AnnaDreams of wild landscapes and soul searching are almost at hand! Chile’s most visited and most wonderful national park in Patagonia is calling you by your name. But now comes the unnerving part of choosing and booking your campsites in Torres del Paine, weighing the different camping options – and making sure you’re well prepared, to make the best of your visit. I went through all this in March 2022. So I’m here to help with this full list of campsites within the park, descriptions, operators, and my best tips specifically for Torres del Paine.
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Campsites operators | What to expect | W Trek camping | O Circuit camping | Camping packages (meals / equipment) | Booking a Torres del Paine campsite | Torres del Paine camping tips
Campsites in Torres del Paine
Whether you hike the 5-day W trek or the 8-day O circuit, your multi-day hike in Torres del Paine will involve spending several nights in various campsites. Both of these trails are hut-to-hut style, and it’s strictly forbidden to wild camp in Torres del Paine.
At the paid campsites, there are three options for sleeping:
- Sleep in your own tent
- Sleep in a rented, ready-made tent
- Sleep in a refugio (dorm-style shelter)
You’ll usually find a lot of space to pitch your own tent, while there are fewer rental tents, and only a handful of beds in the refugios. They usually offer some bathroom facilities and a cooking shelter – it’s forbidden to make fires.
All types of camping options need to be pre-booked, it’s not possible to plan it as you go. In fact, people without campsite booking are not let into the park. Needless to say that refugios and rented tents sell out the fastest, so those need to be booked extra early. (See the section below about booking the campsites.)
Operators of the campsites
Three companies are operating the campsites in Torres del Paine National Park:
- Vertice Patagonia
- Las Torres (also called Fantastico Sur)
- CONAF
Each campsite has its own operator. When in the same area there are more than 1 campsite, the operators are the same, so they are in kind of a monopole situation.
Las Torres (Fantastico Sur) is more expensive than Vertice. The CONAF campgrounds are free but are rustic and don’t offer rented tents; however, they are closed for refurbishment in 2022/2023.
What to expect in Torres del Paine camping
Don’t expect the quintessence of luxury, but in every campsite you can expect at least:
- Dedicated space for your own tent (if that’s what you’ve chosen)
- A building or tent for cooking on your own stove
- Tables and benches for eating
- English toilets (WC)
- Warm shower indoors (except at Los Perros camp)
- Small shop with basic camping food (eg. tins, cheese, tortilla, beer)
- In most of the campsites: basic restaurant to buy cold/warm food
- English-speaking rangers who will welcome you, give information, give you a very detailed weather forecast and help in whatever you need
What you shouldn’t expect:
- Toilet paper in every toilet
- Sponge and dishwasher soap in every kitchen
- Any kitchen equipment (such as pans or cutlery)
- Free WiFi or signal for mobile internet
Campsites on the W trek
The W trek is the shortest and most popular multi-day hike in Torres del Paine. It can be done either clockwise or anti-clockwise. The campsites here are bigger and a tad more commercial, compared to those on the O circuit.
If you hike clockwise, you’ll see first the most visited sight: the emblem of Torres del Paine, the 3 granite fingers Base of the Towers (or Base of las Torres), and you’ll finish at Grey. If you hike anti-clockwise, you’ll start at Glacier Grey, the second biggest attraction in the park, and reach Base of the Towers on the last day.
Personally, I like keeping the most beautiful view for the end, as a crown of the hike; to do so, choose to go anti-clockwise.
W trek camping map
Order of W trek campsites – anti-clockwise
Night 1: Grey camp
The 1st night you’ll spend in Grey camp, the busiest and most commercial one in Torres del Paine. Not only W-trek and O-circuit hikers stay here, but also travelers who visit only Glacier Grey and the area.
For tents there are various flat, dirt or grass areas. The kitchen and dining areas are both indoors and outdoors. There’s a restaurant and a well-equipped shop on site. At the time we went, they were even selling eggs in the shop!
Operator of the camping: Vertice
Night 2: Paine Grande camp
The 2nd night you’ll spend in Paine Grande, which is a grassy space hugged by snow-capped mountains. There’s a big kitchen and dining area. The tent spaces are separated by wooden walls to give some privacy.
