of the park, such as the Encantado Valley, Paine and Los Perros rivers, lakes Paine and Dickson, Dickson and Los Perros glaciers, and John Gardner Pass. This is the highest section of the circuit, at an altitude of nearly almost 4,000 ft, and offers a privileged view of the Southern Ice Field and impressive suspension bridges.
The trail then reaches Grey Glacier and the Playa Glaciar Grey lookout. At this point, it joins the W circuit, but does not include the trails into the Francés and Ascencio valleys.
The ‘O’ circuit can only be hiked in one direction (from east to west). This is one of the things most trekkers like about it, because it means that you don’t constantly run into people going the other way, like on the ‘W’ circuit. Don’t forget that the ‘O’ circuit is not open during the winter!
The John Gardner Pass is the most difficult section of the hike, so here are some tips for surviving and enjoying it like a pro:
Wear crampons if you he them. They will help a lot if you hit snow while going through the pass and coming down the slope.
Start the hike between 4:00 and 6:00 AM when it’s still dark, so that you can enjoy the view of the glaciers as the sun comes up.
This is especially important because there are cut-off times to access John Gardner Pass and a few other sections of the circuit. You are usually not allowed to enter the trail section to the pass after 9:00 a.m.
However, these times may be modified by the park administration depending on weather conditions. For instance, some trails will be closed if wind speed exceeds 50 mph, or if the presence of ice or snow do not allow good accessibility. For detailed information in English on the closure time for each trail section, check out the park’s official brochure.
2. Be an archaeologist for a day
While here, you’ll he plenty of opportunities to explore archaeological sites where some remarkable discoveries he been made, both within Torres del Paine National Park and in its surroundings.
The most prominent is the Mylodon Ce Natural Monument. This protected area is a worthwhile stop to learn about an extinct prehistoric giant sloth known as Mylodon. There are three trails that will take you to different attractions.
The Cueva Grande (Large Ce) interpretive trail takes 30 minutes to complete and leads from the administration to the foot of the main attraction, the Mylodon Ce.
The Mirador (Lookout) trail takes 45 minutes to complete and leads to the roof of the Mylodon Ce, where you’ll find a lookout with great views of the area and surrounding mountains.
The Cuevas y Aleros (Ces and Ees) trail takes between 3 to 4 hours to complete. It starts at a rock formation called the Devil's Seat and passes the Cueva Chica (Small Ce) and Cueva del Medio (Middle Ce), important sites where remains of extinct fauna and the first human inhabitants of Cerro Benítez he been found.
To learn more about these first inhabitants, I suggest taking the Patagón Half-Day Tour offered by Hotel Las Torres within the park. On the tour, you’ll take a van to Lago Sarmiento gate, from where you’ll walk nearly 6 miles along mainly flat terrain visiting sites where the Aónikenk native peoples left stunning rock paintings.
You will also see guanacos and other wildlife along the way.
3. Hike along the park’s shorter trails
If you’re not up for a multi-day trek, don’t despair! The park has several shorter and easier trails that will still take you to beautiful places. Each of the following out-and-back trails can be completed in under three hours.
Salto Grande – Mirador Los Cuernos: This low-difficulty trail along Lake Nordenskjöld runs for approximately 3 miles and takes roughly 2 hour to complete, round trip. It starts at the Pudeto pier and ends at the Los Cuernos lookout, from where you’ll he fantastic views of these mountains.
Camping Lago Pehoé – Mirador Cóndor: This low-difficulty trail from Lake Pehoé runs for approximately 2 miles and takes around 1.5 hours to complete, out and back. It starts at the Lake Pehoé campsite and goes up to the Cóndor lookout, which provides amazing views of the lake and dozens of aquatic birds. If you’re lucky, you can even spot a condor.
Puente Weber – Mirador Lago Toro: This easy to moderate trail from Lake Toro runs for approximately 2.5 miles and takes close to 1.5 hours to complete, round-trip. It starts just a few feet from the bridge Puente Weber and goes up to the Lago Toro lookout, from where you can see the place where the Paine River joins the lake.
Guardería Pingo – Pier: This low-difficulty trail along Lake Grey runs for approximately 3 miles and takes close to 2 hour to complete, round trip.
It starts at the Pingo Ranger Station, passes through lush lenga forests, crosses the bridge over the Pingo River, and continues to the lake shore, ending at the pier where you can board the ferry to sail to the glacier.
