There are some things that are on every tourist’s bucket list, and this hike is one of them. If you are heading to Patagonia, then this trek really is a ‘must-do’.! This 8 day trail will take you on a 120km adventure around Torres Del Paine (TDP) National Park. You will see beautiful glaciers, beautiful lakes and the famous Torres. 

This post will equip you with all you need to know if you are planning to complete the O-Circuit. The O-circuit is usually open from November to March, although the track can see snowfall and heavy winds all year around.

We completed this trek with all our own gear. We had our own tent, food, sleeping bags, mats, liners – the whole honky. It’s nice to be able to rely on your own gear, and cheaper to boot. We assume you want to do the same thing, so all costs will show how to book this as cheaply as possible.

If you are only here for planning purposes and only want key info about the trek, then please CLICK HERE to take yourself to ‘Keep it Short and Sweet’. This section at the bottom of the post will provide all the essential info for planning & logistics with no extra details. We get it! Sometimes you just want to enjoy it by experiencing it on the trail.

Tell me everything:

Why the O-Circuit?

Whilst researching what hikes to do in Patagonia, the O-Circuit will definitely come up on your radar. Most likely, it will be on every single “South America Hiking” list you look at, and even on some ‘top 10 hikes in the World’ lists. There are 2 main treks you can do in Torres Del Paine National Park, the O- Circuit and the W-Trek. Old maps show that there used to be several extra tracks around the park, but most have been closed, for a combination of conservation and tourism management.

The O-Circuit is a loop around TDP national park. You can only do this loop in an anti-clockwise direction, in the Patagonian summer and shoulder seasons (Dec – Mar is easiest, Oct/Nov and April you may get snow). The loop makes its way around the north side  of the park and meets up to include the W section at the ‘front’, southern side. It totals up to 120km over the 8 days. The alternative W-Trek can be completed in 4 days, in either direction, but it is only a one way track. You have to ferry in or out, although we did hear that some people were planning to walk from Paine Grande all the way back to Central.

For the rest of the post we will only be talking about the O-Circuit. The W-Trek is far more popular, and far more trafficked – fair warning for those attempting the O-Circuit and arriving into Refugio Grey! The W-Trek is shorter, more easily accessible, and has more of ‘classic’ photogenic spots, but we wanted to do the O-Circuit for a few main reasons:

• We love spending time on the trail!
• We prefer taking the path less traveled
• Glacier Grey – a sight which has become one of the highlights of our trip

How do I plan this hike?

When we were in the planning stage, we were overwhelmed with information. There is a lot to process before booking this trek. We will take you through everything you need to know from organising buses to organising shuttles to buying the park entrance tickets and most importantly, booking the campsites!

Firstly, let’s start with figuring out what the 8 day itinerary looks like with the relevant campsites/refugios. All of the refugio/campgrounds have flushing toilets (!) with toilet paper, and most have hot showers. There are no cooking facilities for campers, so you need your own cooking system. There is boiling water available in some refugios, but it wasn’t super consistent. All of the sites have a minimart with a variety of small (expensive) snacks and hiking gas if you run out. On the W-side, there tends to be spare gas left behind by those who don’t need it, so if you get in early you can avoid paying for extra.

Day 1 | Start at Central and hike to Serron to stay the night | Managed by Las Torres

Day 2 | Hike from Serron to Dickson | Managed by Vertice

Day 3 | Hike from Dickson to Los Perros | Managed by Vertice

Day 4 | Hike from Los Perros to Grey | Managed by Vertice

Day 5 | Hike from Grey to Paine Grande | Managed by Vertice

Day 6 | Hike from Paine Grande to Frances or Cuernos | Managed by Las Torres

*Day 7 | Hike from Frances or Cuernos to Chileno or Central | Managed by Las Torres

**Day 8 | Hike from Chileno or Central to Las Base Torres Lookout, back to Central and out of the national park.

*Frances or Cuernos are fairly interchangeable. 

**Chileno is much better, as you cut 2 hours off your sunrise wakeup time! But it fills up super fast, so you may need to stay at Central. 

There are 2 companies you have to book through, called Vertice and Las Torres. In the past, you could stay at the CONAF campsites for free but they are now closed. While we were on the trail, we had some chats with the CONAF park rangers, and they indicated that the cheap campsites will likely never reopen. CONAF now works with Vertice and Las Torres to upkeep the track and park as a whole.

