How I spent $2,506.62 on a 10 day trip to Torres Del Paine (partial W trek) and Chile
December 2024
I don’t even know how the idea of Patagonia came into my head, but it was simmering on it for a while. Ironically enough (maybe it’s confirmation bias), I know or know of people who have ventured down to that area this year. Guess Patagonia is the new Banff.
Saw some cheap ish flights to Chile, so pulled the trigger! My initial idea was to do the full W trek, but I’ve never gone a multi day trek before. So decided to do a partial W trek.
This was the second week of December, so the beginning of peak season and better summer weather! It starts to get BUSY around Christmas.
Starts off with my reflection / things I found useful and then detailed day by day breakdown. Each day also has its own reflections. Small packing list at the end. The exchange rate at the time was 1.000 CLP to $1.03 USD. I use the dot in place of a comma since that’s how it’s written there! So this is really 1,000 CLP.
Overall reflection
The trip definitely took effort to plan because you needed to coordinate X, Y, Z. And I wasn’t following the “traditional route” per se.
Wish we had more time to go to El Chalten (Argentine Patagonia) since people RAVED about it. Saying it’s better than Torres del Paine because less people etc etc. We could’ve squeezed it in, but it would’ve been long days and people always cite weather as a risk to whether you get good views.
They’ve now introduced hiking fees of $45+ / day with multi day being cheaper that has made people unhappy. it used to be free before.
If you’re going to do that, consider an open jaw flight of Santiago - Buenos Aires, so this way you don’t have to do the border crossing twice.
Spanish is going to be helpful of course, but I think you could definitely get by without it. Bus drivers, probably about half of the servers of places we went to, Uber drivers don’t speak Spanish
I don’t feel like the food was that expensive there.. they say Chile is the most expensive country in South America though. I thought it was better than the U.S.!! 10% tip is standard although they always ask if you want to include tip… at least there’s no guess work.
Like salmon at a restaurant in the U.S. would be minimum $20+ and then tax and 15-20% tip. At one place in Chile, it was $15 and included a side + 10% tip.
If you pay with cash, you will get a discount vs. credit card. Chile is a credit card using country though & worth the convenience I think…
I think all restaurants are willing to give you the wifi password - just ask if they don’t already have it posted.
Took out 40.000 CLP total for two people and we had 5.000 CLP + some change leftover, so this was enough. Chile is heavy on credit card usage! There was some mishap with the BIP cards that my friend had to get two, so we probably had closer to 8.000 CLP left.
The biggest thing was paying for the Laguna Amarga shuttle. So if you’re booking this in advance, you don’t need as much cash. (I did not use this link, but saw people posting it after my trip.)
I liked Santiago.. I’m not sure what I would do with a second day there, other than side hiking trips and going to wineries outside of the city. Considered doing Cajon del Maipo (lots of day tours..), but thought it was very similar to the mountain landscape that we were already seeing.
I’ve read that people said it was boring. Read reports of it being unsafe. I never felt unsafe, but definitely anything can happen. I read someone got their necklace snatched.. I had my Garmin on and my friend had a backpack on.
Transport: Ubers are cheap so I see why people do that and don’t bother with public transport. Buying BIP at Parajitos station is cash only. You can buy it with credit card at the airport, but you need to go to the station - it’s not inside the terminal.
If you read any Chile tips, they all say don’t lose the PDI slip. It’s not the end of the world if you do because you can get a new one, but it’s another hassle to deal with. They did look at it at passport control upon leaving, but I don’t think it would be a big issue if you didn’t have it.
Don’t pay for luggage storage at any lodging. Most places offer it for free, so just book another place honestly. Message the hotel to check!
Allot time for border control when LEAVING Chile during peak season. Took 1h and 10 minutes… and then < 10 min for security.
Torres del Paine reflection
I debated heavily about getting a car for Torres del Paine. I read a lot about the roads not being good (gravel, unpaved) and people getting flat tires and didn’t want to deal with it. I think it would’ve been easier for logistics, begin on your own schedule / not feel tight on time, and could’ve squeezed some day hikes in that aren’t part of the W.
No regrets not doing the full W!
I was worried about starving on the hike… and I don’t think I took in enough calories, but I never felt or woke up hungry really. Guess the candy bars fueled me.
It is expensive staying in the park for sure… but to me making Puerto Natales the home base doesn’t make sense since that’s a lot of driving every day. It does save money though. The day hikes were possible with the long days and sunset being around 10pm!
Glad I didn’t bring my down jacket. I was hot hiking around. I had a light fleece, Patagonia Better Sweater, and a fleece lined rain jacket. I could’ve dropped the light fleece. Only wore the Better Sweater one night when sleeping.
Since we did a hodge podge version of the W, didn’t really “meet” or bond with many people. But you definitely exchange convos here and there.. If you’re doing the full, you’ll have no problem talking to people since you’ll see many of the same people.
Consider myself an average hiker - went probably 30 minutes faster than the times specified on the trail map. Mainly in a day pack though.
The Laguna Amarga shuttle does take USD??!! I didn’t see anybody pay that way, but it was on a sign in Central. It’s $6, which I find odd because are they really taking $1 bills?? Link to buy online supposedly is above; I didn’t use it though.
You can get to the Puerto Natales bus terminal 15 minutes before your departure time. They don’t arrive super early.
Get the hiking poles!! Yes people hiked without them, but I’m like how??
If you’re looking for something to do / lower budget, then Cueva del Milodon is a fine option, but I don’t think I would go out of my way for it. Some of the day tours are around $30+
Training: I didn’t walk with my backpack with weight at all. Barely did treadmill inclines / Stairmaster. That would’ve been good prep though. I was already working on my cardio with my half marathon training, so I think that helped.
Spend
Flights, $830.20
Dallas to Santiago, $658 (American Airlines) non stop. No checked bag, only personal item + carry on. Booked in June.
Honestly a regular price is $700 from what I’ve seen lately, so it’s not like we got it for that much cheaper LOL.
Santiago to Puerto Natales, $92.10 (Latam).
Includes checked + carry on + free change
Punta Arenas to Santiago, $80.10 (Latam).
Includes checked + carry on + free change
People said latam.cl was cheaper than the .com website. I must be dumb or something but it was the same price for me.
