Where are the trailheads?
Many view points & day hikes are possible, but for hikers there are only 3 main starting points on the Circuit:
- Laguna Amarga at the Park gates
- Hosteria Las Torres
- Lago Pehoe (Lake Pehoe)
a catamaran trip from Pudeto
Regardless of which direction you plan to hike the Circuito Magnifico, we recommend you start at Hosteria los Torres, a short van shuttle from where the bus delivers you at the park gates. More maps.
Laguna Amarga is the second best start option (but only if hiking counter clockwise). From there you take a lesser used trail further away from the mountains towards campsite Seron.
Lago Pehoe, via Pudeto, is the normal start for hikers doing the shorter “W” trek. It is not recommended for Circuit hikers.
We suggest you also finish at las Torres, but there are other places you could catch the bus out. Check our recommended hiking Routes.
How do I get there?
That is the BIG & EXPENSIVE question.
In 2004 the best & cheapest way to travel was via Argentina, not Chile.
From Buenos Aires the cost to 1) bus or 2) fly to Patagonia is about the same.
If you choose to travel overland, bus via Rio Gallegos, Argentina.
If you choose to jet (saving time) we recommend hikers fly in or out via El Calafate, Argentina — then bus to Puerto Natales.
There are other options in our Details section.
What does it cost to hike the Paine Circuit?
The big cost for most hikers is travel. The hike itself is comparatively inexpensive.
For tenting the Circuit, budget approximately for:
The Park is overpriced, in our opinion. We got almost no information at the entrance. Park services & trail maintenance are poor. We question where our money is going — certainly not to the Park.
Fitz Roy in Argentina is free & better organized, in comparison.
Chilean governments have been infamous for not developing the fabulous tourist potential of their country. Politicians tend to sell out to agriculture, logging & mining instead of developing sustainable tourism.
We are not pointing fingers at CONAF (Corporación Nacional Forestal, the governing agency) necessarily. We do not know enough about Chile to say who is to blame.
But this wonderful landscape in almost any other place in the world would be better managed.
Though declared a National Park in 1959, parts of the Circuit, suprisingly, are still privately owned. Two companies share management responsibilities with the Park: Andescape & Fantastico Sur.
We appreciated the free camp sites. But pay sites are overpriced. Far better campsites in New Zealand cost US$7 / tent. In Canada, about US$4 / tent.
On the other hand, pay sites offer “free” hot showers. Hikers jokingly call them $6 showers as there is little difference otherwise between pay & free campgrounds.
The campsite stores & refugio restaurants are excruciatingly expensive — you pay 3-6 times the cost of the same items in Puerto Natales. Carry enough food to get you through the Circuit, or plenty of cash!
At Refugio Grey some hikers take tours by boat, or glacier walking. Bring extra dinero if you might wish to join in.
Lastly, be aware that Chile is the most expensive country on the continent. Travel in Argentina is far better value.
