Torres del Paine National Park is one of the highlights of South America. Visiting it is on a bucket list of many hikers. There are spectacular day hikes and multi-day trekking routes. When planning a visit many people try to find the best way of getting there. You can get to the park from different places in Chile and Argentina, including the capital cities.

Puerto Natales is the nearest town and a gateway to Torres del Paine.

A view of the Torres massive from the bus window on the way to the park

You can find all our posts dedicated to the region on our page Patagonia planning resources.

Torres del Paine is one of the best National Parks in Patagonia for hiking and camping.

Where is Torres del Paine National Park?

The famous National Park is in Chilean Patagonia, in the extreme south of South America, 2500 km/1550 mi south of Santiago de Chile. Backpacking in Torres del Paine is an incredible experience. The nearest town Puerto Natales is 75 km away. The closest to the park airports are:  

• Puerto Natales (PNT) – 67 km/41 mi away from the park
• El Calafate (FTE) – 240 km/150 mi away
• Punta Arenas (PUQ) – 300 km/186 mi away

Torres del Paine and the nearest towns from where you can get there

If you’re deciding on when to visit the park our post on the best time to visit Torres del Paine might be helpful.

If you’re planning to visit many places in Patagonia it might be worth to rent a car. Find the best car rental deals in Puerto Natales.

How to get to Torres del Paine from Puerto Natales?

Puerto Natales is the nearest town. Renting a car in Puerto Natales is the easiest way of getting around. You can get a direct bus to the park from Puerto Natales. The bus leaves several times a day from the bus terminal. It stops at places (in the following order: Laguna Amarga, Pudeto, camping Pehoe, Administration, and Hotel Lago Grey) from where you can access different parts of the park.

The primary company that operates buses between Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine is BusSur. There are five daily buses at 6.45 am, 7 am, 7.15 am, 12 pm, and 2.30 pm (the 7.15 am and 2.30 pm buses run only between November and March). The journey takes between 2 and 4,5 hours depending on where in the park you get off the bus. The price is CLP 14000/US$15 one way (CLP 25 000/US$27 to Hotel Lago Grey). Remember to purchase your entrance tickets to the park beforehand. 

Note departure times and prices might change always confirm on the company website.

Buses Puerto Natales – Torres del Paine	Bus 1	Bus 2	Bus 3*	Bus 4	Bus 5**
Leaves Puerto Natales (bus terminal)	6.45 am	7 am	7.15 am	12 pm	2.30 pm
Arrives at Laguna Amarga	8.45 am	9 am	9 am	2 pm	4.30 pm
Arrives at Pudeto (ferry to Paine Grande)	9.45 am	10 am	10.15 am	3 pm	5.15 pm
Arrives at Pehoé campsite	10 am	10.15 am	10.30 am	3.30 pm	5.30 pm
Arrives at Administration	10.45 am	11 am	11.15 am	4 pm	–
Arrives at Hotel Lago Grey (ferry to Grey campsite)	11.15 am	11.30 am	11.30 am	4.30 pm	–

*The 7.15 am bus goes only between 1st November and 31st March
**The 2.30 pm bus goes only between 1st November and 31st March. It doesn’t go to the Administration or Hotel Lago Grey The bus route with stops in Torres del Paine.

How to get to Hotel Las Torres?

Hotel Las Torres is the start of the O circuit and one of the starting points of the W trek.

Step 1. Get off the bus at the Laguna Amarga entrance. The hotel is 7 km away.

Step 2. You can walk there or take a bus. It’s a 10-minute ride, the price is CLP 5000/US$6. Departure times are linked to the arrival times of the bus from Puerto Natales. 

How to get to Paine Grande?

Step 1. Get off the bus at the Pudeto stop.

Step 2. Take a ferry from Pudeto to Paine Grande. The ferry ride is 30-40 minutes. The price is CLP 26 000/US$30 per person one way. You can buy tickets and confirm the current timetable on the Hip Sur website

There are no ferries between May and August.

Departure times and days of the ferries from Pudeto to Paine Grande

September	October, November	December, January, February	March, April
10.30 am	8.30 am	8.30 am	8.30 am
	10.30 am	10.30 am	10.30 am
		4.15 pm
6 pm	6 pm	6 pm	6 pm

Ferries from Pudeto to Paine Grande

How to get to Grey campsite?

