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Chile

By Yes Mom I'm Alive

PUERTO NATALES

CAMPING PEHÓE

PAINE GRANDE

PASO JOHN GARDNER

GLACIER GRAY TREK

CAMPING PEHÓE

HOSTERÍA PEHÓE

PUNTA ARENAS

MAGDALENA ISLAND

ITINERARY AND ADVICE

ITINERARY

DAY ONE

Fly into Punta Arenas from Sky Airlines

Pick up a rental car from Hertz at the Punta Arenas airport

Drive to Puerto Natales via Ruta 9 (2.5 hrs)

Run your errands: Rent camping gear from Base Camp at Erratic Rock, stock up on food at Unimarc and grab lunch at Cerveza Baguales.

Take the El Camino Y-290 to the Rio Serrano gate at Torres del Paine National Park (2 hrs). Stop at the rangers station to pay for admission to the park.

Continue north to Camping Pehoé (50 mins). Set up camp under one of the tent shelters.

Eat dinner at camp, or inside the campground's (surprisingly delicious!) restaurant, Parrilla Pehoé.

DAY TWO

Drive to Lago Pehoé Pudeto to catch the 9 a.m. catamaran ($50/return)

Arrive to Refugio Paine Grande on the other side of Lago Pehoé

From Paine Grande, take a quick detour east to see Los Cuernos (45 mins)

Return to Refugio Paine Grande and then hike north to Refugio Grey (11km; 3.5 hrs)

Set up your tent at Vertice Grey Campground ($15/night)

DAY THREE

Wake up early and make breakfast at camp

Begin your hike up to Paso John Gardner (28km; 10 hrs return)

Enjoy lunch while overlooking Glacier Grey at Campamento Paso

Continue another 4km and 2300' to reach Paso John Gardner. The pass can close in event of particularly nasty weather.

Return to Refugio Grey camp for dinner and another night's sleep.

DAY FOUR

Head to Bigfoot Basecamp (10 min walk from camp), arriving early for the 8 a.m. tour

Spend the day trekking on Glacier Grey

After the tour, hustle back to Refugio Paine Grande (3.5 hrs)

Catch the last catamaran at 6:30 p.m.

Return to Camping Lago Pehoé for another night of camping

Hike up to Mirador Condor for sunset (1 hr round-trip)

DAY FIVE

Drive to Hostería Pehoé for a delicious all-you-can-eat breakfast

Spend a half-day driving around the park.

Stop at viewpoints Lago Grey, Lago Nordenskjord, and Mirador Cuernos.

Return to Puerto Natales via Ruta 9 (2 hrs)

Return gear in Puerto Natales. Top off gas.

Finish drive to Punta Arenas Aiport. Drop off rental car at Hertz.

Take shuttle to Punta Arenas.

Stay at Hospedaje Magallanes

Enjoy a pisco sour (or three) at the Shackleton Bar

DAY SIX

Meet at Solo Expediciones at 6:30 a.m. for the Magdalena Island tour. Note: if you have an afternoon flight you can take your luggage and the bus will drop you off at the airport at the end of the tour free of charge!

Take a tour bus out to the Laredo Bay pier. Transfer to the speedboat to cross the Strait of Magellan (45 mins).

Arrive at Magdalena Island, home to 120,000 Magellanic penguins. Spend one hour walking around the island, watching the penguins play and feed.

Return to Punta Arenas via speedboat

ADVICE

WHEN TO VISIT

We visited in January and we lucked out again with relatively warm and dry weather! Generally speaking, the weather is warmest between December – February, but if you want to avoid the crowds, I recommend visiting during the shoulder months of November (spring) or March – April (early Fall).

Transportation

You can get to and from Torres del Paine National Park by public transportation. However, buses do not run regularly through the park, nor do they stop at viewpoints. We opted to rent a car from Hertz International in the Punta Arenas Airport for convenience. We were on a relatively tight timetable and buses did not run early enough for us to catch the morning catamaran, for example.

We rented a car from Hertz Rental. Most cars in South America are manuals, but we were able to rent an automatic for approximately $350 for 6 days. I booked via phone with Hertz International a month in advance.

We found the driving in Chilean Patagonia to be safe and easy (like in the United States, vehicles drive on the right side of the road). The roads within the park are gravel, but well-maintained and accessible for even a standard sedan.

There are three gas stations in Puerto Natales, but no public gas stations within the park. Fill up whenever possible!

Guided Tours

While most of our visit was self-guided, we did take two tours:

Glacier Grey Trek with Bigfoot Adventures: We highly recommend Bigfoot's Glacier Grey Trek! It has long been our dream to hike on the Southern Patagonian Ice Field (the third largest in the world). Our tour guide Carlos was knowledgeable, passionate and funny. The trek requires a 1 hour hike (one-way) from the boat. Bigfoot also offers a kayaking tour of Glacier Grey.

Magdalena Island Penguin Tour with Solo Expediciones: I probably don't need to put a hard sell on anyone to visit an island of penguins. Magdalena Island is a perfect half-day activity from Punta Arenas (usually running from 6am to 12pm). Please be warned the tour can be cancelled due to poor weather (in which case your money is fully refunded). Wear warm layers and be prepared for rough seas. If you are prone to seasickness, bring ginger chews and motion sickness medication.

ACCOMMODATIONS

My favorite place to stay in Punta Arenas is the warm and friendly Hospedaje Magallenas. The breakfast in the morning is not to be missed; I can't get enough of Marisol's homemade yogurt! The rooms fill up quickly, so book in advance.

My favorite places to stay in Puerto Natales are Erratic Rock (recommended the evening before you set out for the park, as almost everyone staying here will be getting up early the next morning to catch the first bus) and Pire Mapu Cottage (recommended for a cozy stay after hiking in the park).

Within the park, if you are not doing the W Trek you can camp at Camping Pehoé or stay at one of the several (pricey) hotels within the park.

I recommend renting camping gear from Base Camp (connected to Erratic Rock) in Puerto Natales.

FOOD + WATER

We stocked up on groceries for camping and hiking at Unimarc in Punta Arenas. You can learn more about the food we take when backpacking in Torres del Paine in my Guide to Hiking the W Trail.

There is running water at Camping Pehoé and Vertice Gray Campground. We each filled up our 2-liter water bags every morning before setting out. There are a few streams along the hike between Refugio Paine Grande and Refugio Grey.