4. Organize your own wildlife safari
While in the park, you will he ample opportunity to observe and photograph wildlife. The lenga forests found on the eastern slopes of the Macizo Paine, as well as around lakes Pehoé and Grey, are home to Magellanic woodpeckers, southern parakeets, and other forest birds.
In contrast, the open landscapes of the pampas – grasslands – around Lake Pehoé and Lake Nordenskjöld are dominated by the area’s largest wildlife species. These are the guanaco (the wild relative of the llama), the puma (cougar), and the ñandú (rhea, a flightless bird similar to an ostrich).
Although all the park’s lakes are known for their abundance of aquatic birds, Lake Laguna Amarga and Lake Sarmiento stand out because during the summer they attract flocks of the Chilean flamingo, one of the three flamingo species found in the country.
Other species commonly seen swimming in these lakes are black-necked swans, ringed kingfishers, and Magellan geese. Lake Grey and its surroundings are also great places to spot pumas and, if you’re very lucky, a huemul (a native endangered deer).
5. Head out on sailing and kayaking expeditions
If you like sailing, you’ll be able to enjoy this activity in three places within the national park: Lake Pehoé, Lake Grey, and the Serrano River. These boat trips will allow you to experience the park from a totally different perspective.
The ferry crossing of Lake Pehoé is something that many people do as part of the ‘W’ and ‘O’ circuits, usually when leing the park. However, the nigation is in itself a worthwhile activity, and anyone can do it. The trip lasts 30 minutes and connects the Pudeto and Paine Grande sectors, with beautiful landscapes along the way. You can check schedules and rates on their website (it’s now called Catamaran Lago Pehoe).
Sailing and kayaking around Lake Grey are also fantastic experiences. Hotel Lago Grey operates a ferry that provides a 2-hour nigation from the southern shore of the lake to the massive wall of ice that is the Grey Glacier.
The only way to reach the ferry pier is to undertake the Guardería Pingo - Pier trail mentioned above, which takes nearly 1 hour to complete. You can check schedules and rates on here.
Additionally, Vertice Trel offers 2.5-hour kayaking excursions to the glacier, departing from the lake’s northeastern shore, next to Refugio Grey. You can find more information here.
Vertice Trel also organizes nigation tours down the Serrano River, heading southwest from Lake Grey. A 5-hour nigation to the Balmaceda and Serrano Glaciers will provide you with amazing views of Tyndall Glacier and Monte Balmaceda. You will also be able to walk through a lush native forest and he a traditional lunch at an estancia.
The excursion includes a visit to the neighboring and largely unexplored Bernardo O'Higgins National Park, the largest park in South America, covering more than 8.5 million acres. Full tour details can be found on their website.
6. Experience the baqueano way of life
Although the economic importance of livestock estancias has greatly diminished over the last century, the way of life of the Patagonian cowboys, or baqueanos, in these farms remains, with many people still making a living on sheep breeding and preparing the famous lamb barbecue on a stick (asado de cordero al palo). You can experience life as a baqueano both inside and outside the park.
Hotel Las Torres offers half-day tours to live the Baqueano cultural experience by spending a morning with Patagonian cowboys and cowgirls who are descendants of the people who came to work the ranches in this remote region over a century ago.
They will tell you about their special clothing, show you how to properly saddle a horse, and share a mate, an herbal tea made from yerba mate lees.
This is also a great opportunity to taste some Chilean delights, such as sopaipillas con pebre, a classic combination of fried pumpkin bread and fresh salsa.
With a population of approximately 400 people and located midway between the park and Puerto Natales, Villa Cerro Castillo is also a great place to experience the baqueano way of life and try some local foods.
The town celebrates a Chilean Fest each year at the end of January, which lasts three days and during which attendees can enjoy horseback riding, rodeo, folklore, typical foods, crafts, live music, and much more.
At Villa Cerro Castillo, you can he lamb barbecue on a stick and see how they cook it for hours over low heat. Or you can opt for a Patagonian steak, which consists of a sandwich made with delicious pieces of meat, four fried eggs, onion, and cheese, all contained in a crispy kneaded bread.
Another typical flor you should taste is rhubarb. This plant was introduced by English sailors in the early 20th century and has gained so much importance that locals even celebrate Rhubarb Day on January 28. I definitely recommend you try it in jams and ice cream.
If you feel confident of your horse-riding skills and want to explore the park like a baqueano, you’ll find several tour operators offering horseback riding tours to visit landmarks such as the foothill of the Towers, Los Cuernos, and Lake Nordenskjöld. This will undoubtedly be the trip of a lifetime!