Booking Campgrounds in Torres del Paine: Everything You Need to Know
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Loading... - Seth Simon
- 05 Apr 2023
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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 hikes.
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 on 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, the camping spots in Torres del Paine get booked up very, very fast. As of October 2022, campgrounds for the O and W seem almost completely booked up through January 2023 (you might find a couple of random dates available, but otherwise it’s fully booked).
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 two companies who offer accommodation.
What are the names of the different Torres del Paine campsites and who owns them?
The first and possibly the most confusing feature of making refugio and campsite reservations for Torres del Paine is the fact that there are two companies who have accommodation in the park and you will need to book at least one campsite with each.
The two main companies are Las Torres (formerly 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 – although these are closed for the foreseeable.
Ok, that’s all clear. But which campgrounds belong to which company and which ones do you need to book?
Camping 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.
Most of the buses that leave from Puerto Natales enter through the same place, via the hamlet of Torres del Paine and stop: Read More…
