Off the Beaten Track in Torres del Paine

These valleys are off-limits to self-guided hikers, so receive significantly fewer visitors in comparison to the main trails in the park.

The Silencio Valley is located at the top of the Ascencio Valley (commonly hiked by those visiting the Base of the Towers). Break from the main trail at the top of the valley, continuing north to the mighty granite faces of Cerro Fortaleza (2688m) and Cerro Escudo aka "The Shield" (2240m), both very popular with climbers. Cerro Tridente (1978m), the famous triple-peak, is also situated here. 

Along the trail is Japones camp, a small, sheltered area of woodland where there's a rudimentary shack to seek refuge. This camp is also used by those trekking the Oggioni Pass, which slices through the backcountry towards Refugio Dickson. Along Bader valley is a basic climber's camp where it is possible to stay, as long as you're accompanied by a guide.

Located in the dense forest west of Torres del Paine, the Pingo Valley follows the Pingo River towards the South Patagonian Ice Cap. The valley remains perfectly preserved, untouched by the devastating forest fires of 2012, so the moss, lichen and ferns have flourished. Palaeontologists have also discovered an abundance of ancient marine fossils dating back 250 million years ago in this area of the park. Wild baguales (bulls) roam free in the valley and their nighttime shrieks give this whole area a very pre-historic feel. The Pingo Valley is Torres del Paine's very own answer to Jurassic Park!

At the head of the valley awaits Cerro Zapata (1077m) which can be summited without technical experience, rewarding its conquerors with stunning views of the ice cap, Tyndall Glacier and Lago Grey.

In Sierra Baguales, rolling hills of arid pampa stretch east of the Paine massif all the way to the Argentinean border. This area boasts an incredible geologic history and wide open spaces where you likely won't encounter another person for the entire time you're there. With a fascinating past of ancient volcanoes and sedimentary rock formations, the Baguales Valley is a hotbed of fossils, and it's a popular spot for paleontologists to search for remnants of the past.

Old puestos (small, basic shelters) are scattered across the landscape, offering a place to rest for Chilean baqueanos who herd sheep and cattle around the valley. Several fossilized shark teeth have been found in this area, as well as fossils of different shellfish species, hinting at its marine past when the Atlantic Ocean stretched all the way inland.