As we’re sure you can imagine, this is quite a chaotic working relationship, which makes your life as a tourist confusing as hell. Vertice and Las Torres release the dates for booking at different times, with very different pricing models The release time varies year on year but should be sometime between April and June. The prices increase annually so the only way to know how much each campsite will cost will be when the company opens up the bookings. For our 2025 bookings of the Vertice campsites, we paid $11USD per person and for the Las Torres campsites we paid $40USD per person. Yes! This is to camp, bringing all of our own gear… so it is ridiculously expensive. All you get is a piece of ground that you can pitch your tent up in and access to a hot shower. At those prices, you’re damn right we used the showers!

If you have a fixed time frame you can go to Patagonia, then booking well in advance, as soon as the spots are released, is your best bet. We would recommend joining the reddit Patagonia page as when the bookings are open, info generally gets posted there first. At the time of writing, Vertice 2026 bookings  are already open –  so get booking!

Vertice: https://booking.vertice.travel/booking 

Las Torres: https://lastorres.com/circuitos-y-tours/circuitos-de-trekking/ 

We booked the ‘simple campsite’ option as this one does not include any extras and is the cheapest. This also books out the fastest. Though, don’t necessarily trust what the company tells you. We had a pretty crazy time booking the simple campsite last year. The bookings at Las Torres opened online with no option for a simple campsite. Awal then proceeded to spend a couple of days going back and forward (via WhatsApp) with someone at Las Torres, who insisted that there was no such thing as a simple campsite, despite all the evidence to the contrary! We eventually managed to book the spots, but there was a pretty stressful time where our Vertice spots were booked and our Las Torres ones were not.  And once the simple campsites sell out, the premium options are crazy expensive – and they really aren’t very ‘premium’ 

If you’re getting a bit overwhelmed and have some cash to spare, there are 3rd party companies that you can book with, which will save you from booking with Las Torres and Vertice directly. There’s about a 15% markup for the service. The most popular one is Torres Hike: https://torreshike.com/en

If you’ve already missed out on your ideal dates, don’t stress too much. The simple campsites can become available at a later date. This is because Vertice and Las Torres reserve some campsites for tour agencies to use up. If they are unable to sell it, the campsites become available. We came across a family of 5 who booked a week before! This comes with its risks – but we know there are people out there who froth that kind of last-minute organisation.

Once you have booked your spots at each location, you need to book the bus that will take you from the town of Puerto Natales to Laguna Amarga. Laguna Amarga is the entrance of the National Park. You can find buses through BusBud [https://www.busbud.com/en]. You don’t need to reserve this bus months in advance (in fact, you can’t), but it’s worth checking a week or two before to make sure you can get on one of the earliest buses. There will be many people who catch the bus for a day hike to Las Torres, not just people completing the O- & W-Treks. Try to book the earliest bus which will leave around 6:45am from the bus terminal in Puerto Natales and will arrive at Laguna Amarga at 9am.

TIP: throughout your travels in South America, you can find buses through BusBud and then jump on the website of the bus company to buy your ticket there. It will save you just a few $$, but over time it all adds up. 

The day you catch the bus from Puerto Natales to Laguna Amarga, you will then need to present your national park ticket at the registration area. The ticket can be bought up to a day before you start the hike. The ticket to the national park can be bought here: https://www.pasesparques.cl/en/parks/torres-del-paine. We have heard some tales of people skipping the park entrance fee – there’s not a very efficient system at Laguna Amarga, so we could see how this would be doable. However, CONAF does an awesome job of servicing this park, the money really does go straight to them, and the systems in place are really effective for managing tourism, so we would definitely encourage you to pay your fair share 🙂

Once you have checked in at Laguna Amarga with your park entrance ticket, you will walk about 400 meters to the shuttles that will take you to Central which is where the hike begins – you cannot book these in advance but yes, there will be enough shuttles for everyone – don’t stress. The shuttle cost us 4500 CLP each.

TDP Park Rules and Guidelines for etiquette:

• You can only camp at the designated campsites
• No open fires allowed. You’ll read a story about a dumb traveller who tried to burn some toilet paper and set fire to a large portion of the park.
• You can only use a burner at the cooking areas at the campsites.
• You can drink the stream water and water is drinkable at all the campsites
• Check In to campsites are usually from 2pm. If you arrive early with a reservation to the campsite, the staff will let you set up your tent whilst you wait to check in.
• The checkout times are only for those staying at the refugio and staying in a pre-made tent as they need to be cleaned for the round of hikers. This being said, spending more time on the trail and appreciating the views outweighs sleeping in.
• You need to have your campsites booked before you arrive
• You are not allowed to hike at night. We weren’t specifically told this but there were lots of signs pointing to this act. 
• Please note that swimming is not allowed in the national park. It might be tempting but, these are the rules for the park. We noticed many travellers breaking the rules and this is not a good look!