Sky is the other airline, but Latam seemed more reliable. *shrugs*
Booked the Chile domestic flights in July. I don’t think prices moved that much when I checked back in Sept. I think booking 3 months out would be fine.. Made a time change in November and seats were getting limited like 1-2 seats left on the plane.
Transportation, $214.38
Car for 1 day: $51.47 (my half)
Bus to/from Puerto Natales —> Torres del Paine, $33.52
Bus - Puerto Natales —> Punta Arenas, $9.24
Shuttle - Laguna Amarga —> Pudeto, $8
BIP card for Santiago public transport, $6.73
I think we loaded it with 5.000 CLP to start + there’s the base price of the card etc.
Bus to / from Vina del Mar, $12.15
Ubers, $36.59
They are pretty cheap from what I saw.
20 minute from Bella Vista area in Santiago to SCL airport around 7 am on a weekday was ~$20
Punta Arenas city center to the ferry terminal (15 minute drive), $4+
Shuttle to/from Welcome Center / Laguna Amarga, 4.500 CLP.
Catamaran to/from Pudeto, $56.68
Would just buy these in advance.. if you don’t, other people get priority over you. I think you could go on a different time catamaran too. But same thing where other people get priority.
Lodging, $543.54
Central premium camping ($95) + tent ($35) + pillow. The tent is all set up for you.
Paine Grande refugio ($100). The description says shared room w/ bunk beds, but it just ended up being us two!
Grey refugio ($100). Actual shared room with 2 bunk beds, so there were 2 other people there.
Booked Las Torres (Central) after they had opened (May). Added sleeping bag later since it wasn’t available in the original booking.
Booked Vertice (Paine Grande and Grey) right when they opened in June - their website kept crashing.
Santiago: Eco hostal tambo verde, $36.95
Twin private + private bath
Puerto Natales: El Patagonico, $31
Twin private + private bath
Recommend out of all 3 places in Puerto Natales!!
Rented hiking poles from here. Free luggage storage.
Puerto Natales: Yagan House, $29.82
There was a BIG mix up with booking via Expedia, so I can’t recommend. They didn’t have my reservation, but they already took my money and even sent me a message about booking excursions… If you do go with them, book it direct. Honestly you can get better accommodations for the price. I paid about the same for a queen bed + shared bath at Yagan House as a private twin + private bath somewhere else!!
had multiple issues with the staff.. biggest thing is that I don’t think they were the nicest. Asked us to leave at 11:10 pm (10 minutes after their closing time) when we were trying to situate another place. Didn’t communicate about the second night until we showed up.
Eventually I got my money back but it was also a hassle dealing with that. They didn’t respond to any of the calls from Expedia, so Expedia was going to give up and offer me a $25 credit…
Puerto Natales: Corner Hostel, $31
Definitely more low budget. But last minute availability!! The room was in the kitchen with a kind of private bath - shared w/ another person. You could probably get a better room though.
Punta Arenas: Hostal Boutique Terra Antartica, $29.53
Definitely one of my favorites on the trip.
Santiago: La Quinta Santiago Aeropuerto, $55.25
Nice for a La Quinta!! We had a late flight, so wanted something close to the airport. There’s a free shuttle to/from airport.
Excursions, $450.62
Tabsa ferry to Isla Magdalena, $86.14
This just started running again! So go with this option over the other private ones. Some of the private ones do stop to see sea lions / seals.
The only thing is they only have one sailing the a.m. The private companies have one in the afternoon around 2:30p.
Full day tour to Perito Moreno Glacier from Puerto Natales (Turismo Zaahj), $111.82
There’s other “operators” but I think they are just selling it from Turismo Zaahj.
Grey glacier ice hike (Bigfoot Patagonia is the only one that offers this), $200.66
There’s also kayaking! But the waters looked kind of rough, but people manage.
1.5 hours horseback riding at Entre Aperos y Calafates, $52
3 hours seems to be a popular option in general.
Other, $250.83
Torres del Paine fee, $48.15
Perito Moreno Glacier fee, $28.96 (before the fee increase. It’s now closer to $45 )
Hiking poles (4 day rental from El Patagonico), $20
It’s 4.000 CLP per day + extra fee for paying with credit card?
Cueva del Milodon fee, $11.15
Funicular at San Cristobal hill, $4.64
Just buy it there.
Souvenirs (pin), $3.04 (4.000 CLP)
Cash, ~$22
Misc: using it funciular in Valparaiso (less than 500 CLP), bathroom at Vina del Mar bus terminal, laguna amarga shuttle x 2, etc.
REI Trail 40L hiking backpack, $112.89.
I did not have one before this and honestly not sure when I’ll use it again. I really didn’t want to buy one. bought during REI annual sale - originally $150
I like it and would recommend - wait for the sale!! It worked as a carry on on American and Latam. The only thing is the side pockets for water bottles isn’t that tight.
Backpacking food, $33.40
Mountain house. Chicken tikka masala, kung pao chicken, chicken pad thai
I’m pleasantly surprised. Idk if I had a favorite. Maybe the kung pao chicken?? Chicken tikka masala has good flavor.
We brought our own disposable silverware; the refugios don’t have this.
Lunch: protein bars and the random snacks from the supermarket.
Groceries, $11.59
Food, $172.06 - for 10 meals. Some of which I ordered a lot + drinks..
Day 0, Sunday
Travel day… overnight from Dallas. 9.5 hour flight
Chicken or pasta as dinner on the flight. Chose chicken. Not that filling.
Yogurt, granola for the breakfast snack
Don’t get much sleep even though the middle seat is empty :(
Day 1, Monday - Santiago
7:40a: Land in Santiago
8a: the line at customs is long, but we clear it around 30 minutes.
Wait for the free shuttle bus to the public bus 555. It takes a whileeee for it to come. Definitely would’ve been better off taking the Centropuerto bus or Turbus (just buy it when you arrive) since it’s also going to Pajaritos station and it’s like 2.000 CLP! Which isn’t that much more expensive vs the public bus.
You can buy the BIP card (metro / bus transit card) with credit card at the airport! Where you go board the 555 bus. But at Pajaritos station it’s cash only.
Supposedly there’s an app / QR code, but never dug into it...
Check into Eco Hostal Tambo Verde and drop off our bags. Has a cute courtyard. Drink some tap water and fingers crossed because people said it’s potable.
