O Circuit in Torres del Paine: Plan Your Backpacking Trip
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If you dream of backpacking through Patagonia’s wild mountains, glaciers, and valleys, the O Circuit in Torres del Paine is one of the most rewarding treks in the world. This 8 – 9 day loop takes you beyond the crowded W Trek and around the remote backside of the park, where you’ll cross the dramatic John Gardner Pass and camp beside turquoise lakes and stunning glaciers.
I hiked the O Circuit self-supported in January 2023, carrying all my own gear and food – and experienced everything from bluebird skies to snowstorms in the middle of summer.
In this guide, I’ll break down everything you need to know to plan your own O Trek: from itinerary options, campground and refugio choices, booking logistics, costs, what gear to bring, and insider tips that I wish I had known before setting out.
Whether you’re an experienced backpacker or tackling your first big international trek, this post will help you prepare for the adventure of a lifetime.
What Is the Patagonia O Circuit?
The O Circuit (aka O Trek or Circuito Torres del Paine or Macizo Paine) is a famous backpacking loop in Torres del Paine, Chile, in the southern Patagonia region.
The O loop is an extension of the super popular “W Trek”, visits the backside of the National Park, and is about twice as long as the W.
It can be completed in a self-supported fashion with tent camping and making your own meals, which is how I hiked the trail, or you can do it refugio-style (staying in a real bed each night, eating real meals at the refugio restaurants), or completely supported with a guiding company! You can also mix-and-match and do it partially-supported, which I’ll talk more about later.
TRAIL Overview & STATS
Who Should Hike the O Circuit?
The O is perfect for intermediate backpackers to hike in a self-supported fashion, but beginner backpackers who have a decent amount of day hiking experience can also complete this trail.
I’m used to solo wilderness backpacking in the United States, and the O, even though it’s more remote than the W, felt so much more travelled than many of the trails I’m used to hiking on.
Because there are designated campgrounds and cooking areas, and even restaurants where everyone congregates, it feels a little more approachable and beginner friendly than backpacking somewhere where you need to do everything on your own.
How Challenging is the Full Loop?
All of the above being said, this hike is still challenging (I even went back and read my daily trail notes to make sure I am not writing this with rose-colored glasses from the comfort of my home).
I would highly recommend training for this hike, including hiking with a loaded pack and on trails that are filled with as many rocks and roots as you can find.
At the very least, I would plan to have some multi-day hiking experience where you’ve hiked long days back-to-back. It’s one thing to do a long day hike over the weekend and then rest your feet for a week before doing another hike the next weekend, it’s another to hike 7+ miles and thousands of feet of elevation gain each day.
While the trail itself is difficult with some steep climbs and descents, the weather and mental challenges associated with that were pretty tough as well.
I knew going into this trip that Patagonia weather was notorious for being bad in the summer – but it’s true! I experienced all four seasons on the day of hiking from Los Perros to Grey camp (even snow)!
But, as long as you prepare well physically and with your gear beforehand, most relatively in-shape people will do fine on the hike.
👉 Read this if you’re still deciding between the O Circuit and W Trek.
Best Time to Backpack the O Trek Self Guided & Patagonia Weather
The O Circuit is not open for hiking year-round. The vast majority of backpackers will hike the trail between November and March, which is prime summer season in Torres del Paine.
I hiked the O at the end of January (1/23/23 – 1/30/23) and experienced all four seasons of weather: gorgeous sunny days, pouring rain, the notorious gusting winds, and even fresh snow falling at the top of John Gardner Pass.
So even though I was there in the middle of summer, having all the correct gear for all weather conditions was necessary.
Some years it could be possible to hike the trail in October or April, but the opening and closing of the backside of the trail and over John Gardner Pass is up to CONAF – the park service.
You are allowed to hike in Torres del Paine in the winter, but only with a verified guide service, and not the full O trek.
My Torres del Paine O Circuit Itinerary: Daily Breakdown
Most hikers will opt to complete the O Circuit in 8 days, spending one night at almost every campground on the loop.
Usually, you’ll be choosing between camping at Frances or Cuernos on the W portion of the hike. They’re located only 2 miles from each other, so most people will skip one of them – though, you could stay at both if you want a longer trek.
Below I’m sharing my exact itinerary for the O Trek, and the most popular route choice.