Now the fun part, TREKKING!

Below we will provide a description of what to expect on the O-Circuit, based on our own experience. One thing we can’t predict is the weather; this will vary dramatically in Patagonia, even over the course of a single day. Do note that your timings will be equally variable depending on the weather and your level of fitness. For reference: we’re fairly fit, but we also like a good sit-down in the middle of the day. If you are concerned about not being able to do it, trust us, you can! The track is in great condition, and there are plenty of people around to offer encouragement. If you know you are a slower trekker, start earlier in the day, take plenty of breaks, and trust your own pace. Another important note: every blog, website, signpost, you name it, will have a different distance and time on it. 

Day 1: Central to Serrón (Approx. 13 km, 4-6 hours)

Your trek will begin at Central. There is a tourist shop you will walk through before beginning the hike. We recommend not buying things until the end of the trek as you will just have to carry it. The trail winds through recovering farmland and you will mainly be walking on a 4×4 track that Las Torres use to service their refugios and campsites. It’s not great walking, but about halfway through you get views of a glacial river, which is a stunning colour. Upon reaching Serrón, you will set up camp, have an afternoon tea, socialise with the other campers and those in the refugios, take a nice refreshing shower and enjoy a peaceful night in the park.

Day 2: Serrón to Dickson (Approx. 18 km, 5-7) 

On day 2, hike from Serrón to Dickson. The trail is filled with scenic views and takes you through more diverse terrain than the previous day. You will pass Guardaria Cuoiron where you will need to sign in by showing the park ranger your booking for the campsite ahead. A screenshot is all that’s required. As you approach Dickson, you’ll be greeted by breathtaking views of the mountains, lakes and the very top of a Glacier, if you’re lucky. Settle in for the night at Dickson. We would recommend taking your time on this day as it is mostly flat and you will begin to see the beauty of Patagonia, as the day before was merely on a 4×4 track. If you wake up in the middle of the night, do some star gazing. The night sky is beautiful!

Day 3: Dickson to Los Perros (Approx. 12 km, 2-4 hours)

On day three, trek from Dickson to Los Perros. This section of the trail is mostly a gentle uphill as you climb the valley, and features lush forests that eventually turn into a rugged glacial valley. You will also begin to cross dodgy bridges at this point, maximum one person per bridge for good reason. There will be a few of these over the next few days and it honestly does not get better until you reach the more travelled W-Section of the hike. Towards the end of the day, you will be greeted with the beautiful Los Perros lake along with its glacier – very cool to see, but it has receded a lot. However, never fear, tomorrow you’ll see the real deal. After a pleasant but short day on the trail, arrive at Los Perros, which is a beautiful campsite nestled nicely into the forest, away from the winds where you can recover, chill and have an early night. The next day will involve a very early morning wakeup!

Day 4: Los Perros to Grey (Approx. 18 km, 6-12 hours)

Today’s hike is probably the toughest. It will take you from Los Perros to Grey, through the John Gardener Pass. This can be a very long day, somewhat dependent on your fitness, but realistically mostly dependent on the  weather.. CONAF are very strict about the timing. You must be out of the campsite by 7am but they recommend starting at 5am or 6am. This is because you must arrive at Paso Guarderia below the pass by 2pm or they won’t let you continue, and you have to stay there for the night. From Los Perros, it is a steep, exposed climb uphill to John Gardener Pass; when we completed this section, the winds were pretty mental. Lots of rain covers were lost and people were being blown over so start early and take your time. CONAF will brief you on the weather the day before. Once you cross John Garner pass, you will be greeted by the beautiful and majestic Glacier Grey. If you’re really lucky with a clear day, you should be able to see all the way up the Glacier to the Southern Ice Fields – the 3rd largest continuous sheet of ice in the world. Just take a moment at this stage. One of the most breathtaking views we have ever seen. 

After admiring the glacier, you will head into the forest for a steep descent until you get to Paso Guarderia. From Paso Guarderia, it’s another 3-4 hours descending towards Refugio Grey, along which you will find many opportunities to take in stunning views of Glacier Grey until the Refugio, where you will take a well deserved hot shower, have dinner and get some well earned shuteye. 

Day 5: Grey to Paine Grande (Approx. 11 km, 2-4 hours)

This is a short day, only around 3 hours, so we had a really nice sleep in after the long day before. The trek to Paine Grande is very gentle as you will be trekking along a mountain edge alongside Lago Grey where you’ll be able to see Glacier Grey from another beautiful angle. Take your time and take it all in. The trek ends next to the beautiful Pehoe Lake where the Paine Grande campsite is located. We tried to resist buying anything from the minimarts but we caved in here and got some snickers! A well deserved treat! This is the most exposed campsite in the park. We were there on a very sheltered day and had nothing to worry about, but if you hear horror stories about tents getting destroyed – this is the place it happens.

