Torres del Paine campsites 2023/24 – a detailed guide

Torres del Paine National Park is probably the most popular national park in Patagonia and is an incredible place for trekking with breathtaking scenery, untouched nature, and diverse wildlife. Here you will find some of the best hikes in Patagonia. Planning a backpacking trip to Torres del Paine can be overwhelming especially the process of booking campsites along the route. Several questions usually arise during the planning; How do you find the right campsites? How do you book campsites? What are the facilities? In this post, we give detailed information on the campsites in Torres del Paine. Using this guide you can plan your hike and choose the campsites.

In the 2023/24 hiking season, the O circuit is open from 1st November.

The W trek can be walked from 1st October when most campsites on the route are open. The opening dates for the campsites on the W trek are the following:

• Central (Las Torres) from the 1st of September
• Frances (Las Torres) from the 1st of September
• Chileno (Las Torres) from the 15th of September
• Paine Grande (Vertice) from the 1st of October
• Grey (Vertice) from the 1st of October
• Cuernos (Las Torres) from the 1st of November

Find all our posts on the region on our Patagonia resource page

How to buy entrance tickets to Torres del Paine?

According to the official website, hikers have to book entrance tickets to Torres del Paine online at least 24 hours before the planned visit.

Admission fee varies depending on how many days you’re going to spend in the park. The entrance fee for up to 3 days inside Torres del Paine is US$35 per person; the entrance fee for more than 3 days in the park is US$49. If you’re planning to do one of the multi-day routes the O Circuit or the W trek you’ll be spending in the park more than 3 days.

You can print your tickets or show them on the screen of your mobile device.

How many campsites are in Torres del Paine?

There are 9 campsites inside Torres del Paine National Park. They’re run by 2 different companies: Vertice Patagonia (Dickson, Los Perros, Grey, and Paine Grande campsites), and Las Torres Patagonia (Central, Serón, Francés, Los Cuernos, and Chileno campsites). There used to be free campsites but they were closed a couple of years ago.

Private campsites (Vertice Patagonia and Las Torres Patagonia) have good facilities and offer fully equipped tents for rent as well as camping spots. Some campsites have indoor accommodation options. There is usually a restaurant where you can preorder meals and a shop.

Overall camping and meals at Vertice Patagonia are cheaper than at Las Torres

Vertice Patagonia campsites	Las Torres Patagonia campsites
Dickson	Central
Los Perros	Serrón
Grey	Francés
Paine Grande	Los Cuernos
	Chileno

Can you camp anywhere in Torres del Paine?

Not, hikers are allowed to camp only at designated campsites that you have to book in advance. Wild camping is not allowed in the park. If you get caught doing it you’ll pay a massive fine.

How to book the campsites?

Booking paid campsites is easy though for the peak months (December, January, and February) you have to book long in advance. You do it online through the Vertice Patagonia and Las Torres websites. To complete a reservation you have to make a payment. Booking with both companies is open for the 2023/24 hiking season.

There is a website called Booking Patagonia that you can use to book campsites and bust tickets to Torres del Paine. It’s easier because you use only one website to book and plan your trip. We have never used it so I can’t speak from my own experience. It’s recommended on the official CONAF website.

Important! For the O Circuit, you can’t book the Dickson campsite and Los Perros campsite separately. These two can be booked only together. The Vertice Patagonia campsites on the W trek (Grey and Paine Grande) can be booked separately.

Las Torres (Fantastic Sur) campsites on the O Circuit and the W trek can be booked separately. 

Read our detailed post on how to get to Torres del Paine Park from Puerto Natales and other towns in Patagonia.

How long in advance to book the campsites in Torres del Paine?

It’s better to plan your route and book campsites a couple of months in advance, even more, if you’re going to hike in Torres del Paine in the peak season, December, January, and February. As of August 2023, the paid campsites (Vertice Patagonia and Las Torres) are open for booking. Overall camping and meal prices at Las Torres Patagonia are higher than the prices at Vertice Patagonia.

