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Torres del Paine National Park is one of the highlights of South America. Visiting it is on a bucket list of many hikers. There are spectacular day hikes and multi-day trekking routes. When planning a visit many people try to find the best way of getting there. You can get to the park from different places in Chile and Argentina, including the capital cities.
Puerto Natales is the nearest town and a gateway to Torres del Paine. Wherever you come from the last will be the same – a bus from Puerto Natales to the park.
Torres del Paine is one of the best National Parks in Patagonia for hiking and camping.
Where is Torres del Paine National Park?
The famous National Park is in Chilean Patagonia, in the extreme south of South America, 2500 km/1550 mi south of Santiago de Chile. Backpacking in Torres del Paine is an incredible experience. The nearest town Puerto Natales is 75 km away. The closest to the park airports are:
Puerto Natales (PNT) – 67 km/41 mi away from the park
El Calafate (FTE) – 240 km/150 mi away
Punta Arenas (PUQ) – 300 km/186 mi away
If you’re deciding on when to visit the park our post on the best time to visit Torres del Paine might be helpful.
If you’re planning to visit many places in Patagonia it might be worth to rent a car. Find the best car rental deals in Puerto Natales.
How to get to Torres del Paine from Puerto Natales?
Puerto Natales is the nearest town. From there you can get a direct bus to the park. The bus leaves several times a day from the bus terminal. It stops at five places (in the following order: Laguna Amarga, Pudeto, camping Pehoe, Administration, and Hotel Lago Grey) from where you can access different parts of the park.
The primary company that operates buses between Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine is BusSur. There are two daily buses at 7 am and 12 pm. The journey takes between 2 and 4,5 hours depending on where in the park you get off the bus. The price is CLP 12000/US$14 one way (CLP 20000/US$23 to Hotel Lago Grey). Remember to purchase your entrance tickets to the park beforehand.
Note that during the peak season, there are usually more buses from Puerto Natales.
How to get to Hotel Las Torres?
Hotel Las Torres is the start of the O circuit and one of the starting points of the W trek.
Step 1. Get off the bus at the Laguna Amarga entrance. The hotel is 7 km away.
Step 2. You can walk there or take a bus. It’s a 10-minute ride, the price is CLP 5000/US$6. Departure times are linked to the arrival times of the bus from Puerto Natales.
How to get to Paine Grande?
Step 1. Get off the bus at the Pudeto stop.
Step 2. Take a ferry from Pudeto to Paine Grande. The ferry ride is 40 minutes. The price is US$30 per person one way. You can buy tickets and confirm the current timetable on the Hip Sur website
Ferries from Pudeto to Paine Grande
How to get to Grey campsite?
Step 1. Get off the bus at Hotel Lago Grey (the last stop).
Step 2. Take a boat from Hotel Lago Grey to Grey Glacier and get off at the Grey campsite. The trip is 1h30min. and includes navigation to Grey Glacier. The boat trip is quite pricey US$100 per person. You can find departure times and book your trip online. Remember that the pier is a 30-minute walk from Hotel Lago Grey and walking is the only way of getting there.
Where to get off the bus in Torres del Paine?
The bus from Puerto Natales makes 5 stops in the park. Where to get off depends on which hiking route you’re going to walk or where you’re going to stay.
Laguna Amarga stop
The O circuit. It starts at Central Campsite/Hotel las Torres which is 7 km away. You can get there by bus for CP 5000/US$6 or by walking.
The W trek. It’s one of the starting points of the W trek to walk it east to west.
Some day hikes in Torres del Paine: Mirador Las Torres and Lago Nordenskjold trails.
Hotel Las Torres
Central Campsite
Central Mountain Hostel
Norte Mountain Hostel
Pudeto stop
The W trek. From Pudeto you can take a ferry to Paine Grande from where you start the W trek if you’re planning to walk it west to east.
Mirador Cuernos day hike
Patamaran to Paine Grande
Paine Grande campsite and hotel
Mirador Pehoé day hike (Paine Grande)
Lago Skottsberg day hike (Paine Grande)
Mirador Grey day hike (Paine Grande)
Pehoé camping stop
Mirador Cóndor day hike
Pehoé campsite
Pehoé Hotel (800 m from the bus stop)
Hotel Salto Chico (900 m from the bus stop)
Administration stop
Hotell Grey stop
The W trek. From Hotel Grey, you can take a ferry to Grey campsite and start walking the W trek from there. This way you don’t have to walk from Paine Grande to Grey campsite and back.
