Torres del Paine National Park

My motorcycle trip this time took me from Puerto Natales in southern Chile to Torres del Paine National Park and back.

The total distance was approximately 280km.

I’m leaving Puerto Natales

This time I’m heading north on RN9.

After about 40 minutes, I arrived at Cerro Castillo, a stop on the way.

If I turn right here, I’ll reach the border with Argentina, but I turn left.

The wind was strong that day too, so I had to drive carefully.

I left Puerto Natales and arrived at the viewpoint of Lake Sarmiento, just before Torres del Paine National Park, about an hour later.

It was cloudy that day, which was a bit disappointing for me.

Now, I’m heading to the park

After 20 minutes of driving slowly and enjoying the scenery, I arrived at the entrance to Torres del Paine National Park.

I will be handling the reception at this office.

I was told to go ahead as there was a power outage.

What a stroke of luck!

The usual admission fee is $32,400, or about USD 35.65 (valid for up to three days), but I got in for free.

I enjoyed the view.

There is a sign here warning of pumas.

Now, I’ll drive while enjoying the spectacular view.

After about 20 minutes, I arrive at the viewpoint of Lake Nordenskjöld.

There are a few clouds, but the view is beautiful

Well, I’ll move on

Soon I arrived at the entrance to Salto Grande where I could see the waterfall.

Unfortunately, it was windy that day and the road to the waterfall was closed.

I decided it wasn’t my intention, so I moved on.

As I drove, I could see the waterfall on my right.

And then I arrived at Lake Pehoe, where there is a floating hotel.

This place is popular with people who want to relax.

Now, I’ll move on

I arrived at the park office south in about 20 minutes.

I’m heading to Gray Lake, so I turn right here.

The road is full of potholes, so I drive carefully.

I arrived at Grey Lake about 30 minutes from the park office.

There is also a cafe at the entrance.

I’ll go through here and cross the bridge.

I go through the trees

I’ll be at the lake in about five minutes.

I can see a glacier in the distance

Now that I’ve enjoyed the scenery, I decide to head to Mylodon Cave on the way back to Puerto Natales.

It’s about 80km away.

I head back down the potholed road.

I saw the park office, so I turned right and headed towards Puerto Natales.

There are some paved roads along the way, but I will be driving mostly on unpaved roads.

The road conditions are pretty bad.

It’ll be a pain if I bring a lot of luggage.

I’ve been here about an hour, but I still have 55km to go until Puerto Natales.

I’m still patient.

After another 30 minutes or so, I finally reached the 60km mark.

At this point, I finally made it onto the gravel road.

And I arrived at the cave of Milodon

I buy tickets inside.

$11,400, or about USD 12.54

I head towards the cave from the side of the building.

I walked about 500m to the cave.

Milodon was a giant sloth.

Unfortunately, it appears to be extinct.

The cave is quite large

Apparently there are several other caves to see, but I’m told I’d need to walk about 8km to see them all, so I’ll just go to the observation point above the cave.

I leave the cave and follow the signs.

There are no signs from here on, so I find my way up.

I reached the top in about 15 minutes.

There’s a beautiful view here.

I’m glad it was sunny.

Now, I’m off and heading back to town.

The road is paved from here on out, so I’m relieved.

I came across a bunch of sheep at the junction with Route 9.

Sheep farming is thriving in Patagonia

It’s about 15km and 10 minutes from here to Puerto Natales.

I can see the ocean now.

And now I’m finally back in Puerto Natales

Although my trip this time involved some struggles with the rough, potholed roads, I still enjoyed Torres del Paine National Park.

It’s easy to stop by car regardless of road conditions, so it’s best to come by car if possible.

Also, considering the road conditions, I thought it would be easier to return via Y-150 and Y-156 rather than taking Y-290 south of Lake Grey.

I hope this road is fully paved soon.

Date of trip: December 17, 2025