Torres

The World Class National Park in the Chilean Patagonia.

Torres del Paine at a glance

Please, help me to build this site with useful information. If you have some tips, or good hints, please let me know! The Idea is support to others with your knowledge and experince.
rodrigo_au@hotmail.com

How to get there?
You can take a bus from Santiago to Puerto Montt (more than 12 hours) and then aboard a ship (Navimag, see www.australis.com) to Puerto Natales (4 days-3 nights. It runs from Pto. Montt every monday of the year and returns from Pto. Natales each thursday). This choice could be a little consuming-time. You arrive to Puerto Natales at midday, but you leave the boat after it is unloaded !!! I mean 1 or 2 hours later!). Remember it is basicaly a cargo ship. "Economy Class" is a large room for about 25 people with bunk accommodation. It's really down in the boat and you have to smell and noise of the engine. "Cabins" are for 3 passengers, shared bathrooms.

A shorter way to do this is by air (www.lanchile.cl). Takes off from Santiago to gets Punta Arenas in 3 hours (for US$300), after that, take a bus from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales (2 hours, US$5)

Going to/back Torres del Paine
From Puerto Natales, every moornings (about 7:00) departs buses (Buses JB) to Las Torres del Paine.
in a trip of 3 hours. You can get off the bus in 3 places, inside the Park:

1) Laguna Amarga (about 10:00)
2) Refugio Pudeto
3) and Administracion

When you go back to P.Natales the bus-stops are the same:

1) Laguna Amarga (16:00)
2) Refugio Pudeto ( )
3) and Administracion ( )

What to bring?
You will need a tent & food, unless you want pay for a Refugio (US$15 per night) and meals (up to US$10 a plate or up to US$2 for a Coke). You must to bring a good hiking-boots!. Regarding to the clothes, be prepared for all 4-seasons in a day!. Don't forget your camera!. The trails are well maintained, so actually you don�t
need a map. But it is nice to have one, so at least you know where you are and the name of the mountains. In Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales you will find a lot.

2-3 days in the Park
If you don�t have too much time to spend out (2 or 3 days), I would recommend you to do some of these:

1.-Glaciar Grey.
You can take a bus from Puerto Natales to Refugio Pudeo
(3 hours), (at the east end of Lago Pehoe, inside the Park).
From there you can take a boat to Refugio Pehoe (1 hour)
(at the west end of Lago Pehoe). Trek for 3,5 hours as far as Refugio Grey (Next to Lago & Glaciar Grey).
You can stay over night at Refugio Grey.
Another way to reach Refugio Grey is trekking for 5 hours from Administracion CONAF.
A hardless choice to see Glaciar Grey is take a 3-hours boat tour from Hosteria Lago Grey (at the south end of Lago Grey). It runs twice daily. Get information in Puerto Natales.

2.-Torres del Paine Lookout
The most famous trek in the Park

3.-Lago Nordenskjld Lookout & Salto Grande

4.-Lago Verde

Lodging
Hotels are very expensive taking into account the service they give. Even though you must make reservations.

You have Hoster�a las Torres (strategic place), Hoster�a R�o Serrano (bad),
Hoster�a Pehoe (nice), Hotel Explora (super expensive) and Hoster�a Lago Grey.

I would strongly recommend you to sleep in a tent and carry all you will need. The Camping site cost about US$7 and give you right to use bathrooms and kitchen.

if you don't want to carry on a tent there are Refugios (US$15) (Refugio Grey, Refugio Pehoe, Refugio Dickson)

4-5 days in the Park
If you have additionally 2 or 3 days to spend out, try to do, Valle Frances trail (wonderful view of Cuernos del Paine) or Rio Ascencio trail.

The Climate
The weather is unpredictable and crazy.
You can have in the same day: sun, clouds, wind, rain, snow, and sun again ! For this, consider and extra day in your treking!

January: max 23�C/min 1�C.
July: max 3�C/min -5�C

"The Circuit"
Are you in shape and like trekking?: try to do "El Circuito"
(a 6-days, at least, trekking around Macizo del Paine).

In Punta Arenas, do the Fuerte Bulnes tour (at the moorning, from 10:00 to 14:00)
and The Pinguineras tour to Seno Otway (at the afternoon, from 16:00 to 20:00). Isla Magdalena has more penguins but takes much more time.

Puerto Natales is the last town before Las Torres, so the last point where you can buy your food. It�s where most of the transport and trekking companies are. See La Cueva del Milodon (a cavern , 30 min from Puerto Natales)

Some links: www.bigfootpatagonia.com,