There are a few different ways to visit Torres del Paine (TdP) National Park in Chile’s Patagonia. Since I often see the question of whether it’s best to hike the O-trek, the W-trek or to do day trips, I wrote this article putting all things to consider and the pros and con’s of each hike together to help you decide between the Torres del Paine O-trek vs W-trek vs day trips.
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Table of Contents - What is the best way to hike Torres del Paine: O-trek vs W-trek vs day trips
Which hikes can you do in Torres del Paine
There are a few different hikes you can do in Torres del Paine. The most popular ones are the O-trek, the W-trek, and day trips to viewpoints on these likes, like Mirador Las Torres (The Towers Viewpoint). For a map showing these hikes, click here.
O-trek (Paine Massif Circuit)
The O-trek (also called the O-circuit or Paine Massif Circuit) makes a loop around the Paine Massif, the center of attention of Torres del Paine National Park. It’s the longest and most complete hike you can do. You’ll pass by several glaciers and viewpoints. It also includes the John Gardner Mountain Pass, the absolute highlight of the park in my opinion.
W-trek
The W-trek consists of the second half of the O-circuit. It visits 3 viewpoints: Glacier Grey, El Britanico (incl. El Frances) and Las Torres. The most iconic places of TdP are all found along the W-trek.
Day trips
You can visit Mirador Las Torres (the most iconic part of the National Park), Glacier El Frances and Mirador Grey as day trips from Puerto Natales. If you’re very quick and have the energy, you might be able to continue past El Frances and make it up to El Britanico viewpoint as well. Besides these, there are other parts of the O-circuit that you could visit as a day trip, but they are less worth it in my opinion. There are also several other day trips you can do, which visit other areas of the National Park not on the O-circuit. You can see all available trails, including day hikes, on the map linked above.
O-trek vs W-trek vs day trips: Things to consider
1. Time
The O-circuit takes about 8 days to complete. If you want to do it quicker, you can also do it in 7 (combining day 1 & 2) or skipping a viewpoint. it’s also possible to take an extra day and do it in 9. The W-trek can be done in 5 days, or 4 if you skip the hanging bridges at Glacier Grey (don’t though!). If you can’t spend this much time in the park, you can opt for day trips or an overnight trip.
2. Cost
Accommodation in Torres del Paine is expensive, with the average price of the accommodation on the W-track being the most expensive. While Accommodation in Puerto Natales is cheaper, taking the bus to the National Park and back every day is going to add on as well. While the O-circuit is the most expensive overall, since it’s the longest, it’s the best value for money in my opinion since it has some of the cheapest accommodation options on the trail.
Cost breakdown Torres del Paine O-trek vs W-trek vs day trips
I will use the cheapest accommodation options for this comparison. This means bringing all your gear and 2-person occupancy per tent, no meals included. There are many more options available, but this is just for comparison. Note that these prices are for the 2024/2025 hiking season, with the exchange rate of the time of writing.
O-Trek
W-Trek
Day trips
The price for a day trip differs a bit, depending on whether you need to take the shuttle bus to Sector Torres, a catamaran to Paine Grande or Hotel Grey and how many (consecuetive) day trips you’re doing, since the park ticket is valid for 3 days. I have added the cost for Mirador Las Torres since this is the most popular day trip in Torres del Paine.
3. Crowds
Torres del Paine is Chile’s most popular attraction, so there will always be people on the main trails. If you want to feel like you’re alone in the wilderness, this part of TdP is not for you.
Having said that, the part of the O-circuit not included in the W-trek sees far fewer people compared to the W-trek. And the parts of the W-trek which can also be done as day trips are by far the busiest, especially Mirador Las Torres.
Even in shoulder season, I almost always heard or saw people on the W-trek. On the O-part I was alone for big parts of it, soaking in nature and being able to really connect to it. I wasn’t able to do so on the W-trek due to the amount of people. And even less so on the hike to Las Torres Viewpoint. We left at the least popular time, between sunrise and the arrival time of the first bus from Puerto Natales and it was busy! I even struggled going down because of the huge amount of people hiking up at that time.
If you want to do less crowded hikes, you can either opt for the part of the O-track that is not included in the W-trek, or day trips outside of this area.
4. Effort vs reward
While the most famous attractions of Torres del Paine National Park are on the W-trek, that doesn’t mean that the O-trek has no worthwhile sights. As a matter of fact, for me the highlight of our trip to Torres del Paine is on the O-circuit! And so is the nicest campsite. Don’t get me wrong, hiking for 8 days is tough. Really though. Especially if you’re carrying your own food and camping equipment like we did. But it was so rewarding and 1000% worth all the effort we put in!
While the W-trek requires less effort (fewer days of hiking and less weight since you need to carry less food), the reward is also not as big, and I’m sure I would have felt I missed out by not doing the whole loop. Day trips are not worth the effort in my opinion. The trip there and back to Puerto Natales is long and if you;re doing day trips that overlap with the W-trek, these places are the busiest, since everyone visits them: day trippers, O-hikers and W-hikers. Plus, you will also arrive at the busiest time: when everyone is on the trek. So it’s very difficult to connect to nature and it feels more like Disneyland than a hike in the mountains.
There are some shorter day hikes you can do to viewpoints. I haven’t done them so I can’t tell you whether they are worth it or not. But do realize that you will miss out on the most iconic places of Torres del Paine in that case.
