Torres del Paine campsites 2021/22 – a detailed guide

Torres del Paine National Park is an incredible place for trekking; breathtaking scenery, untouched nature, and diverse wildlife. Here you will find some of the best hikes in Patagonia. Planning hiking in Torres del Paine can be overwhelming especially the part of booking campsites along the route. Several questions usually arise during the planning; How to find the right campsites? How to book campsites? What are the facilities? In this post, we give detailed information on the campsites in Torres del Paine. Using this guide you can plan your hike and choose the campsites.

In the 2021/22 hiking season the W trek is open from 20th October, the O circuit from 1st November.

You can buy online entrance tickets to Torres del Paine.

General information about Torres del Paine campsites

There are 11 campsites inside Torres del Paine National Park. They’re run by 3 different companies: CONAF (El Paso and Chileno campsites), the government organization, and two private companies: Vertice Patagonia (Dickson, Los Perros, Grey, and Paine Grande campsites), and Las Torres Patagonia/Fantastico Sur (Central, Serón, Francés, Los Cuernos, and Chileno campsites).

CONAF campsites are free of charge, they have quite basic facilities, camping in your own tent is the only option here. Currently, for the 2021-2022 season, it doesn’t look like the free campsites are open and it’s unclear when they’re planning to open. If you want to plan your route and book campsites now don’t bargain on the free campsites and rather book the paid ones.

Private campsites (Vertice Patagonia, Las Torres Patagonia) have good facilities and offer fully equipped tents for rent as well as camping spots. Some campsites have indoor accommodation options. There is usually a restaurant where you can preorder meals and a shop.

In our Torres del Paine hiking guide you can get more information on the park, different hiking trails, transportation, the best season for trekking, cost, etc.

How to book the campsites?

To book paid campsites is very easy; you do it online through the Vertice Patagonia and Las Torres Patagonia (Fantastico Sur) websites. To complete a reservation you have to make a payment. Booking with both companies is open for the 2021/22 hiking season.

Important! For the O Circuit, it’s impossible to book a separate campsite with Vertice Patagonia. Bookings can be made only for 3 or 4 campsites together. You can either book Dickson, Los Perros, and Grey, or Dickson, Los Perros, Grey, and Paine Grande. Even if the El Paso free campsite (between Los Perros and Grey) is open, you’ll still have to book Dickson, Los Perros, and Grey. In my opinion, it’s easier to book paid campsites for the entire O Circuit.  The Vertice Patagonia campsites (Grey and Paine Grande) for the W trek, can be booked separately.

Las Torres Patagonia (Fantastic Sur) campsites for the O Circuit and the W trek can be booked separately. 

Free campsites can be booked online, but there is often some sort of a problem with the CONAF website. If you try to book and it doesn’t work out, try again later. As of November 2021, there is no information on when the free campsites will be open. Currently, it’s impossible to make a reservation on the CONAF website.

How long in advance to book?

It’s better to plan your route and book campsites a couple of months in advance, even more, if you’re going to hike in Torres del Paine in the peak season, January – February. Usually, reservations for the paid campsites (Vertice Patagonia and Las Torres Patagonia) for the next hiking season are open from September. Free campsites (CONAF) are usually open for reservation before the new season starts.

If you’re looking for another great place for hiking and camping consider visiting El Chalten about 400 km north of Torres del Paine. It’s called the hiking capital of Argentina. There are several hiking trails in El Chalten with stunning scenery.

A map of the campsites in Torres del Paine

CONAF campsites

There are 2 free campsites inside Torres del Paine. To camp at the free campsites, you need your own camping and cooking gear. As of 1st November 2021, there is no possibility to book the free campsites online or any information when they’ll be open.

1A. El Paso (the O Circuit) – located in the western part of the park, the first campsite after John Garner Pass. The campsite is quite small and has very basic facilities.

• The nearest attractions – Glacier Grey, John Garner Pass
• Price – free
• Check-in time – 1pm
• Check-out time – 9am
• Getting here – walking from Dickson or Los Perros campsites

2A. Italiano (the O Circuit, the W trek) – one of the many campsites in the southern part of the park. It’s quite big and situated in a foresty area.

• The nearest attractions – Mirador Francés, Mirador Británico, Nordenskjord Lake
• Price – free
• Check-in time – 1pm
• Check-out time – 9am
• Getting here – walking from Paine Grande, Francés, Los Cuernos, or Central campsites

Camping facilities

There used to be one more campsite (Torres) but it was closed a couple of years ago. It was the closest campsite to the famous Mirador Las Torres. Staying there was the only way to see the sunrise at the Mirador. You had to start walking at least 1-1,5 hours before the sunset to make it in time. Nowadays the nearest campsite is Chileno which is about a 2,5h walk from the Mirador Las Torres.

Vertice Patagonia campsites

There are 4 paid campsites in Torres del Paine that are run by Vertice Patagonia. As of November 2021, all Vertice Patagonia campsites are open and can be booked online.

1B. Dickson (the O) – the far away campsites in the northwest part on the O Circuit. It’s a nice open, grassy, and spacious campsite.

• The nearest attraction – Dickson Lake
• Price – CLP 7000/US$9 per person double occupancy, +US$6 for single occupancy (camping with your own tent)
• Check-in time – 12pm
• Check-out time – 9.30am
• Getting here – only walking from Serón campsite

2B. Los Perros (the O) – another campsite in the northwest part of Torres del Paine on the circuit, next on the route after the Dickson. It’s more of a forest campsite with not much grass though better protected from the wind.

• The nearest attractions – Los Perros Laka and Glacier, John Garner Pass
• Price – CLP 7000/US$9 per person double occupancy, +US$6 for single occupancy (camping with your own tent)
• Check-in time – 1pm
• Check-out time – 9.30am 
• Getting here – only walking from Dickson campsite

3B. Grey (the O, the W) – a spacious open camping area between Grey lake and the mountains. It’s the closest to the Grey Glacier campsite.

• The nearest attrations – Grey Glacier and Lake
• Price – CLP 7000/US$9 per person double occupancy, +US$6 for single occupancy (camping with your own tent).
• Check-in time – 1pm
• Check-out time – 9.30am
• Getting here – catamaran from Hotel Grey (45min. can book in advance), walking from Los Perros, El Paso, or Paine Grande campsites

If you want to see another impressive glacier or even do a glacier hike you can combine your Torres del Paine trip with a visit to Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentinian Patagonia, 250 km north.

4B. Paine Grande (the O, the W) – located in the southern part of the park this campsite, in my opinion, has the best scenery. Paine Grande campsites is an open spacious grassy area. It’s a great place to stay if you want to do day hikes in Torres del Paine. There are several routes that start from the Paine Grande campsite.

• The nearest attractions – Grey Lake, Pehoé Lake, and Skottsberg Lake
• Price – CLP 7000/US$9 per person double occupancy, +US$6 for single occupancy (camping with your own tent)
• Check-in time – 1pm
• Check-out time – 9.30am
• Getting here – catamaran from Pudeto (25 min., no advance booking), walking from El Grey and Itlaiano campsites, walking from the Administración park entrance.

Camping facilities

*even if there is wi-fi the Internet might be very slow don’t expect too much.

Gear rental

It’s possible to rent a full camping gear (tent, mat, and a sleeping bag) only at Los Perros campsite, the one without a hotel. At other campsites, you can rent only a sleeping bag. If you don’t want to carry camping gear with you you’ll have to stay indoors at Dickson, Grey, and Paine Grande campsites.

Rental prices

• a tent – US$29 max 2 people, per night
• a mat – US$7 per person, per night
• a sleeping…