Safari to Torres del Paine

jaw-dropping vistas and fascinating ecosystems

Set in the far south of Chile (in a greater area sometimes referred to as Patagonia), Torres del Paine is a national park which is renowned for its incredible scenery, dramatic mountain peaks and impressive glaciers.

This substantial national park represents only a small portion of a network of reserves that comprises an impressive 67,287 square kilometres (about the same size as Ireland or West Virginia).

For what it’s worth, the area was voted the fifth most beautiful place on earth by National Geographic and is often cited as being amongst the eight natural wonders of the world.

The primary activity in the reserve is simply observing the amazing scenery, by vehicle, motorboat, on horseback and on foot. There’s an extensive network of trails, which range from relatively easy day hikes, all the way up to epic 12 night trekking circuits.

For us the single most interesting activity is tracking the wild pumas of the area, a number of which have been habituated to human presence and can be approached with relative ease. This surely represents one of the most significant big cat experiences in the world.

The area is most commonly combined with nights in any or all of Los Glaciares (across the border in Argentina), Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas, sometimes including short cruises around the Cape or even down to Antarctica.

Although many people just pop down here for a few nights in a wider trip around Chile, it’s very easy to spend 10-14 nights in Patagonia alone, if you really want to explore the place in more depth.

Seasonality

The best time of year to visit is generally considered to be over the Oct-Mar southern summer period, although we also appreciate the quieter and colder winter months, especially for the pumas.

Getting there

Torres del Paine is usually accessed by air from Santiago to Punta Arenas, the most southerly city in Chile, which is around 250 km further south. From there it’s a road transfer of around 4-5 hours up to the reserve, mostly on good sealed roads.

There are sometimes also occasional flights from Santiago to Puerto Natales, which lies just 50 km to the south and from where it is a road transfer of just 90 minutes into the reserve.

The reserve is also often accessed by road from the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, which lies immediately to the north, across the border in Argentina, which is in turn accessed by air from Buenos Aires or Bariloche into El Calafate.

Where to stay

Deciding where to stay in Torres del Paine can be a little bit complicated, it very much depends on your budget and the kind of activities in which you are interested.

If you fancy doing some serious puma tracking, then you will most likely need to stay at the very simple Refugio Laguna Amarga, usually for 2-3 nights. If you also want to explore the park, maybe do some hiking, horse-riding and a boat trip, then you will need to add a further 2-3 nights at one of the lodges further west, such as Explora Patagonia or Patagonia Camp. In a very high end trip you might simply deploy 4-6 nights at Awasi Patagonia and do the puma tracking at Laguna Amarga from there.

If you’re not interested in doing the serious puma tracking and are looking for a high quality trip, then we would usually recommend combining two lodges, one on either side of the reserve, with the best options in the west being Explora Patagonia or Patagonia Camp and in the east being Awasi Patagonia or Tierra Patagonia. For shorter stays of only 3-5 nights in the area it is possible (although not always ideal) to pick just one of these lodges and travel out from there to the various parts of the reserve.

If you’re looking for mid-range level of accommodation, then Hotel Lago Grey and Hotel Las Torres are both large and relatively reliable options which can be combined together, whilst EcoCamp Patagonia is a simpler and more intimate option.

a very wide range of outdoor activities