Map of the O Loop with Campsites
Day 1: Central to Serón
- Distance: ~8.1 miles
- Elevation: ~ +1,100 / -1,000 feet
- Highlights: I loved the views of the river on this part of the hike, plus, the trail was pretty mellow which was a nice way to begin the backpacking trip.
Day 2: Serón to Dickson
- Distance: ~11.3 miles
- Elevation: ~ +1,500 / -1,400 feet
- Highlights: Gorgeous lake and mountain views! Loved being able to hang out at Lago Dickson at camp.
Day 3: Dickson to Los Perros
- Distance: ~7 miles
- Elevation: ~+1,650 / -500 feet
- Highlights: I had a very rainy day on this part of the trek, but I loved the Lenga forest hike, the glacial blue river, and the views of Laguna and Glaciar Los Perros.
Day 4: Los Perros to Grey
- Distance: ~9 miles
- Elevation: ~ +2,800 / -4,500 feet
- Highlights: John Gardner Pass and Grey Glacier, hands down! It was a hard climb and even harder descent, but the views were out of this world and I cried when I saw Grey Glacier from the top of the pass – it’s hard to put into words how beautiful it is!
Day 5: Grey to Paine Grande
- Distance: ~6.5 miles
- Elevation: ~ +1,200 / -1,300 feet
- Highlights: Easier trail vs. the prior 2 days, views of Lago Grey and Cerro Paine Grande.
Day 6: Paine Grande to Frances via Mirador Britanico
- Distance: ~12.5 miles
- Elevation: ~ +3,000 / – 2,600 feet
- Highlights: I loved hiking all the way to Mirador Britanico and highly recommend it! The trail is not as steep past Mirador Frances, so I think it’s worth it to go the full trail because you’re already there!
Day 7: Frances to Chileno
- Distance: ~9.6 miles
- Elevation: ~ +2,450 / -1,750 feet
- Highlights: I loved the bit of trail along Lago Nordenskjöld and the ever-changing views of Cordillera Paine. The short suspension bridge was also fun to cross, and I loved the final approach to Chileno – the landscape seemed to change so much!
Day 8: Chileno to Central via Base Las Torres
- Distance: ~8.8 miles
- Elevation: ~ +2,200 / -3,100 feet
- Highlights: Hiking to Base Las Torres for sunrise was amazing! I wish I had a little bit more of a sunrise alpenglow, but it was still beautiful and I definitely recommend trying to get there for sunrise before all the day trippers!
What I’d Do Differently
If I had more time and wasn’t traveling with a group, I would have stayed a layover day at Grey camp or Los Perros.
Grey camp has multiple excursions you can take with the company Bigfoot – like kayaking on the lake or walking on Glacier Grey. At Los Perros, there is a side trail you can take to the remote Puma Glacier – but only with the guidance of a park ranger or paid guide.
And a small thing – I’d rather stay at Cuernos than Francés. The layout of Francés was kind of annoying on the hillside (I hated having to walk up and down so much just to use the bathroom, wash dishes, etc.), and the views are not as great as they are at Cuernos. The overall vibe at Cuernos with the large deck felt a little more friendly and relaxed as well.
Alternate Itinerary Options
The one thing that you need to be aware of is the park requires that the O Circuit be hiked in a counter-clockwise direction. You are not allowed to climb John Gardner Pass from Grey camp – only Los Perros.
So alternate itineraries will involve a different starting point than the main park visitor center area (Central), but will always travel in the counter-clockwise direction.
Why choose one of the alternate options? Mainly because of campsite availability. You may also want to start on the W Trek portion of the hike to save the biggest climb (up John Gardner Pass) for later in the trip when your pack is lighter.
The options beginning and ending at Grey are the most logistically complicated and lengthy. You need to take the bus or drive to Hotel Lago Grey – which is the furthest point on the bus route from Puerto Natales (4.5 hours). And then walk to the ferry terminal (~30 min), and then take a multi-hour boat ride to Camp Grey.
The logistics are similar for getting to Paine Grande, but the drive is shorter, there is no extra walk to the ferry, and the boat ride is much faster.
Because it can be really hard to score a campsite at Chileno, many people will opt to stay at Central and do the longer day hike to Base Las Torres (the famous Towers).
If you do this, I’d recommend doing the hike to the towers the morning after camping at Central – you can start much earlier than when the first buses arrive, letting you experience the trail & lake with less crowds.
How To Hike The Trail in Fewer Days
You can skip sites along the O Circuit, though you won’t be able to book it this way directly – at least with the Vertice company.
