Part 1 ended before we took on the walk which is THE star attraction of the Torres del Paine. So far we’d had a day of bad weather followed by superb sunshine, but did the weather hold? I also promised some impressions of TdP which are also included. Enjoy.
Mirador Base Torres
Today we walked to the lake which has the iconic view of the Torres del Paine. This is THE walk which everyone visiting the National Park will attempt. Many complete it as the crowning achievement of their W or O loop, and many more come on a tour bus to do the hike in a day. We had heard it was more of a motorway than a relaxing hike, although 23km and 1,000m elevation gain should put off quite a few.
We fall into the day hiker category, but we had an advantage that we slept in the car park at the welcome centre, which meant we could set off at first light. The tour buses arrive at 7am, but by that time we were well on our way. We were climbing the first slopes before sunlight hit the top of the huge towers.
By 8:30 we had made it to refuge chileno, and so far hadn’t seen a single soul. It’s the halfway point of the climb, and also has some expenny tented accommodation for those wanting to be at the mirador for sunrise. To be fair, this morning the campers would have seen an incredible display, the sky was completely clear and the sunrise briefly turned the granite towers bright red.
As we left chileno the sunrise hikers started trickling down in the opposite direction. The atmosphere was a little more convivial than in the French valley two days earlier. At least our ¡hola!s and ¡buenas!s went mostly answered. The walk through the cool forest after chileno is a delight, the mountain streams provide the soundtrack, and the going is a smooth footpath and gradual climb.
We reached the mirador after 3.5 hours, well inside the 4.5 hours suggested on the park map. The view is worth the walk, there’s a small glacial lake below the three colossal towers reaching another 1,500m above us. Given our start time we were at the viewpoint at about the quietest time of the day. The sunrise hikers had mostly left, and we must have been among the first to have made it up from the central camp at the foot of the climb. We stayed an hour and a half, enjoying the view, and the people watching. A couple of condors also flew overhead.
We began our descent as it started to get busier, and wow was it busy! Surely a thousand or more people had begun to reach the upper slopes of the climb. Several coach loads certainly. We had to wait many many times to let large groups past on the single file trail, almost always without a glance, nod, or simple gracias. The further into our descent we got, the less mobile the traffic coming the other way.
Being critical, walking here isn’t the same as in the UK. There’s no route choice, and no way to avoid the crowds. Just a single trail up and down the mountain, and it doesn’t even go all the way up it!
8.5 hours after we began, we were back at the welcome centre. We picked up a couple of cold drinks and a coaster and headed off to Laguna Azul.
Kau Laguna Azul is the first and only camping spot we paid for in TdP and at 30k CLP it wasn’t the cheapest. The view towards the Torres from the motorhome parking area more than made up for the price.
We cooked our dinner inside the common area, and attempted to fix a British couple’s stranded car on top of the hill, before enjoying the sunset over the lake.
Laguna Cebolla
Sunrise at Laguna Azul is the most stunning scene. The first light catches the tops of the Torres whilst the rest of the landscape is in darkness. We were lucky enough to have our van parked in the perfect location, in fact we could even see the view out of the door (good planning Mike 👍🏼).
We had breakfast enjoying the view beige setting off on a shorter 19km walk to Laguna cebolla.
This walk was entirely different from the others we’d been on in the national park. From start to finish we didn’t see a single other person. We walked along Laguna Azul with unparalleled views of the main towers. Then we walked through patches of lenga woodland with more bird life than we’d seen in any place in Chile. Sadly though no red-headed woodpecker to be seen.
It was a great end to a few days of incredible weather in the Torres del Paine. In no way do we feel like we missed out on the W or O trek, and in fact we feel sorry for the people who miss out on some the other less visited parts of the park. The most popular areas were most crowded, and we found them far from the best. The best views we had were actually away from the main massif and looking towards it. Mirador Britanico and Base Torres are great day hikes, but Mirador Condor and Laguna Azul were well worth the visit too.
