It’s fair to say that the W and O Circuit treks through Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia have quickly become some of the continent’s most sought-after activities. However, this new-found popularity (with visitor numbers having reached a quarter of a million in the last year alone) has resulted in huge difficulties for prospective visitors.
This has had a knock-on effect for those trying to book camping in Torres del Paine National Park.
As someone who has hiked both the W and the O Circuit, I’ve been through the process of making Torres del Paine camping reservations. I’ve also been confused by the fact that there are not one, not two but three companies through whom you potentially have to book for hiking either of the two routes.
Unfortunately, to complicate matters even more, during the last season, 2018/2019, a lot of refugios and camping spots in Torres del Paine had been already booked up by November 2018.
Visitors are starting to make reservations earlier and earlier each year, meaning less availability for those starting the process later in the year. As a result, the whole process can feel very, very frustrating.
That’s why I’ve written this guide to making camping reservations in Torres del Paine, with added hints and tips from my two visits to the park and the extra information I’ve acquired from conversations with the three companies who offering accommodation.
Struggling to get bookings for the dates you want? Read this article about the six options that you have if you can’t make reservations in Torres del Paine.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Fantastico Sur and Vertice Patagonia have already opened their reservations systems for the 2019-2020 season meaning you can already organise your booking.
What are the names of the different Torres del Paine campsites and who owns them?
The first and possibly the most confusion feature of making refugio and campsite reservations for Torres del Paine is the fact that there are three companies who have accommodation in the park and you will potentially need to book at least one campsite with all three.
The two main companies are Fantastico Sur and Vertice Patagonia. Additionally, there is CONAF, which is the quasi-governmental body that administers the park, but that also has three free campsites in Torres del Paine.
Ok, that’s all clear. But which campgrounds belong to which company and which ones do you need to book?
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Visited Patagonia, Bolivia and Peru January 2019Camping reservations for the W trek, Torres del Paine
There are two different ways that you can hike the W, depending on whether you start at the western corner of the trek and hike east or at the eastern corner of the trek and hike west.
All of the buses that leave from Puerto Natales enter through the same place, via the hamlet of Torres del Paine and stop first at Laguna Amarga (where you get off for the O Circuit or if you plan on hiking the W trek from the east), before continuing to the Pehoe catamaran stop (where you get off if you plan on hiking the W from the west), and finishing at Administración (the main headquarters of the park and not really useful for starting any hikes).
Everyone, regardless of where you plan to start the trek, generally gets off the bus at Laguna Amarga to buy entrance tickets for the park – you do not need to book these in advance.
What you do need is to bring enough Chilean pesos (in summer: $21,000 CLP for adults, $6,000 CLP for children; in winter: $11,000 CLP for adults, $1,000 CLP for children) as cards are not accepted.
On the W trek, accommodation is either at a campground (either with your own tent or with a tent that you can rent in advance from the campground) or at a refugio (normally a bed in a shared dorm).
As of the 2019/2020 season, at all of the campgrounds, you can pay for full-board (breakfast, a packed lunch and dinner), half-board (breakfast and dinner) or no food (you bring all your food and cooking equipment).
If you’re planning on camping and self-catering, I’ve written all about the equipment you need to pack for the O Circuit (which can be easily adapted for the W trek) and about the food you should take to Torres del Paine so that your rucksack isn’t overly heavy.
What months can you trek the W?
The W trek is open year-round, however from the May 1 through to the beginning of September, you will need an official guide to be able to hike the trail. Solo travellers are not permitted into the park to do this trek and you will be fined if you’re caught.
I’ve heard that winter offers a really unique chance to see the national park, particularly as there are far fewer other hikers and it’s more often than not covered in snow. Rather than camping, you will be staying in the Torres del Paine refugios as it can get a little cold.
I recommend checking out Chile Nativo who operate a winter tour of Torres del Paine National Park. You can expect to pay upwards of $1,900 USD p/p for a two-person tour.
The W trek starting from the west
Most people start the W trek from the west. This involves:
- Taking a bus from Puerto Natales at 7.30am to reach the catamaran stop at 10.45am
- Boarding the catamaran to sail the 25-minute journey across Lago Pehoe. This service is operated by Hielos Patagonicos with departures leaving Pudeto (where the bus drops you) for Paine Grande across the lake at 9am, 11am and 6pm (November) with an extra departure at 4.15pm between December and March (Note services drop down to one or two during the rest of the year. Their website has up-to-date timings) ($18,000 ($26 USD) single, $28,000 ($41 USD) return, cash only). Tickets cannot be reserved in advance; you buy them at the ferry port.
- Starting the W trek from Refugio and Camping Paine Grande.
This route means you hike to viewpoints of Glacier Grey on day one and on day three or four hike up to the towers, before returning to Puerto Natales.
From the west, the campgrounds along the W trek are as follows, ordered by when you’ll reach them (although you will only stay at three or four of them):
- Refugio and Camping Paine Grande (paid campsite and refugio owned by Vertice Patagonia)
- Refugio and Camping Grey (paid campsite and refugio owned by Vertice Patagonia)
- Camping Italiano (free campsite owned by CONAF)
- Camping and Domes Francés (paid campsite and domes owned by Fantastico Sur)
- Refugio and Camping Los Cuernos (paid campsite and refugio owned by Fantastico Sur)
- Refugio and Camping Torres Central/Norte (paid campsite and refugio owned by Fantastico Sur)
- Refugio and Camping El Chileno (paid campsite and refugio owned by Fantastico Sur)
- Camping Torres (free campsite owned by CONAF)
As you can see, at some point, you will likely need to book with all three of the companies. We will go into that in a moment.
The W trek starting from the east
Although it is less common, you can also start the W from the east. This involves getting off the bus at Laguna Amarga stop (buses leave Puerto Natales at 7.30am and arrive here at 9.45am), walking or taking the 15-minute shuttle minibus ($4,500 CLP ($7 USD)) operated by Hotel Las Torres to Refugio and Camping Torres Central/Norte.
This route means you hike up to the towers on day one and to the viewpoints of Glacier Grey on day three or four of the hike, before returning to Puerto Natales.
