Day Hike To Mirador Las Torres (By Bus Or Car)

One of the most iconic and spectacular hikes in Chile is the Mirador Las Torres (‘viewpoint of the towers’), and it can be done as either a 1 day hike or as part of the longer W trek, which takes 4 to 5 days.

If you’re visiting Torres Del Paine on a budget and want to do this hike without a car, the good news is that you can also do it by bus in a single day, even if you’re staying in the town of Puerto Natales.

That’s what I did, and it was a highlight of my recent trip to Patagonia. The hike is challenging and it takes a full day, but it pays off with amazing views of the three granite towers and the turquoise lake.

This guide will explain how to do it step by step!

Quick Facts*

• Distance: 20 kilometers (12.5 mi)
• Elevation Gain: 1,015 meters (3,325 ft)
• Max Altitude: 870 meters (2,860 ft)
• Duration: 6 – 10 hours
• Difficulty: Hard

*These are roundtrip stats for the day hike

How To Get There

First of all, the closest airport to the park is in Puerto Natales (PNT), which has daily flights from Santiago and Puerto Montt. You can shop for flights on Skyscanner.

There’s also a bus route to Puerto Natales from El Calafate, on the Argentine side of Patagonia. That’s what I did and it was pretty easy and comfortable. The trip takes 6 hours and you can book it here.

Once you arrive in Puerto Natales, you can get to the Las Torres hike by car, tour, or bus. I’ll explain each of these options below.
 

• By Car

Renting a car is the easiest and most flexible way to get to the towers hike.

If it fits in your budget, you can even stay directly at the Hotel Las Torres, which is located right at the start of the trail!

There are many companies offering car rentals in Puerto Natales, but I recommend DiscoverCars.

It’s a 2 hour drive from Puerto Natales to the Torres Del Paine Welcome Center (map here), where you’ll start the hike.
 

• By Tour

A guided tour is another convenient option if you don’t want to mess with a rental car or the bus.

GetYourGuide has a day tour to Base Las Torres that includes hotel pickup and drop-off from Puerto Natales, and a bilingual guide to take you to the towers.

We’ve used this company for lots of tours and activities around the world, and they’re great. Highly recommended!

Book Now: Torres Day Hike From Puerto Natales

The blue lake at Lago Torres

• By Bus

The cheapest way to get to the towers hike from Puerto Natales is by bus + shuttle.

You can book the bus online here, and a roundtrip ticket costs 28,000 pesos (~$30 USD) as of 2025. I’d recommend booking your tickets at least a month in advance.

The bus station is called Terminal Rodoviario (map here) and it’s centrally located in Puerto Natales. I stayed at a budget friendly hotel within walking distance of the station.

The buses look like this

There are lots of bus departures every day, but since the hike is a long one, you’ll need to take the earliest departure and the latest return, that way you have plenty of time to complete the hike and still catch your return bus.

The first bus leaves Puerto Natales at 6:45 AM, arriving in TDP (Laguna Amarga) 2 hours later, at 8:45 AM.

I took this bus several times while visiting Torres Del Paine, and it was always on schedule, even though there was some road construction along the way.

Comfy seats

One of the nice things about going by bus is that you can relax and let someone else handle the driving.

I don’t really enjoy driving in a foreign country, especially if it’s early in the morning when I’m still waking up.

On the bus, you can tune out and maybe even get some sleep while you’re en route to the park.

The park office at Laguna Amarga

Once you arrive at the Laguna Amarga checkpoint, the rangers from TDP will check your park tickets as you get off the bus.

I highly recommend buying your tickets online to save time on this step. You can buy them on the official website here.

If you need a minute, the building at Laguna Amarga has clean bathrooms and free Starlink WiFi. Here’s a map of the location.

Welcome center

Next, you need to catch a shuttle van from Laguna Amarga to the Torres Del Paine Welcome Center (map here).

It’s a 15 minute drive and costs 4,500 pesos in cash, as of 2025. You can’t book this in advance, but there’s no need since there are regular shuttles in each direction.

Again, there are restrooms and WiFi at the Welcome Center, plus a cafe and souvenir shop.

Cafe & souvenir shop

The Welcome Center is where you start hiking to the towers. Here’s a map from AllTrails showing the full hiking route.

I got off the shuttle at the Welcome Center and started hiking at exactly 9 AM, reached the Refugio Chileno at 10:30 AM, and the lake at 12:30 PM. My pace was probably a little above average, but not too crazy.

I stayed at the lake for almost 2 hours, resting and taking pictures, before starting back at around 2:30 PM.