The sites that are most likely to be skipped are either Serón or Dickson – you’d choose one or the other, but you can’t skip both.
- Central to Dickson (skip Serón): 20 miles, 3,000 feet elevation gain
- Serón to Los Perros (skip Dickson): 18.5 miles, 3,500 feet elevation gain
If you choose to skip Serón, you can just not book that campsite with Las Torres – if you want to skip Dickson, you’ll need to email Vertice. If I were you and doing this, I would still book Dickson and your entire campsite itinerary with Vertice online, making sure that your date at Los Perros is correct, and then just email them and ask them to cancel your Dickson reservation. They will want proof of your Las Torres camping reservations to do this.
A reminder before you look at these sample itineraries: If you skip campsites, you’re looking at very high mileage days – in most cases over 20 miles and 5,000 feet of elevation gain – which are hard, strenuous days in a place where the weather can be a detriment and hazard preventing you from making big miles.
The only people who should be considering a shorter itinerary are experienced thru-hikers or ultramarathoners.
Sample Itinerary 1
- Day 1: Central – Serón
- Day 2: Serón – Los Perros
- Day 3: Los Perros – Grey
- Day 4: Grey – Paine Grande
- Day 5: Paine Grande – Cuernos
- Day 6: Cuernos – Base Torres – Central
Sample Itinerary 2
- Day 1: Central – Base Torres – Serón
- Day 2: Serón – Los Perros
- Day 3: Los Perros – Grey
- Day 4: Grey – Paine Grande
- Day 5: Paine Grande – Francés
- Day 6: Francés – Central
Sample Itinerary 3
- Day 1: Paine Grande – Francés
- Day 2: Francés – Chileno
- Day 3: Chileno to Base Torres – Serón
- Day 4: Serón – Los Perros
- Day 5: Los Perros – Grey
- Day 6: Grey – Paine Grande
Sample Itinerary 4
- Day 1: Central – Base Torres – Central
- Day 2: Central – Dickson
- Day 3: Dickson – Los Perros
- Day 4: Los Perros – Grey
- Day 5: Grey – Paine Grande
- Day 6: Paine Grande – Cuernos
- Day 7: Cuernos – Central
How To Make O Circuit Reservations
Nope, you can’t just show up! Unlike many wilderness backpacking places in the USA, you can’t show up the day before and get a permit for this hike on a whim.
You are required to camp at designated campgrounds or refugios (hostel style accommodations) along the trail, and you need to book these limited spots well in advance.
There are two private companies running the majority of campsites in the National Park: Vertice and Las Torres. There used to be 3 national park (CONAF) basic campsites, but they have been closed since 2020 with no information about reopening.
Because the two private companies have their own separate booking systems, it can be a little difficult to put together and book a complete trek and get the dates right and browse for available itineraries, especially with how popular this trek has become in the last few years.
👉 That’s why I recommend booking with TorresHike.com – you can see multiple itinerary options, book campsites, refugio beds, and meals all on their platform for only a small additional service fee. Pretty neat & makes things way easier, especially if you’re having a hard time piecing together the full loop.
When To Make Reservations
This is a hotly debated topic because it has changed so much over the last few years.
When I was booking my trip for 2023, I was able to book all of my campsites on June 23, 2022 with no issues at all. The bookings had opened up a few days earlier, but there were lots of sites available and I was able to coordinate my bookings with my friends who were going as well.
But the private companies have changed their release dates every year since. And now it’s so challenging to get basic camping reservations with one of the companies (Las Torres) that there is a conspiracy theory that they are withholding the basic campsites until their premium campsites are booked.
This doesn’t appear to be true – the trek is just that popular – it books in an instant. In 2025, all campsites and refugios were open for booking by the end of April for the 2025-2026 season.
You can sign up for an email notification on TorresHike.com when the campsites are released each year.
Campgrounds vs. Refugios in Torres del Paine
The O Circuit is not your average backpacking trip if you’re used to wilderness camping in the USA.
It is more European-style, with full service huts (refugios) at the campgrounds. The only campgrounds that do not have dorm-style refugios are Serón, Los Perros, and Chileno. If you want to do “refugio style” here, you’ll rent a pre-setup tent & sleeping supplies.
Even if you choose to camp completely self-supported, this will feel luxurious compared to backcountry wilderness trips in the states.
- Campgrounds: Tent camping, shared kitchens, flushing toilets, showers, potable water, and usually a small snack shop.