From the east, the campgrounds along the W trek are as follows, ordered by when you’ll reach them (although you will only stay at three or four of them):
- Refugio and Camping Torres Central/Norte (paid campsite and refugio owned by Fantastico Sur)
- Refugio and Camping El Chileno (paid campsite and refugio owned by Fantastico Sur)
- Camping Torres (free campsite owned by CONAF)
- Refugio and Camping Los Cuernos (paid campsite and refugio owned by Fantastico Sur)
- Camping and Domos Francés (paid campsite and domes owned by Fantastico Sur)
- Camping Italiano (free campsite owned by CONAF)
- Refugio and Camping Paine Grande (paid campsite and refugio owned by Vertice Patagonia)
- Refugio and Camping Grey (paid campsite and refugio owned by Vertice Patagonia)
Hiking the W from west to east or from east to west
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which direction you hike the W, particularly as both of the “arms” of the W, where you head into Valle Frances (for the Mirador Francés and Mirador Britanico) and Valle Ascencio, involve you walking there and back along the same path.
On the sections in between, you’ll find that hiking from east to west, i.e. against the traffic, can potentially be annoying as you’ll be coming up against groups of people hiking in the opposite direction; as the path is not very wide, you’ll probably spend a lot of time waiting for people to pass.
If you hike west to east, i.e. with the traffic, you can find yourself getting stuck behind lots of other hikers and struggling to overtake them if you want to go faster.
How to make Torres del Paine camping reservations for the W trek
I’m going to refer to booking campsites from west to east as this is the route you will likely take. If you plan on hiking the W in the other direction, it’s easy enough to just follow this process backwards (or drop me a comment at the end of this post and I’ll explain in more detail).
Organising your Torres del Paine National Park camping and refugio reservations isn’t too complicated, but does require some explanation.
Let’s go through each of the campsites on the W and how you can reserve your campsites in Torres del Paine with each company.
You’ll also find this article about planning and hiking the W trek without a guide very useful.
Vertice Patagonia: Paine Grande and Grey
To make a Torres del Paine camping reservation or to book a dorm reservation in a refugio with Vertice Patagonia you need to follow this link to the booking page on their website. (Note that you can change the language to English in the top right-hand corner)
Bookings for the 2019-2010 season are now open.
They changed their booking system in 2018. Firstly, you need to select “Another” or “Otro” in the Passenger/Pasajero section of the first booking window, and select USD (because you are a foreigner and not Chilean resident). Then, you need to select “Circuito W” on the second window:
This then gets you to choose whether you want to book Refugio and Camping Grey followed by Refugio and Camping Paine Grande, Refugio and Camping Paine Grande followed by Refugio and Camping Grey or either one or the other.
If you have any issues with booking your spot in a refugio or in the camping, the first thing to do is contact Vertice Patagonia directly via ventas@verticepatagonia.cl. I have heard they are reasonably quick to get back to you and speak English.
If you’re already in Patagonia and have had issues with your booking, you can go directly to their office in Puerto Natales located at: Bulnes 100 (tel. 61/2415 716).
Rates 2019/2020 for camping and dining at Vertice Patagonia
For the 2019-2020 season, Paine Grande now has a different cost for meals and camping/refugio accommodation.
Rates for camping and dining at Camping and Refugio Paine Grande:
All of the other campsites operated by Vertice Patagonia (Dickson, Los Perros and Grey) charge the following rates for camping and dining:
Bear in mind that the prices in USD are those that you pay as a foreigner travelling to Chile and is what you should be charged on the respective websites. You may need to show your passport and the migration ticket from PDI that you received when you arrived in the country at the campsites/refugios to prove you are a tourist.
Refugio and Camping Paine Grande
- Cost for camping with own equipment p/p: $11 USD ($6,500 CLP)
- Cost for camping with rented equipment p/p: $71 USD ($46,500 CLP)
- Cost for dorm in refugio p/p with your own sleeping bag: $57 USD ($34,000 CLP)
- Cost for dorm in refugio p/p without your own sleeping bag: $87 USD ($56,000 CLP)
- Cost for dorm in refugio (with your own sleeping bag) and half-board p/p: $102 USD ($63,000 CLP)
- Cost for dorm in refugio (with your own sleeping bag) and full-board p/p: $121 USD ($75,000 CLP)
Get information about the refugio and camping at Paine Grande.
Most people will spend their first night in Torres del Paine National Park camping or staying in the refugio at Paine Grande. It is located just next to where the catamaran ferry that crosses Lago Pehoe arrives and is a useful campsite as it’s big (and so normally has space) and you can get off the ferry, set up your tent and then leave your big rucksack as you hike to the Glacier Grey viewpoints for the day. You can then return back to the campground at night.
When camping here, you’ll notice that most people try and camp alongside the bottom of the mountain that edges the campground: this provides some protection from the wind and is a good idea!
The camping facilities at Paine Grande are really good:
- Large mess hall with tables where you can cook food and sinks for washing up
- Plug sockets in the mess hall
- Hot showers (only for a couple of hours in the evening so aim to queue up a bit before they open)
- A large canteen (you pay for food when you make your camping reservation)
- A bar
- A shop with basics such as biscuits, eggs, chocolates and crisps and occasionally bread
The refugio facilities at Paine Grande include:
- Beds in shared dorm rooms with or without bed clothes (you pay $30 USD ($22,000 CLP) less if you take your own sleeping bag)
- A large canteen (you pay for food when you make your dormitory reservation)
- A bar
- WIFI (you must have Paypal to pay for it)
Refugio and Camping Grey
- Cost for camping with own equipment p/p: $9 USD ($5,500 CLP)
- Cost for camping with rented equipment p/p: $69 USD ($45,500 CLP)
- Cost for dorm in refugio with your own sleeping bag: $37 USD ($22,000 CLP)
- Cost for dorm in refugio without your own sleeping bag: $87 USD ($56,000 CLP)
- Cost for dorm in refugio (with your own sleeping bag) and half-board: $82 USD ($51,000 CLP)
- Cost for dorm in refugio (with your own sleeping bag) and full-board: $94 USD ($58,000 CLP)
Find more information about the refugio and camping at Grey.
