How many days do you need for the 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.

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.

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.

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.

How much does it cost to hike Torres del Paine?

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.

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.

The Torres del Paine film: Patagonia, Chile

Patagonia, Chile · 5 days · 85 miles

Torres del Paine Hiking Guide

The O and the W alone in 5 days, Patagonia, Chile.

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A day page
A day map and elevation profile
At a glance
How this trek works

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The route

My GPS recording of 5 days on a relief map. The numbers are where each day starts; the red dot is the finish. The full GPX files and the day maps come with the guide.

Relief map of the Torres del Paine route: 5 days drawn in red with numbered day starts, labelled Laguna Amarga, Cerro Paine Grande and Dickson. — Map data: Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (SRTM, GMTED) on AWS · Glaciers, rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors

At a glance

Days: 5 days
Distance: 85 miles
Climbing: About 14,590 ft (4,450 m) up
Season: Southern summer
Nights: 3 at campsites in my own tent, 1 in a refugio room at Grey
Route: Laguna Amarga to Central

What's inside

All five days. Stats, the time I took, my notes, the trail, where to get off, a map with an elevation profile, and links to that day in my film.
My GPX files. My own recordings for each day and the full route, with waypoints for every camp, refugio, the pass and the viewpoints, ready for AllTrails, Gaia GPS, Garmin or Organic Maps.
How this trek works. The mandatory bookings, the one-way rule on the O, who runs which camp, the park ticket, and how I booked everything in Puerto Natales a day ahead.
Costs, then and now. What I spent in 2020, line by line, and the 2026-27 prices for the park ticket, the camps, the refugios, meals, buses and the catamaran.
Getting there. Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales, where I stayed, buying food, and the bus into the park, with 2026-27 times and fares.
Food, water and gear. What I ate, what I carried, where you can cook, and the camera kit I tested on this trip.
Weather and safety. The wind on the John Gardner Pass, the fire rules, the park's closing times and what to do if something goes wrong.
Before you go and a trip sheet. One page of year-to-year checks and a printable one-page summary of the whole trek.

About this trip

In March 2020 I hiked Torres del Paine alone: the O circuit counterclockwise around the back of the Paine massif, over the John Gardner Pass above the Grey glacier, then the W along its front to the foot of the three towers. About 85 miles in five days. This guide has my GPS files, maps and notes for every day, how the park's reservations and one-way rule work, who runs which camp, the 2026-27 prices, and how to get there from Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales.

Watch the film on YouTube (1.9M views).

Gear for this route

Paid links: I earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

I carried my own tent and food for four nights. Here's what I carried in 2020, what I'd take now for Patagonian wind and rain, and what I filmed with.

What I carried in 2020

The full gear list I made for the film is no longer in its description. This is what my record shows.

Packa black roll-top backpack
Tentmy own tentA green one in the film. I slept in it three nights, at Dickson, Los Perros and Central.
Water filtera filter that screws onto my water bottlePeople said you could drink the glacier water straight. I never trust it.
Power banka portable batteryI charged the camera from it over USB, sometimes while hiking, with the battery in my side pocket.
Foodsausage, cheese, crackers, nuts and dried fruitPlus two Meal2Go bars and about five pouches of Performance Nut Butter from the States (see Food and water).

What I'd take now

My current kit for what this route needs. Wind and weather are the hard part here, above all on the John Gardner Pass.

TentNEMO Hornet Elite OSMO 1P AmazonBring a tent that can take wind, or book a rented one with your camp.
Sleeping padTherm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT AmazonMost camps rent pads too.
Sleeping bagHyperlite Mountain Gear 20° Quilt HyperliteThe nights were cool and chilly in early March.
PackHyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound 55 HyperliteRoom for a tent and four days of food.
Rain shellArc’teryx Beta AR Jacket Arc’teryxPatagonian weather changes fast: I packed up a wet tent in the rain on Day 2.
PuffyArc’teryx Cerium Hoody Arc’teryxWarm layers for the camps and the pass.
PolesBlack Diamond Alpine Carbon Z Poles AmazonRequired on the W and the Base Torres while snow and ice last in winter (2026).
StoveJetboil Stash AmazonOnly in the camps' cooking areas, and not at all at Chileno.
Water filterKatadyn BeFree AC · 1L AmazonThere's plenty of water in streams along the way. This is the filter I carry now.
Power bankNitecore NB20000 AmazonThere's nowhere to charge on the trail, and some days are long.
HeadlampNitecore NU20 Classic AmazonFor the camps. Walking after dark isn't allowed.
NavigationAllTrails+ AllTrails · 30% offHow I navigated: an offline map of the O and the W, followed by GPS with my phone in airplane mode. Import my GPX files; offline maps need the paid plan.
Phone dataAiralo eSIM Airalo · $3 offData in Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales. There's no phone signal on the trails.

Filming kit

This trip was a test of a much smaller camera than the Sony a7 III I'd been using. I didn't take my laptop or my drone into the park; my hostel kept them in its locker room. Recreational drones are banned in the park (see Straight answers).

CameraSony RX100 VIIThe size and weight were the big plus. I couldn't open its battery door with the tripod plate on, so I kept one battery in the whole time. The image quality and the built-in microphone weren't as good, and for the Pacific Crest Trail I leaned toward a bigger, better camera.
Camera poucha waterproof pouch on my hip beltThe camera rode in it.
Tripoda tripodAt full height in strong wind, the camera was knocked over completely once. Nothing broke.

What I film with now

Since September 2026 I film with a smaller setup: the Pocket 4 and the Mic 3 on the trail, and the Mini 5 Pro in the air.

CameraDJI Osmo Pocket 4 Amazon
MicDJI Mic 3 · 1 TX + 1 RX AmazonIt pairs with the Pocket 4.
DroneDJI Mini 5 Pro Amazon

Everything I carry now: my gear page.

The Day 3, Los Perros to Grey page from the Torres del Paine Hiking Guide

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Los Perros to Grey

The whole day page from the guide as a PDF, plus my camping packing list: the 42 things I carry, with a note on each. The PDF opens right away and both come by email. You'll also get my emails about new guides and trips, a few a year.

The details

Format: A 51-page PDF sized for a phone (A5, prints fine too) and a folder of GPX files, in one zip download.
Edition: 2027 season edition, updated October 2026.
Delivery: Instant. After you pay you get a private download link. Bookmark it to download again on any device.
Payment: Secure checkout through Stripe, in your own currency. Tax is included in the price, except in the US and Canada, where any sales tax is added at checkout.
Refunds: Not useful? Email me within 30 days for a refund: kraig@kraigadams.com.
Questions: Email kraig@kraigadams.com.

Questions

How many days do you need for the 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.
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.
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.
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.
How much does it cost to hike Torres del Paine?: 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.
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.

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