5. Planning in advance
While day trips can be planned relatively spontaneously, the W-trek and the O-circuit need to be planned in advance. Accommodation on the trails books out very quickly. If you’re trying to decide between the O-trek and the W-trek, the planning doesn’t matter. Since the W-trek is more popular than the O-circuit, these campsites will fill up first. So the W-trek needs to be booked as far in advance as the O-trek. The only difference would be if you’re hiking the W-trek, and you don’t stay at Grey, but only hike as far as the campsite and back from there. Grey is the second most difficult campsite to book, after Frances (not counting Chileno, because you can still do the same hike from Central). Then you would be a little more flexible since you only depend on Frances, and not when both have availability.
6. When are you visiting
Not all hikes are possible throughout the whole year. The O-trek is only open from November to March, whereas you can hike the W-trek independently from mid-September to April. During the winter season (May to mid-September), a guide is mandatory on the W-trek). The park is open for day hikes year round, but trails can be closed at times due to the weather and Mirador Torres also requires a guide in the winter season.
Torres del Paine O-trek vs W-trek vs day trips in summary
O-Trek: pros & cons
Pros
- It’s the most complete hike, visiting everything you visit on the W-trek and the most popular day trips and more
- Less crowded places, so easier to connect with the stunning nature you came to see.
- Best value for money, especially when carrying your own food. The average daily cost is the lowest for the O-circuit
- Easier to connect with other hikers. Since there are less people and you’ll be spending more time together. People group together more and you’ll get to know more people on the hike. I felt people separated more at the Paine Grande, Frances and Central campsites. Although this also very much depends on the person of course. If you’re very social you will be able to make friends everywhere and if you’re very shy you might find it more difficult to start up a conversation on the O-trek as well.
Cons
- 8 days of hiking is tough. While the days itself are generally not so demanding (except for day 4), tiredness does start adding up
- Your backpack will be very heavy at the start. 8 days worth of food is heavy, especially if you want to make sure you have enough and don’t need to buy expensive food in the park. The option is there though, if you’re short on food!
W-Trek: pros & cons
Pros
- Less intense compared to the O-circuit. You won’t accumulate as much tiredness in 5 days and you can leave your backpack on campsites when hiking to the viewpoints. This means you won’t have your backpack with you all day, like on the first days of the O-circuit
- It’s a shorter hike, so if you have limited time, you can still see some of the highlights of the park
- You’re skipping the most difficult climb of the park: the John Gardner pass
Cons
- You’re missing out on the most amazing mountain view I’ve ever seen! The John Gardner Pass might be the most difficult part of the hike, the views are also the most amazing. I do have to admit we had exceptionally clear weather at the top. It’s not so common to be able to see the glacier from the lake till where it disappears in the mountains. But still, just to have the chance to see this is worth it. And even if you can’t see all the way to the mountains, the view from above is still amazing and the highlight of Torres del Paine
- Trails are quite crowded and it’s harder to connect with nature
Day trips: pros & cons
Pros
- If you are very short on time and you can’t spend more than 1-2 days in the national park, you’ll still get to see part of it
- No need to plan as far ahead, since you won’t need to book a campsite. Do note that if you want to visit in January or February, you might need to book accommodation in Puerto Natales in advance as well. But not as far ahead as the campsites in the National Park
Cons
- The day trip hikes on the O-circuit, especially Las Torres, are super, super crowded. It’s very hard to really soak up nature and connect to it with so many people around. We hiked at the end of March and it was still crazy busy on the trail.
- It’s a long way there and back to Puerto Natales, so it will be a very long and tiring day. Especially El Frances, for which you will need to take a boat as well after getting off the bus
- It’s relatively expensive since the National Park pass for one day is about 35 USD. Add the return trip for the bus and the National Park shuttle to it and you’ll be spending a lot of money.
So, what's the best hike in Torres del Paine: O-circuit vs W-trek vs day trips
The best hike in Torres del Paine is hands down the O-circuit. If you have the time, I 100% recommend hiking the complete circuit.
If you’re worried about the weight of your backpack, you can buy packages of pasta, sauce and canned tuna at kiosks at the campsites. It’s not necessary to buy the expensive meals you’ll be offered when booking the campsite. Of course everything is a lot more expensive compared to the supermarket, but it’s a good option if you want to bring less weight.
If it’s fitness you’re worried about, there are plenty of beautiful places in Patagonia and the lake districts of Chile and Argentina where you can train! I was sore for 3 days after hiking El Cañi in Pucon for example, but after doing some more hikes there, and along the Carretera Austral I got fit enough to hike the O-trek carrying all our own food and camping gear a few weeks later! Sure, I was dreaming of drinking caipirinhas on a beach in Brazil afterwards and didn’t want to do any more hikes for a looong time, but still, I did it and I’m so happy I did. (And no, we didn’t head straight to Brazil, we continued hiking in Argentine Patagonia instead 🙈)
This was: What is the best way to hike Torres del Paine: O-trek vs W-trek vs day trips
If you’re still not convinced to do the O-circuit, or you just don’t have the time for an 8-day hike, the W-trek is a good alternative. Especially if you’re leaving super early, beating the crowds as much as possible. Day trips are not worth it in my opinion. It’s a long way to travel to the park and the most iconic and beautiful day hikes are the most crowded of them all! Plus, staying in the park is part of the charm. You can rent camping gear in Puerto Natales if that’s the issue, or book a campsite with a tent included if it fits your budget.