Many people stay at Grey on the first night of their trek, instead of at Paine Grande.
Grey is a good campground if you plan on hiking to the further viewpoints of the Grey Glacier. The W actually finishes at the viewpoint shortly after this campground; the path that continues is the O Circuit and, if you’re a fast hiker, you can follow it all the way to Camping Paso (18km away).
Otherwise, you can hike about an hour and a half from Refugio and Camping Grey to reach two suspension bridges over river gorges, from where you’ll get great views too.
Grey is smaller than Paine Grande and so is more likely to be booked up. If you find that they don’t have space on your date, it’s worth instead checking if there is availability at Paine Grande and staying there instead.
The camping facilities at Grey are good:
- Cooking area with tables where you can cook food and sinks for washing up
- Hot showers (only for a couple of hours in the evening so aim to queue up a bit before they open)
- A canteen (you pay for food when you make your camping reservation)
- A bar
- A shop with food basics
The refugio facilities at Grey include:
- Beds in shared dorm rooms with or without bed
- A large canteen (you pay for food when you make your dormitory reservation)
- A bar
- Computers with internet connection (additional fee)
CONAF: Italiano
To book campsite Italiano through CONAF, you need to use this link. As of May 2019, their online booking system has not yet opened for reservations. Last year, it opened in September. I assume it will open earlier this year so keep checking back to the site.
Last year, only the Spanish webpage worked. However, there is information in English if you click on the above link.
Be aware that, to even see if CONAF has availability for any of their campsites, you need to first register with them (go to Registrarme after opening this webpage. Once you’ve done this, hover over “Inicio” in the top right-hand corner, move down to “ver disponibilidad” and then put your dates in “fecha de ingreso” (date of entry) and “fecha de salida” (date of departure) and it should show you the availability for Italiano and Paso, the two CONAF campsites).
Camping Italiano
- Cost for camping with own equipment p/p: Free
The free Italiano campsite is generally a place to stop on the second day of the W trek in Torres del Paine as it is located just below the trail that leads up to Mirador Francés and Mirador Britanico, both lookouts across a glacier-strewn valley.
Many people also use this campground as a place to leave their backpacks when they hike up the lookouts (you can leave them for free with the ranger who is based at this campsite and then pick them back up when you come back down).
The facilities at this campground are very poor, mainly because it’s free. There is:
- A small shelter with benches for cooking
- Drinking water
- A sink for washing dishes
- Two toilets
This campground floods when it rains and the toilets are really quite unpleasant: although it’s an option if you’re on an extreme budget, I would strongly recommend that you continue on to Francés or Los Cuernos, instead of camping at Italiano.
Fantastico Sur: Francés, Los Cuernos, Torres Central and El Chileno
To make a Torres del Paine camping reservation or to book a dorm reservation in a refugio with Fantastico Sur you need to follow this link to the booking page on their website.
Fantastico Sur are pretty good at getting back to queries and I’ve also found that they are very fast at responding through the chat box option on their website.
If you’re struggling to make reservations, you can also contact them via email at
info@fantasticosur.com. They speak good English, too.
They also have an office in Puerto Natales located at: Esmeralda 661, Puerto Natales (tel. 61/2614 184).
Rates 2018/2019 for camping and dining at Fantastico Sur:
Bear in mind that the prices in USD are those that you pay as a foreigner travelling to Chile and is what you should be charged on the respective websites. You may need to show your passport and the migration ticket from PDI that you received when you arrived in the country at the campsites/refugios to prove you are a tourist.
Domos and Camping Francés
- Cost for camping with own equipment p/p: $21 USD plus an additional $11 USD if single occupancy
- Cost for camping with rented equipment p/p: $71 USD plus an additional $11 USD if single occupancy
- Cost for dorm in dome p/p: $116 USD or $111 USD with sleeping bag*
- Cost for dorm in dome and half-board p/p: $172 USD
- Cost for dorm in dome and full-board p/p: $196 USD
Information about camping and the domes at Francés here.
*You save $5 USD if you bring your own sleeping bag.
Most people stay at Francés on the second night of the W trek as an alternative to Italiano, as it’s only about an hour’s hike further on.
Camping here is on raised wooden platforms, with some shelter from bushes and trees. If staying here, I recommend bringing some string to help with putting up your tent. Although there are hooks in the wooden platform that are available for using instead of pegs, it can be quite hard to pitch your tent well.
The camping facilities at Francés are good:
- This campground originally only offered full-board but has changed for the 2018/2019 season to allowing campers to bring and cook their own food. I don’t know exactly what facilities this means they now have, but there will be an area for those camping to cook their own food.
- Hot showers
- A canteen (you pay for food when you make your reservation)
The dome facilities (dorm beds in geodesic domes) at Francés include:
- Beds in shared dorm rooms with or without bed clothes (you pay $5 USD ($3,500 CLP) less if you take your own sleeping bag)
- A canteen (you pay for food when you make your reservation)
Refugio and Camping Los Cuernos
- Cost for camping with own equipment p/p: $21 USD plus an additional $11 USD if single occupancy
- Cost for camping with rented equipment p/p: $71 USD plus an additional $11 USD if single occupancy
- Cost for dorm in refugio p/p: $116 USD or $111 USD with sleeping bag*
- Cost for dorm in refugio and half-board p/p: $172 USD
- Cost for dorm in refugio and full-board p/p: $196 USD
- Cost for hut for two: $360 USD or $340 USD for one person
Information about camping and the refugio here.
*You save $5 USD if you bring your own sleeping bag. I am also 90% sure that you cannot cook unless you are staying in the campground or the huts; therefore, you will need to select food if staying in the refugio.
Most people stay at Los Cuernos on the second night of the W trek, as an alternative to Italiano and Frances.
Camping here is on raised wooden platforms, with some shelter from bushes and trees. If staying here, I recommend bringing some string to help with putting up your tent. Although there are hooks in the wooden platform that are available for using instead of pegs, it can be quite hard to pitch your tent well.
The camping facilities at Los Cuernos are good:
- This campground originally only offered full-board but changed for the 2018/2019 season to allow campers to bring and cook their own food. I don’t know exactly what facilities this means they now have, but there will be an area for those camping to cook their own food.
