Find Your Bliss in Patagonia | National Geographic
Every year, about 100,000 visitors head to a remote location known as the end of the world: it's Torres del Paine National Park in Chile's Patagonia region. Here, adventurers find bliss amongst the dramatic terrain that includes glaciers, fjords, and mountains. The centrepiece of the park are the three granite towers that stand tall over the otherwise flat Patagonian plain. Throughout the park, the towers beckon, encouraging visitors to take a closer look.
The eleven point two mile Mirador Las Torres hike is the ultimate way to see these iconic rock features. But get ready; getting to this remote destination is quite the journey. Fly into Chile's Punta Arenas Airport at the tip of South America. It's the closest major airport to the park, but is still about five hours and two bus rides away. Your first bus is to the tourist hub of Puerto Natales, which is three hours to the north.
Buses run daily between Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales and cost about 7,000 Chilean pesos or about 10 US dollars each way. Spend a night or two in Puerto Natales and rest up; you'll need all the energy you can muster for this demanding hike. In Patagonia, weather is everything. If the weather's not right, you may not even get to see the towers through the clouds, so if you have flexibility in your schedule, wait till the weather's clear.
When the big day arrives, take the 7:30 a.m. bus to Torres del Paine. One-way fare is approximately 12 US dollars. Two and a half hours later, you will be ready for your epic hiking adventure. All visitors must pay a park fee in cash of approximately 32 US dollars. You won't have to camp to do this hike, but it is included in the park fee; if it's something you'd like to do, be sure to book your campsite in advance.
Once in the park, you could walk from the Laguna Amarga gate to the trailhead at the Hotel Las Torres. Another option is to take a shuttle about four miles to the start of the trail for approximately five US dollars. The Mirador Les Torres trailhead is clearly marked near the hotel, and begins as a deceptively flat path that quickly turns steep as you pass over a couple hanging bridges, which makes for a great photo-op.
The demanding hike is eleven point two miles round trip and it typically takes about seven to eight hours to complete. The steep uphill is followed by a steep downhill, which then becomes another steep uphill through the finish. And that last mile is yet another brutally steep scramble and will most likely test your limits. But it makes arriving at the base of the towers even more rewarding.
Enjoy marveling at the park's namesake Torres and capturing some NatGeo worthy photographs before beginning your trek back to reality. Consider doing this trek with National Geographic Expeditions.