When we planned our 3-day trip to Torres Del Paine, we knew that we wanted to make it to Las Torres – the most iconic sight along the W trail – without doing the entire hike as a day trip (nor by doing the 5-day W trek, which was outside our comfort zone). This left us with exactly one option: camping one night at Refugio Chileno, a backwoods hut offering campsites and hostel-style accommodations for backpackers along the Base Torres trail.
While researching, we encountered a number of Refugio Chileno reviews that were negative and harsh, leaving us with the impression that the facilities were going to be uncomfortable at best. We were thrilled to find that these reviews weren’t true (or were perhaps just outdated). I enjoyed our stay at Refugio Chileno and found that it met all of our needs as we hiked to Mirador Las Torres. Yes, you’re camping – this isn’t a five-star hotel – but the facilities were reasonably outfitted and maintained for a campsite.
We’re offering our own Refugio Chileno review here with photos so that other travelers know what to expect.
What’s the bottom line? We would stay here again if we were hiking to Las Torres, and we suggest you do the same as long as you’re a happy camper (heh, sorry).
Location and Getting There
Refugio Chileno is located along the trail from the Welcome Center to Base Torres, roughly halfway between the parking lot near Refugio Torre Central and Mirador Las Torres, the end of the trail and the highest hiking point on the mountain.
It is only accessible on foot. The hike from Refugio Torre Central took us about 2.5 hours; faster hikers may reach it in as little as 2 hours, weather dependent.
The hike to get here is strenuous but gorgeous.
Parking is available at the base of the mountain for free. The parking lot is not monitored, so we advise against leaving valuables visible in your car. That said, we left our larger suitcases locked securely in the trunk of our rental car, and others did the same. No one reported problems with theft during our trip. Take standard travel safety precautions.
If you don’t have a rental car, Refugio Torre Central is serviced twice daily by Bus Sur. You can find schedules and book tickets here.
Booking
We booked our stay at Refugio Chileno and Refugio Torre Central as a single itinerary through Las Torres.
Booking through Las Torres was straightforward. We entered our travel dates and searched for availability at the Refugios. Once selected, we provided our credit card information and checked out.
I immediately received a payment confirmation email. Within 5 days, I received a final detailed receipt with confirmation that our tents were booked with date information.
Accommodation Types: Campsites, Fully-Equipped Campsites, and Hostel/Refugio
Refugio Chileno offers single beds in the refugio (a hostel), fully equipped single tents, and fully equipped double tents. We chose to book a fully equipped double tent because we prefer the privacy of a tent over the comfort of a mattress in a room with strangers. Your personal preferences may vary.
The price per person in a fully equipped campsite ($70 per person or $140 per tent for the 2022 season) was also less expensive than the price per person in the hostel ($125 per person).
You can also reserve an empty campsite where you provide your own camping equipment, including your own tent, sleeping pad, and sleeping bag. This is the most economical option, but you’ll need to rent equipment in Puerto Natales or bring it from home and carry it up the mountain with you. Since we were in the middle of our round-the-world trip, we weren’t able to carry our own backpacking equipment, and it was worth the expense to simply purchase a fully outfitted campsite.
Is it worth the price?
If you haven’t stayed in mountain huts or backpacker hostels before, you might be surprised at the price of a campsite or hostel bed compared to the price of budget hotels in other areas of South America. Although it seems high, the pricing in Torres del Paine (not just Refugio Chileno) is on-par with similar backpacker hostels around the world. For example, huts along the Appalachian Trail start at $110 per night and may go as high as $140 or more for a single, un-outfitted bunk bed with a shared bathroom and half-board.
“But wait!” you’re thinking. “This is Chile, not the USA!“
It is Chile, but Torres del Paine solely attracts tourists from the USA and Europe. This isn’t a local activity, so don’t expect local pricing.
Torres del Paine is a remote national park with very few services. The refugios offer the least expensive way to visit. If you want to stay here, you’ll pay the price, and it isn’t worth getting worked up over comparisons.
Nowhere else has these views, so any comparison is unfair anyways!
Check-In
After hiking through a rainstorm, we were thrilled to arrive at Refugio Chileno as the clouds started to part.
Check-in occurred at the small desk to the right upon entering the Refugio. We had already prepaid, so the process was simple. They checked our ID, gave us our tent number, and handed us a sticker to place on our tent indicating it was occupied.
We were informed about the times for meals and check-out. The staff was happy to answer any other questions for us.
Campsite and Bathrooms
Tent
We headed to our campsite and were pleased to find a high-quality, bright yellow tent already set up for us on a wooden platform. (Platforms are necessary due to the steep slope of the mountain on this part of the trail.)
Inside the tent were two sleeping pads and bags. The pads were firm and hard, but they did protect us from the wooden platform and any rocks underneath.
Everything was in excellent repair. Zippers worked well and there were no holes. The wind howled all night long, but our tent didn’t budge an inch. I was impressed we didn’t blow away.