- Hot showers
- A canteen (you pay for food when you make your camping reservation)
The refugio facilities at Los Cuernos include:
- Beds in shared dorm rooms with or without bed clothes (you pay $5 USD less if you take your own sleeping bag)
- Beds in shared domes
- A large canteen (you pay for food when you make your dormitory reservation)
Refugio and Camping Torre Central and Torre Norte
- Cost for camping with own equipment p/p: $21 USD plus an additional $11 USD if single occupancy
- Cost for camping with rented equipment p/p: $71 USD plus an additional $11 USD if single occupancy
- Cost for dorm in refugio p/p: $116 USD*
- Cost for dorm in refugio and half-board p/p: $172 USD
- Cost for dorm in refugio and full-board p/p: $196 USD
Information about refugios and camping here.
*I am 90% sure that you cannot cook unless you are staying in the campground; therefore, you will need to select food if staying in the refugio.
Most people camp or stay in dorms at Torre Central or in the dorm rooms of Torre Norte in the third or fourth nights of the W trek. It is situated at the base of the towers and is therefore a good place to leave your big rucksack as you hike up to the towers for the day, however there is a cost of $5 USD ($3,500 CLP) to do this.
This is also one of the biggest campground in the park, which means there is generally space here – so if you’re struggling to get reservations at Frances, Los Cuernos or El Chileno, consider booking here instead.
It’s also a good place to see a puma! The night I stayed there, we missed one by about a minute that was wandering past the campground (don’t worry, they won’t attack you).
The camping facilities at Torre Central are good:
- Outdoor tables where you can cook food, plus sinks for washing up
- Hot showers
- A canteen (you pay for food when you make your camping reservation)
- A bar
- A shop with basic food items
The refugio facilities at Torre Central include:
- Beds in shared dorm rooms with or without bed clothes (you pay $5 USD less if you take your own sleeping bag). Rooms are larger, newer and generally nicer than those in Torre Norte and have central heating.
- A large canteen (you pay for food when you make your dormitory reservation)
- A bar
Torre Norte is 100 metres from Torre Central and you have access to the canteen, bar and shop there.
Refugio and Camping El Chileno
- Cost for camping with own equipment p/p: $21 USD plus an additional $11 USD if single occupancy
- Cost for camping with rented equipment p/p: $71 USD plus an additional $11 USD if single occupancy
- Cost for dorm in refugio p/p: $116 USD or $111 USD with sleeping bag*
- Cost for dorm in refugio and half-board p/p: $172 USD
- Cost for dorm in refugio and full-board p/p: $196 USD
Information about refugios and camping here.
*You save $5 USD if you bring your own sleeping bag. Also, I am 90% sure that you cannot cook unless you are staying in the campground; therefore, you will need to select food if staying in the refugio.
Most people stay at El Chileno on the third or fourth nights of the W trek. It is situated at the base of the towers, but a couple of hours closer than Torre Central, meaning you can hike from there up to the towers at dawn.
Camping at El Chileno is on raised wooden platforms, with some shelter from bushes and trees. As with Los Cuenos, if staying at this campground, I recommend bringing some string to help with putting up your tent. Although there are hooks in the wooden platform that are available for using instead of pegs, it can be quite hard to pitch your tent well.
Be aware that there is nowhere to leave your rucksack at this campground; if you plan to head up to the towers, you’re best to do this for dawn, leaving your tent up with your stuff inside. When you come back down from the towers, you can pack up. Check out is at 9am.
The camping facilities at El Chileno are good:
- There are no cooking facilities in El Chileno; you must either bring cold food or something that just requires you to add hot water (which you can request from the refugio) or you should pre-book food from their canteen.
- Hot showers
- A canteen (you pay for food when you make your camping reservation)
- A shop with basic food items
The refugio facilities at El Chileno include:
- Beds in shared dorm rooms with or without bed clothes (you pay $5 USD less if you take your own sleeping bag)
- A large canteen (you pay for food when you make your dormitory reservation)
CONAF: Torres
Campamento Torres
This free camping is located just below the base of the towers, around a 45-minute hike to the lake above which they are found. It has space for tents within a wooded area, a small, covered area for cooking, plus toilets and running water from two streams.
However, since the 2017/2018 season, the campsite has been closed. As far as I’m aware, it will not be opening for the 2019/2020 season, either.
Camping reservations for the O Circuit, Torres del Paine
The O Circuit can only be walked in an anti-clockwise direction, starting from the park ranger station at Laguna Amarga.
All of the buses that leave from Puerto Natales enter through the same place, via the hamlet of Torres del Paine and stop first at Laguna Amarga, where you need to get off for the O Circuit and to buy entrance tickets for the park – you do not need to book these in advance.
On the O Circuit and the first four/five days before you reach the W trek, accommodation is generally in campsites (either with your own tent or with a tent that you can rent in advance from the campsite), although Refugio and Camping Dickson does have beds in their refugio.
Food is generally nor available, although there are a couple of exceptions. You will need to bring all of your food and cooking equipment. I’ve written all about the equipment you need to pack for the O Circuit and compiled this guide to what food you should take to Torres del Paine so that your rucksack isn’t overly heavy.
From Laguna Amarga, the campsites on the O Circuit are as followed and ordered by when you’ll reach them (you stay at all of them, unless you want to skip Camping Paso and continue on to Refugio and Camping Grey):
- Camping Serón (paid campsite owned by Fantastico Sur)
- Refugio and Camping Dickinson (paid campsite and refugio owned by Vertice Patagonia)
- Camping Los Perros (paid campsite owned by Vertice Patagonia)
- Camping Paso (free campsite owned by CONAF)
You then join the W trek heading west:
- Refugio and Camping Grey (paid campsite and refugio owned by Vertice Patagonia)
- Refugio and Camping Paine Grande (paid campsite and refugio owned by Vertice Patagonia)
- Camping Italiano (free campsite owned by CONAF)
- Camping and Domes Francés (paid campsite and domes owned by Fantastico Sur)
- Refugio and Camping Los Cuernos (paid campsite and refugio owned by Fantastico Sur)
- Refugio and Camping Torres Central/Norte (paid campsite and refugio owned by Fantastico Sur)
- Refugio and Camping El Chileno (paid campsite and refugio owned by Fantastico Sur)
- Camping Torres (free campsite owned by CONAF)
What months can you trek the O Circuit?