Hotel Lago Grey
Lago Grey day hike
Mirador Zapata day hike
Mirador Ferrier day hike
Getting back to Puerto Natales
To get back to Puerto Natales from Torres del Paine you can get a direct bus. Buses make the same stop on the way back as on the way to. The journey is between 2 and 4 hours. The price is CLP 12000/US$14 one way (CLP 20000/US$23 from Hotel Lago Grey to Puerto Natales). You can purchase your tickets and confirm departure times online.
Getting to Torres del Paine from Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas is a town 240 km south of the National Park. There are no direct buses from Punta Arenas.
Step 1A. Get from Punta Arenas bus station to Puerto Natales.
There are several daily buses from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales. The journey is 3 hours 15 minutes. The price is CLP 10000/US$12. You can buy tickets and check the current timetable online on the BusSur website.
Step 1B. Get from Punta Arenas airport to Puerto Natales.
If you flying to Punta Arenas and not planning to stay in the town you can get a direct bus from the airport to Puerto Natales. There are several daily departures. The journey takes 3 hours. The price is CLP 9800/US$11. You can buy tickets and confirm departure times on the Buses Fernandes website.
Step 2. Take a bus from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine.
You can find detailed information on getting from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine in the section above.
How to get to Torres del Paine from Santiago?
The Chilean capital is 2700 km north of Torres del Paine. The easiest way is to fly from Santiago to Puerto Natales and from there take a bus to Torres del Paine.
Step 1. Fly from Santiago to Puerto Natales.
The new airport is 5 km outside the town. There are 3 companies that offer direct flights from Santiago to Puerto Natales: SKY, LATAM, and JetSmart. The flight duration is 3 hours. Prices vary greatly between US$45 and US$250 depending on the day and the airline.
There are direct flights to Puerto Natales from Puerto Montt.
Step 2. Get from the airport to Puerto Natales.
To get to Torres del Paine from Puerto Natales Airport, you have two options; take a private shuttle directly to the park or get a taxi to Puerto Natales. Taxis are not expensive – US$5 and US$7. There are no direct buses from the airport to the park.
Step 3. Get from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine.
You can find detailed information on getting to the park from Puerto Natales in the section above.
Getting to Torres del Paine from El Calafate (Argentina)
El Calafate is 250 km northeast of Torres del Paine. It is another not-to-miss place in Patagonia. The famous Perito Moreno Glacier is situated just outside the town. In order to get to Torres del Paine you have to take a bus from El Calafate to Puerto Natales and then another bus to the park.
Step 1. Get from El Calafate to Puerto Natales.
There are direct buses from El Calafate to Puerto Natales. It takes 5-6 hours. Keep in mind that during the journey you cross the border between Argentina and Chile. The price is CLP 28 000/US$32 per person. You can purchase your ticket and confirm departure times and days on the BusSur website.
Step 2. Get from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine.
There is detailed information in the section above.
From El Chalten (Argentina) to Torres del Paine National Park
El Chalten is another hiking destination in Patagonia. It’s a small town in Argentina, 400 km north of Torres del Paine. To get there you have to get to El Calafate first, then take a bus to Puerto Natales, and then another bus to the park. It’s basically impossible to make it all the way to the park in one day using public transport. You’ll have to stay overnight in Puerto Natales.
Step 1. Get a bus from El Chalten to El Calafate.
There are several daily direct buses from El Chalten to El Calafate. The journey takes 3 hours. The price is US$20 per person. You can purchase your ticket and check the up-to-date timetable on the Chalten Travel website.
There are direct buses that connect El Calafate airport with El Chalten.
Step 2. Get from El Calafate to Puerto Natales.
Take a bus from El Calafate to Puerto Natales. A direct bus route connects two towns. The journey involves crossing the border between Chile and Argentina. It takes 5-6 hours. The price is CLP 28 000/US$32.
Step 3. Take a bus from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine.
You can find a detailed description of how to get to the park from Puerto Natales in the section above.
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The pretty half of Stingy Nomads, responsible for all our land adventures (hiking, climbing, walking the Camino) and following them write-ups. Alya loves walking since she was a child, she prefers to walk 1000 km with a backpack rather than to do a 10 000 km road trip (actually any road trip). Alya is a big fan of Latin America, the Spanish language, and dancing. Every time we go away she desperately misses our dog Chile.
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