How to get to Torres del Paine

Torres del Paine National Park has two gateway airports: Puerto Natales (airport code PNT) and Punta Arenas (PUQ). There are no direct international flights: travellers must travel via Santiago. Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas are both around 3½ hours by air from Santiago. Flights are operated by LATAM.

While Puerto Natales is closer to the national park (a two hour drive), there is normally only one flight a day from Santiago in high season, leading to strong demand and inflated prices. Most travellers arrive via Punta Arenas (up to six flights a day during high season), which is a three-hour bus journey to Puerto Natales, then the additional transit time to the park.

Puerto Natales is the nearest city to Torres del Paine (70 miles/112 km). It takes around two hours to reach the national park entrance, on a semi-paved but very scenic road. Virtually all tour itineraries in Torres del Paine include a morning transfer from Puerto Natales.

If you are travelling privately, a number of bus companies operate early morning shuttle buses to the park, but availability can still be tight and so should be booked as early as possible. Alternatively, it is possible to arrange private transfers: a faster but more expensive option.

For a more slow but adventurous option, you can take a boat from Puerto Natales up Last Hope Sound and enter the national park via the Rio Serrano.

The majority of visitors to Torres del Paine arrive via Punta Arenas, thanks to its more frequent flight connections to Santaigo. From here, it’s necessary to make a three hour transfer by road to Puerto Natales (155 miles/250 km) and continue from there into the park. If you travel to Torres del Paine by this route, it is recommended to overnight in Puerto Natales rather than Punta Arenas, in order to catch the morning transfers to the national park.

There is a direct bus service from Punta Arenas airport to Puerto Natales operated by Buses Pacheco. Alternatively, book with Buses Fernandez to travel from Punta Arenas bus station to Puerto Natales.

A small number of Torres del Paine's all-inclusive lodges offer direct transfer from Punta Arenas. Private transfers can also be arranged. 

During the high season there are several direct flights a week from Puerto Montt (PMC) to Punta Arenas, connecting Torres del Paine with the Chilean Lake District. Flights take just over two hours.

To connect with Aysen, there are small plane flights between Coyhaique (BBA) and Punta Arenas (90 minutes).

For Tierra del Fuego, Punta Arenas has small plane flights to Puerto Williams (WPU) on Navarino Island and Pampa Guanaco (DFB). Punta Arenas is also the port of departure for cruises around the Southern Chilean Fjords, as well around Tierra del Fuego to Ushuaia in Argentina.

There are no direct flights from Buenos Aires to Torres del Paine. To fit Torres del Paine into a wider itinerary in Argentina, it is necessary to fly via Santiago or (a better option) fly to El Calafate (FTE) and take a cross-border bus to Puerto Natales. This allows you to combine Torres del Paine with Los Glaciares National Park.

There are up to eight direct flights between Buenos Aires and El Calafate operated ​​Aerolíneas Argentinas, taking around three hours. Note that these flights depart from Buenos Aires’ domestic airport Aeroparque Internacional Jorge Newbery (AEP). If you are transferring from Ezeiza International Airport (EZE), we recommend allowing at least five hours between flights.

Torres del Paine National Park and Los Glaciares National Park are natural mirrors to each other, lying on either side of the Chile-Argentina border. It’s easy to combine the two into a single trip.

Early morning direct buses leave several times a day between El Calafate and Puerto Natales in Chile (167 miles/268 km), crossing the border at Cerro Castillo. The trip takes around 5–7 hours, depending on border control.

From Puerto Natales, it’s a further two hours by bus to Torres del Paine (70 miles/112 km). The majority of hotels in Torres del Paine include a complimentary transfer from Puerto Natales.  

Private transfers can also be arranged for the complete journey from El Calafate to Torres del Paine, or from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine. Some luxury lodges in Los Glaciares may include a complimentary transfer to El Calafate when booking.

As well as being the gateway to Torres del Paine, Punta Arenas is a major port for accessing the island of Tierra del Fuego.

It is possible to sail direct from Punta Arenas around Tierra del Fuego to Ushuaia on an adventure cruise ship. Stops include Cape Horn, sailing through the Magellan Strait and zodiac boat excursions to explore remote glaciers, thickly forested islands and beaches dotted with penguin colonies. It’s also a great stress-free way to cross the border from Argentina to Chile.