Day Hike To Mirador Las Torres (By Bus Or Car)
One of the most iconic and amazing hikes in Chile is the Mirador Las Torres (‘viewpoint of the towers’), and it can be done as either a 1 day hike or as part of the W trek, which takes 4 to 5 days. If you’re visiting Torres Del Paine on a budget and want to do this hike without a car, the good news is that you can also do it by bus in a single day, even if you’re staying in the town of Puerto Natales. That’s what I did, and it was a highlight of my recent trip to Patagonia. The hike is challenging and it takes a full day, but it pays off with awesome views of the three granite towers and the turquoise lake. How To Get There First of all, the closest airport to the park is in the town of Puerto Natales (PNT), which has daily flights from Santiago and Puerto Montt. You can shop for flights on Skyscanner.There’s also a bus route to Puerto Natales from El Calafate, on the Argentine side of Patagonia. That’s what I did and it was pretty easy and comfortable. The trip takes 6 hours and you can book it here. Once you arrive in Puerto Natales, you can get to the Las Torres hike by car, tour, or bus. I’ll explain each of these options below. • By Car Renting a car is the easiest and most flexible way to get to the towers hike. There are many companies offering car rentals in this area, but my personal recommendation is DiscoverCars. If it fits in your budget, you can even stay directly at the pricey Hotel Las Torres, which is located right at the start of the trail! Otherwise, if you’re coming from Puerto Natales, it’s a 2 hour drive to the Torres Del Paine Welcome Center (map here), where you’ll start the hike. • By Tour A guided tour is another convenient option if you don’t want to mess with a rental car or bus, and the prices are pretty reasonable. GetYourGuide has a day tour to Base Las Torres that includes hotel pickup and drop-off from Puerto Natales, and a bilingual guide to lead you to the towers. We’ve used this company for lots of tours and activities around the world, and they’re great. Highly recommended! Book Now: Torres Day Hike From Puerto Natales
How To Visit Huemul Glacier From El Chalten, Patagonia
The Huemul glacier is a nice little hike near the town of El Chalten, in the Patagonia region of Argentina. I did this hike recently and really enjoyed it! It’s short, easy, and relatively inexpensive, and you get to see some nice mountains, a glacier, and a bright blue lake. It’s a great way to spend a rest day between bigger hikes like Fitz Roy and Laguna Torre, and most people visiting El Chalten don’t know about this spot yet, so it’s still a bit of a hidden gem. How To Get There The Huemul glacier is located about 35 kilometers north of El Chalten town, and you can get there by car or bus. The drive takes 1.5 hours by car or 2 hours by bus. It’s all on narrow, winding gravel roads, but it’s comfortable enough. Your hotel in El Chalten can book the bus for you, or you can book it through Frontera Sur or Zona Austral. I found it easiest to arrange through my hotel. The bus will pick you up directly from your hotel in El Chalten town, and then wait for you at the Huemul parking lot, so it’s very convenient. It costs 25,000 pesos per person for a roundtrip bus ticket, which is around $23 USD as of 2025. It’s well worth it! Huemul Glacier Hike: What To Expect This hike is short and easy, with a bit of steepness near the end. You might not even break a sweat. Before you start hiking, you’ll already get a nice view of the glacier from the trailhead as you walk through the fence and past a cow pasture. From here, the trail is mostly shaded by a mossy green forest, and there are several nice waterfalls along the way that are worth a short detour.
Hiking Trunyan Hill: Bali’s Most Underrated Trail
Trunyan Hill is an underrated hike in Bali with amazing views of Mount Abang and the Batur caldera. It looks like a Jurassic landscape! This trail is located near the popular Mount Batur volcano, but it’s much less crowded and most foreign tourists don’t even know about it. I did the hike recently and it was a wonderful experience, with plenty of challenge and some of the best scenery on the island. This guide will explain all about how to do the hike and what to expect! railhead: How To Get There Trunyan Hill is located in the Kintamani area of northeast Bali. It’s a 1 or 2 hour drive from touristy places like Ubud, Sanur, Canggu or Kuta in south Bali. The whole drive is paved, but the last part requires a bit of care because the road is curvy, steep, and bumpy with potholes. There are two possible starting locations for the hike: Part 2: Hiking Mount Abang After you reach the top of Bukit Trunyan, if you still have energy and want to keep going, you can hike all the way to the summit of Mount Abang, the 3rd highest mountain in Bali. The trail does get more sketchy after this point, so be very careful and watch your step. There are huge drop-offs on both sides of the trail, and a local hiker fell and died here in 2024. In any case, you should at least go until you reach the saddle between Trunyan and Abang, because it has some of the most amazing scenery of the whole hike.