Walkable distance to San Cristobal Hill for the funicular. But it doesn’t open until 1pm on Monday!! Decide to walk to central downtown area; 35 minutes ish.
Stop at Santa Lucia Hill. They make us sign in on a book w/ our names, country etc. It’s a bit of a climb up to the top, but the viewpoint is nice. Good view of the city. Lots of tourists at the top! The whole park area is cute.
Check out Plaza de Armas, Plaza de La Constitución, downtown area.
Downtown area is busy!!! lots of street vendors selling random stuff like Christmas decor and toys.
El Rapido for Empanadas. They’re pretty cheap for the size! Got 2 (carne and mariscos - beef and seafood, $6.55 so around 3.000 CLP each?) and they’re big. Funny that the waiter was waiting to take our order right when we walked in.
Beef was better. The seafood one tasted fishy.
Mercado central: I heard this was a cool market. it was farmer’s market like and kind of dead. Skip.
We’re tired, so take the bus back to San Cristobal Hill for funciular ride (basically an elevator). The bus has no AC and it’s pretty warm out! The funicular is pretty busy. It’s kind of scary too as you’re going up that steep hill. The top also has good views of the city. Similar to Santa Lucia Hill. but I think it’s still worth seeing it!! At the top, there’s a statue, but it was closed. There are also cafes. We took the funciular back down, but recommend walking down because there’s other stops and photo opps on the way! (Like a Chile sign). The cable car is closed on Mondays, but that’s another option going down.
Someone said Santa Lucia Hill has the same hill (and free!) as San Cristobal. Yes and no, but the funicular is worth experiencing in my opinion!
Dinner at La Terreza ($18.35). It’s decently busy. Try a completo (hot dog! with mayo, avocado, sauerkraut,). And cazeula (traditional stew, $7+) with chicken. Pisco sour (~$4.50).
Alcohol seems cheap! A Heineken cost $3+ USD.
Reflection:
I’m ignorant because I was surprised at how BUSY Santiago was. The metro is busy!! A lot of people take the metro from the airport since people had their luggage.
Bella Vista neighborhood: this was one of the areas recommended to stay in. Las Tarria too. I did read later that people got mugged in Bella Vista when they were going to the bars. It is residential and quiet, so I could see it being an easy target for thieves. I don’t usually stay out late on vacations anyway…
Most people take Ubers around from what I’ve read. It is cheaper than the U.S. for sure, but I liked getting a view of how the locals live on local transport.
Day 2, Tuesday - Puerto Natales
7a: Uber to SCL (Santiago airport) for the flight to Puerto Natales.
No traffic on the road… maybe because we’re going away from the city.
Nobody in security. My friend does luggage drop, which barely any line. The priority pass lounge is pretty average.
Flight is delayed by a few… definitely a lot of backpackers on this flight.
On the plane: drinks - coke, orange juice, water. Maybe something else but didn’t see.. snacks - apple crisps or popcorn. They came around twice with snacks, so got to try both.
No screens. There is entertainment you can get on via your phone.
Land in Puerto Natales after arrival time because airport is congested. It’s tiny!!!
Shared shuttle to town is the best option. The official one is $4.000 CLP. We took another one for $3.000 CLP; if you pay with credit card it’s $6.000. Dropped directly at lodging, El Patagonico.
Somehow lost my PDI slip (*facepalm* given to you at customs to show you’re not a Chile resident and you don’t have to pay taxes at some lodging. Chile has dual citizenship, so a foreign passport isn’t enough.) Reception at the hostel tells us there’s a PDI office in town and we can get a copy…
Link for a copy - form to fill out your info. It was really the police station or something I don’t know.. anyway they told us it takes 4 days, but we got lucky and they made us a copy right there!! Normally it’s open like 8a-1pm.
Get the hiking poles from El Patagonico too. There are a lot of places in town that rent gear even hiking backpacks! I think tents, sleeping bags, poles are the most popular things to rent. Reception was great and taught us how to use the poles! (You want your arm to bend at a 90 degree angle.)
Walk to the water - near the monumento al viento. It’s windy, but great photo opps of the mountain! Beautiful views already.
Unimarc for snacks for the hike: Twistos mini tostatditas queso chips, queso flavored instant noodles!!, tomatoes (bigger than grape tomatoes but still good for a snack), soda crackers (I thought this was soda flavored but it was regular saltine crackers LOL smh.)
Love going to international grocery stores. Fun to see what they sell. I didn’t see any apples…
Dinner at La Picada de Carlitos ($16.16). It’s a massive menu and a big place. Seems semi touristy, but also see locals. Conger with scalloped potatoes.
I look Conger up and it’s says it’s an eel. But I swear they bring out a FISH filet.. but another place also confirmed that it’s eel. Maybe that’s just how it looks. still confused.
Reflection: a day to settle in and get ready for the hikes. Nothing happened from me drinking the tap water in Santiago!! Tap water is ok to drink in Puerto Natales too. There’s a bunch of little shops, souvenir stores in town, so we wandered into some of those too.
Day 3, Wednesday - Welcome to Torres del Paine! Mirador Base Torres hike
There’s small breakfast at the hostel: toast and jam, sweet breakfast breads / pastries.
Bus is at 7 am. Bus station is 13 min walk away. The ticket says to get there 30 minutes early. Really you can get there 15 minutes before. The bus station is CHAOS!! everybody is trying to board to bus to Torres del Paine. Bus Sur especially since you can book them online. I didn’t see the other bus services available to book online. There’s also multiple buses that come close together: 6:45, 6:55 (I didn’t see this one to book online, so I think some departures you can book in person) etc.
Bus leaves a little late like 7:06, but they do try to wait for people…
Get to Laguna Amarga at 8:45a. They make everybody get off the bus and you go to the center (bathrooms there too) and the park rangers check your ticket.
Some people get off to start at Central and go up to Base Torres. Majority continue on to Pudeto to start at Paine Grande / Grey.
If you’re doing the full W trek, west to east seems more common.
Catch the shuttle from Laguna Amarga to Welcome Center (Central). 4.500 CLP or $6 USD.
I didn’t see anybody pay with USD, but I saw a sign at Central later stating the USD price.
Welcome Center is nicer than I expected. There’s a small cafe where you can buy sandwiches, coffee. Souvenirs of course. Bathrooms too.
