Can You Visit Torres del Paine Without Hiking? I Tried It.

Patagonia without hiking: What to See, Where to Stay & What It Costs.

Torres del Paine is one of the most iconic places in Patagonia, with social media filled with photos of people posing in stunning mountain panoramas, looking a bit dusty and crusty, triumphantly finishing many days of hiking.

So… Do You Have to Hike Torres del Paine?

Most information I found about experiencing Torres del Paine focused around doing hikes like The W Trek, The O Circuit, Camping (aka refugios, for overnight stays), the non-hiking Patagonia options seemed to be only taking bus tours from Puerto Natales  – the nearest town.

I was having ongoing significant leg and foot pain and had to start my long planned 6 week adventurous trip with a limp and support. Luckily visiting Patagonia was near the end of my trip when I could walk unassisted, but I had to plan for the worst. 

Setting that standard – here is my visit to Torres del Paine WITHOUT hiking. For me, without hiking means no long hikes with a heavy pack. I managed to do a couple light hikes that were 1-2 hours in length, as well as taking in lots of views with no hikes at all.  And what does it cost?

This Guide Includes:

Part 1: What to see and do without long or difficult hikes.<- you are here
Part 2: Where to stay cheap for the non-hiker.
Part 3: Getting around & What to eat.
Part 4: How many days you should, my non-hike itinerary, the costs, and my biggest mistakes.

Things to do in Torres del Paine without hiking.

I knew I wasn’t going to see every corner of Torres del Paine. But I would still feel like I’d experienced Patagonia?

I am a hiker. I don’t particularly enjoy hiking with a heavy overnight pack, but love a long day hike. I knew this trip couldn’t be that experience. My body wasn’t up to it.  I accepted I would be missing out on the whole experience.

This visit would be a compromise. However, I was wrong. Really really really wrong.

Why?
The people. 
The Crowds.
The rushed feeling.

Travel talk almost everywhere in the world is about overcrowding and limiting access. This doesn’t stop at the gates of national parks. The most famous through hikes in Torres del Paine can be busy, competitive to get refugios to stay in.  For me, part of the hiking experience is the quiet and solitude. Waking exceptionally early to avoid walking in a continuous line of others is really unappealing to me. Plus not every traveller is like you and me – respectful, prepared, and considerate.

Many are, frankly, terrible people and are an embarrassment to their nation. Just look at this large group of people willingly and knowingly stepping outside the bounds of a viewpoint in Torres del Paine, simply to get pictures of the exact same background they could see within the boundaries!

After experiencing that and hearing how busy the through hikes like the W Trek and the O Trek can be, I was quite happy my circumstances meant that I could only do short hikes or stop at viewpoints, and strategically choose locations that were not busy ones when I wanted some peace to really enjoy the views.  

Patagonia with no-hiking – is it worth it?

YES! All of these views were without ever doing a single step on a hiking trail.

You can find many viewpoints with no hikes (which is called MIRADOR in Spanish), and many are gorgeous. There are also some really nice park signs for great photo opportunities and even some restaurants and hotels have extremely beautiful views.  I didn’t find anywhere with a breakdown of all the short trails and viewpoints in English anywhere, so I made one.

Things to see and do in Torres del Paine with NO hike or Trek.

Here is my entire breakdown of most things I did that are both zero hiking and short hikes. There was very little in Torres del Paine as a no-hike person that disappointed me or wasn’t worth seeing!