Day 6: Paine Grande to Francés (or Cuernos) (including Miradors Frances and Britanico ~22 km, 6-8 hours)

On day six, hike from Paine Grande to either Francés or Cuernos. On this day, you must make two choices. The first is the direction you approach Guarderia Italiano – there’s a fork about 10 minutes after leaving Paine Grande, with the right option taking you in between lakes, ponds, trees and a wetland, and the left option taking you along the base of the mountain. We took the right option (not knowing the difference) and it is much less travelled, if you’re looking for a quieter morning. We only walked past one couple, right at the end. It did feel quite exposed though – we nearly lost two pack covers on this day! 

The tracks meet back up at a bridge. The next decision must be made at Guarderia Italiano, where you may leave your bags and take a steep trek up to Mirador Frances (2.6km one way) and Mirador Britanico (5.8km one way). This is the middle line in the “W”. Mirador Frances is approx half way to Mirador Britanico, and the total elevation gain is about 800m. This means that there’s a good chance the weather at the base is not the same as the weather at the Miradors. On the day we did it, we walked up to Mirador Frances but not to Mirador Britanico as we ended up in the clouds, soaking wet, without all our layers. Please consider taking your warm & waterproof clothes even if it is not cold or wet at the bottom. It’s so changeable, and especially without your full pack you might regret it! 

Mirador Frances is stunning, even during bad weather. We recommend you don’t miss it. The hike is steep and involves clambering up lots of big boulders. Don’t feel like you have to rush – though we did, enjoying the thrill of walking without a full pack. Britanico is also supposedly gorgeous, although we can’t comment – see photo evidence of the ‘view’ before we turned around, about 30 minutes from the Mirador.

Once you descend back to Guarderia Italiano, you will walk 20 – 30 minutes to your campsite at Frances. The trail passes straight through the camping/refugio area so you shouldn’t miss it! The camping check-in kiosk is located up a little hill. Frances has a beautiful common area inside the minimarket where you can spend the afternoon drinking tea (free hot water!) and journaling or reading. In the evening, this area is used for the trekkers who purchased dinner, so we retreated to our campers’ shelter.

Cuernos is a few kilometers further along the trail, so if this is your campsite expect a slightly longer day (30min – 1 hour).

Day 7: Francés (or Cuernos) to Chileno (or Central) (Approx. 14 km)

On this day, you will pass through Cuernos campsite (or not, if you stayed here) and continue your trek alongside Lago Nordenskjöld. This is a pristine blue lake where you’ll have the opportunity to take some photos and take in all of nature’s beauty. As you continue your trek, you will come across a turnoff that says ‘shortcut to Chileno’. Take this shortcut if you are staying at Chileno, or if you want to see Las Torres on this day, as it means you don’t have to walk all the way to the turn off on the W section. If you are staying at Central and don’t want to ascend Las Torres, take the normal route. It was a very worthwhile shortcut, and probably cut an hour off our time. 

To Chileno, the trek becomes a slog uphill, and when we did it, boy was it windy. At some points, we had to stop & brace so we didn’t get blown off the track! After about an hour more, you’ll join the main track to the towers. Soon after is ‘Paso Viento’, the windy pass. And holy f***, it gets windy. This is the most exposed section of the entire track, with the valley creating a wind tunnel especially for your hiking pleasure. It can be scary but it’s so awesome – enjoy it! But we definitely recommend using hiking poles. This is the last section before you find the Chileno campsite which is nestled in the forest and reasonably sheltered. Make sure you get an early night because tomorrow you will wake up at 3am to make your way to Base Torres lookout for one of the most beautiful sunrises you will ever see.

Day 8: Chileno (or Central) to Las Base Torres Lookout, back to Central and out of the National Park (Approx. 10 km)

On your final day, it’ll be an early wake-up if you want to see the sunrise. You can leave your main pack in the lodge (both Chileno and Central allow this) and only take a day pack up, which is a great relief! From Chileno, it’s on average 2 hours to Base Torres. Because you won’t have your pack, and it’s cold as hell, you’ll probably be hustling. It took us 1.5hours, which was kind of a mistake… we just had to freeze at the top for even longer (not ideal). Additionally, we asked the staff what time sunrise was and they said 5:30am. The sunrise was actually at 6:30am. Even more freezing time 🙁

PLEASE, take warm clothes with you. Sure, you will already be in some warm clothes as it’s a cold start to the morning but by the time you get to the top, you will stop moving, your body will start cooling down and you will get coldddddd. Yes, this is advice from experience. Awal ‘forgot’ one layer and got super cold at the top so we had to leave a bit earlier than we wanted to. Don’t make the same mistake we did!

