Day hikes in Torres del Paine
Torres del Paine offers world class day hikes, offering you the chance to spend your days exploring the trails while sleeping in comfortable accommodation at night.
Discover MoreWhy go hiking in Torres del Paine
- Experience Patagonia’s most sublime landscapes hiking solo, on a private trek in a small group of up to eight people
- Follow the iconic W Trek along Torres del Paine’s most famous highlights, staying in refugios along the way or as a series of day hikes
- Complete the O Circuit (or Full Circuit), circling the quieter northern edge of the park, where experienced hikers can have stunning views almost to themselves
- Escape the busiest trails by exploring off the beaten track, deep into the national park's quieter corners.
- Mix and match day hikes from your accommodation in the park, trying more challenging routes one day and relaxing rambles to scenic viewpoints the next.
Hiking to Glacier Grey
French Valley hike
Lazo Webber hike
Group hike, Torres del Paine
Admire the views after a hike to the Glacier Grey Viewpoint
A stream crossing during the Circuit
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Hiking the Pingo Valley
Where can I trek in Torres del Paine?
What's special about hiking in Torres del Paine?
Torres del Paine is Patagonia’s most celebrated and popular hiking destination.
A host of extraordinary trails thread their way around the imposing granite Paine Massif at the heart of the park. The classic W Trek and O Circuit routes are Torres del Paine’s undoubted highlights, offering wildly towering peaks, sparkling glaciers and lakes, and thick native beech forests.
There are more opportunities for those wanting to hike further, to the edges of the park where Jurassic Park landscape opens out and you can see puma on the high slopes and ancient fossils in the dry valleys. Torres del Paine is surprisingly diverse, containing as much pampa as peaks – all of which is waiting to be explored on foot.
Views over the Paine Massif
Types of hiking in Torres del Paine
The W Trek
The W Trek is Torres del Paine's iconic and most popular trek and is named for its W-shaped pattern on the map, visiting three different valleys.
- The Ascensio Valley offers you the best views of the mile high granite towers (Torres) that give the National Park its name.
- The French Valley leads you past hanging glaciers and an amphitheatre of pinnacles and peaks.
- The Grey Valley, dominated by views of Lago Grey and the Grey Glacier.
Mountain huts called refugios allow you to complete the trek in four or five days. The W Trek is perfect of those on their first multi-day trek and those who want to see the park's highlights in a limited amount of time or budget.
The O Circuit trek
For more experienced trekkers, walking the O Circuit (also called the Full Circuit) around the Paine range ensures you'll see Torres del Paine's the classic highlights, but also visit the stunning northern part of the park where fewer visitors venture. Typically it's tackled anti-clockwise, allowing you to take in the awe-inspiring view of the Grey Glacier and Southern Patagonian Ice Field reaching out to the horizon.
The 65-80 mile (105-130 km) circuit trek takes between seven and nine days. You will need to camp at least 2 nights, but the sheer beauty of the views from the campsites are enough to win over even the most passionate of indoor sleepers.
Nicolas says
As a guide, always enjoyed hiking the W Trek, but what I really adored about Torres del Paine was its diversity of landscapes to surprise you, with fresh trails always waiting to be discovered and beautiful unexpected views over the next ridge.
Nicolas Sorhaburu Patagonia Sales Consultant
Off the beaten track trekking
For adventurous souls who want to avoid the crowds and discover some of the hidden treasures of the park, our remote hikes ensure you'll be exploring where few feet fall. While there are many secluded campsites and estancias to base yourself at, getting off-the-beaten-track doesn't mean having to rough it. Many of the luxury lodges include trips into these more remote corners.
Dramatic but little-visited trails in Torres del Paine
Day hikes
If you want to see all the highlights of the park but not compromise on accommodation, Torres del Paine's luxury lodges, hotels and eco-friendly glamping sites offer some breathtaking spaces to return to after a long day's hiking.
Each day you travel to the trailhead by vehicle with your guide to start the hike – whether you're tackling the W Trek as a series of day hikes or heading deep into to less explored regions. Not only will you be guaranteed a hot shower and an excellent meal at the end of each day, but you can also pick the hikes and excursions the night before, using the experience of your guides to get the most out of every day.
In front of Los Cuernos
Swoop says
The famous viewpoints at the base of the Towers and Glacier Grey are deservedly popular, but try to make time to see some of Torres del Paine's less famous attractions: it's a park that looks stunning from every angle.
Multi-activity adventures in Torres del Paine
Torres del Paine is about more than just hiking. On top of hitting the trail, there are plenty of other ways to explore the park.
If you've enjoyed the views of Glacier Grey on the W Trek or O Circuit, why not paddle on its iceberg strewn lake in a kayak? Or get close to pumas tracking them with a naturalist guide? You can mountain bike on remote trails or saddle up your horse and get a taste of gaucho culture riding between estancias on the wide open pampa.
From fly-fishing for salmon to fossil hunting for ancient sharks, the possibilities are almost boundless – and are easily combined into the perfect multi-activity trip.
Kayaking at Serrano Glacier
What our travellers think of hiking in Torres del Paine
Hiking in Torres del Paine trips scored 4.3/5 from 216 reviews
I'm not sure I could have booked all this without you guys; it was a wonderful trip – challenging, adventurous and fun! Each of my three treks was quite different, but all with interesting and well informed guides and outstanding landscapes.
Travelled: February 2016
Louise -
Review:
Explore more hikes in Torres del Paine
The W Trek in Torres Del Paine
The W Trek is Torres del Paine most famous hiking route, which can be walked in a variety of ways, from a multi-day trek to a series of day hikes.
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The O Circuit Trek
The O Circuit is a great trek for experienced hikers, spending over a week to explore both Torres del Paine’s most popular sights and its quieter trails.
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Off the beaten track in Torres del Paine
Torres del Paine's offers great scope for hiking off the beaten track, with quiet trails through little visited valleys, pristine forests and dramatic mountain vistas.
Discover MoreWhy Swoop
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Do you want to hike the iconic treks in both Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares National Park?
Look no further than our Fitz Roy and Paine Hiking Tour...