O Circuit
Circuito O
Key figures
Length
- Stated
- 92.9 km, the sum of the 9 main stages (CONAF)
- Map line
- 92.6 km, OpenStreetMap along the official track
- Used for
- The charts on this page, and comparing trails in the search
- 92.9km
Ascent · descent
- This trail
- Estimated from the terrain model (≈): no source states them
- How
- Every main stage's climbs and drops between samples 100 m apart
- Keep in mind
- In forests the model reads the treetops, so it reads high there
- estimated: 3,280m ↑3,290m ↓
Difficulty
- What
- How hard the trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days
- Scale
- Easy to Hard, with the same thresholds for every trail; each takes its hardest measure
- Keep in mind
- It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get
- Terrain: DemandingPath grade: ≈ T3
- Climate: Hard in Oct–AprCold: −4 °C at night (October)
- Effort: ModerateLongest day: 6 h (stage 2)
- Terrain: Demanding; Climate: Hard in Oct–Apr; Effort: Moderate
- Suggested
- 8days
Per stage
- How
- The 9 main stages' totals over their number
- Source
- CONAF, so the averages come from one source
- Ascent
- The terrain model's estimate per stage (≈): the stages state no climbs
- 10.3km· about 360 m ↑
- Season
When are you going?
The page rates its climate for them.
Landscape
- Source
- ESA WorldCover satellite land cover, along the main route
- Forest: 48%
- Grassland and shrubs: 47%
- Bare rock and sand: 4%
- Moss and lichen: 1%
- Water, snow and ice: 0%
- Mainly Forest
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons by CARLOS TEIXIDOR CADENAS, Liam Quinn, Ryem Rafail, Fredlyfish4, Alfredo Olivares Bueno, Marco Nürnberger and Ajay Suresh; each photo's licence in the gallery
Location
- Country
- Chile
- Regions
- Magallanes
- Start
- Hotel Las Torres
- Finish
- Hotel Las Torres
- Route type
- Loop
- Permit
- Required · fee charged
- Travel hubs
- Rodoviario Puerto Natales124.1 km by road · 160 min
- Punta Arenas Airport (PUQ)345.6 km by road · 320 min
- Protected areas
- Torres del Paine National Park
- Managed by
- CONAF (Corporación Nacional Forestal), Torres del Paine National ParkOfficial website
- Waymarking
- Clearly marked paths
- GPX
- GPX trackOur tracing from OpenStreetMap
- Trail
- Variant
- Start
- Stage start
- Finish
- Contour lines
Difficulty
Terrain
- Rates
- How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot?
- How
- Rated over the whole main route.
- Level
- The hardest measure sets it
- Path grade
- the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated
- EasyT1
- ModerateT2
- DemandingT3
- HardT4 to T6
- Climbing
- ascent of the main stages over their length
- Easyunder 15 m per km
- Moderate15–30 m
- Demanding30–50 m
- Hard50 m or more
- Steep stretches
- share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model)
- Easyunder 5 %
- Moderate5–15 %
- Demanding15–30 %
- Hard30 % or more
- Natural ground
- share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own
- Easyunder a third
- Moderatea third to two thirds
- Demandingtwo thirds or more
Demanding
- estimated T3
SAC hiking scale
- This trail
- T3 (our estimate)
- Basis
- CONAF rates most legs "media" (moderate) and Los Perros – Paso and Paso – Grey over the John Gardner pass "exigente" (demanding), six and five hours for 8 and 7 km, with steep, rocky and muddy ground and exposed weather on the pass; the back of the circuit is closed in winter. Marked mountain paths, steep and rough over the pass (T3).
- Scale
- The Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard)
- Why
- Trails rate difficulty in many local scales, or only in words; we translate each into this one so trails compare
- Keep in mind
- An estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather
- T1 · Hiking
- Well-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
- T2 · Mountain hiking
- A continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
- T3 · Demanding mountain hiking
- The path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
- T4 · Alpine hiking
- Often no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
- T5 · Demanding alpine hiking
- Mostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
- T6 · Difficult alpine hiking
- Pathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.
- Climbingestimated 35 m per km
- Steep stretches11 % of the way
- Natural ground100 %
Climate
- Rates
- How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get?
- How
- From 30 years of daily weather (ERA5), rated per month. Without months picked: the trail's best run of at least two season months, each measure at its hardest month. Pick months in the search to rate it for yours.
- Level
- The hardest measure sets it
- Heat
- mean daily high at the lowest point
- Easyunder 22 °C
- Moderate22–27 °C
- Demanding27–32 °C
- Hard32 °C or more
- Cold
- mean nightly low at the highest point
- Easy8 °C or more
- Moderate3–8 °C
- Demanding−2 to 3 °C
- Hardbelow −2 °C
- Wet days
- days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points
- Easyunder 10
- Moderate10–14
- Demanding14–18
- Hard18 or more
- Snow
- days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point
- Easyunder 1 day
- Moderate1–3 days
- Demanding3–6 days
- Hard6 days or more
- Wind
- mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points; over land: a point whose 25 km weather cell is mostly sea takes the nearest mostly-land cell's
- Easyunder 15 km/h
- Moderate15–20 km/h
- Demanding20–25 km/h
- Hard25 km/h or more
Hard in Oct–Apr
Outside the season (Oct–Apr): facilities may be closed, and the weather is harder to plan for.