If you’re looking for another great place for hiking and camping consider visiting El Chalten about 400 km north of Torres del Paine. It’s called the hiking capital of Argentina. There are several trekking routes in El Chalten with stunning scenery. Camping in El Chalten is easy no need to book anything long in advance.

Torres del Paine campsites map

Vertice Patagonia campsites

There are 4 paid campsites in Torres del Paine that are run by Vertice Patagonia. As of August 2023, all Vertice Patagonia campsites can be booked online.

1B. Dickson (the O Circuit), open from 1st November

It’s the far away campsite in the northwest part of the O Circuit. It’s a nice open, grassy, and spacious campsite.

• The nearest attraction – Dickson Lake
• Price – US$11 per person (camping with your own tent)
• Check-in time – 12pm
• Check-out time – 9.30am
• Getting there – only walking from Serón campsite

2B. Los Perros (the O Circuit), open from 1st November

 It’s another campsite in the northwest part of Torres del Paine on the circuit, next on the route after the Dickson. It’s more of a forest campsite with not much grass though better protected from the wind.

• The nearest attractions – Los Perros Laka and Glacier, John Garner Pass
• Price – US$11 per person (camping with your own tent)
• Check-in time – 1pm
• Check-out time – 9.30am 
• Getting there – only walking from Dickson campsite

3B. Grey (the O, the W trek), open from 1st October

It’s a spacious open camping area between Grey Lake and the mountains. It’s the closest to the Grey Glacier campsite.

• The nearest attractions – Grey Glacier and Lake
• Price – US$11 per person (camping with your own tent).
• Check-in time – 1pm
• Check-out time – 9.30am
• Getting there – catamaran from Hotel Grey (45min. can book in advance), walking from Los Perros, El Paso, or Paine Grande campsites

If you want to see another impressive glacier or even do a glacier hike you can combine your Torres del Paine trip with a visit to Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentinian Patagonia, 250 km north.

4B. Paine Grande (the O, the W trek), open from 1st October

The campsite is located in the southern part of the park this campsite, in my opinion, has the best scenery. Paine Grande campsites is an open spacious grassy area. It’s a great place to stay if you want to do day hikes in Torres del Paine. There are several routes that start from the Paine Grande campsite.

• The nearest attractions – Grey Lake, Pehoé Lake, and Skottsberg Lake
• Price – US$13 per person (camping with your own tent)
• Check-in time – 1pm
• Check-out time – 9.30am
• Getting there – catamaran from Pudeto (25 min., no advance booking), walking from the El Grey and Italiano campsites, walking from the Administración park entrance.

Camping facilities

Facilities	Dickson	Los Perros	Grey	Paine Grande
Toilets	+	+	+	+
Hot showers	+	only cold	+	+
Electricity	+	+	+	+
Power sockets	at the shop, restaurant	at the shop	at the shop, restaurant	only for hotel guests
Wi-fi*			extra cost	extra cost
Shop	+	+	+	+
Restaurant	+		+	+
Gear rental	+	+	+	+
Hotel/hostels	+		+	+

*even if there is wi-fi the Internet might be very slow don’t expect too much.

Gear rental

It’s possible to rent full camping gear (a tent, a mat, and a sleeping bag) at all four campsites. It works out more expensive than having your own gear or renting it in Puerto Natales but a big advantage of renting camping gear at the campsites is that you don’t have to carry it with you every day. You reduce your backpack weight by 5 kg on average.

Rental prices

• a tent – US$40 max 2 people, per night
• a mat – US$12 per night
• a sleeping bag – US$25 per night

Meal options

It’s possible to order ready-made meals (breakfast, lunch/box lunch, and dinner) at Dickson, Grey, and Paine Grande campsites. There is no restaurant at the Perros campsite. The three campsites have a coffee shop where you can buy sandwiches, pastries, snacks, tea, coffee, beer, etc.

