On my second day in Chile, me and my cousin visited Torres del Paine National Park on a guided tour. The initial plan that we booked, was to hike up to base Torres/Mirador Las Torres. However, after hiking mount Fitz Roy, we decided to take a notch down and enjoy Torres del Paine in a car.
Guided Tour VS trekking on your own
Looking back, I had changed my mind several time when planning the trip. Originally, i was thinking of spending the 11 days in South America on doing the trek in Torres Del Paine National Park. Then, i changed my mind to just 5 days doing the “W” Trek (one of the many trek in TDP), and it was finally down to just one day. I knew it wouldn’t be enough, and I was right.
But, however short it was, it was the best one day I have ever had in my life. If i’m allowed to give an advice, it’s to spend at least a week in this national park. You’ll be having the best time of your life.
Based on my original plan, I would take guided hike to the base Torres. However, since I cancelled the hike, I requested if it can be switched into “ a walk in the park” instead. Luckily, our guide said yes. So, we explored the national park by car and visited beautiful viewpoints there. If you don’t have enough time, please consider taking a guided hike or on a guided tour. These are some tour operators that offer the hike, if you choose to do one day tour/hike.
| NO | Tour Operators | Information |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina 4U | Departing/Arrival Point in El Calafate - 16hrs duration. Tour in TDP, Lake Sarmiento, Laguna Amarga, Lake Nordenskjold, hike the Mirador Las Tores |
| 2 | Comapa | From Puerto Natales - 11,5 hrs |
| 3 | Chalten Travel | From/Back to El Calafate, 16 hrs |
| 4 | Vertice Patagonia | Guided W Trek - 5 days |
| 5 | Torresdelpaine.com | Guided Trek W Circuit - 5 days |
| 6 | Torresdelpaine.com | Guided O Trek - 8 Days |
| 7 | Torresdelpaine.com | Hiking the tower base - 8 hrs |
Note: the information above is as per October 2020.
Why you should visit Torres del Paine National Park
To be honest, I have forgotten almost all the name of the places that we visited and the route we took. Our driver and our guide really experience and took us to the most unbelievably place on earth. I know words and pictures would underestimate the actual experience of being there in person. However, if it’s just a bit, i hope these pictures could help me to persuade you why you should visit Torres del Paine National Park.