All of these are pinned on my Google My Maps  with purple being viewpoints (steps to the viewpoint, not a hike) and orange being hikes

• Mirador Rio Serrano  (Rio Serrano Viewpoint)
  A viewpoint over Rio Serrano just outside the park boundaries.
• Mirador Lago Sarmiento (Lake Sormiento Viewpoint)
  I encountered this viewpoint naturally as I was driving into the park from Puerto Natales, it was a very popular spot.
• Fin del Mundo Sign End of the world Highway Sign
• Laguna Azul Beach and Viewpoint – this was coming into the park as well, and was very quiet when I was there. 
• Puente Laguna Amarga – Just past the ranger station where you stop and check in, there is this amazing wood bridge you drive over the river. Continuing on this road takes you to Cascadia Rio Paine
• Cascadia Rio Paine – a very large waterfall with a parking lot directly at it. I also spotted some alpacas roaming nearby.
• Estancia Pudeto – This is a refugio with a cafe open to everyone, has bathrooms, and a boat dock. It is a huge parking lot with lots of buses, but has a great view on easy and solid ground
• Panorama Viewpoint just a spot along the road but iconic views.
• Park Welcome Sign – This is at a fork in the road to 2 different locations in the park and is easy to stop at. 
• Lake spot near Laguna Azul – This is a small parking lot along the lake and near a beach with expansive views
• Beach at Puente Weber (Weber Bridge) – This is a small beach near Weber bridge. There are places on each side of the road that people park at close to the river. I think it was also a put in spot for paddling.
• Mirador Lago Pehoé– This is a viewpoint of Lake Pehoe overlooking the hotel/hosteria and restaurant. I thought the bridge and view closer to the hotel on the mini island was better.
• Hosteria Pehoé– There is a parking lot then foot bridge to a restaurant and hosteria (hotel) and you can step a little bit on the grounds. Things were blooming when I was there, and I found it to be pretty iconic on a sunny day when the water looked so blue. 
• Mirador Nordenskjöld – This is a trailhead but the view from here is awesome. 
  

Other no-hike experiences
Horseback Riding – The lodge I stayed at offered these but there were other companies offering the experience as well. 

Boat Tour to the Grey Glacier – This is a bit of a cheat. There is a 3km easy trail you must walk from the parking lot to the boat launch, then walk across a beach. 

There is also the Perito Moreno glacier you can take a tour bus to in another national park from Puerto Natales – it is however in Argentina and requires crossing the board (with your guide)

The best SHORT hikes to do in Torres del Paine National Park

• Laguna Azul Hike. This is a longer hike (10km) but is quiet and is an out-and-back so you can hike as little or as much as you want. It is mostly grassy and narrow dirt with some more difficult parts (stepping down a hill or a drop larger than a normal step. This is a gorgeous view from almost anywhere in the trail and I encountered barely anyone mid-morning. 
• Mirador Salto Grande – This is a viewpoint but does require a bit of walking from the parking lot. This is also the start of the trail for Mirador Cuernos. This trail is INCREDIBLY windy, or was when I went. I saw families bracing their grannies on the walk.
• Mirador Cuernos – This is the viewpoint beyond Mirador Salto Grande and was a longer walk  (about 6.5km) and incredibly windy. The endpoint of the trail is a view you don’t get anywhere on the trail but has lots of cool views. Just don’t be a jerk and step outside the bounds.  Someone had put some wood palettes at the end of the trail to sit, but the rest of the trail was a bit rocky and uneven and narrow at some points.
• Mirador Glacier Grey – This is a 5km out and back trail that gives you a view of the glacier without having to take the boat tour. The trail starts at the Rio Pinto restaurant spot. Once you get to the beach it may be incredibly windy so bundle up. The beach is also where the boat tour leaves from.  This is out and back but I would say this one is the one to skip if you’re iffy on things. The glacier is quite far and the wind was BRUTAL when I was there. 
• Explora boardwalk with a view – This is the walking boardwalk towards Explora Patagonia. It is extremely short BUT requires going up a lot of stairs. Park at the parking lot NORTH of the boardwalk, not at the hotel parking lot.

This is a multi-part series but you can read what is useful to you:
Part 1: What to see and do without long or difficult hikes.<- you are here
Part 2: Where to stay cheap for the non-hiker.
Part 3: Getting around & What to eat.
Part 4: How many days you should, my non-hike itinerary, the costs, and my biggest mistakes.