So you have decided that hiking in the Torres del Paine National Park is for, what a great decision, you won't regret it!
Whether you are doing day-hikes or embarking on one of the more challenging multi day hikes (O Circuit or W Trek) one question you are going to need to answer is...
How do I get from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine National Park?
The first question you should be asking though is where am I starting my hike? The welcome centre (Central campsite) or Paine Grande? Both the O Circuit & the W Trek can be started from both locations. We recommend starting the O Circuit at the welcome centre & the W Trek at Paine Grande, so that you finish on a high seeing the iconic Towers.
Table of contents
1 - Booking your bus ticket for Torres Del Paine?
The bus company that covers the journey from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine National Park is Bus-Sur. Their schedule starts at 6:45am & they run several buses first thing in the morning, between 6:45am-7:15am. They do offer a midday bus & even a 2:30pm bus, however if you take these you will end up getting to camp very late. The bus currently costs $10,000 CLP (£10/$12.50) each way & you will want to book your bus in & out of the park before entering as you may struggle to get a bus back to Puerto Natales after your trek.
You can either book your tickets on Bus-Sur website or go into the office in the centre of Puerto Natales. If you book a return journey the cost will be $18,000CLP rather than $20,000CLP.
2 - How do I get from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine National Park?
2.1 - How to get from Puerto Natales to the welcome centre (Central campsite) - via Laguna Armarga
Getting from Puerta Natales to the Torres del Paine starts with making your way to the Terminal Rodoviario (Estación de Autobuses) which is located at Av. España & Avenida Santiago Bueras (not the BusSur office in the middle of Puerto Natales).
2.1.1 - Bus from Puerto Natales to Laguna Armarga
The journey from Puerto Natales to Laguna Armarga takes around 2 hours so you should arrive there at around 9am as long as you are on the early bus.
Bus times are 7am, 12pm & 2:30pm (you will find multiple departures as popular times of day in peak season e.g. In addition to the 7am bus there will likely be a 6:45am & 7:15am to cater for all the trekkers).
2.1.2 - Laguna Armaga to welcome centre
Getting from Laguna Armarga to the welcome centre you have a few options;
Hitchhike: but you may be waiting a while.
Walk: it's a bit of a boring 7km walk up the road. Do you really want to carry your pack when it's at it's heaviest along a road?
Shuttle bus: this is what most people do & what we recommend. It is not necessary (or possible) to pre book. The shuttle costs $3,000 CLP (£3/$3.75) & takes about 15 mins.
The above journey is for those who are doing the traditional O Circuit (starting at welcome centre), W Trek - east to west, or doing The Towers day-hike.
2.2 - How to get from Puerto Natales to Paine Grande (via Pudeto)
2.2.1 - Bus from Puerto Natales to Pudeto
It is best to get on the earliest bus possible from Puerto Natales to the national park. As above the buses leave from Terminal Rodoviario (Estación de Autobuses) which is located at Av. España & Avenida Santiago Bueras.
The journey from Puerto Natales to Pudeto (catamaran dock) takes around 3 hours. Therefore you will arrive (as long as you get on one of the first buses of the day) at around 10am.
Bus times are 7am, 12pm & 2:30pm (you will find multiple departures as popular times of day in peak season e.g. In addition to the 7am bus there will likely be a 6:45am & 7:15am to cater for all the trekkers).
Upon arriving at Pudeto it's time to jump on the catamaran.
2.2.2 - Catamaran from Pudeto to Paine Grande
The catamaran is run by Hielos Patagonicos, journey time is 30 minutes, it costs $25,000CLP (£25/$30) (each way) & must be paid in cash. It is not possible to book the catamaran in advance, however they do guarantee (weather permitting) that everyone will be transported, if one catamaran in full at a scheduled time a second will be chartered.
The crossing times are as follows;
| 9:00am | 10:30am | 4:15pm | 6:00pm |
September | No | Yes | No | No |
October | No | Yes | No | Yes |
November | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
December to March | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
April | No | Yes | No | No |
The above journey is for those who are doing the alternative O Circuit (starting at Paine Grande), W Trek - west to east, or doing the Grey Glacier or mirador Britanico day-hike.
3 - How do I get from Torres del Paine National Park to Puerto Natales?
Your journey departure point will be depend on where your trek ends.
3.1 - How do I get from Paine Grande to Puerto Natales?
3.1.1 - Catamaran from Paine Grande to Pudeto
As above, the catamaran is run by Hielos Patagonicos, journey time is 30 minutes, it costs $25,000CLP (£25/$30) (each way) & must be paid in cash. It is not possible to book the catamaran in advance however they do guarantee (weather permitting) that everyone will be transported, if one catamaran in full at a scheduled time a second will be chartered.
The crossing times are as follows;
| 9:35am | 11:05am | 5:00pm | 6:35pm |
September | No | No | No | Yes (6pm) |
October | No | Yes | No | Yes |
November | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
December to March | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
April | No | Yes | No | Yes |
3.1.2 - Bus from Pudeto to Puerto Natales
The bus is operated by Bus-Sur & we would strongly recommend booking your bus out of the park before entering to avoid sitting around waiting for a space on the bus or having to hitchhike.
The bus journey from Pudeto to Puerto Natales takes 3 hours & costs $10,000CLP (£10/$12.50). As above, $18,000CLP if return journey is booked at one time.
The schedule for the buses from Pudeto to Puerto Natales
10:30am
2:30pm
7:30pm
3.2 - How to get from Torres del Paine welcome centre (Central) to Puerto Natales?
3.2.1 - Welcome centre to Laguna Armarga
As above you have 3 options for this, hitchhike, walk 7km or jump on the shuttle which takes about 15 mins & costs $3,000(£3/$3.75). You've just done a big hike, treat yourself to the shuttle!!
The shuttle runs in accordance with the bus schedule, therefore if there is a bus running from Laguna Armarga.... there will be a shuttle to jump on to get there.
3.2.2 - Bus from Laguna Armarga to Puerto Natales
As above, the bus is operated by BusSur & we would strongly recommend booking your bus out of the park before entering to avoid sitting around waiting for a space on the bus or having to hitchhike.
The bus journey from Laguna Armarga to Puerto Natales takes 2 hours & costs $10,000CLP (£10/$12.50). As above, $18,000CLP if return journey is booked at one time.
The schedule for the buses from Pudeto to Puerto Natales
11:00am
3:00pm
8:00pm
Bus schedule/prices information from BusSur website & catamaran from Hipsur.