Torres del Paine

You can access to this beautiful Chilean National Park through El Calafate. This excursion lasts at least one full day or it may take you to stay several days in Chile.

The distance between El Calafate and Torres del Paine is 210 km. The trip takes around three hours, on the way there or on the return trip, but you have to add extra time to present the pertinent documents in customs duty.

If you are planning to make the trip in a day, leave early in the morning from El Calafate because you will need that time to catch a glimpse the paths, lakes and mountains of the Torres del Paine Park. If you are to stay in the place, we recommend you to book in advance. The availability of the accommodations is limited, specially during summer (December to March) because there is great demand.

The trip starts early in the morning, in El Calafate, from where part of the Patagonic steppe is covered, from North to South, up to the Cancha Carrera border passage, consisting of a two-and-a-half-hour trip. There you will go through customs so as to access Chile. This place on the Chilean side is called Cerro Castillo. Take under consideration that if you go on your own vehicle, you will need all the documents of same. Make sure that you have all the necessary documents, yours and of the people accompanying you, before you begin the trip. We recommend visiting the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: http://www.mrecic.gov.ar/. The requirements for accessing with a rented vehicle are very strict, ask for said information when renting the vehicle.

At this point, you will start travelling the beautiful Chilean South, in between lakes and woods, up to the entrance of the Torres del Paine National Park. Paine means “blue” in “Tehuelche” language, the predominant color in the area, which tinges the lakes, the woods, and even the rocks. From here on, there is a combination of walks and truck rides, depending on the physical conditions of the passengers or how they feel like walking.

The places to be visited are, among others:

Lake Sarmiento de Gamboa lookout
Laguna Azul – Panoramic view of the Torres, with an optional trekking tour to Sierra Masle, lasts an hour and a half.
Saltos del Río Paine; you can choose to descend to the river, which takes about 30 minutes.
Cerro Almirante Nieto/Cuernos del Paine from the Superior lookout.
Laguna Amarga access, with an optional trekking along the Fauna Path up to Sarmiento access, which takes about an hour and a half.
Lake Nordenskjold lookout
Salto Grande lookout.
Los Cuernos del Paine lookout, after a two-hour trekking form the Lake Nordenskjold lookout.
Lake Pehoe, with an optional trekking to the Condor Lagoon and the Superior lookout of the Paine Massif.
Center of interpretation of the National Park, where the geological phenomenon of the formation of the massif is explained, as well as the characteristics of the flora and fauna and the glaciation. Lago Toro Lookout.

You may also continue to the Grey Lake and the glacier of the same name.
If you decide to return to El Calafate on the same day, bear in mind that it is advisable to depart at about 8 pm, in order to get to the destination at about midnight.