Torres del Paine Pictures
Chile

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Torres del Paine on an unusually clear day.

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As one of the finest national parks in South America and UNESCO's Biosphere Reserve, the Torres del Paine National Park is a must for its magnificent scenery.
It has 15 peaks over 2,000 m high, the highest being Cerro Paine Grande at 3,050 m. The massive granite peaks of Torres [towers] and Cuernos [horns] del Paine [blue] change shape from every bend of the park and even on a cloudy day the peaks are imposing and beautifully indigo. And at the foot of the peaks there are turquoise lakes, glaciers and icebergs.

The park's star attraction is 250 km of superb hiking trails including the world famous 'W' 4-day trek and the more challenging El Circuito [the Circuit] 6-day trek - a very steep hike.
Walking the W without camping gear is possible as shelters are available on the route, but El Circuito requires full camping kit as some sections have no shelter; the longest stretch is 30 km with only a couple of campsites en route.

Thanks to its micro-climate, Torres del Paine has a diverse flora and fauna with more than 200 species of plants, and 100 species of birds - including 18 species of waterfowl, 11 birds of prey and the big boys, condors. Guanacos can also be seen widely in the park.

Torres del Paine lies 145 km northwest of Puerto Natales, a lengthy 3 hour bus ride from the town.
There is also a daily bus, taking 4 hours from El Calafate, an Argentinian town - the base for Argentina's Glacier National Park.
Although you need at least a week to see the whole of Torres del Paine Park, it can be visited as a day trip from both Puerto Natales and El Calafate by surprisingly popular guided minibus tours. However, the Bugcrew thinks a day trip, particularly from Argentina's El Calafate is ridiculous, and is only for desperate people who have very limited time.

From Argentina's El Calafate:
The bus leaves the town at 6:00 am and comes back at around 10:00 pm, but it's not just a long way to go, you also only get out of the bus inside the park at a few viewpoints for pictures and a lunch break at Lago Grey, plus a view of the Grey Glacier. It is definitely no vale la pena! [not worth the crack]. You will have plenty of opportunity to see the emptiness of the Patagonian Pampa though!
The park entrance fee is as much as US$20 and the park's roads are narrow, winding and buses go incredibly fast, some piloted by apparently drunk drivers.

The main down side of Torres del Paine is the accommodation. Since the nearest town is 145 km away, the main choice for those who wish to thoroughly explore the park is between luxury hotels and basic refugios [shelters] or camp sites in the park. Beware of the absurd cost of upper-end hotels, or if you're sleeping rough book shelters well in advance, especially in the popular summer months [December-February].

The best time to visit the Torres del Paine National Park is the spring time [October - November] for the flowers as well as hikes. The summer months are the warmest but may be wet and windy and bugs can be annoying. Although the park opens year-round, in winter months some trails, El Circuito for instance, may be closed due to snow.
Hikers are advised to be well-equipped as the weather can change dramatically and without warning.

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Images of other interesting South American countries:

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