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.
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.
Table of Contents
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
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. From there you can get a direct bus to the park. 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 2.30 pm bus goes only between 1st November and 31st March. It doesn’t go to the Administration or Hotel Lago Grey
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 |
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.
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
- Laguna Verde day hike
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
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 |
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.
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.
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 |
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.
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.
Morgana Borges
Friday 22nd of March 2024
Hi, very nice article. I would like to know if it is possible get the bus from one stop to another. Example from portaria Serrano to Laguna Amarga, Pudeto? Is there tickets for Bus between the stops? I am checking the possibility to stay in a accommodation in Vila Serrano. How Can access the half day trackings of the Park, Paine grande or Grey from there?
Stingy Nomads
Tuesday 26th of March 2024
Hello Morgana. Thank you for the comment. Yes, there are daily buses between different parts (entrances) in Torres del Paine. You can buy a ticket online in advance or on the bus. In this part of the post https://stingynomads.com/how-to-get-to-torres-del-paine/#How_to_get_to_Torres_del_Paine_from_Puerto_Natales you can find the timetable and a map with bus stops inside the park. If you want to do day hikes in Torres del Paine and not planning to rent a car it'll be better to stay inside the park. E.g. you can stay for a couple of day at Paine Grande and do some day hikes from there. I think staying at Paine Grande and Las Torres will give you an access to the most scenic day hikes in the park. You can find more info on day hikes in this post https://stingynomads.com/best-day-hikes-torres-del-paine-chile/ Good luck
Alma
Sunday 21st of January 2024
I would like to ask if there’s a bus or van between Paine grande and las Torres lodge or Laguna amarga ranger station? Due to limited time, would like to stay in the refugios in the two areas n hoping to ride in a vehicle to reach them after hiking. BTW, reading your blogs on the camino portuguese n the Ingles helped me in planning. Many thanks.
Stingy Nomads
Friday 26th of January 2024
Hello Alma. Thank you for the comment. There is no direct bus between Paine Grande and Las Torres/Laguna Amarga. You'll have to take the ferry from Paine Grande to Pudeto and from there get on a bus to Laguna Amarga. The departures of the ferry and the bus are usually linked so you don't have to wait for long. Good luck
Karen
Thursday 19th of October 2023
Hello, Thanks for this great travel advice. You mention above that the nearest town Puerto Natales is 75 km away from Torres del Paine. However, the bus takes hours to get there. How long does it take to drive, if we get a rental car? Is there any downside to driving ourselves?
We are hoping to do three days of hiking. But it seems all the lodging near the park are sold out for our dates (January 2024). That's why we'll likely end up staying in Puerto Natales, unless you have any other suggestions on where we could stay closer to the park.
Thank you, Karen
Stingy Nomads
Thursday 26th of October 2023
Hello Karen. Thank you for the comment. The bus makes several stops inside the park that's why it takes hours. You could check Goiien House it's just 1 km from the park which will save you a lot of time driving. It's a hostel though they have only dorm beds. There are other hotels in the area but they all are very pricey from US$250 per night. Look at Camping Pehoe, it's a campsite inside the park. They have domes and camping spots. Maybe there is something available for your dates there. Otherwise check campsites inside the park e.g. Central Campsite or Paine Grande are well-located for day hikes. They have different options including indoor accommodation. Good luck