Central (lodging / campsite) is a short walk away. We look to dump our big bag and start the hike w/ our day pack only. Front desk asks camping or refugio (shared rooms). Premium camping.. and we walk there which is a bit out of the ways from the main refugio.
There’s a long line for check in.. which we don’t need to do. There’s a sign posted that says you can dump your bags in a tent. We hurry there and leave our stuff along w/ everybody else’s. Nobody watches it. But really I would say nobody wants to carry extra weight on the hike.
10a: start the hike.
Windy Pass is a nice view. It is windy though and it’s CRAZY windy on the way back.
11:40a: Get to Chileno - half way point. No public bathrooms from what I can see. There is a bathroom later in the hike (I didn’t use it, but I think you needed your own toilet paper).
The last part is grueling; people reassured me only 15 minutes left. Guess I was looking like I was struggling. Definitely wouldn’t make it without the hiking poles!! Do have to wait here and there for people coming down to pass, but it’s not terrible.
All ages attempting!! See someone in their 70s probably!
1:50p: get to the top. So less than 4 hours and this includes some waiting around. Spend a bit of time here and it does get cold w/ the wind when you’re not moving around.
The trail does get closed at 3p!! There are rangers enforcing it. The part right before the ascent. They ask everybody to leave at 4p apparently; there was a ranger up there also.
7:30p: make it back to camp and my feet hurt!! Ready to get out of my hiking shoes. Doing premium camping (provided tents and rented sleeping bag) and you have to climb up into the tent on a ladder. I like the idea, but it’s a bit of a pain to climb up and down.
The dining area for camping seemed to be in a tent. The cooking area may have been just a tent too… but there were sinks outside to wash stuff.
Make our backpacking food inside. Hot water is in the kitchen. Bottled water fill up in the kitchen. It is kind of awkward because everybody is eating their paid for meals together, so get the paid meal if you’re a solo traveler and want to meet others! First time eating backpacking food and I like it!! Chicken pad thai the first night. We eat it in this community charging area, so a lot of people are there charging their devices.
Out of the 3 refugios we stayed (Central, Paine Grande, Grey), this has the best charging set up because you could sit with your phone (if you got a good spot) vs others you would just leave it by the outlet.
Paid dinner was close to $50. You can book it there, but it says do it before 3p. It makes sense to just pre book it! This night it was salmon, dessert, and some other stuff. It looked like a decent meal, but overpriced IMO.
It looks like the a la carte stuff sold out (pizza, burgers etc) by the time we got there at 7:30p.
Mileage: phone measures ~18 miles. Includes walk to the bus station, walking to the camping area etc.
Reflection:
supposed to be the most difficult hike in the park, so nice to tackle it at the beginning. Most people try the sunrise hike from Chileno (another refugio), but hiking up your big bag up there would’ve been a pain… it got steep there.
Some people do this as a true day hike and go back to Puerto Natales. I think it would be rushed if you’re going / returning via bus, but it is possible from what I read. If you have a car, it makes it easier.
If you’re driving, you can drive all the way to the Welcome Center and skip the paid shuttle.
Day 4, Thursday - Mirador Frances
Signs say that the shuttle (4.500 CLP) from Welcome Center to Laguna Amarga leave at 8 am. Really it’s 8:15 am… other people got the memo. We get there early, which is fine.
The shuttle tries to line up with the buses to go elsewhere, so wouldn’t worry on the schedule / time, but don’t miss the shuttle.
9a: Bus Sur bus from Laguna Amarga to Pudeto. Takes 30 minutes to get there, which is farther than I thought.
At first the bus looks empty, but it gets FULL. I don’t know where the people came from lol.
Catamaran (ferry) doesn’t leave until 10:30. Bathroom, chill at the cafe there. Cafe actually doesn’t have bad prices!! Sandwiches are ~$10 USD. There’s coffee too. They take credit card.
People are already in line for the catamaran. It’s pretty roomy. Bags in the back.. luckily we’re able to put them in the front on our own (which makes exiting easier since you don’t need to sort through other people’s bags). Again, somehow the boat gets packed. Luckily get a seat. I do wander up to the top, but it’s crazy windy!!!
11a: arrive at Paine Grande. Luckily we’re the first ones at reception to drop off our bags.
It is free for guests. Otherwise, 4.000 CLP! They didn’t ask if we were staying there, so be sure to mention it. I guess it’s probably more common for people to leave their bags the night after.
11:20a: start hike to Mirador Frances. The French Valley is mainly flat. it does start raining a bit (as forecasted). and it’s WINDY! The area is pretty exposed from the dead trees…
Decided early on to not go to Mirador Britanico because I don’t think we have enough time. But based on where I got to each point, I think it would’ve been doable, but tight. I saw later that someone said britanico is one of the best viewpoints wah.
1:20p: Italiano - this is where everybody drops their big bags before attempting the Miradors.. this is where the steepness begins. Bathrooms here.
The ascent isn’t as steep as Base Torres, but it feels a little harder because it’s rocks and the steps up are pretty big. Again, hiking poles are lifesaver! There’s barely anybody on this trail. I assume it’s because we got a late start.
2:45p (includes some waiting time): Mirador Frances. There’s a toddler here!! Rest here for a bit and it gets cold. Good view of the mountain and the glaciers. it’s the same mountain that you’re seeing the whole time on the hike…
I hear someone mention later that Mirador Frances isn’t that good because of this reason where if you just want a picture with it, you could’ve done it by the river. They say Britanico is the payoff… that one has the whole mountain valley. I read someone else say later that Britanico is the best view of the park. Merp.
Meh I see what they’re saying, but it’s a much closer view and you can see some glaciers falling if lucky. You get a good view of Paine Grande mountain too!
7:30p: make it Paine Grande. Check in to refugio and to my surprise, we have a private room essentially with just us two. I was expecting a shared room w/ 2 other people. There are outlets too!! Take a shower here. The hot water comes out maybe 5 minutes at a time. Not ideal, but it works. Water bottle fill up is in the bathrooms; weird but it works…. the sink water is FREEZING COLD. Hard to wash face lol. I like that community area near the rooms has a place for people to hang up towels, socks, clothes etc.
The broader community area with charging feels much smaller than Central. There’s one charging strips that people are leaving their phones at.
We skip the paid dinner again for backpacking food. I see it’s a buffet with some sort of chicken or beef rib? Veggies etc. The dining room seems smaller than Central and not as many people when we walk in. There’s different dinner shifts though.