The harsh dawn sunlight shining on the towers is a sight to behold. Keep warm and enjoy.

After you’ve soaked up all Base Torres has to offer, hike back down to Chileno, pick up your pack and hike all the way down to Central. From here, you will catch a shuttle back to Laguna Amarga, another 4500CLP each. DON’T STRESS, there will be enough shuttles for everyone. There is a shuttle timetable on the board at central. It aligns with the buses that will transfer you back to Puerto Natales. We caught the 2pm shuttle to Laguna Amarga, as we had booked the 3pm bus. There is an earlier bus, at 11:30am, with a 10:30am shuttle. We arrived at 10:35 – classic. However, the 11:30am bus was full anyway, so if we had taken the shuttle, we would’ve been sitting at Laguna Amarga for hours. Moral of the story? Check the schedule when you arrive, but really just take your time. We were hustling back to Central in the hopes of moving our bus ticket, but what it meant was we spent the least time on the trail and the most time in an incredibly expensive cafe with no food left to eat. Eight days on the track makes two very hungry kiwis.

So, was this trek worth it?

Heck yeah! The trekking, Glacier Grey, the lagoons, the amazing people you will meet along the way. This trek is one of our favorites and we will recommend it to everyone we know.

Yes, it is expensive and some would even describe it as a money grab. We were hesitant when we realised how much it cost but we made sure we got in early and booked the absolute cheapest option.

Keep it Short & Sweet:

Why do the 0-Trek?

Beautiful lagoons, glaciers and mountain views. Well managed tracks. 

We say: it’s worth it.

How Long is it?: 

120km, 8 days

What do I need?

To do it cheap: take all your own hiking gear ($$$)

To do it fancy: stay in a combination of pre-setup tents and refugios, totally catered ($$$$$)

For everyone: Standard mountainous hiking gear – good base layers, proper hiking shoes, proper waterproof gear. All of the refugio/campgrounds have flushing toilets, showers, and toilet paper. Boiling water is available in most refugios. There are no camper cooking facilities (you will need a stove). If you don’t have enough food, snacks are available at all refugios.

When do I go?

October – April (best luck for weather Jan-Mar)

What do I need to organise?

Book Campsites/Refugios – as soon as they open, generally April-July.

Standard itinerary and Booking Information:

Day 1 | Start at Central and hike to Serron to stay the night | Managed by Las Torres

Day 2 | Hike from Serron to Dickson | Managed by Vertice

Day 3 | Hike from Dickson to Los Perros | Managed by Vertice

Day 4 | Hike from Los Perros to Grey | Managed by Vertice

Day 5 | Hike from Grey to Paine Grande | Managed by Vertice

Day 6 | Hike from Paine Grande to Frances or Cuernos | Managed by Las Torres

Day 7 | Hike from Frances or Cuernos to Chileno or Central | Managed by Las Torres

Frances or Cuernos are fairly interchangeable. 

Day 8 | Hike from Chileno or Central to Las Base Torres Lookout, back to Central and out of the national park.

Chileno is much better, it’s closer to the towers & you can more easily wake up to see the sunrise. It’s also much more popular.

As above, there are 2 companies you book campsites/refugios with: 

-Vertice: https://booking.vertice.travel/booking 

– 4 x 11USD for camping

-Las Torres: https://lastorres.com/circuitos-y-tours/circuitos-de-trekking/ 

– 3 x 40USD for camping

-Third-party reservation website, Torres Hike: https://torreshike.com/en (if you don’t want to manage the bookings yourself)

Bus to Puerto Natales to Laguna Amarga (location of park entrance) – a week before

• The earlier the better. Find your time on BusBud https://www.busbud.com/en
• We paid 16USD for the ticket

Park entrance ticket – day before

• 46200CLP 
• Purchase the “more than 3 days” ticket https://www.pasesparques.cl/en/parks/torres-del-paine 

Upon arrival at Laguna Amarga: Shuttle to Central (Start of hike)

• 4500CLP
• These cannot be booked in advance
• There will be enough for everyone

Total cost: 

Accom – 164USD

Bus – 32USD

Shuttle – (~9USD) 9000CLP

Park entrance – (~46USD) 46200CLP

Total – 251USD

If you found this post helpful and have any questions about the O-Circuit, Patagonia or any of our other blog posts, then feel free to contact us!