In the early morning, at 6:30 hs, we will pick you up to go on a full-day excursion to Torres del Paine National Park. We will travel on a 4WD Overland Truck provided which has excellent performance both on the asphalt and on unpaved roads. Our vehicle is also equipped with a toilet and provides Wi-Fi access. After about a 3-hour drive, we will arrive at the international border crossing with Chile. Do not worry if you do not speak Spanish, as your tour guide can assist you with customs documentation. After going through the customs process, we will continue on our way to the National Park. **Several vehicles may be used at the time of pick-up or drop-off to speed up the tour. **Time spent at borders can vary. *At the time of booking, we take care of document control and park tickets, also checking dietary restrictions that have been reserved, in order to organize the departure and avoid future inconveniences in places where the solution is more complicated.
Upon reaching the Argentine border, immigration and customs procedures for Argentina begin. At this moment, the guide accompanies and assists you with the documentation and necessary processes. Once each passenger has completed these procedures, they return to the truck. We then proceed to the Chilean border at "Cerro Castillo”.
We continue with the customs procedures in Chile. Our guide will assist you with the requirements and in El Calafate, prior our departure towards Chile to make sure you have everything is required to enter the country. We will make a short stop at a typical and charming Patagonian bar called Cafeteria El Ovejero. It's a 20-minute stop where passengers usually have a drink, use facilities and take photographs of this extravagant Patagonian café.
This is our first encounter with the Paine massif. A viewpoint surrounded by lakes and a unique view of the Paine massif. We will make a stop and descend to admire the beauty of the area.
At 13:00 hs, we are finally arriving at the National Park and we will enter through the Serrano gate. This area offers amazing and unique views of the Cuernos del Paine.
This is a truly beautiful scenic spot that we make a stop to takes some photographs view of the Massif and the Paine River.
We will make a stop in this area and start our short hiking toward the shore of Pehoe Lake and reach The Horns viewpoint for some up-close views of the Horns of Torres del Paine (subject to weather conditions). This is one of the most spectacular views of Torres del Paine, including the turquoise waters of lakes Pehoe and Nordenskjold, Almirante Nieto Mount, the Paine "Horns", French Valley and Big Paine. Trekking distance: 4,5 kilometers Duration: 1:30 hour Difficulty: easy At the end of this panoramic journey, you'll make a quick stop at Cerro Castillo village to use its facilities before setting out on the return trip to your hotel in El Calafate, arriving late in the evening. **Arrival to El Calafate will be between 9 and 11 PM (depending on time spent at customs) **The itinerary is subject to change due to weather and road conditions, etc. **It is the traveller's responsibility to have all their necessary travel documents to cross the international border.
Follow by the visit to the Salto Grande Lookout Point, which showcases a 10-meter (32-foot) waterfall.
Then, you will continue towards Nordenskjold Lake and we will make a short stop in a spot that offers a beautiful view of the Paine horns from a profile perspective overlooking the lake.
This is one of our last stops and the perfect spot before leaving the National Park admiring the famous Towers of Torres del Paine (visibility is subject to weather conditions).
Our last stop will be at Sarmiento Lake Viewpoint. From here, admire the beautiful lake framed by the Paine Mountain Range, if we are lucky we will spot some guanacos and foxes, among other animals.
At the end of this panoramic journey, you'll make a quick stop at Cerro Castillo village to use its facilities before setting out on the return trip to Argentinian border and finally to El Calafate.
Around 21.30h, arrival at your accommodation in El Calafate. **Arrival to El Calafate will be between 9 and 11 PM (depending on time spent at customs) **The itinerary is subject to change due to weather and road conditions, etc. **It is the traveler’s responsibility to have all their necessary travel documents to cross the international border.
Gastón and Rodrigo very friendly, passionate and professionals. The driver did it well too. The experience was amazing and the smartphones lens can’t capture well enough what the eyes can see in these places.