There are only 2 bathroom stalls for the public. The rest is in the camping area, so if you need to go, make the walk there.
The room was cold… I had to put my Patagonia Better Sweater on.
Camping: The paid for tents are not elevated w/ a ladder like Central. They are on a small platform though. There’s a sheltered area for cooking / eating.
Mileage: phone measures ~18 miles.
Reflection:
My feet didn’t hurt as much as Base Torres, but by the end of it, I was tired and ready to be back!!
I do think I could’ve made it to Mirador Britanico and back to Paine Grande in time! Maybe wouldn’t get back to camp until 9?
From what I read on people do treat the French Valley as a day hike and go back to Puerto Natales, and they don’t make it up to Britanico due to time and needing to catch the catamaran back. People also say it’s very weather dependent and not worth it if it’s bad.
Day 5, Friday - hiking Grey Glacier
8a: leave Paine Grande. We need to carry our big bag with us because we are staying at Grey. This is supposed to be one of the easier stretches of the hike… it starts off ok, but my back feels heavy eventually.
It’s VERY WINDY. The windiest day. Multiple wind tunnel areas. When I get to the first mirador of the glacier, the view is cool, but I literally feel like I’m going to blow over on the rocks. Nobody is here observing the view; people take their photos and move on. I have to put my hood up because my hair is going crazy. I have my coat on, so this is the coldest day.
There’s a part where we’re going down that is rocks w/ water flowing down.. like a mini waterfall. I was not a fan of this part and thought I was going to slip at any moment. Yet the people within my eyesight zoomed past like nothing lol.
12:15p: get to Refugio Grey.
1:20p: check in to the refugio. This time it’s a true shared room w/ 2 other people.
Smallest refugio of the three. Water bottle refill also in the bathroom. There are no outlets in the room from what I saw…
Go to the mirador that the map says is 15 minutes away. Probably took shorter than that. Good view of the glacier!
2:30p: glacier hike at Bigfoot. There’s one other couple, so it’s just four of us!
It’s very easy to find and there’s arrows pointing the direction. I was a little worried about finding it. The check in area is a farther house by the shore.
They said get there 10 minutes before; we got there after 2. There’s some quick paperwork to fill out. Bring a water bottle so you can fill up on galcier water!
There’s 2 sessions morning and afternoon. I think morning is more popular and supposedly a less likelihood of getting cancelled.
Take a small speed boat to the glacier. When we get a shore, it’s a bit of a walk to the area to put on crampons, helmet, harness, get ice pick etc. That place where we’re putting our stuff on is CRAZY WINDY CRAZY. The sand was blowing up into my eyes. Later I find it in my ears lol. I’m starting to regret signing up for the ice hike at this point!! Luckily it gets better!!
3:30p: I don’t think we get started on the actual glacier hike until this point. Guide explains the rules. Tells us to walk with the ice pick. The ice pick is awkward because it’s half the length of a hiking pole, so you have to bend over a little.. I don’t know why they don’t use a regular hiking stick.
Drink glacier water, photo opps. Guide explains some stuff about the glacier. We walk A LOT. Maybe I’m just tired after already hiking 4 hours up, but I’m thinking this is a lot of walking.
7p: get back to the boat and head back to Bigfoot. So it’s a little over 3 hours of walking??
7:30p: back at Grey. They do have an a la carte special (running all day). Burger + drink for 25.000 CLP. Pizza + 2 drinks for 30.000 CLP. Not bad honestly… Buffet style for paid dinner. Didn’t see what they were serving. Last night of backpacking food!
There is no community room, so everybody hangs out in the dining room instead. The charging strip is at the front desk, which is not convenient. Again, did not see outlets in my room.
Camping: the camping area seemed to most social of the three. People were outside talking. There’s a small area for cooking also like Paine Grande. Tents very similar to Paine Grande and it’s a bit farther out from the Refugio.
Mini market: didn’t think prices were that bad, but definitely a premium. $3 for cookies. $3 for a ok size of chips.
The room is kind of hot.. I don’t sleep well.
Mileage: phone measures ~16 miles.
Reflection:
I’ve done a glacier helicopter-hike on Fox Glacier in New Zealand’s south island. It was only 2 years ago, but I can’t really remember it well (whoops). I feel like it’s pretty similar though! I don’t remember as much walking for sure. And felt like we were on Grey Glacier for longer time. I do think there were more stop and take photos for a longer period of time at Fox.
Grey Glacier is bigger…
Fox had like 30 people in a group; it is noted as one of the most accessible glaciers in the world. There was a big safety briefing and they provided jackets.
I do like the intimate experience at Grey, but I think we just had a smaller group. I don’t know their max group size. The guide helped us take pictures too!
I was heavily debating if it was worth doing since I had already done a glacier hike… but I think so since this one is more extensive. But you are doing the same thing basically, so if you’re short on time / on a budget, fine to skip. but if you’ve never been on one, definitely go for it!
My back was hurting at the end of the hike, but the next morning it was fine!
Day 6, Saturday - Grey to Paine Grande. Return to Puerto Natales
7a: leave early to go to the second suspension bridge. Leave the big bag at the refugio. The map says 2 hours from the refugio. The first hanging bridge is 40 min away.
7:40a: get to the first hanging bridge. It is very steep to get up.
8a: get to the second hanging bridge. I’m surprised it took that quick… It’s long and scary looking. I’m not that scared of heights anymore, but I did not want to take my phone out. there’s a cool small waterfall on the right.
Walk past a bit to another viewpoint. best viewpoint of the glacier from afar. How many angles can you see it from??
10a: get back and eat my queso flavored instant noodles; it comes with a small fork!! The noodles are not very good, but I can taste the cheese flavor. The dining area is closed, but they nicely let us use the hot water.
10:50a: ready to lug everything back to Paine Grande to catch the Catamaran back to town. At this point, I only have some protein bars left and all clothes. I start the hike off HOT. I have my zip off hiking pants and unzip them a little.
Of course it gets windy. Some uphills leave me winded. The mirador viewpoint is not as windy as the first time. Don’t use the poles as much.
2:15p: Get to Paine Grande. Hoping for an earlier catamaran, but the earliest one is 5p. Relax along with everybody else. See people eating burgers. Didn’t ask how much it is.