Sleeping mats and sleeping bags can be rented on the spot, and food and drink can be bought in the restaurant.
Operator of the camping: Vertice
Night 3: Frances or Los Cuernos (or Italiano) camp
The 3rd night you can spend either in camp Frances, the closest to your previous night’s camp; or in Los Cuernos camp, which is 2 hours further. There’s a 3rd campsite in this sector, Italiano, operated by CONAF and free of charge; but in March 2022, it was closed for refurbishment.
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Frances sits on a hill among trees, so you’ll build your tent on wooden platforms. That means, the floor is harder and you can’t use pegs. You can try with ropes, but it’s not really windy among the trees anyway.
The bathroom is modern, the restaurant has tasty meals (including vegetarian/vegan options) that can be bought on the spot. I especially recommend the enchilada and their local beers! The kitchen area is too small, with few seats and at times it gets so crowded it’s impossible to enter.
Operator of the camping: Las Torres (Fantastico Sur)
Los Cuernos is on a flatter area, although tents are built on wooden platforms as well. It has a big kitchen and dining room and a beautiful view on the Cordillera del Paine mountain range.
Operator of the camping: Las Torres (Fantastico Sur)
Night 4: Central or Chileno camp
On the last night, you can either stay at Central or at Chileno camp. You’ll leave your backpack here to hike to Base of the Towers the next day.
Central (also called Las Torres) is a campsite near the Las Torres trailhead. It’s a big, flat area, where tents are built on grass. Camping is permitted at any place. Hiking time to Base of Torres is 10 km/6 mi, approx. 4.5 hours.
Operator of the camping: Las Torres (Fantastico Sur)
Chileno is a smaller campsite on the way to the Base of the Towers viewpoint. Since it’s at a shorter distance to the viewpoint than Central, hikers who wish to catch the sunrise at the Base of the Towers often choose to stay here. Hiking time to Base of Torres is 4 km/2.5 mi, approx. 2.5 hours.
The camp is built on a hill, among trees, so camping is on wooden platforms. Chileno books up real fast, so do it early!
Operator of the camping: Las Torres (Fantastico Sur)
Order of W trek campsites – clockwise
(For campsite descriptions, see the anti-clockwise section above.)
Night 1: Central (Las Torres) / Chileno
Night 2: Frances / Los Cuernos / (Italiano)
Night 3: Paine Grande camp
Night 4: Grey camp
Campsites on the O circuit
The O circuit partially runs on the W trek trail, and that’s where it gets the busiest. The rest of the time, it’s more of a backcountry experience with fewer people, and smaller, friendlier campsites.
Keep planning: All you need to know about the O circuit hike
The O circuit can only be hiked anti-clockwise; most people reach the iconic Base of the Towers viewpoint on the last day, as the climax of the whole hike.
O circuit camping map
Order of campsites on the O circuit
Night 1: Serón camp
Serón is a rustic camp on a huge, flat, grassy land. There are wooden platforms to build tents; but since they’re hard, it’s better to pitch on the soil, especially if it’s not raining.
The cooking / dining area is a permanent tent, with tables and benches. Dishes can be washed at the outdoors tap. Toilet and hot showers are in container buildings. There’s a small restaurant and a shop.
Operator of the camping: Las Torres (Fantastico Sur)
Night 2: Dickson camp
Dickson sits at a breath-taking place, among snowy mountains on a riverside. Camping is on a flat, grassy land. There are tables and benches at the camping area, and an indoors cooking / dining area. A small shop sells basic camping food.
Operator of the camping: Vertice
Night 3: Los Perros camp
Los Perros was my favourite camp, because it was the friendliest. It is a very small camping in the forest, next to a mountain river. The campsite rangers are very friendly. Tents are built on a flat, dirt surface among trees. The cooking / dining area is small, but indoors. This is the only camp where there’s no hot water in the showers.
Operator of the camping: Vertice
Between Los Perros and Grey camps, there’s another one, Paso, operated by CONAF, which was closed for refurbishment during the 2021/2022 season.
