Torres del Paine
Granite towers, wind-scoured valleys, and glaciers calving into milky lakes. Walk the famous W trek past the Base of the Towers and Grey Glacier, with guanacos and condors for company. Cold comes from the wind here, not the calendar.
Weather
Spring averages 5–12°C, summer 10–20°C, autumn 5–12°C, and winter 0–8°C in Torres del Paine. Patagonian wind drives the cold more than the thermometer on this trek. Gusts above 100 km/h are possible in exposed valleys. Layer windproof shells over insulation even on mild-looking days.
Activities
Hike the W trek to the Base of the Towers, French Valley lookout, and Grey Glacier viewpoint. Refugio nights break up multi-day stages; guanacos and condors are common on the trail. Boat trips on Lago Grey bring you close to the glacier face.
Culture
Puerto Natales is the gateway town — a practical base of outdoor shops, pizzerias, and trekkers swapping route notes. Park rules are strict: stick to marked trails and book refugios ahead. Chilean Spanish is the norm; English works in tourism services.
Natural history
The park's granite towers rise from uplifted batholiths sculpted by glacial ice. Grey Glacier calves into a milky lake fed by rock flour. Guanacos, foxes, and nandu (rhea) inhabit the steppe; Andean condors ride the updrafts above the valleys.
Local food
Puerto Natales does excellent lamb asado and king crab when in season. Trail meals are self-catered or refugio set menus — hearty stews and pasta. Celebrate finishing with a Chilean malbec and empanadas de pino in town.
Fun fact
The park's three granite towers (Torres del Paine) give the park its name — they turn fiery orange at sunrise when the sky is clear, one of Patagonia's most photographed moments.
- Fly into: Punta Arenas (PUQ)
- Day 1: Transfer into the national park
- Day 2: Base of the Towers day hike
- Day 3: French Valley lookout
- Day 4: Grey Glacier + ice viewpoint
- Day 5–7: Refugio treks, return to town
- Est. total: ~$3,400