- Refugios: Dorm-style beds, hot meals, showers, electricity, and indoor common spaces.
- Why choose one over the other? It usually comes down to budget, experience, and availability. Camping is cheaper but books quickly, while refugios cost more but mean you carry less gear. Doing a blend of both might be necessary to secure reservations.
👉 Want the full scoop? I put together an in-depth guide with photos, amenities, and my honest reviews of every single campground and refugio on the O Circuit. Read the Campground & Refugio Guide here »
Food on the O Circuit: DIY vs. Board
On the O Circuit, you can either bring your own meals, pre-book full or partial “board” (meals provided at the refugios), or mix the two.
- DIY Food: Cheapest option but requires carrying a stove, fuel, and meals. Every campground has a communal kitchen where you must cook (no stoves at tents), and you’ll sleep with your food in your tent since there’s no storage. All sites also sell snacks and non perishable cooking food but range in options.
- Board: Available at all refugios (except Los Perros) with full or partial meal plans, including vegetarian options if booked ahead. Some refugios also sell box lunches, and most even serve hot meals à la carte (that you don’t need to reserve), plus beer and wine.
Many hikers do a hybrid approach, bringing groceries and backpacking meals from home to save money but picking up snacks or the occasional pizza/beer at a refugio along the way.
👉 For detailed campground-by-campground food options, check out my O Circuit Campground Guide.
O Circuit Campground, Refugio & Meal Costs
Alright, I mentioned budget quite a few times without providing costs. That’s because it’s been increasing yearly and hard to keep up! I paid $36 USD at most for my campsites in 2023 and now those exact same sites are $90 in 2025!
The cost of hiking the O Circuit can range from a couple hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on whether you camp with your own gear, rent gear, or stay in refugios with full meal plans.
- Camping (BYO gear): Cheapest option. Expect to pay the lowest nightly fees, but you’ll be carrying more weight.
- Camping (with rentals): Mid-range. Renting gear adds up quickly, especially at Las Torres campgounds.
- Refugios (with meals): Most expensive. Can rival a hotel stay, but you’ll carry almost nothing besides your daypack.
Costs also vary between the two operators, Las Torres and Vertice, and change year to year. Las Torres accommodations are nearly DOUBLE Vertice ones.
👉 I’ve broken down the prices, plus what you can expect at each site, in my Campground & Refugio Guide.
Getting to Torres del Paine National Park & the Trailheads
You can get to Torres del Paine from most areas in the Patagonia region (like El Calafate and Punta Arenas), but all buses will have a stop in Puerto Natales, the main “gateway town” to the National Park.
When I was traveling, I booked all of my bus routes with Bus-Sur using Busbud.
- Origin: Puerto Natales, Chile
- Destination: Torres del Paine
You might notice there are multiple destinations for Torres del Paine when selecting your ticket. Make sure you select the correct destination for your trailhead. Especially if you are starting from Grey – because the ticket is a little more expensive.
- If you are starting from Central, you’ll select Terminal Laguna Amarga.
- If you’re starting from Paine Grande, you’ll select Terminal Pudeto.
- If you’re starting from Grey, you’ll select Conexión Lago Grey.
If you’re starting from Central, you’ll take a park shuttle from Laguna Amarga to the main visitor center where the trail starts. This park shuttle cost $4,000 CLP in cash each way.
It’s not entirely organized, but the shuttle is mostly timed with the arrival and departure of the buses. I was anxious about missing the shuttle but it was not an issue. The visitor center will have a timed chart about the return shuttles back to Laguna Amarga when you’re done with your hike.
If you’re starting from Grey or Paine Grande, you’ll need to take the appropriate ferries from the bus drop-off points!
Torres del Paine Park Entry Ticket
In addition to your camping reservations along the route, you will also need to pay for the National Park entry ticket.
There are two tiers: one for people staying less than 3 nights ($39 USD) and people staying more than 4 nights ($55 USD). You can book this here, or if you’re using TorresHike.com to make your backpacking reservations, you can have them purchase your entrance ticket as well.
Gear You Need to Pack for the O Circuit
No matter how you decide to trek the O Circuit, you need to be prepared with the right gear! If you’re purely staying in refugios, you won’t need everything I list below, but you’ll still need the majority of it!