Step 1. Get off the bus at Hotel Lago Grey (the last stop).

Step 2. Take a boat from Hotel Lago Grey to Grey Glacier and get off at the Grey campsite. The trip is 1h30min. and includes navigation to Grey Glacier. The boat trip is quite pricey US$100 per person. You can find departure times and book your trip online. Remember that the pier is a 30-minute walk from Hotel Lago Grey and walking is the only way of getting there.

A beautiful lake at Laguna Amarga entrance to Torres del Paine National Park

Where to get off the bus in Torres del Paine?

The bus from Puerto Natales makes 5 stops in the park (except the 2.30 pm bus that doesn’t go to the Administration and Hotel Lago Grey). Where to get off depends on which hiking route you’re walking or where in the park you’re staying.

Laguna Amarga stop 

• The O circuit. It starts at Central Campsite/Hotel las Torres which is 7 km away. You can get there by bus for CP 5000/US$6 or by walking. 
• The W trek. It’s one of the starting points of the W trek (the east-to-west direction).  
• Some day hikes in Torres del Paine e.g. Mirador Las Torres and Lago Nordenskjold trails.
• Hotel Las Torres
• Central Campsite
• Central Mountain Hostel
• Norte Mountain Hostel

Pudeto stop

• The W trek. From Pudeto you can take a ferry to Paine Grande from where you start the W trek if you’re walking it west to east.
• Mirador Cuernos day hike
• Ferry to Paine Grande
• Paine Grande campsite and hotel
• Mirador Pehoé day hike (Paine Grande)
• Lago Skottsberg day hike (Paine Grande)
• Mirador Grey day hike (Paine Grande)

Pehoé Campsite stop

• Mirador Cóndor day hike
• Pehoé campsite
• Pehoé Hotel (800 m from the bus stop)
• Hotel Salto Chico (900 m from the bus stop)

Administration stop

Hotell Grey stop

• The W trek. From Hotel Grey, you can take a ferry to Grey campsite and start walking the W trek from there. This way you don’t have to walk from Paine Grande to Grey campsite and back.
• Hotel Lago Grey
• Lago Grey day hike
• Mirador Zapata day hike
• Mirador Ferrier day hike

Sunrise at Mirador Las Torres

Getting back to Puerto Natales

You can get a direct bus from Torres del Paine to Puerto Natales. There are 4 buses from Torres del Paine to Puerto Natales. 1.30 am and 5.30 pm buses make 5 stops. The 10.30 and 7.40 buses run between November and February and stop only at Pudeto and Laguna Amarga.

The journey is between 2 and 4 hours. The price is CLP 14000/US$15 one way (CLP 25000/US$27 from Hotel Lago Grey to Puerto Natales).

You can purchase your tickets and confirm departure times online.

Buses Torres del Paine – Puerto Natales	Bus 1*	Bus 2	Bus 3	Bus 4*
Leaves Hotel Lago Grey	–	1.30 pm	5.30 pm	–
Leaves Administration	–	2 pm	6 pm	–
Leaves Pehoé campsite	–	2.15 pm	6.15 pm	–
Leaves Pudeto	10.30 am	2.30 pm	7.30 pm	7.40 pm
Leaves Laguna Amarga	11 am	3 pm	8.15 pm	8.20 pm
Arrives in Puerto Natales	1 pm	5.05 pm	9.30 pm	9.35 pm

*The 10.30 and 7.40 buses from Pudeto run between November and February Beautiful scenery in Torres del Paine, Chile

Getting to Torres del Paine from Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas is a town 240 km south of the Torres del Paine. There are no direct buses from Punta Arenas to the park.

To get there you have to

Step 1A. Get from Punta Arenas bus station to Puerto Natales.

There are 10 daily buses from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales. The journey is 3 hours 15 minutes. The price is CLP 8000/US$9. You can buy tickets and check the current timetable online on the BusSur or Buses Fernandez websites.

Step 1B. Get from Punta Arenas airport (PUQ) to Puerto Natales. 

If you are flying to Punta Arenas you can get a direct bus from the airport to Puerto Natales. There are several daily departures. The journey takes 3 hours. The price is CLP 8000/US$9. You can buy tickets and confirm departure times on the Buses Fernandez or BusSur websites.

