Free tips to visit Torres del Paine National Park, Chilean Patagonia

Let's start with a picture because... how stunning is this place? 

How much are things in Torres del Paine? 

Torres del Paine and Chilean Patagonia are known to be expensive and while traveling, I met plenty of people saying that it’s so expensive it’s not worth visiting. 

When hearing this, I got a bit worried over what these crazy costs would be. If you're like me, here is a ballpark breakdown of what I spent: 

Torres del Paine park entrance fee, $33,000 pesos (~$33usd) for a 3 days pass

Bus from Puerto Natales to Laguna Amarga entrance (stop to get to Les Tres Torres famous hike), $24,000 return (~$24usd) + $8,000 (~$8usd) return shuttle inside the park 

Bus from Puerto Natales to Estancia Pudeto entrance (stop to get to the Grey Glacier hike), $40,000 return (~$40usd)

Catamaran from Estancia Pudeto to Grey Glacier, $25,000 one way (~$25usd) 

Hostels in Puerto Natales, $13,000 to $20,000 (~$13 to $20 usd) per night depending how nice you want the hostel to be 

So yes, it can get expensive, quickly. BUT… the park is incredible and to me the money I spent was 100% worth it! 

Notes: I visited in March 2024. Costs and exchange rate are based off the time I visited

Check out the reel below for some incredible videos of the place! 

Ballpark Costs of visiting Torres del Paine

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How to make your visit to Torres del Paine more budget-backpacker friendly: 

Let’s talk about tips to make your Torres del Paine a bit more budget backpacker friendly. 

Meet people and Rent a Car :

I know it might sound a bit counter intuitive as renting a car usually costs more than public transport, but with costs for a day trip into Torres Del Paine ranging between $32,000 pesos and $40,000 return (check out my previous reel for a cost breakdown) and a rental car costing between $62,000 and $72,000, with 3 people in the car you’re already saving money. Having a car also gives you a much better flexibility if things don’t go according to plans! I met one guy and we decided to rent a car just the 2 of us, but we easily found people every day to share the cost of the car and the fuel, making the days muuuch cheaper! 

Don’t do the W trek:

I would say that, unless you really really really want to do the W trek, you can get a lot of ground covered on day trips. Accommodation in Puerto Natales is much cheaper than in the park and if you rent a car it works out relatively cheap. You also get more reasonably priced food in Puerto Natales - whether you prefer cooking or going out to eat. It also gives you the option to take a day break from hiking here and there, if you’re not a huge hiker like myself you will definitely welcome the break! 

Make Lunch:

Over 2.5 weeks in Patagonia (between Chile and Argentina) I think I hate sandwiches for lunch every day, to the point that now I need a break from bread - I never thought I’d be saying this lol. I know it’s not an exciting or a groundbreaking tip, but with a sandwich easily costing $6,000-$8,000 pesos (around $6-8usd), it’s a decent save over the course of 4 days. 

3 Tips for the Budget Traveler

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3 Mistakes I made, so you don't have to

It can be quite overwhelming to plan a trip to Torres del Paine, so I thought I’d share 3 mistakes I made, so you don’t have to! 

Not downloading offline maps for driving and/or hiking:

I decided to not get a Chilean sim card as I was only spending 5 days in the country. Even if you do get a sim card, it won’t get any signal in Torres del Paine so think whether it’s worth it or not. With this in mind, whether you’re renting a car or taking the bus into the park make sure you download google maps offline maps and an offline version of the trek you want to do. The treks are very well indicated, but I love having the alltrals offline map to check how long I have left, but more so, how long uphill I have left before I can relax on a flat or downhill part. 

Arriving at 10am at Estancia Pudeto if you want to hike the Gray Glacier:

That day I rented a car with some people I met and we thought it would be ok to get to Estancia Pudeto ad 10am when the catamaran departs at 10.30am. Well, what we didn’t know is that usually there are more people than the capacity of the boat which means that, despite getting in line and waiting for 30 minutes, we couldn’t get on the boat. I’d advise to arrive as early as possible (before the buses if you’re driving, or the first morning bus) and get in line! Even if you have advanced tickets, get there early and start queuing. It might not be a deal breaker if you’re doing the W trek as there is another catamaran at 11.30am, but if you want to do the day hike to the grey glacier you won’t make it in time for the last boat back. 

Check the weather predictions, and still plan for winter weather even in the summer:

I thought that going there at the beginning of March, I’d get summer-ish weather. But Patagonia is known to experience the 4 seasons in 2h. So check the weather, but despite what it says be prepared for all 4 seasons. Don’t be like me. 

3 Mistakes I made in Torres Del Paine

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