Backpacking Gear Essentials
- Backpacking pack 40-60 L
- Tent – 3 season
- Sleeping bag or quilt rated to 20°F or warmer
- Sleeping pad
- Pilow
- Trekking poles
- First aid kit & gear repair kit
- Basic toiletries (including soap)
- Wallet
Clothing
- Hiking long sleeve, sweat-wicking sun shirt
- Hiking long pants, sweat-wicking
- Down hoodie
- Lightweight fleece
- Rain jacket
- Rain pants
- Sleeping base layers (1 set)
- Bra (1) & underwear (1-2)
- Hiking socks (2)
- Sleeping socks (1)
- Light fleece gloves
- Waterproof mittens/ gloves
- Buff / neck gaiter
- Sunglasses
- Hiking shoes
- Camp shoes/ sandals
While you don’t need to pack a ton of outfits, you should be well prepared for the variable and extreme weather Torres del Paine can see – even in the summer. You should not skimp on your warm gear or rain gear on this hike.
In fact, I usually don’t bring an extra fleece in addition to a puffy, but I did on this hike and I was happy I did that – especially for hanging out around the refugios and in the cooking shelters.
Cooking, Food, and Water
- Cooking stove
- Pot
- Eating utensil (spoon)
- IsoPro fuel (buy in Puerto Natales)
- Lighter
- Food bag
- Water bottles (2-3 L total)
I brought a dirty water bag and a water filter as well, but I never needed to use it – I always just filled up water at the campgrounds since all of them had potable water.
Electronics
- PLB device
- Headlamp
- Phone
- Small powerbank (10,000 mAh max)
- Wall plug & converter
- Cords for your items
I brought a larger powerbank, but it was not necessary because of the charging stations. I liked to have a small powerbank in my tent with me so I could charge my phone overnight since I organized photos and journaled on my phone right before going to sleep. But, it would be easy to not bring a powerbank because it is very easy to charge your items at the refugios.
You could get away with not bringing a wall plug since there are chargers at the stations, but it’s better to have your own so you can charge your stuff if there aren’t any plugs available.
Required Documents
You will be asked to show documents at every single campground and even at ranger stations.
- Your passport
- Entry Visa ticket (given to you at immigration/ border crossing when you enter Chile)
- Proof of camping reservations (take screenshots or print proof of these)
- Park entry ticket – you’ll be asked to show this at Laguna Amarga
I would have pictures of everything too. So always have the physical copy and take pictures of everything to keep on your phone in case something happens to the original.
Renting Gear in Puerto Natales
If you’re planning to do the O trek as part of a longer vacation or don’t really want to bring your backpacking gear from home, you can rent from shops in Puerto Natales.
It’s much cheaper than the gear rentals from the campgrounds in the park, but the main downside is you’ll be renting heavy gear and need to carry it all between your camps. However, the shops do have much more availability and you can even rent clothing and trekking poles!
I did not do this so can’t personally vouch, but I’ve heard that Rental Natales and Erratic Rock are two highly recommended rental shops.
What To Do With Your Other Vacation Gear
Are you doing the O Circuit as part of a longer vacation in Patagonia? I was too, and needed to deal with my extra gear and clothes.
Luckily, I was able to store my extra gear at the hotel I stayed at in Puerto Natales the night after my hike. I didn’t have to pay anything extra too, which was so great!
Refugios Central and Paine Grande also have paid luggage storage on site if you’d rather keep your items in the park.
Navigating the O Loop
The O trail is very well marked – it would be pretty hard to go off track and get lost because there really aren’t any other trails that branch off from the main one!
I have a thru-hiking background, so I purchased and downloaded the FarOut guide map and waypoints onto my phone, but I did not think it was necessary here like it is on long trails in the USA. It is nice to see the elevation profile of climbs, though.
What I did have downloaded was the general topographical map on GaiaGPS so I could see the route. I’m always a proponent of having maps on your backpacking trips, and the pro layers from GaiaGPS are my favorite to have on my phone.
Important Rules in Torres del Paine & Leave No Trace
Torres del Paine does have a few important park rules that you need to follow on your hike.
Probably the most important one: NO FIRES. You are not even allowed to use your camp stove outside of a kitchen building.
I actually got in trouble for this at Paine Grande: we wanted to start early in the morning because the hike for the day was super long and the staff had not unlocked the kitchen building yet, so I started boiling water on the picnic table outside the building and got a stern talking to from the refugio staff as he was unlocking the door.
They are super sensitive about this because of a devastating fire in the park years ago. So be smart, only light your stove inside a designated building and never build an open flame.