5p: people get in line pretty quickly / farther in advance than I thought. People want seats on the boat… the weather looks better today at least. The top doesn’t feel as windy.
~5:30p: Reach Pudeto. Our bus (Bus Sur) is technically not until 7:30p, but hoping there’s an earlier bus we can hope on. There’s a bus there that says 7:15p. Everybody swarms the driver. He says we can get on. But we realize that he’s not leaving until the marked time… Wait 1 hour on the bus. Could’ve been in the cafe instead…
7:15p: we leave, but it goes to Laguna Amarga, when I thought it would be heading to the next stop towards town...
10p: back in Puerto Natales. I don’t think we saved much time by getting on the 7:15p because we waited at Laguna for what felt like a while… return hiking poles and go to the next place.
10:30p: check in and that’s when we discover the Expedia booking issue. At least there’s a room tonight.
Dinner at Pampo Restobar ($18.72), which closes at 3am! More of a bar environment (there’s a DJ) and most people getting drinks. Get the lomo loin (tenderloin). Wanted the skirt steak, but sold out. No sides come with it…
There’s a few restaurants open late apparently, so perfect for coming back from TdP.
Phone measures ~17 miles. Includes walking from the bus station to town etc.
Reflection:
Wish there was a bus that lined up with the 5:30p catamaran.. doesn’t make sense to wait over almost 2 hours for the next one… but when I was looking at Bus Sur at least, there wasn’t another earlier bus… Thought about hitchhiking back, but sat in the bus and waited instead.
Should’ve just booked the same lodging to stay after too so we didn’t need to check into a new place so late…
I was surprised the Grey’s map was so “off” and got to the bridges much earlier than expected. I would’ve left later if that was the case lol.
Day 7, Sunday - full day tour to Perito Moreno Glacier from Puerto Natales
It’s going to be a long day!! Border crossing into Argentina and back again to see a glacier.
Bus ticket says departure at 6:45a. When I asked Turismo Zaahj at the bus station, they said 6:10 am and it departs from the office in town. Not the bus station itself. Interesting…
5:55a: get there.. and there are other people waiting at least. around 10 people end up on the tour, which I’m surprised because I feel like most people would try to take their time to visit..
6:15a: get our passports checked before boarding bus.
6:30a: bus leaves…
7:15a: get to the border crossing.. we’re the first ones. Doesn’t open until 8a.
7:55a: bus driver tells us to get out and wait outside… because of the time crunch he’s trying to get us to expedite this.
8a: the Chile exit control goes pretty quickly. They collect PDI slips and we get a new one when we get back. Interesting.
8:30a: now we’re at the Argentina border control.
~12p: get into El Calafate and pick up the guide. She explains a lot about the glacier and the fauna.
The town looks cute. I heard a lot of people dragging it saying there’s nothing to do. Seems like a bigger version of Puerto Natales.
1:30p: Get to Perito Moreno Glacier. The guide buys the entrance tickets for some people. Already got ours in advance. Some people decide to the boat tour where you can get very close to the glacier. Guide recommends the red and yellow trails. There’s also a blue trail. The yellow one is the main one.
It’s definitely big!!! See some glacier calving, but not a lot. There are paid photographers to take photos too..
Walk to the blue side a little. The red side is where the river is and the water is not as blue and the glacier has more of a flat view. The blue side takes longer if walking the whole thing, and it has the bluer lake. The angle of the spikes of the glacier might look better here.
Get a chicken sandwich from the cafe ($14.43). I think the menu is pricey like ~$15 USD for sandwiches!! Same w/ the souvenir store.
3:15p: bus leaves to go pick up the people finishing up the boat tour. Leave the park around 3:30p. I doze off most of the ride back. When I wake up, the guide is gone.
Stop at Esperanza for gas fill up. Only town between Puerto Natales and El Calafate. The gas station has pastries and empanadas. A lot of people buy stuff. I buy this 1.5L jug of pear juice.. ($4.48) I don’t know what possessed me lol. The price shocked me!! Why did I spend $5 on this! I tasted the pastry and it was good.
10p: back in Puerto Natales 30 minutes earlier than I expected!
Try to settle things at the old lodging. end up going to Corner Hostel. Late check in. I’m not that hungry, so skip dinner..
Reflection
I explored a lot of different ways to get to Perito Moreno Glacier. It wasn’t in the plans when I first wanted to go to Patagonia. But I read more and I was like I want to go and see it!!
I’m glad I asked about the departure time. Doesn’t make sense that they wouldn’t communicate. I found their WhatsApp number to be hit or miss. Sometimes they wouldn’t reply to messages / you needed to follow up.
I thought about bus to El Calafate then renting a car. Bus to El Calafate then taxi. Renting a car from Puerto Natales and doing the full drive. All of those options were more slightly more expensive, but would’ve gave us more time.. but it would’ve required a one night stay in El Calafate that would’ve taken time away from other stuff we wanted to do. That’s why I decided on the full day tour. Of course I wish we had more time (it was less than 2 hours), but I feel like it was decent… The full day tour is definitely not cheap though.
Day 8, Monday - horseback riding and Cueva de Milodon
Horseback riding scheduled at 10a with Entre Aperos y Calafates.. First time!!
Get a sandwich for the road at Holaste coffee ($9.53). Tostada with peanut butter and cappcuino.
I didn’t end up eating the tostada until the next day, but it was decent. the flavor was different than expected.
9:15a: get to Rental Natales to pick up car. it’s a Subaru hatchback.
9:30a: The schedule is tighter than I’d like and the lady explains the stuff in the car in the detail: where the flat tire is, where the registration is, parking brake etc. Not used to this at all.
9:50a: get there.. we have to drive on grass to get to the house.
Put on helmets, other equipment etc. There’s one other person, so an intimate group of three. And 3 guides.
10:30a: start riding. The horse trots a bit here and there and it feels WEIRD. Not good on my butt per se. But it mainly goes slow. I try to make it go fast but it doesn’t.
After an hour or so I’m ready to be done, so I’m glad I didn’t choose the 3 hour ride.
12p: return back to the barn. Tea, coffee, mate (shared drink), bread and jam at the end! Decide to try mate. You pass the cup around and there’s various traditions that come with it. It’s a cool intimate experience.