Gaston was a great guide along with Esteban the guide from chile who joined at the border. Very informative and the 3 hr journey to the border went quickly. The process at the border was smooth. The weather for early spring was decent but we did have some rain and strong winds so we couldn’t see the full Torres in their glory but it did not spoil the day. Driver was also excellent and got us back to our hotel for 8pm
I had a great time going to Torres del Paine National Park from El Calafate. We were 10 tourists inside the truck/van. Travel time to Chile was approximately 3 hours. The tour guide Gaston helped us go thru immigration both Argentina and Chile side. We were blessed with a good weather, sunny, cold and windy but no rain. Need to wear layers and windproof jacket, the wind can be very strong especially during the hiking part which we did, just an easy hiking 1.5 km total. I really enjoyed the tour. The driver Marcelo was great and he was a very good driver. Highly recommended!
We read good reviews, so we booked this company using Viator to take us on an adventure from El Calfate, Argentina, to Chile. The tour required many things to be done in advance, all of which we did, including purchasing the separate Chilean national Park tickets, which were quite expensive. We woke up at 5am and were in the lobby at 6:30 AM. The company threats to leave you if you are not there within five minutes of your pick up time… Ours was 6:45 AM. THEY NEVER SHOWED UP AND DID NOT ANSWER OUR CALLS! Finally, after one hour of waiting, they texted us back, but would not answer our calls still and refused to come pick us up or provide us transportation to meet the bus. When we found our own transportation, they refused to wait for us to meet them. They have ruined our trip to Patagonia. We came all the way from the United States to do this tour and it is too late to book for another day or book anything else today since all the other tours have picked up their people and we don’t have enough time before we leave to book another tour. Additionally, they refused to provide a refund for the Chilean national Park that they forced us to book ahead of time for the day of the tour. The way they spoke to us let us know that they have done this before and they took no responsibility at all and said the fact they forgot to pick us up was an “act of nature”. Do they know what acts of nature are!? I don’t know how they are still operating as a viable company.
They pick you up and drop youiff at your hotel. A long ride in a 4 wheel type bus. A lot of bouncing but it gets you there. The views are incredible. The tour covers all the best sites and includes an hour hike. Lunch is good and adequate. Best to bring a little extra food for dinner.
This trip is over rated and there is only the lake that you see and there is an hour hike and you will see same lake. Just a different view. That was the highlight of the tour then we got to see a little waterfalls and that concluded the 3hours travel to Torres del Paine. Then another 3 hours back to El Calafate. Tour guides were great though, there were 2 of them. One from Argentina side and one from Chile.
Great place!!! I had some very fun times there and met some cool people along the road. Pretty much an awesome xperience!
Long bus ride but the Argentina guide was great. The views and hike were great. Could do without the Chile guide
Terrible experience, the trip should have us seeing the below 2 points : 1. The Lake Pehoe with the view of hotel Pehoe 2. The Grey Glacier but the tour guide did not took us to these two points !!!!
Torres del Paine National Park was beautiful and truly a once in a lifetime experience. Matias (Tour Guide) and Mauro (Driver) made a great team with getting everyone through the border crossings and back very efficiently. They were very kind, thoughtful, welcoming, funny and informative. You could tell that they love what they do which added to our wonderful Patagonia experience! I didn't think the tour was too long either. Thanks soo much!! :)
We had an incredible time on this tour - a highlight of our Patagonia trip. We only had a few days there so a day trip was perfect. The day was long (but ample time to nap if you please) - but a must do!!! It was approx 5-6 hours in the car total over the course of the day. We got back to the city center around 9:00pm which is dinner time in El Calafate anyways so it worked out well. The tour guides were fantastic, spoke English well and were very helpful in answering questions throughout the day. We went to multiple places in Torres Del Paine and each was better than the previous. They lunch provided was not great - so I’d suggest bringing extra snacks for yourself. I suggest sneakers / hiking boots, and layers. Some places were cool while others were incredibly windy and cold. Overall, a PHENOMENAL, trip. Would love to go there again and stay longer.
