This is a campground-to-campground guide to hiking the Circuit anticlockwise, including side treks to The Towers and The French Valley. 

Torres Central to Camp Séron
9 km, 4 hrs 

Easy trekking across pampas and bogland. Camp Seron is a manned campsite with a small shop. Sleeping bags, mats and tents can be hired here. 

Camp Séron to Refuguio Dickson
19 km, 6 hrs 

Still quite flat, the trail crosses fields of wildflowers and more bogs. At around the halfway point, the trail starts to climb slowly into the Paine Massif. Dickson Refugio's setting is one of the best in Torres del Paine National Park, with a glacier on one side and mountain tips on the other. 

Facilities include a campground, a shop and a refugio with dorm rooms. 

Refugio Dickson to Camp Los Perros
9 km, 4 hrs 

Dense alpine woodland and fast-flowing glacial rivers replace pampas and bog as the trek climbs to Los Perros Glacier and campground. Camp Los Perros is a manned campsite run by Vertice Patagonia. In theory, you can hire tents here. There are cold showers too. 

Camp Los Perros to Camp El Paso 
12 km, 6 hrs 

A moderate climb now takes you to the John Gardner Pass and views of the the magnificent Patagonian Ice Field. The descent, steep and muddy, plunges through alpine woodland to Camp El Paso. 

Camp El Paso is a wild campsite with no facilities.

Camp El Paso to Camp Los Guardas
6 km, 3 hrs 

Gently undulating trek alongside Grey Glacier. Los Guardas is a free campsite with no facilities. Head on to Refugio Grey (about another hour or two) if you want more comfort. 

Camp Los Guardas to Refugio Grey 
4km, 2 hrs 

The trail continues its slow descent to Refugio Grey, where facilities include dorm rooms and a restaurant. Campers can pitch their tents on a sandy beach and watch icebergs float by. 

Refugio Gray to Paine Grande Mountain Lodge
11 km, 3.5 hrs 

An easy undulating hike to Paine Grande Mountain Lodge, a very big, but not very attractive, refugio/hotel by Lago Pehoe. Facilities are plentiful though. They include hot showers, rooms, a restaurant and internet access. The Lodge also has excellent views of Pehoe Lake. 

Paine Grande to Camp Italiano
2.5 hrs (7.6 km) 

The landscape now changes as the trail heads along the shores of Torres del Paine's aquamarine lakes. Camp Italiano is a free campsite set in woodland. Listen out for the calving glaciers of the the French Valley above you. 

Camp Italiano to French Valley Mirador
3 hrs (5.5 km) 

A challenging 800m climb takes you to the spectacular French Valley, a hidden granite cirque complete with hanging glaciers. You can camp at Camp Britannico (free), which is about 30 minutes (1.2 km) below the Mirador. 

French Valley to Refugio Los Cuernos
2 hrs (9 km) 

Once out of the The French Valley, the trail follows the shores of Lago Nordenskjold, with Paine Massif to your left, until you get to Refugio Los Cuernos, run by FántasticoSur. 

Facilities include standalone lodges, a restaurant, hot showers, a campsite, a store, shared rooms and a hot tub with a view. 

Refugio Los Cuernos to Refugio Torres Central and Norte 
4 hrs (11 km) 

A gentle climb into the foothills of the Paine Massif to Refugios Torres Central and Norte, both run by FántasticoSur. 

Facilities include hot showers, campgrounds, a restaurant, bars and lounge rooms. 

Torres Central is slightly better equipped. 

Refugio Las Torres to Refugio Chileno
1.5 hrs (5.5 km) 

Challenging up-and-down hike into the Valley Ascencio, the first part of the climb to the Torres del Paine Towers. 

Refugio Chileno has shared bedrooms, a campground, hot showers and a restaurant. 

Refugio Chileno to Camp Torres
1.5 hrs (3.2 km) 

A 600m climb to Las Torres Campsite, which is free. This is a good place to sleep if you wish to see the Towers reflect the sunrise in the morning. 

Camp Torres to The Towers and Back
2 hrs (1.6 km) 

A difficult and slightly hair-raising climb over giant moraine boulders to the Base of the Towers, the three granite spikes that give the Park its name. Torre d'Agonsti stands at 2850m, Torre Central at 2800m and Torre Norte at 2600m. 

The Towers to Refugios Torres Central and Norte  
3 hrs (8 km) 

An easy descent back to the refugios, where you can catch a bus to Puerto Natales.