Another interesting rule is that trails actually have open and close times. On the O, you’ll mostly encounter this in the Los Perros area and Base Torres lookout.
At Los Perros, the rangers want you up and hiking by 6:30 – 7:00 am to get over the pass before the weather usually turns worse in the afternoon.
At Base Torres, rangers will actually go up at 4:00 pm and round up everyone and tell them to hike down.
If you ever come to a chained portion of trail, you shouldn’t go past it because it is technically closed.
Trails also open at 6:00 am. I did not know this was a thing before starting my hike on the O and I did leave the Chileno camp in the dark to hike to Base Torres for sunrise because there was no sign saying you couldn’t on the trail at Chileno camp.
The main reason for these rules is safety: they don’t want to conduct search & rescue operations every day, and the weather tends to get worse in the afternoons/ evenings and hiking at night has its own risks especially if you are not prepared – like running into cougars or getting off trail and lost.
Another uncommon rule at the park is that swimming is prohibited in all park waterways – lakes, rivers, and lagoons. The cited reason is because of asphyxiation by immersion – aka the water is so cold that if you submerge your body you could go into shock and stop breathing, and then drown. This is definitely something that happens to people and can happen in any water of glacial runoff.
Other rules are common in wilderness areas: no drones, no smoking, no pets, no bicycles. And of course, following Leave No Trace ethics is important here as well. No littering, pack out your trash including peels, napkins, toilet paper, etc. Do not interact with wild animals, and stick to hiking on trails only.
Tips For a Fun & Successful O Trek
The O Circuit is truly one of the best backpacking trips in the world and you’re going to love the experience. These are a few of my last minute tips for prepping for this hike!
Bring Camp Entertainment
My group likes to hike in the mornings, so we were always up and hiking early – but we’d get to camp with lots of time left in the day. We had a deck of cards which was a fun way to bond and entertain ourselves instead of getting sucked into paying for (bad, slow) WiFi at the refugios.
Prepare For The Weather
Mentally and with your gear. Patagonia is known for its dynamic weather and gusty winds. I would be shocked if you had beautiful weather your entire trip. It’s just not something that happens for days on end in the region!
You will experience rain and wind for sure. And maybe hail and snow. And probably sunny blue skies! So go in expecting and preparing for variable weather and learn to embrace whatever is thrown at you!
Consider Bringing a Packable Pack
A small packable day pack or large bum bag might be better for you on the day hikes to Mirador Britanico or Base Las Torres instead of lugging your full loaded backpack up.
Most people left their packs behind at the Italiano ranger station at the bathrooms for Valle Frances, and I left all of my gear set up at Chileno for the sunrise hike to the towers (but had to be back by 9 am to check out of the site!).
I just use my hiking backpack because it is super lightweight, but if you have a heavier pack, it might be nicer to bring a small bag for snacks and water.
Buy Food at Grey or Paine Grande
Or both! I thought these refugios had the best food options. My pizza at Paine Grande was HUGE and so filling, and surprisingly good. The Grey pizzas looked similar.
Saving a yummy treat if you’re mostly eating backpacking food for midway through your hike is always fun, plus you can save a little weight in your pack by pre-planning a meal. Remember – you don’t need to pre-reserve pizza and hamburgers, but you do if you want the sit down dinner.
Be Social
I was pleasantly surprised by seeing the same people most days of our hike and it was fun to make friends with my fellow hikers. People come from around the world to hike this trail – I met people from Australia, Mexico, the Netherlands, France, Japan, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and more!
Most people will speak Spanish and English in addition to their home language (which was great for me as an American with a very limited working knowledge of French & Spanish), and I always find that hikers are very friendly. So feel empowered to converse and say hi!
Ready to Plan Your Own O Circuit Trek?
The O Circuit in Torres del Paine is one of the most rewarding backpacking adventures in the world, but it’s also one of the most logistically complicated. Between campsite reservations, unpredictable Patagonia weather, and choosing between camping or refugios, there’s a lot to think about before you hit the trail.
If you prepare well, you’ll be rewarded with glacier views, quiet trails on the park’s remote backside, and the chance to experience the magic of Patagonia at its wildest.
Next up, I recommend diving into my Complete Guide to the Campgrounds & Refugios on the O Circuit. I’ve put together a full breakdown of every single O Circuit campground and refugio – including photos, amenities, food options, and tips so you can feel prepared flying across the world for this trek.
Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime!