Loved the trip and our guides - everyone was polite and informative. We had sufficient number of stops (though perhaps include one short stop to take pictures of guanacas, which were everywhere along the road, just a few yards away from the road). We are discerning travelers and were wary of this upcoming day trip, but were happy to see how everything was smoothly organized. Lunches are OK, but you have a chance to bring your own food and also buy more food on the way back, at a local Chilean joint.
I was a little concerned as I read in many reviews that this tour is too long, and yes, I found it long. But you are in Patagonia, distances are supposed to be huge and the landscape is a big reward, so the distance is in the end acceptable. If you are afraid of distances don't come to Patagonia! The guide and driver (Matias and Mauro) were highly professional and let us experience the park from many beautiful places, so in only 1 day we have been able to get the most out of the national park. Border crossing didn't present any problem, and even the lunchbox was tasty and abundant. Not a lot of toilets during the trip, but this is nobody's fault so just be prepared. Unmissable!
This trip is long - runs all day to drive to Chile. It's absolutely beautiful though and well worth it. Amazing views, fun little hikes, and made new friends! Even saw a puma!
This is was an incredible way to start our trip in Patagonia! Eduardo, the guide, is very knowledge and fun. This is a great way to explore the river and it’s surrounding areas. A personal highlight for me is how small the tour is. You’re not competing to see things and you really get to enjoy yourself.
Great tour of the mountains. Tour guide was very knowledgeable and accommodating. Overall it was a great tour.
Very long day! ... but worth it. We didn’t have nice weather, was cold and windy but... park is beautiful. Tour guide was okey
A beautiful day and magnificent scenery. Bus trip from El Calafate - some on the bus were on the round trip - a long trip, 16 hours, due to 3 hour bus trip each way. Thankfully, we were staying in Torres del Paine National Park, and had a "shorter" trip. Saw the namesake Torres, the river and waterfall at Salto Grande, walked among a herd of many guanacos; guide was very knowledgeable and helpful, and we had a nice box lunch at another waterfall that looked like a wedding cake in its fall. Whether you're staying in the park or just on a one day journey from El Calafate, more than worth it.
We weren't impressed by this tour because of many reasons. - Way too much time on the bus. The short-cut on the unpaved road is a bone jarring, older rollercoaster-like drive. At times during the drive you are thrown off your seat by a few inches. - Most of the stories and explanations are offered in Spanish. English translation is bare minimum and more of an after thought. - Long lines and lot of time spent at the border crossings 2 while going and 2 while returning - The guide and the driver remind me of jaded folks who have spent way too much time of their lives herding people - Too many people on the bus 45 and only one door to get in and out. So if you're on the last row, you're out of luck. Bus is older, not super clean and not comfortable - Way too many stops. Get out of the bus, take a picture and get back in. Would have preferred fewer stops and more time hiking - Not enough time hiking and admiring the beautiful vistas in the park - No advanced notice to passengers to not bring fruits, cheese, meat etc. because Chilean border won't allow any of that. Overall, it is a lot of work for a couple of hours actually enjoying the hike and gorgeous views. For 600, we could have flown to Chile and had a better adventure.
The park: beautiful and special if you get nice weather and good visibility. It is around 4 hours drive from El Calafate. The bus is new and in high quality, suitable for the unpaved Route 40. The tour guide was excellent for Spanish speakers. 90% of the time he spoke in Spanish, thus if you speak English only, you will miss many of the explanations and stories.