Step 2. Take a bus from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine. 

You can find detailed information on getting from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine above.

Hotel Las Torres in Torres del Paine National Park

How to get to Torres del Paine from Santiago?

The Chilean capital is 2700 km north of Torres del Paine. The easiest way is to fly from Santiago to Puerto Natales and take a bus to Torres del Paine. 

Step 1. Fly from Santiago to Puerto Natales.

The new airport is 5 km outside the town. 3 companies offer direct flights from Santiago to Puerto Natales: SKY, LATAM, and JetSmart. The flight duration is 3 hours. Prices vary greatly between US$45 and US$250 depending on the day and the airline. 

There are direct flights to Puerto Natales from Puerto Montt.

Step 2. Get from the airport to Puerto Natales.

To get to Torres del Paine from Puerto Natales Airport, you have two options; take a private shuttle directly to the park or get a taxi to Puerto Natales. Taxis are not expensive between US$7 and US$10. There are no direct buses from the airport to the park.

Step 3. Get from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine.

You can find detailed information on getting to the park from Puerto Natales above.

Spectacular scenery at one of the campsites in Torres del Paine

Getting to Torres del Paine from El Calafate (Argentina)

El Calafate is 250 km northeast of Torres del Paine. It is another not-to-miss place in Patagonia. The famous Perito Moreno Glacier is situated just outside the town. To get to Torres del Paine take a bus from El Calafate to Puerto Natales and then another bus to the park.

Step 1. Get from El Calafate to Puerto Natales.

There are direct buses from El Calafate to Puerto Natales. It takes 5-6 hours. During the trip, you cross the border between Argentina and Chile. The price is CLP 32 000/US$35 (semi-cama) and CLP 42 000/US$46 (cama) per person. You can purchase your ticket and confirm departure times and days on the BusSur website.

Day	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
October to March		4.30 pm	8 am 8.15 am	4.30 pm	8 am 8.15 am	4.30 pm	8 am 8.15 am
April to September			8 am		8 am		8 am

Buses from El Calafate (Argentina) to Puerto Natales (Chile)

Between October and March buses leave 6 times a week from Tuesday to Sunday (no buses on Monday).

Between April and October, buses leave 3 times a week on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

Step 2. Get from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine.

If you take the 8 am bus you’ll arrive in Puerto Natales at 2 pm. Between November and February, an afternoon bus to Torres del Paine leaves Puerto Natales at 2.30 pm which means you can get to the park from El Calafate in one day. The BusSur operates the route.

If you take the 4.30 pm bus you will arrive in Puerto Natales at 9.30 pm. You can go to the park next morning.

You can find detailed information on getting to Torres del Paine from Puerto Natales here.

The scenery on the way from El Chalten to Puerto Natales

How to get to Torres del Paine from El Chalten (Argentina)?

El Chalten is another hiking destination in Patagonia. It’s a small town in Argentina, 400 km north of Torres del Paine. First, you go to El Calafate, take a bus to Puerto Natales, and then another bus to the park. It’s impossible to get to the park in one day using public transport. You’ll have to stay overnight in Puerto Natales.

Step 1. Get a bus from El Chalten to El Calafate.

There are many daily direct buses from El Chalten to El Calafate. The journey takes 3 hours. The price is ARS 30 000/US$30 per person. You can purchase your ticket and check the timetable on the Chalten Travel, CalTur, and TAQSA websites.

Step 2. Get from El Calafate to Puerto Natales.

Take a bus from El Calafate to Puerto Natales. A direct bus route connects two towns. The journey involves crossing the border between Chile and Argentina. It takes 5-6 hours. The price is 32 000/US$35 (semi-cama) and CLP 42 000/US$46. More details on buses from El Calafate to Puerto Natales.

Step 3. Take a bus from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine.

You can find a detailed description of how to get to the park from Puerto Natales above.

The pretty half of Stingy Nomads, responsible for all our land adventures (hiking, climbing, walking the Camino) and following them write-ups. Alya loves walking since she was a child, she prefers to walk 1000 km with a backpack rather than to do a 10 000 km road trip (actually any road trip). Alya is a big fan of Latin America, the Spanish language, and dancing. Every time we go away she desperately misses our dog Chile.

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