The official opening date of the O Circuit entirely depends on when CONAF decide to open the trail. This normally happens in November, with the hiking season continuing until the end of March and sometimes into April.
During the low season (1st of May until 31st of October), the O Circuit is closed.
Hiking the O Circuit anti-clockwise
As of a few years back, you can only hike the O Circuit anticlockwise. This means getting off the bus at Laguna Amarga and hiking or taking the 15-minute shuttle minibus ($4,500 CLP ($7 USD)) operated by Hotel Las Torres to Refugio and Camping Torres Central/Norte.
After you’ve hiked the loop around the back of the Cordillera Paine, you join the W trek at Refugio and Camping Grey.
For more information about hiking this trail, don’t miss this article about the 14 things you need to know before starting the O Circuit.
How to make camping reservations for the O Circuit
Again, booking camping in Torres del Paine isn’t too difficult, but you do need to understand the O Circuit route and the options available to you.
Fantastico Sur: Camping Serón
To make a Torres del Paine camping reservation or to book a dorm reservation in a refugio with Fantastico Sur you need to follow this link to the booking page on their website.
Fantastico Sur are pretty good at getting back to queries and I’ve also found that they are very fast at responding through the chat box option on their website.
If you’re struggling to make reservations, you can also contact them via email at
info@fantasticosur.com. They speak good English, too.
They also have an office in Puerto Natales located at: Esmeralda 661, Puerto Natales (tel. 61/2614 184).
Rates 2018/2019 for camping and dining at Fantastico Sur:
Camping Serón
- Cost for camping with own equipment p/p: $21 USD plus an additional $11 USD if single occupancy
Cost for camping with rented equipment p/p: $63 USD plus an additional $11 USD if single occupancy - Cost for camping with own equipment p/p and half-board: $101 USD plus an additional $11 USD if single occupancy
- Cost for camping with own equipment p/p and half-board: $77 USD plus an additional $11 USD if single occupancy
Get information about Camping Serón here.
Camping Serón is the first campground on the O Circuit and normally the place where people stay on their first night in the park. There is only camping possible here and it comprises a huge, grassy area with views of the eastern side of the mountain range.
Camping Serón has reasonable facilities:
- A couple of covered areas for cooking food
- Toilets
- Showers with hot water (although I don’t think they have hot water all of the time)
- A shop with basic food essentials and sometimes camping gas
- A small canteen
Vertice Patagonia: Dickinson and Los Perros
To make a Torres del Paine camping reservation or to book a dorm reservation in a refugio with Vertice Patagonia you need to follow this link to the booking page on their website.
They have changed their booking system from last year. Firstly, you need to select “Another” or “Otro” in the Passenger/Pasajero section of the first booking window, and select USD (because you are a foreigner and not Chilean resident). Then, you need to select “Circuito Maczio Paine” on the second window:
You can no longer just book one of their campgrounds; instead you have to book them in groups e.g. Dickson, Los Perros, Grey and Paine Grande. If you plan on staying in the free CONAF Paso campground, be sure that you have a gap in dates between Los Perros and Grey or Paine Grande to accommodate staying there.
Rates 2019/2020 for camping at Vertice Patagonia:
Note these prices are correct for Dickinson, Los Perros and Grey; prices for Paine Grande are show above at the beginning of the section about camping reservations for the W trek.
Refugio and Camping Dickinson
- Cost for camping with own equipment p/p: $9 USD ($5,500 CLP)
- Cost for camping with rented equipment p/p: $69 USD ($45,500 CLP)
Cost for dorm in refugio with your own sleeping bag: $37 USD ($22,000 CLP) - Cost for dorm in refugio (with your own sleeping bag) and half-board: $82 USD ($51,000 CLP)
- Cost for dorm in refugio (with your own sleeping bag) and full-board: $94 USD ($58,000 CLP)
Get information about Refugio and Camping Dickson here.
Refugio and Camping Dickson is the second campground on the O Circuit and normally the place where people stay on their second night in the park. There is camping and a small refugio here and it’s set in a beautiful location in the horseshoe floodplains of where Lago Dickson becomes the Río Paine. You can even see hanging glaciers above the lake if you wander through the trees at the back of the campground.
Camping Dickson has reasonable facilities:
- A large covered area for cooking food
- Picnic benches dotted across the site (you are not allowed to cook food at these)
- Toilets
- Showers with hot water (limited hours)
- A shop with basic food essentials
- A small canteen (you pay for food when you make your camping reservation)
The refugio facilities at Dickson include:
- Beds in shared dorm rooms with or without bed clothes (although take a sleeping bag as the price is double if you want to have bedclothes included)
- A small canteen (you pay for food when you make your dormitory reservation)
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Camping Los Perros
- Cost for camping with own equipment p/p: $9 USD ($5,500 CLP)
Get information about Camping Los Perros here.
Set in the woods below the John Gardner Pass, Camping Los Perros is a small campground with very basic facilities. It is normally where people stay on the third night of hiking the O Circuit.
Camping Los Perros has basic facilities:
- A hut for cooking food (it also has charging points for your electrical items)
- Toilets
- Showers with cold water
CONAF: Paso
CONAF has one free campground on the first half of the O Circuit. As of May 2019, their online booking system was still not working. It opened for reservations mid-September in 2019; I expect it to open earlier this year, so keep checking back for updates.
To make a Torres del Paine camping reservation with CONAF you need to use this link. In 2018, only the Spanish side of their site worked. However, there is information in English if you click on the above link.
Be aware that, to even see if CONAF has availability for any of their campsites, you need to first register with them (go to Registrarme after opening this webpage. Once you’ve done this, hover over “Inicio” in the top right-hand corner, move down to “ver disponibilidad” and then put your dates in “fecha de ingreso” (date of entry) and “fecha de salida” (date of departure) and it should show you the availability for Italiano and Paso, the two CONAF campsites).