Debating whether to go to Rupestre Patagonia ($10) for hiking on private property or Cueva de Milodon…
1p: decide to go to Cueva de Milodon since I felt we were tight on time. The whole loop at Rupestre takes 3-4 hours. (WhatsApp them if you’re planning to go so they know to expect you!) Get the park entrance ticket there.
Walk to the main cave. It’s pretty big. Feels cool inside. walk to the other 2 caves: cueva del medio, cueva chica. The walk to the other caves are VERY exposed to sun... There’s also a cool rock formation called Devil’s Chair (Silla del Diablo).
There’s a gift shop too. Buy a pin that says Chile Torres del Paine (4.000 CLP).
Grocery run at Supermix ($1.36). They make us leave our daypack in the front and gave us a number for it. At least someone is watching it. Grab coconut cream filled cookies (these were really good!!), squeezable mango juice packet.
Return the rental car. Leave our big bag at the rental place.
Get food to go at Vikingos Sandwiches ($11.04, menu) - Chacarero tradicional - beef sandwich with green beans, tomato, chili. Comes with french fries too (9.900 CLP). Stop by some souvenir shops.
The green beans are an interesting touch. I didn’t taste any chili. Big sandwich
Get an email from Fiordos del Sur saying that the excursion to Isla Magdalena to see penguins is cancelled due to boat mechanical error :(
People at Rental Natales tell us about TABSA ferry and it looks like there’s availability. It’s a public ferry that I read had stopped running, so looks like they’re back up! It’s cheaper than the Fiordos and other tours.
6:30p: bus station, but bus isn’t here yet.
Boarding is more orderly. They give you luggage tags with a number for your bags and want them before you get on the bus. But when leaving they didn’t check… so not sure what the point is.
7p: bus leaves pretty promptly. not full. The assistant comes around and asks for tickets again while we’re seated.. they already checked us when we got on. And tells us to put our seatbelts on.
The bus stops at Punta Arenas airport first.
10p: arrive in Punta Arenas. Check in at Hostal Boutique Terra Antartica. Quick walk from the bus station. Reception asks what time we’re having breakfast..
Reflection:
Pingo Salvaje at Laguna Sofia is the really popular one that a lot of people go to; I think the group would be much bigger, so I loved the intimacy of Entre. Also it was slightly cheaper.
Also considered Galope Austral, which is similar pricing for a 3 hour ride.
Today was the warmest day for sure.. felt like 75 degrees+. My hands got sunburned pretty badly.
I see why people don’t talk up Cueva del Milodon too much. It’s nice to see and a change of pace, but nothing amazing. Might not be worth going out there if you want to do other things.
I was debating whether to get a car this day because the day tours / ubers / taxis weren’t too badly priced (50.000 CLP for 2 hours). we probably spent more money using the car vs. doing those.. I’m glad the road was paved to Cueva del Milodon!!
Day 9, Tuesday - Isla Magdalena for penguins
2 hour boat ride to the island, 1 hour on the island w/ the penguins…
7:45a: the breakfast is ready! It was such a cute setup: yogurt, muffin, fruit, pineapple juice. Ham and cheese sandwich or eggs. Chose ham and cheese, but eggs would’ve been better!
8:30a: call uber - 15 minute ride to Terminal Tres Puentes to catch the 9:30a sailing to Isla Magdalena. Decent amount of people already there.
9a: start boarding the ferry. It’s a cargo ferry that can bring cars. The inside seats aren’t that many, but it can fit a good amount of people.
9:30a: set sail. There’s a safety video. Guides give history of the island. There’s a small cafe with snacks, coffee. I don’t think the prices are bad. But someone from Brazil left a note saying the prices are $$ and that the boat is slow lol.
Go up the deck and see some dolphins! I miss the sea lions. They said if we’re lucky we’ll see whales (we didn’t.)
Another windy day! This was the coldest day of the trip for me and wish I had another layer on
11:30a: see the island from afar w/ a lighthouse. They tell us to be back at the boat by 12:30p. There’s a paved / roped path on the island. You can see the penguins pretty closely, but they aren’t very big. The guides stop us when a penguin crosses the path. There are also a BUNCH of sea gulls. The guide walks with the front of the group. Some people lag behind. We stop and regroup at the lighthouse. The path after the lighthouse has considerably less penguins than the first half.
I did find it hard to take pictures with the penguins but got a lot of good shots of them.
12:30p: boat leaves pretty promptly!! The waves back seem much stronger. They warn people about getting wet on the deck. And these 2 girls got completely splashed! I stay inside for most of the ride. They do trivia and give out a stuffed penguin toy to the kids.
2:30p: get back to shore. Uber to Cerro de La Cruz which is a good viewpoint of the city. Didn’t realize the roofs were so colorful. Glad we ubered since the hill to get up is steep.
Go to Kiosko Roca for banana milk. I was interested in getting the choripan since people said it was good, but I didn’t realize it was a beef sandwich and wanted something else for lunch. The banana milk ($1.62) was interesting - very sweet. It does taste good though.
More souvenir stores. I agree on waiting to get souvenirs here if you’re coming.. since I find it cheaper and if you have time to kill before the next move.
La Marmita ($18.26) for early dinner before boarding our flight back to Santiago. This was recommended by someone else who heard it from a tour guide. Meh… definitely seemed to cater towards the tourist market and thought prices were high and small portions. It was good, but I would skip it. Got the ceviche (last ish day, so might as well go for it) and this traditional soup with lamb, guanaco, chicken. They drop a hot stone in it, so it’s cool.
I was also looking into going to La Luna and La Cuisine.
Airport is 20 minutes from the city. Uber driver to the airport drove a bit crazy. my friend compared him to a video game…
There are like 3 gates. But if you need to drop baggage, go earlier. It took a WHILE even with ~2 agents working. Not sure why people were taking so long.
There’s a priority pass lounge, but it was crazy busy. Nothing too good. There’s wine. I liked the cookies and soup.
9p: on the way to SCL.
12:15a: land… by the time we get everything situated it’s 12:30a meaning we need to wait a good 45 minute for the free hotel shuttle to come. Debate on calling an Uber or taking TransVIP or taxi. I think TransVIP was 8.000 CLP per person and the taxi 20.000 CLP+. We decide to wait.
1:30a: check in and it’s a nice La Quinta!!
Reflection
It would be nice to have more time on Isla Magdalena, but I think 1 hour was enough to see the penguins and take photos...