Meal prices

• Full board (breakfast, lunch/box lunch, dinner) – US$80 per person
• Breakfast – US$25
• Lunch/box lunch – US$25
• Dinner – US$40

If you’re looking for more hiking and camping adventures in the wild make sure to explore the famous Carretera Austral, a road in southern Chile that takes you to lesser-known corners of Patagonia.

Las Torres campsites

This company runs 5 campsites inside Torres del Paine. The campsites are situated in the eastern part of Torres del Paine. These campsites are more expensive than the Vertice Patagonia ones especially if you’re a solo hiker. For single occupancy, they charge a supplement of US$12 per camping site. Some campsites have wooden decks for pitching a tent. If you arrive late you don’t have to struggle to look for a good spot. As of August 2023, Las Torres campsites can be booked online.

All indicated camping prices are for the high season from November 2023 to March 2024. For October 2023 and April 2024 camping prices are a bit lower.

1C. Central (the O Circuit, the W trek), open from the 1st of September

It’s the closest to the Laguna Amarga entrance campsite. It’s a nice grassy spacious camping area with beautiful views over the mountains.

• The nearest attractions – Nordenskjold Lake, Laguna Amarga
• Price. Camping with your own gear – US$35 per person for double occupancy (US$70 per site); US$51 per person for single occupancy. Fully equipped campsite (a 2-man tent, a mat, and a sleeping bag, liner) – US$110 per person for double occupancy, US$190 per person for single occupancy.
• Check-in time – 1pm
• Check-out time – 9.30am
• Getting there – by bus from Laguna Amarga, walking from Laguna Amarga, walking from Chileno, Italiano, Francés, or Los Cuernos campsites.

2C. Serón (the O Circuit), open from the 1st of November

It’s the first overnight stop on the O Circuit. The campsite is situated in the eastern part of the park. The camping area is quite spacious and grassy. This part is less busy you have a better chance to spot wildlife, especially in the morning. We saw a puma not far from the campsite early in the morning just before the sunset.

• The nearest attractions – Río Paine, Pehoé Lake
• Price. Camping with your own gear – US$35 per person for double occupancy (US$70 per site); US$56 per person for single occupancy. Fully equipped campsite (a 2-man tent, a mat, and a sleeping bag, liner) – US$110 per person for double occupancy, US$190 per person for single occupancy.
• Check-in time – 1pm
• Check-out time – 9.30am
• Getting there – walking from Central campsite.

3C. Francés (the O, the W trek), open from the 1st of September

This campsite is situated in the southern part of the park close to the Italiano and Los Cuernos campsites. The wooden decks for camping sit on the slope of the hill surrounded by trees.

• The nearest attractions – Mirador Francés, Mirador Británico, Nordenskjord Lake
• Price. Camping with your own gear – US$35 per person for double occupancy (US$70 per site); US$56 per person for single occupancy. Fully equipped campsite (a 2-man tent, a mat, and a sleeping bag, liner) – US$110 per person for double occupancy, US$190 per person for single occupancy.
• Check-in time – 1pm
• Check-out time – 9.30am
• Getting there – walking from Paine Grande, Italiano, Central campsites

4C. Cuernos (the O, the W trek), open from the 1st of November

One more campsite in the southern part of Torres del Paine, just 3 km away from Francés. The camping spots are wooden platforms in the forest.

• The nearest attraction – Nordenskjord Lake
• Price. Camping with your own gear – US$35 per person for double occupancy (US$70 per site); US$56 per person for single occupancy. Fully equipped campsite (a 2-man tent, a mat, and a sleeping bag, liner) – US$110 per person for double occupancy, US$190 per person for single occupancy.
• Check-in time – 1pm
• Check-out time – 9.30am
• Getting there – walking from Paine Grande, Italiano, Francés, or Central campsites

5C. Chileno (the O, the W trek), open from 15th September

It’s the closest to the Mirador Las Torres campsite, about 4,5 km. It takes 2,5-3 hours to walk to the Mirador. For this reason, the campsite is very popular and often fully booked. I’d recommend making a reservation at Chileno a couple of months in advance. The spots for camping are in the forest next to the river. Important! Due to the high risk of forest fires, it’s not allowed to use a camping stove at the Chileno campsite. You can buy meals at the campsite, bring food that doesn’t require cooking, or precook your meals in advance.