<p>Our driver and guide were fantastic and went out of their way to make sure the trip was comfortable and enjoyable. Torres del Paine is an absolutely stunning park.</p>
<p>Im giving this 4 stars because the bus trip was too long for me. The tour operator was 5 star. It was very windy the day we were there. The trail we were supposed to hike was closed for safety reasons. The guide made some phone calls and found another trail for us to hike.</p>
<p>Torres del Paine is breathtakingly beautiful, and more impressive than you can ever imagine until you're there! Overall, an amazing day. However, be forewarned that there are no bathrooms on the bus, and no bathrooms available to tourists for 5 hour increments. The buses also don't have chargers, trash cans, etc. - plus they're not actually buses, but trucks, making for a very bumpy and uncomfortable 4 hour drive each way.</p>
<p>Yes it was a lot of driving. Yes the border crossings took a long time. Yes it was a relatively short time in the park. But it was worth doing <br/> and I am glad we took the trip. Our guide was excellent..</p>
<p>It is a nice way to see the Torres del Paine park if you don't have enough time to visit it for a longer period. But the tour itself is not very special. We just had a few stops at the park, and it was a really long day in the car.</p>
<p>Absolutely unacceptable lack of communication from both Viator and the local provider when we tried to get confirmation of our pickup time. Moreover, the trip took substantially longer than advertised. We did not get back to el Calafate until after 11 pm.</p>
<p>For the day-long trip to Torres del Paine, buyer beware! Our booking through Viator did not provide all essential information for the tour. We had to call Say Hueque Travel to find out information, which yielded nothing. We were also staying st and AirBnb, so pickup from our locations was not accepted. We were picked up at a local hotel down the street, which was the least of our problems. We were advised by some locals to call a local tour company called Always Glaciers to see if we were on their list for the day tour. We were not, but were advised by Always Glaciers to try contacting a company called Patagonia Extrema. Finally, we found out that our tour was booked through Patagonia Extrema. It was horribly overpriced, at 250 USD per person via Viator, in comparison to Always Glaciers your price of 150 USD per person, which we found to be outrageous. Problems did not stop here. We were picked up at our location nearly 20 minutes late, and weee driven to another location to meet up with the larger group. I am not a person who ever has trouble with motion sickness, but the trip to Torres del Paine was so rough, that I got a massive headache and felt like I was going to throw up. The ride only got worse as we entered the park, and our driver drove more crazily around the curved roads. I have never been so queasy. Another problem we ran into was being completely misinformed about the type of currency we could use. Our driver told us we could only pay in Chilean pesos, so we exchanged money thinking that was the only way to pay at the entrance to the park this is approx. 70 USD. We then found out that other people in the bus paid 109 USD and received 30 USD in change. So we paid 100 USD to enter the park, instead of 70 USD. This was infuriating. The views of Torres del Paine we beautiful on this day with clear skies, but I would suggest never booking though Viator, because too much information is hidden from the buyer. I would also discourage anyone from ever using the tour company Patagonia Extrema. They were horribly misinformed, and ended up losing us more money horrible!, not to mention the ride felt far from safe and comfortable. If you make the trip to El Calafate, book another tour.</p>
<p>A long day but it was the only way we were going to get to see Torres del Paine on this trip. Lunch was basic yet sufficient, I understand the regulations from crossing the Argentina - Chile border and catering on mass can make this very difficult so it's understandable.</p> <p>The tour guide was friendly, helpful and informative and despite being on the bus for the majority of the day, it felt like they broke up the journey as much as possible. Time in the park was very limited but this was always going to be a whistle stop tour due to the distances involved.</p>
<p>Although you spend a great deal of a long day in a bus, the bus is comfy, the tour guide and driver were very nice and you get to stop enough to be comfortable overall. Getting through customs was easy and organized. The places we stopped were absolutely beautiful and the hike at the end was awesome</p>
<p>Although it was a long day and a long Drive, it was certainly worth it! The guides were great!</p>
<p>Eventough it is a looong day, the landscape is AMAZING and totally worth it. I wish I could stay at least one day there. Opportunities in the coordination of the complete excursion and groups.</p>
