So, you’re thinking about visiting Torres del Paine in winter? First of all, bravo. Most people won’t even consider it. Patagonia in winter does present some logistical challenges, like icy roads and minimal accommodation options inside the park. But… during this time of the year, you’ll find Torres del Paine magically quiet and just as beautiful.
You are likely coming to Torres del Paine for its spectacular landscape. But so are the other 250,000 people who visit the park each summer. But in winter, Torres del Paine is almost deserted. Imagine the entire national park practically all for yourself!
I visited Torres del Paine in May for one reason: early winter is an excellent time for spotting pumas. The days are still longer than in the middle of winter but shorter than in summer, meaning that you can get to the park before sunrise and stay until sunset, which are the times when pumas are most active, and still have more than 8 hours of daylight.
What I didn’t realise is how beautiful the park is in early winter and how serene it is without the summer crowds. As an added bonus, the infamous Patagonian winds are much milder in winter, so it’s not all that cold.
Before my puma tracking adventure in Torres del Paine, I took a day tour to the park, and I was swept off my feet by its silent, rugged beauty.
Winter in Torres del Paine isn’t for everyone. But if you’re ready for crowd-free, dramatic landscapes dusted in snow, and wildlife encounters you’ll never forget, you’re in for something truly special.
In this guide, I will first cover some logistics for visiting Torres del Paine and the rest of Patagonia in winter and then show you what Torres del Paine looks like at this time of year so you can see for yourself.
If you are not interested in the logistics of visiting Patagonia in winter, skip right to the good stuff under the heading of What to see in Torres del Paine in Winter.
Why Visit Patagonia in Winter (May to September)?
Here’s the thing: Torres del Paine doesn’t close in winter. It just slows down. And that’s a beautiful thing. You’ll trade long daylight hours for quiet trails, icy sunrises, and a front-row seat to Patagonia’s wilder, more intimate side. Here’s why it’s worth it:
- No crowds—seriously, you might have whole valleys to yourself.
- Dramatic scenery—snow-capped peaks, ice-crusted lagoons, and moody sky. Or if you visit in early winter, you’ll find a charming wonderland of orange, yellow, and red foliage framing the sky-blue lakes and lagoons.
- Better wildlife watching – pumas, guanacos, foxes and rheas are easier to spot in the quiet months. Guanacos often congregate in massive herds.
- Lower prices – many hotels and lodges offer deep off-season discounts.
- A feeling of true remoteness – the weather and lack of crowds add an element of extra ruggedness to the landscape
Getting There in Winter
The easiest way to get to Torres del Paine any time of the year is to fly into Puerto Natales airport. Both Sky and Latham airlines offer regular flights from Santiago to Puerto Natales, with a quick stop in Puerto Montt (you don’t even have to leave the plane). Check the flight schedule for your dates.
The park is a 1.5-hour drive from Puerto Natales. If you plan to stay in one of the hotels inside the park (more details on hotels below), you can pick up your rental car at the airport. Keep in mind that in the dead of winter, roads will be icy, so plan accordingly and take extra care.
Alternatively, you can stay in Puerto Natales, like I did and visit the park on day trips.
Torres del Paine Tours in Winter
There are several tours available from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine National Park, including a day tour of the park that takes you to most of the key highlights, a tour that includes a cruise to the Grey glacier, and a tour that takes you for the 9-hr hike to the Base of the Towers.
Unless you have your own car, the day tour of Torres del Paine is a must. This is the tour I took and I highly recommend it.
Once you’ve seen the jaw-dropping sites in the park, you could add some more specialised adventures, ether hiking or cruising.
Park Pass
Whether you are staying inside the park or in Puerto Natales, you’ll need to purchase the park pass in advance from the national parks website. There are 3-day passes available, as well as longer passes if you are staying for more than 3 days. The Mylodon cave is located outside the park and requires a separate ticket, which can be purchased on the same website.
Patagonian Winter Weather: What to Expect
This isn’t Arctic cold, but it is unpredictable. Expect daytime highs between 0°C and 10°C (32°F to 50°F), with colder nights. Windchill can make it feel much colder, especially when the famous Patagonian gusts sweep through.
Although, as I mentioned, the wind is much milder in winter. I only had about an hour of crazy, windy weather in four days, just as we were hiking the Petroglyphs via Sarmiento Lake Trail, the one where puma sightings often occur. And with the hood of my down jacket on, it wasn’t anything overly dramatic. The trick is to dress for the weather.
Plus, the weather can be clearer in winter than in summer. Fewer clouds, sharper views, and less rain.
Where to Stay in Winter: Cozy Retreats and Hearty Meals
Not everything shuts down in winter; you just have fewer options. That can be a good thing. Think fireplaces, hearty meals, and glacial views out your window.
Explorer Hotel – The famous luxury hotel is open throughout the year, offering all-inclusive packages, spectacular views of the Paine mountains and an opportunity to meet celebrities from presidents to rock stars.