• The nearest attraction – Mirador Las Torres
• Price. Camping with your own gear – US$35 per person for double occupancy; US$56 per person for single occupancy. Fully equipped campsite (a 2-man tent, a mat, and a sleeping bag, liner) – US$144 per person for double occupancy and US$200 per person for single occupancy.
• Check-in time – 1pm
• Check-out time – 9.30am
• Getting there – walking from Central, Italiano, Francés, or Los Cuernos campsites.

Camping facilities

Facilities	Central	Serrón	Francés	Los Cuernos	Chileno
Toilets	+	+	+	+	+
Hot showers	+	+	+	+	+
Electricity	+		+	+	+
Power sockets*	at the reception	at the reception	at the reception	at the reception	at the reception
Wi-fi**	extra cost	extra cost	extra cost	extra cost	extra cost
Shop	+	+	+	+	+
Restaurant	+	+	+	+	+
Camping gear rental	+	+	+	+	+
Hotel	+		+	+	+

• * number of power sockets is limited you might have to wait.
• **even if there is wi-fi the Internet might be very slow don’t expect too much. The price is CLP 4000/US$5 per hour.

Gear rental

It’s possible to rent camping gear at the campsites if you don’t want to carry a tent and a sleeping bag with you.

Rental prices

• A tent (max 2 people) – US$48 per night
• A sleeping bag – US$25 per night
• A sleeping mat – US$10 per night

Meal options

You can get ready-made meals (breakfast, lunch/box lunch, and dinner) at all the campsites managed by Las Torres Patagonia.

Meal prices

• Full-board (breakfast, lunch, dinner) – US$100 pp.
• Half-board (breakfast, dinner) – US$70 pp.
• Breakfast – US$28
• Box lunch – US$30
• Lunch – US$50
• Dinner – US$50

The O Circuit itinerary and campsites

The O Circuit is one of the best long-distance treks in Patagonia it’s definitely worth doing. As of November 2021, two free campsites can’t be booked and there is no information if they will be open in the coming hiking season. My suggestion is not to count on the free campsites and rather book paid campsites along the route. The following itinerary includes only paid campsites.

When booking the campsites it’s essential to remember that the O Circuit can be walked only counterclockwise; from Central to Serón to Dickson etc. 

Distances between the campsites on the O circuit in Torres del Paine

• Day 1. Puerto Natales – Central campsite, Torres del Paine (bus). Central campsite – Serón campsite (Las Torres Patagonia), 13 km.
• Day 2. Serón campsite – Dickson campsite (Vertice Patagonia), 18 km
• Day 3. Dickson campsite – Los Perros campsite (Vertice Patagonia), 12 km
• Day 4. Los Perros campsite – Grey campsite (Vertice Patagonia), 15 km
• Day 5. Grey campsite – Francés campsite (Las Torres Patagonia), 20,5 km
• Day 6. Francés campsite – Chileno campsite (Las Torres Patagonia), 20 km
• Day 7. Chileno campsite – Mirador Las Torres – Central campsite, 14 km. Central campsite – Puerto Natales (2 buses).

You can find more details on the route in our post – The O Circuit in Torres del Paine.

The W trek itinerary and campsites

There is one free campsite on the W trek – Italiano. As of July 2022, it is not open. For this reason, the following itinerary includes only paid campsites. You can always change it and stay at Italiano instead of Francés if the free campsite becomes available for booking.

The W trek can be walked either way; clockwise starting from Central or counterclockwise starting from Paine Grande/Grey. There are more itinerary variations for this route.

You can do the W trek as an organized hike with a local company.