Late in the afternoon we crossed back over to Argentina. We were greeted at the borderline by an overturned pickup truck. The road abruptly changed from perfect Chilean tarmac to deeply rutted Argentinian ripio, and clearly someone had hit it at 100kmh. We pressed on towards El Calafate, and as it got fully dark the full-beam headlights on our camper began to fail (plunging us into darkness abruptly). Fortunately dipped headlights still worked, so we limped slowly into Calafate at around 11pm and spent another night outside a trusty YPF.
Impressions of the Torres del Paine
Having spent five nights in Chile’s premier national park we have collated a few impressions and observations.
1. It’s as spectacular as the pictures sell it to be.
In fact you’ll struggle to fit all the view into one photo, you can’t take it with you, so it’s best to enjoy it in the moment.
2. Don’t underestimate the wind.
When it comes it’s strong and it’s cold. Some areas of the park are more sheltered than others, but you’re only a few minutes away from the icy howling gales.
3. It’s empty yet busy at the same time
Hordes of people crowd to the W trek, the mirador base Torres path is probably the busiest I’ve ever walked, and yet in other areas of the park you can hike in spectacular silence – such as Mirador Condor, Mirador Ferrier, or Laguna Cebolla, which has incredible views of the mountains of the two infamous walks. We think there’s too much focus on the W and O treks (we can’t comment on the back of the O trek, but half of it is the W trek).
4. The hiking culture is dreadful
Nobody gives way, most will not greet you, and large groups will hog the path talking loudly at one-another. Americans appear to be the main culprit, and their attitudes are responsible for the deterioration of the atmosphere on the trails. The locals have noticed it, the tour guides certainly have, and everyone we befriended remarked negatively on it. If it weren’t so damn spectacular I’d avoid.
The number of footpaths is surprisingly limited, it’s certainly not like hiking in Europe where route selection is part of the fun. Most day hikes are simple out and back trails along a single footpath which can get very busy at times. It would be nice if visitors were allowed the agency to choose a route, even if there were just a few more footpaths, but I suppose you can’t trust Americans not to mess it up.
5. Confusing facilities
The park is a massive revenue generator for Chile and it’s weird that they don’t have official campsites in the park. There’s a lot of people there in motorhomes. It would be way better if they charged a flat fee per night and provided facilities, such as camping areas with undercover kitchen areas (as they warn about forest fires continually), toilets, showers, etc. Camping Villa Serrano (77k per night) was hilariously expensive and outside the park, Kau Azul (30k per campervan) was beautiful, but barely used as people could camp for free elsewhere and Laguna Azul, whilst beautiful, is inconveniently located for the star attractions. Camping Pudeto at 12k pppn has a great location, but was in an extremely windy part of the park. Plus the free camping 15 minutes down the road at the Administrative Centre made it hard to part with the cash. We had a shower there for 4k pp.
In summary – where could you camp in the park (but off the main walking circuit) in Feb 2024?
Officially:
– Lago Grey
– Administrative Centre
Unofficially:
– Welcome Centre Torres Central
Paid for campsites:
– KAU Azul
– Pudeto
The campsites and lodgings in the hiking sector are overcrowded and overpriced, even during shoulder season. It’s the price you have to pay if you want to tick off the W or O trek, but we believe you can experience the national park in a better and cheaper way.
6. There are a lot of staff.
Too many sometimes. They’re nice but not forthcoming or overly helpful. And when you ask a question they often do not know the answer. If they don’t know, who does?! This was a feeling that was certainly shared amongst other travellers. Except Victor Valdez (actual babe) at the Administrative centre.
7. There’s not an awful lot of wildlife.
We weren’t expecting the Serengeti, but there were very few birds and about five different types at that. We hoped to spot a red-headed Magellanic woodpecker, and didn’t really expect to spot a Huemul or a Puma, but it is fairly devoid of life out there.
Summary
Maybe it comes across a bit too negative. The Torres del Paine is a true bucket list destination and an incredible place to visit. The mountain scenery is stunning and it’s hard to compare it to Europe or elsewhere.
There are many aspects of the park administration which could be done much better, but many of the visitors don’t help themselves by showing very little respect for the nature and for other people.
You cannot miss this place for the 10/10 scenery, but if you want to have a nice relaxing time enjoying hiking and nature, maybe elsewhere is better.
Small Holiday Big Dream 
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