Hotel Lago Grey – Perched on the shore of Grey Lake, this iconic hotel has warm rooms, great food, and stunning views. They also offer guided excursions, including boat trips on Lago Grey (weather permitting).
Konkashken Lodge – Located just outside the park on the Serrano River, the lodge offers both cabins and dorm rooms with stunning views of the park.
Hotels in Puerto Natales – If you prefer to save your pennies on accommodation, base yourself in Puerto Natales and do day trips, like I did. I highly recommend Bungalows by Toore Patagonia. They are warm, cozy, self-sustained and conveniently located for trips to the park.
What to See in Torres del Paine in Winter
Now that the main logistical considerations are out of the way let me show what Torres del Paine looks like in winter. While most of the multi-day treks, like the W and O, are not recommended in winter, it doesn’t mean that you are stuck. Simply driving around Torres del Paine is a magical experience. But some spots are exceptionally breathtaking. Here are my favourite places in Torres del Paine, but there are many others.
Pehoe Lake
Pehoe, or Hidden Lake, may just be one of the prettiest views in Torres del Paine National Park. Ringed by snow-capped Paine mountains with a cute little island connected to the shore by a bridge, the lake is extremely picturesque.
There are a couple of lookouts to appreciate the lake from. The one on the lakeshore takes in the distant Salto Grande waterfall. But the best view is from a lookout slightly uphill from the lake, on the way to Condor viewpoint (Mirador Condor).
The lake is an excellent spot for a picnic lunch. There is a small restaurant on the lakeshore, along with several picnic benches and a trail that you can follow along the shore for some solitude. In winter, you are likely to be alone on this trail.
Nordenskjöld Lake
This is one of my favourite spots in the park. It feels like the mountains are hugging you at Nordenskjol Lake. Lying at the foot of the Paine mountains, this lake is as serene as it is beautiful. In the morning sun, different parts of the lake seem to take on various hues.
Nordenskjol Lake is connected to Pehoe Lake by the Paine River and Salto Grande waterfall.
Amarga Lagoon
Unlike the two lakes above, Laguna Amarga is a closed water body with no streams or rivers flowing in or out of it. The water in this lagoon is incredibly alkaline, with a pH of 9.5, due to the presence of minerals, mainly calcium carbonate.
I spent a lot of time around Laguna Amarga over my 4 days in Torres del Paine – it is prime puma territory. In fact, one morning we encountered a puma sleeping on a hill across the road from the lagoon.
This lagoon has a spectacular view of the Paine massif, which seems to be different every time you see it. Rain, snow or shine, this view never gets old.
Wildlife
As I mentioned, my primary reason for visiting Torres del Paine in winter was to observe the park’s wildlife, particularly the resident pumas. There are more pumas in and around Torres del Paine National Park than anywhere else in the world. But just because there are many pumas around, doesn’t mean that they are easy to see.
That’s where puma trackers come in. Trying to see a puma without a guide relies entirely on your luck. And with limited time in the park, luck is too unpredictable. I travelled with Fabian from Fauna Silvestrek, and we tracked down two of the park’s resident females: Dania and Amarga. Dania, in particular, was so blasé about humans and vehicles that one afternoon she crossed the road right in front of us. She was so close, I felt I could’ve touched her.
By the way, if you can’t tell your llamas from guanacos from alpacas and vicunas, check out my guide to telling these four South American camelids apart.
Torres del Paine is not only about pumas, of course. We saw Andean condors – the world’s largest bird of prey – hundreds of guanacos, Darwin’s rheas, a grey fox, a skunk, and a few dozen bird species, including the beautiful American kestrel and the Chilean hawk, as well as the impressive Black-chested buzzard-eagle. I missed flamingos in Torres del Paine, but I saw them in the Atacama desert, so I wasn’t too concerned.
Paine Waterfall
The Paine Waterfall is an unexpectedly large waterfall on the Paine River. Here, the river flows against the mountain backdrop, so you get both the mountains and the waterfall in one epic view. You just need an overcast day to photograph the mountains and the waterfall in a single shot. Otherwise, the light and shadow contrast is too great.
Paine River actually flows through the entire national park. Starting in Dixon Lake and fed by the glacial waters of Dixon Glacier, the river flows into Nordenskjöld Lake, then Pehoe Lake, and eventually into the Sound of Last Hope, ultimately discharging into the Pacific Ocean.
In winter, the waterfall is particularly attractive with bright reds, yellows, and oranges of lenga tree leaves framing the milky-green waters of the river.
Las Torres Valley
The hike to the Base of the Towers is Torres del Paine’s most iconic trek. But it is not a walk in the park. It is a gruelling 8-9-hour adventure, and in winter it may require crampons.
I wasn’t looking for a physical challenge and didn’t plan on doing this track, but as part of my puma tracking adventure, we walked the first leg on this hike, up to the point where the climb starts in earnest. This area of the park, which is a private reserve, has a couple of resident pumas.