- Heat · February13 °C by day
- Cold · October−4 °C at night
- Wet days · December26 days
- Snow · November23 days
- Wind · November12 km/h
Effort
- Rates
- How long are the days?
- How
- Rated by the longest main stage; a time range counts its upper end.
- Level
- The hardest measure sets it
- Longest day
- walking time of the longest main stage, stated or by DIN 33466
- Easyup to 4 h
- Moderate4–6 h
- Demanding6–8 h
- Hardmore than 8 h
Moderate
- Longest day · stage 26 h
Climate
- Days in season · lowest point
- 7–13°C
- Nights in season · highest point
- −4 to −0°C
- Wet days a month
- 22–26
- Daylight
- 10.6–16.5h
| Month | Lowest point, day high / night low (°C) | Highest point, day high / night low (°C) | Wet days | Snow days | Frost nights at the highest point | Daylight (h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11.6 / 7 | 3.5 / -0.9 | 26.1 | 19.8 | 21.7 | 16 |
| February | 12.6 / 7.2 | 4.5 / -0.4 | 21.9 | 14.9 | 17.5 | 14.5 |
| March | 10.9 / 6 | 3 / -1.3 | 24.7 | 19.1 | 23.2 | 12.6 |
| April | 8.2 / 4.6 | 1.1 / -2.5 | 23.7 | 20.3 | 25.9 | 10.6 |
| May | 5.7 / 3.1 | -0.8 / -3.9 | 22 | 20.3 | 29.4 | 8.9 |
| June | 3.7 / 1.3 | -2.8 / -5.8 | 22.1 | 21.1 | 29.8 | 7.9 |
| July | 3.1 / 0.6 | -3.2 / -6.2 | 22.7 | 21.6 | 30.9 | 8.3 |
| August | 3.8 / 0.8 | -2.6 / -5.9 | 22.3 | 21.3 | 31 | 9.8 |
| September | 5.4 / 1.9 | -1.1 / -4.9 | 21.4 | 20.5 | 29.7 | 11.8 |
| October | 7 / 3.2 | 0.2 / -3.9 | 23.7 | 22.4 | 30.3 | 13.8 |
| November | 8.3 / 4.3 | 1.1 / -3 | 25 | 23 | 27.9 | 15.6 |
| December | 10.2 / 5.8 | 2.4 / -1.8 | 26.3 | 22.5 | 25.8 | 16.5 |
Climate by month
- Source
- ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, averages for 1995–2024
- Places
- The trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to their height
- Bars
- From the mean night low to the mean day high
- Wet days
- At least 1 mm of rain; snow days at least 1 cm of snow
- Daylight
- Sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month
- Shading
- The trail's season
Stages
| Stage | Route | Distance | Ascent | Descent | Elevation | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hotel Las Torres Serón | 13.0 km | estimated 360 m ↑ | estimated 310 m ↓ | estimated 120 → 170 m | 4 h 00 |
| 2 | Serón Dickson | 18.0 km | estimated 480 m ↑ | estimated 440 m ↓ | estimated 170 → 210 m | 6 h 00 |
| 3 | Dickson Los Perros | 11.8 km | estimated 500 m ↑ | estimated 150 m ↓ | estimated 210 → 560 m | 4 h 30 |
| 4 | Los Perros Paso | 8.0 km | estimated 670 m ↑ | estimated 780 m ↓ | estimated 570 → 460 m | 6 h 00 |
| 5 | Paso Grey | 7.0 km | estimated 170 m ↑ | estimated 570 m ↓ | estimated 470 → 70 m | 5 h 00 |
| 6 | Grey Paine Grande | 11.0 km | estimated 360 m ↑ | estimated 380 m ↓ | estimated 70 → 40 m | 3 h 30 |
| 7 | Paine Grande Italiano | 7.5 km | estimated 240 m ↑ | estimated 120 m ↓ | estimated 40 → 150 m | 2 h 30 |
| 8 | Italiano Los Cuernos | 5.0 km | estimated 110 m ↑ | estimated 190 m ↓ | estimated 160 → 80 m | 2 h 30 |
| 9 | Los Cuernos Hotel Las Torres | 11.6 km | estimated 390 m ↑ | estimated 350 m ↓ | estimated 90 → 120 m | 4 h 30 |
| Variants | ||||||
| V1 | Hotel Las Torres Mirador Base Torres (variant) | 9.4 km | 4 h 30 | |||
| V2 | Italiano Mirador Británico (variant) | 5.4 km | 3 h 00 | |||
Totals and averages count the main stages only. ≈ marks our estimates where the source gives no figure: ascent and descent and heights from the terrain model (Copernicus DEM, 30 m grid, sampled every 100 m), to the nearest 10 m.
