Hiking 80 miles Alone in Torres Del Paine Chile
Kraig AdamsMar 2020 · Solo
- Days
- 5 days
- Direction
- Counterclockwise
- Cost
- See his costs
- Lodging
- Huts and tent
South America · Chile
Torres del Paine O Circuit
Patagonia, Chile
- Distance
- 85.3 mi137.2 km
- Days
- 5 days
- Elevation gain
- 14,587 ft4,446 m
- High point
- 3,963 ft1,208 m
- Season
- Southern summer
- Lodging
- Huts and tent
Hikes / South America / Torres del Paine O Circuit
In March 2020 I flew to southern Chile and hiked Torres del Paine alone: the O circuit around the back of the Paine massif, then the W along its front, finishing at the foot of the three granite towers. I'd always wanted to hike in Patagonia, and Torres del Paine is one of the hikes you find the moment you research long treks. Most of the hiking world was still cold that March. Chile wasn't. I walked it in five days, about 85 miles by my GPS, with my own tent and food, and on the fourth day I let loose and walked 31 miles from Grey to Central.
Kraig Adams
Effort at this pace: Very hard · about 17 mi (27 km) and 2,917 ft (889 m) of climbing a day over 5 days, up to 3,963 ft (1,208 m). Our grade for the days given, worked out from distance, climbing and altitude a day; it isn't the trail's usual difficulty rating (under Basics) and doesn't rate exposure, terrain or weather.
Where these numbers come from
From Kraig Adams's GPS recording and guide.
From Kraig Adams's GPS
The route, day by day
Elevation102–3,927 ft85.3 mi
From Kraig Adams's GPS. Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (SRTM, GMTED) on AWS · Glaciers, rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors
Tap a day for his map of it
The film
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Hiking 80 miles Alone in Torres Del Paine Chile
Before you go
The basics
- Start
- Laguna Amarga, the park entrance on the bus road from Puerto Natales
- Finish
- Central, near Hotel Las Torres, after the Base Torres out and back
- Direction
- Counterclockwise. The back of the O is one-way
- Usual difficulty
- A well-made trail with no scrambling. One real pass. Wind and weather are the hard part
- Best time
- Southern summer. The O opens about November to March, on dates CONAF sets each season. I walked March 10 to 14, 2020
- Permits
- Park ticket bought online at pasesparques.cl at least 24 hours ahead (CLP 48,500 foreign adult, 2026), plus a booked camp for every night
- Getting there
- Fly to Punta Arenas. It's a long flight: the long flight is the one real downside of this trail. My round trip from the US cost about $1,000.
- Lodging
- Huts and tent
From Kraig Adams's guide
Costs and gear
What Kraig carried
a black roll-top backpack · my own tent · a filter that screws onto my water bottle · a portable battery · sausage, cheese, crackers, nuts and dried fruit · NEMO Hornet Elite OSMO 1P · Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT · Hyperlite Mountain Gear 20° Quilt and 16 more.
From Kraig Adams's guide
Safety
Rescue numbers
- Emergency: 131 ambulance, 133 police, 136 mountain rescue; park radio VHF 143.800 MHz.
Phone signal
- No phone signal on the trails.
- Some of the big camps sell Wi-Fi; I paid about $10 for it over the trip.
Insurance
- Carry a satellite messenger, and have insurance that covers evacuation.
Bail-out points
- Day 1, Laguna Amarga to Dickson. Back the way you came to Laguna Amarga and the bus road. Past Coirón, you're committed to the circuit in one direction: the back of the O is one-way.
- Day 2, Dickson to Los Perros. Back down the valley to Dickson and out the way you came in. The O is one-way from Serón to Paso: turning back is for emergencies, so talk to the rangers.
- Day 3, Los Perros to Grey. Before the pass, back to Los Perros. After it, go on to Grey, then Paine Grande, where the catamaran crosses Lago Pehoé to Pudeto and the bus road. Don't cross the pass in a storm: wait at Los Perros and ask the ranger.
- Day 4, Grey to Central. Paine Grande is the exit on the west: the catamaran crosses Lago Pehoé to Pudeto, where the buses stop. On the east, go on to Central and the Welcome Center, with the shuttle to Laguna Amarga.
- Day 5, Central to Base Torres and back. You're never far from Central and the Welcome Center. Turn around at Chileno if the weather closes in.
From Kraig Adams's guide. For planning, not navigation: check before you go.
Their films and versions
Creators who've done it
1 creator so far: Kraig, 5 days, huts and tent.
Hiking 80 miles Alone in Torres Del Paine Chile
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Typical: 5 days (the hike's facts).
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Planning questions about Torres del Paine O Circuit, answered only from this page's facts, the creators' versions and hikers' public tracks, with where each answer comes from. When the data doesn't say, the answer says "not given".
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Answered from the data
Questions people ask
How many days do you need for Torres del Paine O Circuit?
I walked the O and the W in 5 days in March 2020, about 85 miles on my GPS, with two very long days. Most people take longer: the park suggests 8 to 10 days for the O and the operators about 8 to 9. Your camp bookings decide your days.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How much does Torres del Paine O Circuit cost?
The park ticket for a foreign adult is CLP 48,500 for more than one day (2026). Camps in 2026-27 run from about US$11 a night with your own tent at Vertice's camps to US$50 or more at Las Torres. In 2020 I spent about $300 in pesos on the trek, plus about $1,000 for my flight.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
When is the best time to hike Torres del Paine O Circuit?
Southern summer. The O opens about November to March, on dates CONAF sets each season. I walked March 10 to 14, 2020.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Do you need reservations to hike the O or the W?
Yes. On the O and the W every night must be booked before you go in, with Vertice (Dickson, Los Perros, Grey, Paine Grande) or Las Torres (Serón, Francés, Los Cuernos, Central, Chileno). The rangers at Coirón check your O bookings. Day hikes like the Base Torres need only a park ticket, bought online at least 24 hours ahead.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Which direction do you hike the O?
Counterclockwise. The stretch from Serón over the John Gardner Pass to Paso is one-way, and you register at every ranger station and sign out at Los Perros and Paso.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Do you need a guide for Torres del Paine?
Not in summer. On the W and the Base Torres guides stopped being required on September 16, 2026, after the winter rule, though microspikes and trekking poles were still required while snow and ice lasted. The O is closed in winter; on October 1, 2026 it was closed until October 31, pending the park's weather and safety review.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How high is the John Gardner Pass?
My GPS read 1,208 m (3,963 ft) at the pass; 1,200 m is the published figure. It is the one real climb of the circuit, about 2,100 ft up from Los Perros, and the windiest place on the route.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.