To reach the Chilean Patagonia you can fly to Punta Arenas and, in high season, to Puerto Natales. Puerto Natales saves about 3 hours of road trip to reach the Torres del Paine National Park so might be the best solution if you only have a limited time in the area. As we travelled in November, Puerto Natales airport was not yet an option. We flew to Punta Arenas and used the pick up service offered by our hotel: Rio Serrano.

Count about 4h15-4h30 if you drive straight from the airport and 5h with a break for lunch. There are a few tiny settlements on the way and you will be able to grab a basic sandwich. If travelling with kids, do buy plenty of snacks and water before leaving the airport. The Sabor Magellanico ( first level of the airport in Punta) has a big, tasty chicken avocado sandwich Also, take out some cash as there are no ATMs in Torres del Paine. The road is good but there are maintenance works on some sections.

The National Park has several entrances. If you plan to stay/camp in one of the accommodations in the park, you will only go through the TdP check-in once. You basically have to buy/ show your entrance ticket and the ranger will record that you entered. If you choose an accommodation outside (a number of hotels and hostels are nested behind the River Serrano bend, 10 min or so from the Rio Serrano entrance of TdP) you will have to check in every day upon entering the park.

How many days to spend in TdP depends on your plans. A number of people travel for 4-5 days to do the W track. For the O- circuit you will need to count at least a week. Both need careful planning and advance (more than 6 month in high season) booking of the Refugios that are in short supply.

If you are after a first experience of what the park has to offer or travelling with kids, we recommend a minimum of 4 nights. This will allow you to get an overview, do a hike or two and maybe even a boat ride to the glacier. Here is how to split your time in Torres del Paine national park:

Day 1: start easy with a tour along the Park road. It is lovely if you rent your own car but this trip can also be arranged through your accommodation or even on a day trip from Puerto Natales. Sure it’s a rather long day jumping in and off a vehicle but you do get to see a lot and you will have some amazing photos at the end. Particularly popular with those traveling with younger kids or reduced mobility as you cover a lot of ground without having to break in your hiking boots. Typically these tours will visit the following:

• Cueva del Milodón
• Laguna Amarga
• Lago Nordenskjold
• Salto Grande
• Lago Pehoe
• Lago Grey
• 

Lago Grey is a glacially fed lake on which you can see icebergs floating around. Here you can do a walk of about 1h30, first across the windy beach and then slightly upwards to reach a view point to Glacier Gray. The walk is quite easy but the extreme Patagonia winds might make it a bit of a struggle. We have seen families with babies in a carrier that managed to reach the end of the beach and the viewpoint. Just be ready for crazy winds and have a windbreaker both for you and your kid. If it is too windy, the beach access will be closed. You can enquire about the weather conditions at the visitors centre, next road to the right after the Lago Gray hotel.

Day 2: we did the hike to the base of the Torres. A medium level of fitness would be required. It takes about 7-8 hours on a moderate pace from the parking of the Las Torres hotel. It is a serious effort and you should get a good night sleep the night before. Definitely not something to be attempted with young kids. The trail has about 18 km and the last hour is a steep climb up boulders to reach the viewpoint.

If you want to hike but are looking for something easier and suitable with younger children, we would recommend the beautiful trail to Mirador Las Cuernos. It is one of the easiest trails in the park and can be successfully completed in about 2h at a very comfortable pace. It starts a bit above the Salto Grande waterfall and is clearly marked. At the end of the trail, a gorgeous view of the Cuernos awaits. You can also plan for a short picnic at the mirador.

Day 3: take the boat tour on Lago Gray to the Glacier. There are two- three boat trips per day and they are organised by Hotel Lago Gray. Your accommodation will get in touch with them to book you a seat and confirm that the weather is good enough to allow sailing to the glacier. To reach the starting point of the cruise, you will have to walk about 20-30 min from the parking lot, across a very windy beach. Again, a good windbreaker is a must. On the boat you can stay inside if too cold or go on the deck for great close- ups with the glacier. This trip is appropriate with younger kids provided the winds are not too strong. We met a German family on the boat that took their one year old in a carrier.

With the walk to and from the boat, the drive from your accommodation to the Lago Gray visitor centre and the navigation time, this trip will take about 4h.

The above trips will give you the opportunity to admire the Paine Massif from different perspectives and using several modes of transport. If the main reason of your trip is hiking, there are, of course, several other trails up the massif. Vale del Frances (French valley) comes highly recommended by fellow hikers. We did not manage to do the hike as the weather got too windy on our last day. We instead did the Ferrier viewpoint hike.

We based ourselves in Hotel Rio Serrano. It is a big property and has all the facilities to cater for families (including high chairs, baby cots etc) as well as a interior pool. Our favourite part of the hotel was its absolute stunning view of the Paine Massif, especially at sunset. Prices for food and drinks are high. This is to be expected in such remote places. Plan to eat all your meals at the place you are staying and consider a half/full board option when available. A number of guided excursions as well as airport transfers were also included in the price of the full board option at Rio Serrano. We liked our stay and found the guides to be excellent. We can really recommend Rio Serrano for exploring the TdP Park with your family.

We hope you found the info useful. Drop us a line if you have questions or comments. Thanks for reading and happy travels!

CGK