<p>We only had two full days in El Calafate so we had to make the best of it by doing the glaciers in Argentina the first day, and then we needed to hit the national parks in Chile. This trip was the perfect fit for a full day tour of Torres del Paine. </p> <p>Tour picked us up at 6:45am and returned us at 9:15pm. We got to see lakes, mountains, waterfalls, and all of the most popular views in Paine. Lunch is included and was a lot of food so you won't be hungry. Some of the viewpoints and rest stops include coffee stops so you have plenty of breaks. </p> <p>Some things that should be noted/kept in mind:<br/> --The tour does not include a 30 Euro or 35 USD border fee into Chile you can also pay in Chilean Pesos or Argentina Pesos so be aware as they do not tell you that ahead of time. <br/> --You're in what looks like a monster truck of a shuttle bus allll day except for a 1.5 hour hike, so keep that in mind. It's comfortable and has plenty of room, but it's a long time sitting so be prepared.</p>
<p>Amazing place!!! Gorgeous. Pure nature. One of the best tours I have ever had. The guides were excellent. Among the very best I have ever seen. Very professional and so well trained. Very knowledgeable. This tour is a must do if you want to say that you went to Patagonia.</p>
<p>Loved this crazy long day drive with our awesome guide and driver! We were picked up on time, the truck was comfy, bag lunch was provided and as advertised it was a 14 hour journey. If you only have one day to see Torres del Paine, it's a great way to do it. The hikes are short but gorgeous! Go!</p>
<p>too much time on the bus going to/from different sites when we could have been walking tracks. 7am - 10.30pm. Beautiful place</p>
<p>A great tour but much longer than advertised. There are a number of stops along the way, but the bus makes its way through a Chilean boarder post everyone has to show their passport and get added to the entry register, to various sights near the Tores del Paine mountains. This includes what they described as the windiest waterfall in the world, several viewing sites for the mountains, some lakes and some general scenic walks as well as a lunch stop. The views of the mountains are stunning and it's hard to take a bad picture - so long as the weather allows you to see them. The journey back takes many hours, as did the arrival journey, involves showing passports against to get back into Argentina, and got back very late in the evening about 1am if I recall right. Should also be noted that extra passengers from extended tours may join the bus on the way back, so the bus may end up packed. A fantastic day, but pushing towards 20 hours long.</p>
<p>Great experience and beautiful views hitting all the great sites for beautiful scenery. Knowledgable tour guide.</p>
<p>This tour is an absolute MUST-DO for anyone who cannot spend more than a day in Torres del Paine. Our guide and driver were great and the Park is beyond words - it truly is a WONDER of the world. Plenty of photo stops were included as well as a nice lunch stop at the water falls. The provided lunch was good as well. Our guide did the entire day in both English and Spanish and provided plenty of commentary - a highlight was the geological demonstration on the beach to explain how the mountains were formed. It was very, very windy and I was very glad for the good shoes and hat and gloves I wore.<br/> Be warned, however, that it is a long day: our pick up was before 7 and we got back to the hotel at 10 pm. Access to restrooms are few and far between all day. Even though we had an early pick up from our hotel, I regretted drinking coffee at breakfast. The bus was comfortable but did not have a toilet and toilets are available until you clear into Chile..... HOURS later. <br/> Our daughter took the tour with us but did not ride back to El Calafate, this gave us the day with her before she started her trekking in the Park. Two others also didn't make the ride back to be able trek and our guide was especially accommodating to those three, even suggesting and arranging for their luggage to be left at the ranger station and letting them off at a trail that led back to the ranger station and their back-packs. <br/> All and all it was a great day. The tour was run by very hard working professionals. I am very glad we didn't rent a car and attempt make to the drive ourselves, the roads are too rugged we would have missed a lot.</p>
<p>Not a good experience, and it is not because of the Park itself...It is just too far from El Calafate and despite starting the tour at 7am we only got past the park entrance around 3pm!!! It is a long drive, and that was expected, but what was a shock is the amount if time we spend on the borders. It took at least 2 hours to get out of Argentinian border processing post, the border control has just 1 person processing busloads of travellers! There was not even a toilet there and we were on the road for 3 hours at least to get there so it was a nightmare, and half of the waiting time was spent queuing outside of the building in fhe blistering cold wind. Then another long wait to be processed on the Chilean side. We only spent 2.5 hours inside the park, all viewing was very rushed and the guides were