Torres del Paine is the main attraction of the park with the same name located in the Chilean Patagonia. The starting point for the park is Puerto Natales. Buses depart from the town every morning. The first bus leaves at 7:00 AM and arrives at Laguna Amarga after 2 hours. Entrance fee is very expensive to the park. In 2020, there were two options available:
- 25,000 CLP (approx. 35 USD) – ticket for 1 to 3 days.
- 35,000 CLP (approx. 50 USD) for more than 3 days.
I paid for 1-3 days entrance fee and took shuttle bus to Refugio Torre Central, where I booked a night a few months before. Theoretically you can not enter the park without confirmed accommodation booking. There are a few options of accommodation:
- campsite ($20)
- simple bed in hostel ($90)!!!!
- free camping, it is almost impossible to book the accommodation.
In fact you don’t need to book accommodation. Rangers usually ask about your plans and accommodation for the first night. One day trekking and accommodation in Puerto Natales is also an acceptable option. Anyway, booking in advance and spot price in hostel are the same. I checked in the refugio and started trek to Torres del Paine view point at 11 am.
The trekking was not easy. The most difficult part of the trail is at the end. The trail climbs up very steeply. The views are great on the way and at the view point. It was all day trekking (9 hours).
I came back to the hostel in the evening, where I had pizza for CLP 14,000 (USD 20) with tea bags for 2500 CLP (USD 3).
I planned to go from Laguna Amarga to Dock Guardería Pudeto by bus and to Paine Grande by ferry following day. Paine Grande was supposed to be starting point for treks to Glaciar Gray and Valle del Frances. Unfortunately the park was closed due to coronavirus lock-down the following day. All hikers were forced to leave the park and went back to Puerto Natales. The Argentinian border was closed too and I couldn’t visit Perito Moreno and trek to Fitz Roy view point. In fact it was the end of my journey. It took me one week to go home. It was very stressful because many flights were canceled or postponed. To sum up travel to Patagonia / Chile was the worst travel in my life.
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