Camping Paso
- Cost for camping with own equipment p/p: Free
Located a few kilometers below the John Gardner Pass, the free campground Paso is sometimes used by hikers on the fourth night of hiking the O Circuit, although there is generally still time (if you have the energy left) to continue on to Refugio and Camping Grey (another 10 kilometers away) in the same day.
The facilities here are very, very basic and the toilet itself is probably enough to put some people off. It’s also a very small area with only a limited number of spots, so camping gets booked up very quickly.
Camping Paso has basic facilities:
- A three-walled shelter where you can prepare food
- One toilet
Note that this campsite is only open November through April.
The rest of the O Circuit
From here, you join the W trek and so the advice regarding booking the different campgrounds follows the information indicated above (although you’ll get to Refugio and Camping Grey before Refugio and Camping Paine Grande).
General recommendations for booking camping in Torres del Paine
Book well in advance
During the 2018-2019 season, by September 2018, there were few camping spots and even fewer spaces in the refugio for December, January and February.
However, people reported being able to get reservations last-minute during these months, so it’s worth checking back in to see if reservations have opened up.
The trick is to book your dates as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Bring your passport and PDI form
Prices on the Fantastico Sur and Vertice Patagonia websites are quoted in USD and this price only applied is you are a foreigner who has spent fewer than 60 consecutive days in the Chile (so it’s fine if you’re been out into Argentina and back in again).
However, to prove this, they may want to see your passport and the PDI migration slip you were given when you entered the country. Bring both – just remember to put them in a Ziploc plastic bag so that they are protected from the rain (passports are not accepted for travel if they suffer water damage!).
Print out your reservations
Print out your reservation confirmations for your accommodation in Torres del Paine and take them with you.
Along the W, they have internet access and have a list of who is expected to be at each campground each night; along the O Circuit, this is not the case and there have been cases where people have been sent back the way they came because they couldn’t prove that they had a reservation at a campground further along the trek.
I also heard that they might be checking camping reservations when you buy your ticket at Laguna Amarga and they won’t allow you to enter the park if you can’t evidence them.
You can also download them to your phone, just make sure that you have enough battery (I recommend bringing a battery pack: check them out on Amazon, Amazon Canada or REI) so that you can show them when required. For more information, see my guide to what you should pack for hiking in Torres del Paine).
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Kate Voss
Hi Steph,
I’m not sure if you noticed but the new CONAF website for booking campsites seems to be up and working. Notice that the text has been updated in the Spanish version of the website notice, http://www.parquetorresdelpaine.cl/es/sistema-de-reserva-de-campamentos-1, and not in the English version, http://www.parquetorresdelpaine.cl/en/sistema-de-reserva-de-campamentos-1.
Hope that helps!
Kate
Steph Dyson
Thank you so much for sharing this info Kate! 🙂
James Chapman
Thank you so much for your blogs Steph 🙂 – I didn’t have a clue where to start with booking the Big W, but this and your other blog is by far the best I’ve read.
I’ve manged today to book campsites for the 1st night at Paine Grande and the 3rd/4th nights at Torre Central. It’s just the 2nd night which is the problem, but hopefully I can get Camp Italiano booked or something will free with the other companies and then the trip will be sorted.
Thanks again,
James
Steph Dyson
Hi James, I’m really happy to hear that the articles have cleared things up for you and I hope you get that night sorted. Someone else suggested you check for availability another day so doing that you might find that the campsite has somehow magically got space! Good luck 🙂
Elina Nivukoski
Hi! Thanks for the great article! How do I reserve the CONAF campsites? And what if I’d want to do the Q? Where to start the trek then? Thanks!
Steph Dyson
Hi Elina, to book with CONAF you need to follow this link: http://www.parquetorresdelpaine.cl/es/sistema-de-reserva-de-campamentos-1. You can only walk the Q out of the park now, so you’d need to start at Paine Grande, do the complete circuit back to Paine Grande heading anti-clockwise and then there’s a path from Paine Grande that heads south to reach the Administracion (CONAF headquarters) where you can get the bus back to Puerto Natales. You can see the path heading south on this map: http://www.parquetorresdelpaine.cl/es/mapa-oficial . Steph
Katharina
Thank you so much for the article – it is the best I‘ve read (and I‘ve read a lot).
We managed to book the first night at Paine Grande, the third night at Los Cuernos and the fourth night at Central. I tried to book Italiano for the 2nd night, but it didn‘t work although there are still places available. I was thinking of booking a second night at Paine Grande: Arriving there on the afternoon of the first day, get up early the second day to hike up to Grey (already booked) and hike back to Paine Grande. Would it be too much to hike from Paine Grande to Cuernos the third day?
Steph Dyson
Hi Katharina, no, you should be fine getting to Los Cuernos but it might mean you can’t go all the way up to the Britanico lookout (which I’ve never personally managed to reach because it’s always been cloudy anyway!). You may want to just go up to the Frances lookout and then come back down to continue to Los Cuernos. Steph
Michael
Thank you so much for these helpful tips! I did book the camp site via Vertice and Fantastico Sur. But I completely forgot to select for the food options (we wanna have breakfast, lunch and dinner). Any chance that we can just go there and pay in cash for these? Or we need to email them immediately to add these options?
Michael
Steph Dyson
Hi Michael, I would email them now and let them know you want to add meals to your reservation. You won’t be able to request meals when you get to the campsites themselves and if you leave it until you’re in Puerto Natales, they may have run out of spots (there is limited availability in the Fantastico Sur restaurants). Steph
Inesa
Thank you so much! Such a great and useful information. But i get into a trouble when trying to book with CONAF. When i select Paso camp, it says i have to pay. It is supposed to be free, isn`t it?
Steph Dyson
Hi Inesa, yes, it should be free. It looks like they’ve changed the system when you now have to buy your ticket to enter the park before they let you then book campsites – I assume you’ve got through that bit and then it’s asking you to pay for Paso? If it’s still doing it, I suggest you email CONAF and find out what’s going on. I hope you get it sorted! Steph
Ida
Thank you so much for this article! I’m planning the W trek for March 2019 and think it’s so difficult to figure out how to plan it! I can’t seem to find out how long you can trek in a day, and what the best route is with the camps/refugios? And how much is possible to trek the first day?