The sleeping bags appeared to be clean and were warm even in the freezing temperatures.
This was everything you could hope for from an already-outfitted campsite.
I will note that Las Torres is advertising new premium camping setups that are launching after January 1st, 2023 at a price of $100 per person per night. They’re advertising a more luxurious experience, including less intrusive tent colors. I can’t say that I care about the color of the tent, but if I could make one suggestion, it would be to add cots in addition to the sleeping pads. I think cots would be inexpensive to add and maintain, and when combined with a pad, you’d have a much softer surface to sleep on.
As it was, we were exhausted from the hike and slept very well.
Bathrooms
The bathrooms were shared, as expected in a campsite. The toilets had their own private rooms with sinks. Shower rooms were separate. All of the plumbing functioned and toilet paper was available.
If there was one major area of improvement at Refugio Chileno, it would be the cleanliness of the bathrooms. It was raining the day of our visit and dirt was quickly tracked inside. The cleanliness started out okay but deteriorated as the day went on.
We chose not to shower here. Where we were only hiking for two days, skipping a shower was possible. If you need to shower here, I suggest going as early in the day and as close to their cleaning time as possible. You’ll want shower shoes.
Food and Beverage
Refugio Chileno clearly advertises that it does not allow cooking your own meals. Fire danger is high throughout Torres del Paine, and Refugio Chileno is a particular risk due to its remote location and heavily-treed surroundings.
We chose to book the half-board option to ensure we had enough to eat, but we found once we arrived that there were plenty of a la carte food options.
Half-Board
A half-board package including dinner and breakfast cost us $62 per person at the time of booking. We were informed at check-in that dinner began at 7:00 PM, with assigned seating times roughly every thirty minutes, and breakfast was from 7:00 AM – 8:30 AM.
Our dinner included a bowl of soup to start, a hearty plate of slow-cooked chicken with couscous and vegetables, a side dish of turnips and beets, and dulce de leche mousse for dessert. That mousse was one of the most delicious things I ate in Chile.
Breakfast the following morning was on the light side. We each received a small bowl of scrambled eggs. There was a basket of bread for the table and a buffet with small platters of deli meat and sliced cheese. The buffet had a couple of other items like cereal and milk. Coffee and tea were served.
A la Carte
The kitchen served a la carte food items in the morning from 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM and in the afternoon from 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM. The menu looked great and included “meat and cheese” burgers (CLP$13,000), ham and cheese sandwiches (CLP$5,000), quesadillas (CLP$13,000), and beverages. Beers were available for CLP$6,000-$8,000.
These prices are high by Chilean standards, but given the remote nature of the location, they are understandable. The all-in price is about what you’d pay in the United States at a backwoods hut for room and board, too.
If we were to visit again, I’d stick to the a la carte menu rather than the half-board option. While the booking site is careful to inform you that food on-site is “subject to availability” and best planned in advance, there seemed to be plenty available during our trip.
Hot Water
Refugio Chileno also provided hot and cold water. While there were prices on the water (and other beverages), our experience was that guests of the Refugio were not charged. We could help ourselves to as much filtered and hot water as we liked.
If you aren’t staying at the Refugio, expect to pay.
With the hot water, it would be very possible to prepare a backpacker’s meal, instant oatmeal, instant potatoes, ramen, and/or tea with your own packets.
Service
I found the staff to be helpful, friendly, and prompt. When we asked about the best time to hike to Las Torres the following day, the staff member we spoke with happily gave us a full weather report, noting that it would be cloudy in the morning (not great for a sunrise hike) giving way to sun by noon, and they suggested we leave the refugio around 9:30 AM for the best view. Their recommendation was spot-on.
We asked other campers how their experience at Refugio Chileno compared to the other refugios along the trail. They noted that the two refugios operated by Vertice are nicer, newer, and less nickel-and-dime-y and that Chileno felt tired by comparison. (Refugio Chileno had prices on all the teas, coffees, and other beverages. The other refugios reportedly offered some of these items to their guests for free without any hassle, even if they arrived before the check-in time.) To be fair, Refugio Chileno is in a more remote location with heavier day-traveler traffic that doesn’t pay to stay overnight.
We only stayed at the refugios operated by Fantastico Sur and cannot offer any personal comparison to the Vertice refugios earlier along the trail.
There isn’t much I expect in the way of service at a campsite, but I’d like to be clear that what we received was what we needed and we were happy with the experience.
Check-Out
We checked out by letting the front desk know when we were departing. Nothing further was required, as our reservation was prepaid, and any drinks required immediate cash payments.
Overall Impression
We were happy with our experience at Refugio Chileno and recommend it. The location can’t be beaten, whether you’re hoping to break your hike to Las Torres into two segments or see the towers at sunrise.
We also stayed and reviewed Refugio Torre Central.
Hiking Torres del Paine was one of the best travel experiences of our entire lives and we highly recommend making the journey!