The walk took us past Las Torres Hotel, across several bridges over the Ascencio River (named after cowboy Ascencio Brunel, who used to steal horses from nearby estancias and hide out in this area). The mountains towering above us were spectacular, even though they were shrouded in thick rain clouds for most of our walk.
These mountains typically have their own unique weather patterns and are often shrouded in rain or snow clouds. Some friends I made in the park climbed to the base of the towers that day, and it turned out that they couldn’t even see the towers because of the weather. In the meantime, it barely rained in the rest of the park.
When we got to the highest point of our walk, the 360-degree view from the top was absolutely spectacular. We didn’t spot pumas on this walk, but it was fun to explore their spectacular habitat.
Grey Lake & Glacier
The beauty of visiting Grey Lake in winter is that you can have icebergs floating just off the beach. The beach of Grey Lake is a vast, wind-swept, pebbly plain sloping towards the lakeshore with the mountain peaks towering beyond. It doesn’t exactly scream “fun in the sun”, but it has a rugged kind of beauty to it.
At the far end of the beach, you can just see the Southern Patagonia ice field – the world’s largest contiguous ice field outside of the polar regions. Stretching across the southern Patagonian Andes between Chile and Argentina, it is the remnant of the Patagonian Ice Sheet that covered the entire southern tip of Chile during the last ice age.
Another way to explore the lake is by taking a cruise to the Grey glacier. The boat has a large indoor area, so you don’t have to brave the elements for the entire 3 hours.
Sarmiento Lake
Located in the eastern part of the park, Lake Sarmiento gives you the first epic views of the Paine mountains and the Towers. The three towers (on the right-hand side of the image above) are only visible from the east. Once you move deeper into the park, you’ll see the western face of the massif where the Horns are the iconic feature.
Lake Sarmiento doesn’t really compare to Pehoe or Nordenskjöld lakes, but it does have lovely views of the mountains, and it is prime puma territory, so keep your eyes peeled when exploring the lake.
Petroglyphs via the Sarmiento Lake Trail
The petroglyphs trail starts at the Lake Sarmiento entrance to the park and finishes near Lagoona Amarga, so you’ll need a car to pick you up at the other end. This is the trail considered to be good for spotting pumas. For these two reasons, the petroglyphs trail can only be done with a guide.
The entire trail, which goes uphill from the lake and then downhill to the lagoon on the other side, takes about 3 hours. We walked about a third of the way to the petroglyphs cave because another guide had seen the resident puma, Ginger, here the day before.
The trail is not particularly interesting, and it happened to be particularly windy on the way up. The main consolation is that for the first leg, you are walking towards an epic view of the Paine mountains.
The petroglyphs are located under an overhang among a pile of giant boulders on top of the hill. The final approach to the hill is quite scenic, with a lagoon down below fringed by the Paine mountains in the distance.
The paintings themselves are not very impressive. They are faint, and there aren’t many of them. However, the view from the site provides a clear indication of why the early people chose it – it offers a 180-degree panorama of the valley below. Good for spotting predators and keeping an eye on your tribesmen.
Final Thoughts on Visiting Chilean Patagonia in Winter
I came to Torres del Paine in winter for the pumas, but I was swept off my feet by the park’s dramatic beauty during this time of year.
Let me recap why I think that winter is an excellent time to visit Torres del Paine National Park. First of all, there are hardly any people in the park. You really do feel like you have the park to yourself. In early winter, fall foliage adds a splash of colour to the already stunning landscape. With fewer people, the park’s animals are easier to see. So if you are dreaming of seeing a wild puma, this is the time to visit the park.
And the weather? Well, it is brisk, and it can rain at times. But the crazy summer winds are much milder in winter. And with appropriate clothing, you can easily keep the cold away. In fact, the crisp air only adds to the park’s raw beauty, making every hike feel like a true adventure. The snow-dusted peaks of the Paine Massif look even more dramatic under low winter light, and the short days reward you with long golden hours perfect for photography.
Plus, accommodations often offer lower rates in winter, so you get the magic of Patagonia without the crowds or the cost. If you’re after solitude, wildlife, and a deeper connection with the landscape, winter in Torres del Paine might just be the perfect escape.
More on Nature Adventures in Chile
- Rainbow Valley Atacama Desert: The Most Underrated Landscape in Northern Chile
- Where to See Atacama Desert Wildlife around San Pedro de Atacama
- Complete Guide to Exploring the Atacama Desert Around San Pedro de Atacama
- Walking Through Chilote Mythology: A Self-Guided Tour of Castro, Chiloe
- Discovering the Wild Side of Chiloe Island in Tepuhueico Park
- Guide to Planning Your Patagonia Puma Quest in Torres Del Paine National Park
- Discovering Chilean Patagonia in Winter: Torres del Paine in May
- Llama vs Alpaca vs Vicuña vs Guanaco: How to Tell Them Apart
- 11 Stunning South American Wild Cats and Where to See Them
- Looking for Pumas in Chile Without a Guide