I was thinking something like: day 1: Paine Grande, day 2: Frances, day 3: el Chileno
But that depends on if it’s possible on the first day to go all the way up to glacier grey and back to Paine Grande, or should I have two nights at Paine Grande? Or should I maybe have two nights at Frances if it’s to much to walk from Paine Grande, up to Britanico and down to Frances for the night? I have to have 4 nights, but can’t really seem to figure out where the “extra” night should be..
As you can hear I’m a bit (much) confused with all this and hope you can help!
– Ida
Steph Dyson
Hi Ida, have you checked out this post? https://www.worldlyadventurer.com/torres-del-paine-w-hike-without-tour/ Happy to answer further questions, but I think you’ll find the answers you need over there! 🙂
Isabelle
Hi!
I’m planning to walk the O circuit in March. I’m trying to book up accomodations for Dickson, Los Perros, Grey and Paine Grande on Vertice website and they are all booked up. When I tried to book up for Grey and Paine Grande on Vertice website for the W circuit, the accomodations are not booked up on the same dates. I tried to book on others dates for the O circuit and it seems that they are all booked up. What can I do?
Thanks. Isabelle
Steph Dyson
HI Isabelle, have you checked out this post? https://www.worldlyadventurer.com/torres-del-paine-camping-fully-booked/ My first recommendation would be to reach out to the companies directly, and I have other recommendations in the article. Good luck!
Varvara
Hello! Thank you so much for this article. Do you know by any chance if we can start O trek in Paine Grande?
Steph Dyson
Yes but only going anti-clockwise. Steph
chiranjib ghorai
As someone who is at the start of a TDP plan, this is invaluable information! Thank you.
Steph Dyson
Thanks! So glad it’s helpful!
Ali Amini
Hi Steph,
Do you know of a good article or link for unguided hikes and solo backpacking in El Chalten, Argentina? All my online searches lead to tour companies and organized tours. I live part time in Bolivia and planning to fly to El Calafate and strat my trip from there in late March.
Thanks,
Ali
Steph Dyson
Hi Ali,
If you type “hiking El Chalten” into Google you’ll come up with loads of hiking guides to the region. Hope that helps! Steph
Marvit
Hello Steph, Thank you for this very helpful blog! i know its super last minute but I’m hoping to complete the W or O hike next month around dec 27th 2018 i am going solo therefore nervous about getting lost in the park as i never done such thing alone .. by any chance would you know where i can hire a guide for the trip? i have been searching online but no luck. Many thanks in advance Marvit
Steph Dyson
Hi Marvit, honestly, there is no possibility that you can get lost in the park. There is one trail and you’ll be around so many other people that you won’t be able to lose yourself! That said, your biggest problem is that you have close to zero chance of getting camping or other accommodation for that date as I imagine most – if not all – is completely booked out. That said, you might find that actually going with a tour company (who will have reserved spaces and may yet to have sold them) is a good bet. I mention a couple of tour companies in this post: https://www.worldlyadventurer.com/torres-del-paine-camping-fully-booked/ (point #3) so I suggest you get in contact with them. Steph
SM
Hi Steph, thank you for your useful post!
I am considering the O trek in February and after reading your post, I was wondering if this is a feasible route to take for an average hiker (assuming I get all the accoms)? Or should I add any more nights to break up the distance?
Seron – Dickinson – Los Perros – Grey – Frances – Torres Central – El Chileno – Puerto Natales
Just confirming, when you say we must go anti clockwise, does it mean we must go towards Seron first? Really appreciate your help!
Steph Dyson
Hi, You don’t need to spend a night in Torres Central and then El Chileno. You might as well just walk all the way from Frances to El Chileno in one day. The only day that might be a bit long is from Grey to Frances (you might not have time to get up into the Valle del Frances). But otherwise it looks great. And yes, anticlockwise means going to Seron first! Steph
Terry
Thanks for taking us step by step through the reservation process. I’m in the beginning stages of planning a trip in January of 2020. How can I find out when the campsite compa nie’s will start taking reservation s for 2020?
Steph Dyson
Hi Terry, you’ll need to get in contact directly with the two different companies. They might even take a reservation from you now. CONAF didn’t open up reservations for the free sites until September this year so if you plan on staying in a free campsite that may be your only issue for getting things organised well in advance. Best of luck! Steph
Deborah Cornwell
Hi! Would love more detail around planning from East to West, as I’m having trouble finding lodging options going West to East…
Steph Dyson
Hi Deborah, it’s basically just the same route backwards. If you want to see the towers at dawn/early in the morning, you’ll want to stay at Central or Chileno (for dawn at the towers) the night before, hike up to the towers, then stay at Los Cuernos, Frances or Italiano on the second night, then stay at Paine Grande or Grey on the third night and aim to get the last catamaran back and the last bus back the following night after hiking to the glacier and back. Hope that helps! Steph
Wee Sim
Hi.
Thank you for a great resource. We are planning self guided travel in October 2019. It appears that bookings have not yet opened. Might you know when it would open for the refugios?
-WS
Steph Dyson
Hi, unfortunately I don’t. If you send an email to the two companies that run them, they should be able to tell you. Steph
Amber Chadwick
This is a wonderful post. Thank you so much. I’m really struggling to find out about staying in the park in a campervan. Do you have any advice? I’ve found other posts saying you can just stay at the camp sites in your van but not found any logistics on how to get between campsites or book them, as it’s not an option on their websites. Any help would be most gratefully received. Amber
Steph Dyson
Hi Amber, you can’t stay at campsites with your van because most of them aren’t accessible to cars! I would recommend you contact the CONAF rangers who administer the park and ask them (email them via this form). Alternatively, I think you can park if you stay in Camping Pehoe. Steph
Sarah
Hi!! I’m currently booking camping sites for April of this year – we’re hoping to do the W east to west, and are curious what the recommended stops would be for this route. From your post I’m assuming the following:
Start from Puerto Natales; bus into the park.