I arrived back at the TDP Welcome Center 3 hours later, at a little past 5:30 PM.

Follow the signs for Mirador Las Torres

The last shuttle from the Welcome Center back to Laguna Amarga is at 7 PM, so you don’t want to miss it. And the last return bus from Laguna Amarga to Puerto Natales is at 8:15 PM, so you don’t want to miss that either.

Overall, this plan will give you basically 10 hours of free time to complete the hike, assuming you take the earliest morning bus and start hiking at 9 AM like I did, and go back to Laguna Amarga on the last shuttle at 7 PM.

That’s pretty generous. Don’t dawdle, but 10 hours should be plenty of time for most hikers!

Keep in mind the last bus will put you back in Puerto Natales town at 10 PM. Yes, it’s late, but you won’t be alone, and some restaurants will still be open.

Valley views on the way to the towers

Map Of The Trail

Here’s a map from AllTrails that shows the complete hiking route and elevation profile for the Base Las Torres day hike, starting from the TDP Welcome Center.

This is where the hike always starts and ends, regardless of whether you go with a rental car, tour, or bus.

If you sign up for AllTrails Plus, you can download the map and use it offline while hiking. It’s very handy!

What To Expect: Hiking To Mirador Las Torres

• Trailhead To Refugio Chileno

The hike starts with a flat and dull walk through some meadows and past the Hotel Las Torres, with distant views of the mountains in the background. It stays mostly flat for about 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles).

Next, there’s a steady uphill climb for another 2.5 kilometers until you reach the ‘Paso de los Vientos’ (Windy Pass), which is where you’ll encounter the first great view of the hike: a river cutting through the valley, with snow-capped mountains on both sides.

After a short walk through the pass, you’ll reach the Refugio Chileno, where you can rest a minute. The Refugio is an overnight lodge with a restaurant, and it also has WiFi and toilets for a fee.

A bridge crossing near the start of the hike

First mountain views

• Refugio Chileno To Lake Of The Towers

From the Refugio, you’ll walk through a forest on a gradual incline for the next 3 kilometers until you reach a clearing, where the path forks downhill to Campamento Torres, or uphill to Las Torres.

There’s a time limit to go past this point: if you get here after 2 PM, they won’t let you go to Las Torres.

Even if you’re only 10 minutes late, the rangers will turn you around. So keep that in mind.

There’s a cut-off time to hike past this sign

The trail gets messy near the end

This is where the trail gets steep and rocky. This last kilometer is definitely the hardest part of the whole hike. It’s safe, but you need to be careful not to step on any wobbly rocks.

Finally, you’ll reach Lago Torres, the lake of the towers! It’s a stunning view, and even though it gets pretty busy during the day, there are plenty of great photo spots around the lake.

The weather here can change in a second, so don’t be discouraged if the towers are covered in clouds when you first get to the lake. That happened to me, but I waited awhile and the towers came out!

The return hike is entirely flat or downhill, so it’s much easier.

First peek of the towers

Resting on a giant boulder near the lake

Can You Hike Independently?

Yes, you can do this hike on your own. A guide isn’t required except during the winter months, from May to September.

Also remember you need a ticket for the national park, which you can buy on the official website here.
 

Best Time To Go

The best time to visit Torres Del Paine is during the spring (September to November) or fall (March to May). Summer is good too, but the trails are more busy.

I went in early November, and that was pretty much perfect. I’ll do it again on my next trip to Chile.

The weather was great, and I liked how there was still a fair amount of snow and ice skirting the base of the towers. It looked extra nice for photos.

Base Las Torres

What To Bring

• Layers. The weather in Patagonia is notoriously unpredictable and it can be extremely windy, so you’ll want to bring a jacket, gloves, and hat in case it gets cold. You probably won’t need these on the main trail, but you’ll be happy to have them at the lake if the wind picks up.
• Snacks. Even though you can buy food at the Welcome Center or Refugio, it’s overpriced like you’d expect. Better to bring your own snacks to eat on the hike. I brought beef jerky and protein bars from the U.S. and they were great to have.
• Hiking Poles. I didn’t bring these, but they could be helpful for your knees on the steep ascents and descents.
• Water. A good amount is probably 2 liters of water. There are glacial streams available near the Refugio, but I’d use a filter or purification tablets to be safe.

River running through the valley

More Patagonia Travel Guides

Thanks for looking! I hope you enjoyed this guide for how to do the Mirador Las Torres hike by car or bus.

Don’t forget to check out my other travel guides for Patagonia before you go!