Distances between the campsites on the W trek

• Day 1. Puerto Natales – Paine Grande campsite, Torres del Paine (bus + ferry). Paine Grande – Grey campsite – Paine Grande (Vertice Patagonia), 22 km
• Day 2. Paine Grande – Francés campsite – Mirador Francés – Mirador Británico – Francés campsite (Las Torres Patagonia), 22 km
• Day 3. Francés campsite – Chileno campsite (Las Torres Patagonia), 20 km
• Day 4. Chileno campsite – Mirador Las Torres – Central campsite, 14 km. Central campsite – Puerto Natales (2 buses).

For more details on the route go to The W trek in Torres del Paine.

How to book refugios in Torres del Paine?

If there are no available campsites for your dates or you are not a big fan of camping you can stay indoors. It’s possible to stay indoors in refugios every night on the W trek and partly on the O circuit.   

Vertica Patagonia and Las Torres Patagonia have indoor accommodation options. It can be a bed in a dormitory, a hotel room, or a private wooden cabin.

Vertice Patagonia refugios

Vertice Patagonia offers indoor accommodation options at 3 campsites: Dickson, Grey, and Paine Grande. The Perros campsite doesn’t have indoor accommodation options. You can book refugios online.

Refugio and campsite Dickson (O circuit)

• Check-in – from 1 pm
• Check-out – before 9.30 am

A dorm bed without bedding is US$59 per person. You can use your own sleeping bag or rent bedding and a blanket for US$33 per person per night. The rooms are basic: single beds with mattresses and pillows. The Refugio has shared bathrooms with hot showers, a restaurant, a small shop, and a designated area where you’re allowed to cook using your own camping stove.

Refugio Grey (O circuit, W trek)

• Check-in – from 1 pm
• Check-out – before 9.30 am

A dorm bed without bedding is US$40 per person. A bed with bedding is US$92 per person. Even if you’re going to stay indoors I’d suggest having a sleeping bag or a silk liner. It’ll save you a lot of money on bedding. Rooms don’t have heating, but common areas are heated. The Refugio has shared bathrooms (separate for men and women), a lounge area, a restaurant/bar, a shop, and a designated area for cooking with your own camping stove.

Refugio Paine Grande (O circuit, W trek)

Paine Grande is a big complex with a couple of coffee shops, restaurants, shops, etc. A dorm bed without bedding is US$52 per person. A bed with bedding is US$92 per person. The facilities are similar to the refugios above.

Las Torres Patagonia

Las Torres Patagonia has a variety of accommodation options from luxury hotels to mountain hostels. All these accommodations can be booked online.

Mountain hostels are available at the Central (from 15th September), Francés (from 15th September), Cuernos (from 15th November), and sector Norte (from 15th September) campsites. There is no indoor accommodation option at the Serron campsite. A dorm bed with bedding is US$144 per person per night. Rooms have bunk beds with mattresses, sheets, pillows, and bed covers. The hostels have shared bathrooms with hot showers, a restaurant, a lounge area, and a designated area outside for cooking using your own gear.

Mountain cabins at the Cuernos campsite are open from the 1st of November 2023. The wooden cabins for 2-3 people have fully-made beds, towels, and shared bathrooms with hot showers. The price is US$230 per person per night for double occupancy, single occupancy supplement is US$200 per night.

Hotel Las Torres at the Central campsite is open from the 16th of October. It’s a luxury spa hotel with private ensuite rooms that feature a jacuzzi, king-size bed, wi-fi, bar, etc. Prices vary depending on the type of cabin, the number of people, and the season and start from US$600.

Places to stay in Puerto Natales

Puerto Natales is a gateway to Torres del Paine National Park. There are many accommodation options for different budgets from camping and hostels to luxurious hotels. From our experience, after camping for more than a week in Torres del Paine it was very nice to stay indoors.

• Budget | Hostel 53 Sur | Xalpen B&B |
• Middle price | Hostal Treehouse Patagonia | Wild Hostel |
• Luxury | Toore Patagonia | Weskar Lodge |

Travel insurance for Torres del Paine

Unfortunately, things can and do go wrong when you travel. World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

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