El Chileno
Camping Frances
Camping Italiano
Refugio and Camping Grey
Would this be correct? We’re also hoping to get some kayaking in and don’t want to rush through it in four days.
As an aside, thank you SO much for this post – it’s insanely helpful, I likely wouldn’t be nearly as confident booking these all myself if it weren’t for you!
Steph Dyson
Hi Sarah, you may want to stay at Los Cuernos rather than Frances for distance purposes (that’s if on your first day you hike just to El Chileno and you get up before dawn the next morning to go up to the towers and back down and onward to Los Cuernos or Frances). You could also potentially swap Italiano (which is a pretty grim campsite) for Paine Grande for more comfort. That then means you could hike to Grey (to camp) but you could hike beyond it for better glacier views (and could stay there two nights so that you can do one day kayaking). Hope that helps! Steph
Lauren
Hi! When can you typically book for the next season? I’m looking to book for November 2019 and wanted to be on the look out! Does this typically fill up quickly? Thank you so much – all of your info has been incredibly helpful!
Steph Dyson
Hi Lauren, I think they opened reservations for Vertice Patagonia/Fantastico Sur in July last year and CONAF opened in mid-September. I would double check with the companies themselves though to be sure! Things got booked up very very quickly this year. Steph
Katrina M
Fantastic article! Thank you! Question – are there storage lockers either at the entrance of the park or at the airport? I dont want to carry extra clothes while on the circuit or wear my hiking clothes the whole time I’m in Chile!
Also – are we required to use toilets at the camp sites? 🙂
Thank you!
Steph Dyson
No there aren’t. Your best bet is to leave belongings with the hostel you stay in the night before. Otherwise, you may find someone on the ground who is offering a storage service (again, likely hostels) so I suggest you ask around. And yes, you can only go to the toilet in those at the camp sites! Steph
Karin
thank you so much for this really helpful article! it was not my wish to plan everything so far ahead, as I wanted to be flexible depending on weather conditions, but you made it very cleaar that booking ahead is the only options thank you for sharing and clearing things up! K.
Ryan
Hi Steph,
Thanks so much for this article, it’s been a huge help!
I read in an earlier reply to Terry that they didn’t open the CONAF bookings until September 2018 for the 18-19 season. Do you know if it is the same every year?
We’ve taken a gamble and booked all our other campsites to complete the O in Feb 2020. So now we’re just waiting to try and book the CONAF sites… cue panic haha
Thanks again!
Steph Dyson
Hi Ryan, I really don’t know to be honest. They change what happens each year! Your best bet is to email them or just keep checking back in. Given Fantastico Sur and Vertice Patagonia have opened their booking processes a lot earlier this year (it was July last year), I wouldn’t be surprised if CONAF start sooner too. Good luck and if you don’t get bookings, I recommend you just start the hike anyway – they can’t tell you to go back and I’m sure you can just find a spot in the campsite (they are free after all). Steph
Patricia F. Tremblay
Hello! What makes you think that the Torres campground won’t be open for 2019-2020 ?
Steph Dyson
Hi Patricia, there have (as yet) not been any updates on the CONAF website regarding the campground so I am working on the basis that it won’t be open. If I get information to the contrary then I will definitely update this post to reflect it! You may find contacting them directly yourself will get some answers though (and please let me know what they are if you do!) Steph
Sergei
Hey Steph, Super useful post! Your readers might appreciate using Torres App to help get an overview of what lodging is available when. I have Vertice and FantasticoSur up for 2019-2020 and waiting on Conaf. Check it out, let me know what you think.
Terry
Hi Steph:
Thanks so much for updating information to include the 2019/2020 season. A lot of your readers aren’t really thinking outside the box (or maybe I should say outside the circle) to reserve their campsites. You can do the full circuit without using any of the CONAF campsites. If you go down to the 4th option on the menu you can book Dickson, Los Perros, Gray, and Paine Grande and bypass Paso. It’s a long walk, but if you are going in January there should be 12 to 14 hours of daylight so going from Los Perros to Gray is doable. Then if you book Frances on Fantastico Sur instead of Italiano with CONAF, you have made the full Circuit without using any CONAF camp sites. It means you have to back track from Frances to Italiano, but it’s only 30 minutes. Maybe you could put this idea on your updated page and help a lot of people to skip the CONAF anxiety. I Have also found that Vertice Patigonia works much better with Mozilla Firefox browser. Hope this helps some people.
Terry
Steph Dyson
Hi Terry, thank you so much for these useful comments! I will definitely do some updating when I get a chance. I recently spoke with CONAF anyway and they said that people should be booking the paid campsites instead of waiting for them to open up reservations (because they don’t know when they will do this) so I entirely agree with what you’ve outlined above. Thanks again!
Kim benning
Hi Steph
Thanks heaps for sharing this useful info.
My friend and i are planning a trip in april 2020, probably W circuit.
We like to take in scenery and are not fast hikers- is it allowed to take more than 4 nights? For example, paine grande night One (or do you advise straight to grey?) Or two nights at grey to allow more time to walk further up the glacier and back without adding this to an 18k day already?
Thanks,
Kim 🙂
Steph Dyson
Hi Kim, yes you can definitely do it slower. I would probably recommend two nights in Grey (on the first day, you should be able to get to Grey within a reasonable amount of time from the ferry that morning). You can then book a third night in Paine Grande so that the following day you can hike up the Frances Valley and on to your next campsite without any rush. Hope that helps! Steph
EElizabeth R Burns
Anyone else had trouble with prices using Fantastico Sur’s online booking? I’m booking for two and best I can tell it is using the single occupancy rate (times 2) so that a fully equipped campsight for two is $126 instead of $98. Anyone else had this issue?
MariVi Madiedo
Would you recommend already reserving dates with Fantastico Sur and Vertice Patagonia before CONAF opens up? And then I suppose just be very on top of checking when CONAF opens up to fill in the rest of my schedule?
This was an extremely helpful article. Thank you!
Steph Dyson
You can do, but CONAF have instead recommended you just book alternatives instead because they don’t know when they will be opening the campsites. So you want to just swap out the CONAF free campsite(s) with the closest paid campsite. That would be my recommendation! Steph