Blessing in disguise that the other boat broke down. It was more expensive at $110…
Punta Arenas is more like a regular, smaller town. Not as many people walking around (kind of). I see why people don’t have much good to say about it since there’s not much to do I feel. On the main roads got busy around rush hour. Saw a Maserati though!!
Day 10, Wednesday - Valparaiso and Vina del Mar
I really wanted to check out Valparaiso even though there’s been mention of muggings and attempted muggings… apparently locals don’t even like going.. luckily, nothing happened to us! But I was definitely on edge. My other friend who went had a rental car and it got broken into.
I think what drew me in was that it’s a UNESCO world heritage site and the area looked neat w/ the murals and colorful houses.
Decide to wake up when I wake up and see how the day goes. The desire was to do the walking tour at Valparaiso at 10:30a, but that means we would need to catch the 8a bus with VERY LIMITED sleep… the plan was to go to Vina del Mar first then take another bus to Valparaiso since people said the Valpo terminal was sketchy.
7:15a: wake up… mosey down to breakfast. Not making the walking tour, but I’m ok with that. The breakfast is decent. Eggs, bacon, lots of bread, pastries. Yogurt, juice, sliced deli meat and cheese are a thing.
8:15a: leave our big bag at the hotel and uber to Pajaritos station to catch the bus to Vina del Mar.
9a: you can just get the bus tickets there. I think you can only buy them in advance for Flix - the other 2, you need a Chilean identity or something. We asked at Condor, Turbus, Flix. Buses do come pretty often. Just went with the one with the earliest departure time at 9:20a. It’s a double decker bus with a bathroom. There’s a decent amount of people, but by no means packed.
You go through a lot of rolling hills and pass by wineries.
10:45a: get to Vina del Mar. Nothing interesting about the terminal. Paid bathroom (500 CLP) and they have luggage storage.
Try to find the bus to Valpo (500 CLP). Google Maps is easy for this. I thought BIP card works on the buses but they don’t! It’s cash only!! Whoops. And the metro here uses a different card…
Try to stop by Ascensor Concepcion. The main street that it’s off of is pretty busy. Nice architecture, business people around. I don’t feel unsafe. The ascensor is under construction :(
We walk up another street and take one of those staircases. It’s a lot of steps. No idea where we are.
We get to the top and see a good view of the city. See the colorful houses. Realize we’re by Palacio Baburizza. Walk around a small alley with murals. See that the area is pretty dead outside of this.
Take Asensor El Peral down. They take the money on the exit.. and they don’t seem that concerned about it to be honest. I don’t remember how much it costs.. 500 CLP or less. Realize this is right by the staircase that we walked up. There’s a huge tourist group going up though.
Plaza Sotomayor. There’s a vendor market. Walk around the main street. There’s a lot of restaurants that try to lure us in, but there’s no guests.
Head back and it takes us a while to catch a bus. There’s always a bus coming so no worry - google maps again. This time they ask where we’re going. I think the cost is different depending on where you’re going? No idea. Don’t know exactly how much it is. One bus said it doesn’t go to the bus terminal, but according to Google Maps it does. Shrugs.
Lunch at Entre Barros ($15.48). Gives me Texan vibes, but it’s Chilean food. Get pastel de choclo, which is casserole ground beef with corn.
Walk to the Playa El Sol that’s 20 minutes away. It reminds me of Florida. Plenty of people on the beach. Uber back to the bus terminal. Get a bus ticket using the same process and end up Turbus again. Everybody is looking for the 2:45 bus, but there must be some mix up.. we finally get on and leave around 3.
5p: back to Pajaritos station. Metro to Bocanariz, wine bar. It comes up on google search easily, so I know it’s a tourist spot.
The metro randomly stops at stations for a long time before moving and it’s hot. I think it’s because of rush hour but it’s not like there are a lot of people rushing to get on.. I don’t understand.
after 6p: finally get there. Lastarria is a cute area with restaurants.
Get the Carménère wine flight. Second priciest one on the menu. 3 pours. The first one is fruity and the last one is bold. Also get the ceviche; it’s small again! lol. Get a glass of carignan vigno ($8 or so) - this one was my favorite ($40.11).
8:20p: uber to the La Quinta to grab our bags, catch the shuttle to the airport.
Originally was going to take the 8p shuttle, but we missed it. No problem getting on the next one but it isn’t that big.. it was us and one other family and the van was full.
9p: shuttle to SCL. passport control to leave Chile was CRAZY. Took 1 hour and 10 minutes. + another ~10 for security (that was really quick).
10:30p: right to our gate for boarding. They make people empty out water before boarding and there’s another bag check.
Airplane food: beef or ?. Choose beef. The breakfast snack was ham and cheese croissant sandwich and ?. This was better than the yogurt on the way.
Reflection:
Maybe I was being paranoid… but I could see those empty alleyways and staircases being targets for thieves. Especially because it felt so empty. In another city, I wouldn’t have hesitated though. People did say Cerro Concepcion and Cerro Allegre were fine..
Looking back, I would’ve definitely gone with the walking tour to feel more safe in the area. There are other tourist groups that come in and out too. Definitely better in numbers.
Definitely would’ve saved 30 min or so if took the bus directly to Valpo too..
Short packing list
Merino wool long sleeve! First time wearing it and it didn’t smell! So it’s really great. I got some Costco (online) which were a great find around $20+. It’s out of stock currently.
Adidas Terrex AX4 hiking shoes. Saw these recommended a lot. They made my feet hot!! Not the best for walking around the city, but on the trail they were working great. I recommend sizing half a size up from your normal size. I thought it was too big, but then I bought my regular size and it was kind of small. But luckily I didn’t have any issues.
Didn’t bring any shorts and I was ok with just pants!
Small towel - all the hostels had it, but if you’re showering at the refugio, bring your own!
Poncho - I would skip this because by the time it rains, itl’ll take too long to put on.
Teva universal sandal - walking around camp, shower shoes, letting feet breathe from hiking shoes
Headlamp: only used this the one night in premium camping, but handy to have
Beanie: never wore this. Regular hat is fine
two water bottles: I had 2 ish filled most of the hikes
protein bars, candy bars from home
eye mask, ear plugs
Literally wrote a whole dang book on this! But I did SO MANY HOURS of research. I always find it helpful to see the ways other people do it. And adding things that I wish I knew before I went.