clearly focused in getting in and out as qu ckly as possible. On the way back had to go through the repeat of both waiting for Chilean border control and then Argentinian... The lunch provided invluded the snacks and sandwich but didn't had a chance to get a cup of coffee or tea until 6.30pm. We finally got back to El Calafate about 11.30pm, very very tired, hungry no food since lunch abd completely dissatisfied with the few hours we spend in the park. Also my booking stated the park fee will be about US 25 but the guides took us to the exchange counter and told we need to pay 700 argentine pesos to get the equivalent of 21000 chilean pesos for park fees. Everyone who only had argentine money had to exchange 700 arg. pesos, but I checked now and we would only need to exchange 500 arg. pesos at the current exchange rate. The guides obviously knew it and the difference of 200 pesos is quite big to be considered just the fluctuation of exchange rate, so I feel very cheated by this tour company. Not sure who gets the extra cash we paid but clearly not the national park. Dont bother with this tour, there are much better options to spend your time and money in El Calafate.</p>
<p>The Park itself is inspiring - snow and ice glacier capped peaks soaring 10,000 feet high. Two large lakes with a deep blue color from the minerals in the peaks that seep in water in picture shown above is a much lighter color than what we saw. A few waterfalls with an impressive flow of water and mist, though they are not huge. Delightful Guide informed us of no fish in the lakes because of the minerals, Strangely I thought, there are pink flamingos in one of the lakes - apparently a different breed than what you encounter in the Caribbean. Lots of local wildlife around, especially the guanicos, the living ancestor but wool less of the llamas. The Guide took us through a hike in the park which lasted a little more than an hour. Not too difficult, but bring shoes that are suitable for walking on a trial with lots of little rocks.</p> <p>The catch? A long, mostly boring ride from El Calafate, with at 1 1/2 hour or more stop each way because you must go through two sets of customs Argentina and Chile. Some people got off in the park and were either camping for the night or had reservations at one of the bungalows or hotel I would likely do this if I returned. Next day bus seems to drive people back, but check with the tour company.</p>
<p>Although a long driving the places visited are amazing. Just hope for clear weather, we didn't have it on the day of the tour but still enjoyed it</p>
<p>Your entire trip depends on the border crossing at Chile. Hit or miss, expect to spend at least 1-2 hours at the crossing. Unfortunately you spend more time driving then seeing the views. You get herded from view point to view point for 10 minutes at a time. No one denies the views are spectacular however for that price there should have been more offered, and a more formal lunch instead of a boxed sandwich. I highly recommend doing this trip however it may be best done on your own</p>
<p>This was the best tour ever. Amazing scenery and highly recommended</p>
A great day out from El Calafate. Be prepared - it is a long day as you have to cross borders, go through passport control and customs. But it's worth it to catch a glimpse at the famous Torres del Paine National Park. We had quite a bit of rain and fog on the day itself, but that didn't deter us from having a good time. The drive there and back, although long, was beautiful - you soak in all the scenery Patagonia has to offer and drive by a variety of animals such as guanacos, skunks, rheas, sheep, horses and rabbits. A fun day!
<p>you spend a lot of time in the car and at the borders, but it's worth it if you only have a day to get to torres del paine. i'll definitely be going back!</p>
<p>Torres del Paine is a must-see if you possibly can. The journey there and back from El Calafate is long but worth it if you can only spend a day on Torrest del Paine. We would gladly return and spend a week there! Fantastic scenery, and we only saw a small amount of it.</p>
<p>amazing tour, breath taking views.special 4x4 bus like vehicle. short trekking is the best way to appreciate the wonderful nature.</p>
<p>Driver and guide were excellent--very helpful and friendly. Torres del Paine was unbelievably beautiful, even though it was a long tour I definitely plan on doing it again. Wear layers and watch out for that wind!</p>
<p>Amazing scenery along the way and in the park. Our guide shows so much of passion and respect for the nature. Awesome experience and totally enjoyed.</p>
<p>This tour was better than I could have expected. The guides were excellent! The views were beyond amazing! I would recommend this trip to every one of my friends. </p> <p>The only minor complaint that I have is that Viator listed it necessary to bring lunch, when in fact the tour provided us with lunch. My friends and I bought fruit and other snacks to take as our lunch, and the fruit was confiscated at the Chilean border.</p>
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