The trail now follows the W trek, so the campsites are the same. For camp descriptions, read the W trek anti-clockwise section.
Night 4: Grey camp
Night 5: Paine Grande camp
Night 6: Frances or Los Cuernos camp
Night 7: Central or Chileno camp
Camping packages
Meals
Besides the accommodation, the campsites also offer meal options:
- Full board: breakfast, packed lunch, dinner
- Half board: breakfast, dinner
Apart from that, it’s also possible to buy individual meals on the spot. A vegetarian option is always offered. Note: Los Perros campsite doesn’t have any meal options, only a shop on site.
The prices are displayed on the campsites websites. Just to give you an idea, in Las Torres (Fantastico Sur), full board costs 88 USD, half board 62 USD, individual breakfast 24 USD, and individual lunch 29/44 USD per day in the 2022/2023 season. Vertice is slightly cheaper – prices will be given when you book on their website.
Equipment rental
It’s also possible to camp in Torres del Paine without carrying your own tent or any other camping equipment. All campsites offer tent, sleeping bag and sleeping mat rental.
These are the prices for Las Torres (Fantastico Sur) in 2022/2023, just to give you an idea: tent for up to 2 people: 43 USD, sleeping bag 24 USD, sleeping mat 10 USD.
Booking your Torres del Paine camping
The campsites need to be booked months before the hike, using either of the below options:
- the Torres Hike platform gives you a recommended route depending on how many days you want to stay on the trail, and books all the campsites for you, charging an admin fee;
- or book your campsites individually on the Vertice and Las Torres websites.
Basically, if you want to keep it easy and straightforward, choose the platform. If you want to save money and don’t mind doing comparison and planning yourself, book at the campsites.
In general, foreign nationals are recommended to pay in USD, to save on the taxes.
Whichever way you choose, it’s important you book the campsites as soon as you can (6+ months in advance). Especially if you want to stay in the refugio / ready tent because space is limited. Booking season usually starts several months before the upcoming shoulder and summer seasons, and spaces fill up quickly.
For the 2022/23 season, bookings can already be made.
Torres del Paine camping tips
What to bring
- Expect rain: regardless of the month you go, chances are high that it’ll rain, so pack quick-dry trousers and rain jacket
- Temperature drops at night, so I recommend a lightweight insulated jacket
- Wear comfortable hiking boots
- Hiking poles are not an absolute must-have but they’ll help with hill climbing, ascending and river crossing
- Be minimalistic with clothing: the only things you really need are a lightweight insulated jacket, 1 long sleeve, 2 short sleeves, 1 pair of quick-dry trousers, rain jacket, 3 pairs of socks/underwear, headscarf/hat;
- A headtorch comes in handy to go to the toilet at night, or when you start the day really early
- Bring a quick-dry travel towel
- Regarding sleeping mats, I recommend a blow-up one which is more comfortable on the wooden platforms
- If you go self-catering, bring food that’s high in protein, not too heavy, and quick to cook. We brought quick-cook pasta, quinoa mix, trail mix, nuts, peanut butter, tortilla wraps, tuna cans. Other hikers brought dehydrated meals which worked pretty well too.
- Getting pains on the trail is common, so pack some painkillers just in case
- Don’t forget your camera – the views are incredible!
- Bring cash (CLP or USD), as some campsites have no card payment options and you might want to pamper yourself with crisps or beer from the camping shop.
More tips: Our minimalist packing guide
What to do
- Eat well – your body will need energy
- Hang your food bag on a tree each night so mice don’t eat your precious food
- If you can, consider setting off early in the morning – the waking-up nature is magical, and there’s a higher chance you spot wild animals, like guanacos or grey foxes.
- Go easy on your body – e.g. don’t run downhill unnecessarily, otherwise your legs will hurt for the rest of the hike
- Leave all the stuff you don’t need on the trail at your accommodation in Puerto Natales
By the way, why not check out the best things to do in Puerto Natales?
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Are you planning to visit Torres del Paine?
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