Terrain
- Highest · lowest point
- 1,178m high37m low
Gradient
- Steepest climb
- 29 % (16°), 147 m up over 500 m, stage 4
- Steepest descent
- −41 % (22°), 205 m down over 500 m, stage 4
- Gradient
- Height per distance: 20 % is 20 m up per 100 m forward; 100 % is 45°, not 90°
- Keep in mind
- Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: steps and ladders within them are steeper
Gradient Angle Feels like 10 % 6° Noticeable on a road 20 % 11° A steep path, slow going 30 % 17° Very steep, often steps 100 % 45° Scrambling - 29% ↑−41% ↓
Steep stretches
- This trail
- 4.8 km up, 5.2 km down: the darkest parts of the profile
- Steep
- 15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), in 200 m stretches
- Why it matters
- Slow going uphill, hard on the knees downhill
- 10km
Surfaces
- Natural ground: 100%, 90.4 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
- Gravel: 0%, 0.3 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.
Terrain along the route
- Heights
- Copernicus terrain model, 30 m grid, every 100 m along the main route; in forests it reads the treetops
- Colours
- Each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: climbs warm, descents violet, darker when steeper (to ±30 %)
- Ground
- The strip below, from OpenStreetMap; the 0% without a surface tag is read from the way type (footpaths natural, tracks gravel)
Landscape
Landscape along the route
- Source
- ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite map
- Points
- Every 100 m along the main route; each takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground
- Groups
- Its eleven classes, folded into the six shown
- Keep in mind
- What the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there
Sleeping
Wild camping
- What
- Pitching a tent outside campsites. Whether it is allowed, restricted or prohibited depends on the land and the country; the rule for this trail is below the cards.
Prohibited
Camping
- What
- Official campsites along the trail. Bring your own tent.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Available
Campsites · 13 in OpenStreetMap
Huts
- What
- Mountain huts (often staffed, with meals) and unstaffed bivouac shelters, usually on the trail itself.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Available
Mountain huts · 1 in OpenStreetMap
Hostels
- What
- Dormitory beds for walkers: hostels, hiker lodges and pilgrim hostels.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Available
6 in OpenStreetMap
Rooms
- What
- Private rooms, usually in villages near the trail: B&Bs, guesthouses, hotels, farm stays and monastery guesthouses.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
None listed
Wild camping is prohibited. Camping only at the authorised, signposted campsites, booked before entering the park; no stoves outside their cooking areas and no fires anywhere in the park.
Places to sleep along the route
- Ticks
- One per place to sleep: 13 campsites, 1 huts, 6 hostels, 0 guest houses
- Counted
- Within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail); no hotels or day shelters
- Shaded
- The longest stretch without any, km 14.4–32.3
- Source
- OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list closed ones, so book or check locally
Water & Supply
Clean water
- This trail
- 17.9 km without clean water, km 14.4–32.3, stage 2
- Rating
- Frequentup to 10 km
- Regularup to 20 km
- Scarcebeyond
- Counted
- Within 500 m: 37 taps, fountains and drinking springs, 1 places to sleep with drinking water, 17 refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites
- Refills
- Guests come first and many close out of season: ask, and carry a little extra. Places marked without drinking water are left out
- Source
- OpenStreetMap; the counts include the approach and variant, the chart shows the main route
- 17.9kmRegular
Any water
- This trail
- 17.9 km without any water, km 14.4–32.3
- Rating
- Frequentup to 10 km
- Regularup to 20 km
- Scarcebeyond
- Counted
- Clean water, plus the 3 springs within 500 m
- Keep in mind
- Spring water's quality is unknown: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer
- 17.9kmRegular
Shops
- This trail
- 53.5 km without a shop, km 14.4–67.9
- Counted
- 4 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol station shops, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
- Keep in mind
- Small village shops are often missing in OpenStreetMap, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one
- 53.5km
Water and shops along the route
- Ticks
- One per place along the main route
- Counted
- Drinking water and springs within 500 m; refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m; shops within 1 km, or 3 km of a stage's end
- Shaded
- Each lane's longest stretch without. "Water" counts every kind and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own
- Source
- OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally
Wildlife
Wildlife
- Shows
- Animals that can be dangerous to hikers on this trail: large animals, venomous snakes, scorpions and spiders, ticks, and plants that harm on touch
- Level
- Ours, read from the official source
- High
- A bite of a species it calls common can be life-threatening within hours
- Moderate
- It warns of attacks or serious harm, or places the trail in a risk area for tick-borne encephalitis
- Low
- The harm is mostly minor or treatable, or avoidable by how you behave
- What to do
- From the official source: CONAF
- Pictures
- Silhouettes from PhyloPic, not to scale, each maker named with its advice; the landscape is the trail's own, drawn by us