Generational adventures in Las Torres Patagonia | News
Las Torres Patagonia, a family-owned natural and cultural reserve in Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park, is perhaps best known as a destination for intrepid explorers looking to explore the park’s iconic hiking circuits. However, the reserve offers a variety of thoughtful, enriching, age-appropriate experiences for children, teens and young adults, allowing every family member to explore Patagonia in ways that encourage curiosity, confidence and a lifelong appreciation of nature.
Little Explorers: For the youngest adventurers in preschool, Las Torres Patagonia offers gentle, engaging experiences designed to spark wonder in the natural world. With the full-service Hotel Las Torres as a base, the views from the large windows and short nature walks around the hotel introduce the flora and fauna of Patagonia in a playful, interactive way with environments ranging from forests to lakes and pampas. The Azul Lagoon Half Day Tour travels by van to a lake full of wildlife, waterfalls and stories of intrepid female Victorian explorers. Established in the 1950s and one of the world’s southernmost regenerative gardens, the reserve’s bio-intensive garden is open to guests and grows native fruits and vegetables in addition to culinary herbs. Meanwhile, a visit to the estancia allows children to watch the horses emerge from the pasture before interacting with them and the dynamic Patagonian cowboys.
Young Discovers: Families with primary school-age children can dive deeper into exploring the epic landscape with hands-on learning that supports many of the topics covered in Key Stages 1 and 2. The reserve’s welcome center provides information on the importance of environmental stewardship and serves as a starting point for a 1.4-mile interpretive trail that showcases specimens from four biotic provinces, native plants and wetlands. Half-day excursions such as the 6km Los Cuernos Viewpoint Half Day Tour take in the sweeping landscapes of the Paine Massif, while others include walks through native lenga forests and past puma caves and Aonikenk cave paintings, with the chance to spot wildlife such as condor and guanaco along the way. The full-day Gray Glacier Tour goes further into the park and includes waterfalls, icebergs and a boat ride across the lake to the glacier. Back at the estancia, beginner-friendly horseback riding helps kids build confidence and experience traditional baqueano culture. The half-day tour of Lake Nordenskjöld is also ideal for novice riders, following private trails to the lake shores.
Teen Adventurers: Teens are ready to take on some of the National Park’s more challenging adventures. Day hikes include the 19km Base Torres Viewpoint Tour, where the walk ascends through the Ascenio Valley to reveal the iconic Las Torres Mountains: three granite towers reaching 3,000 meters into the sky. For a true sense of family adventure, stay overnight from Hotel Las Torres in one of the park’s other accommodation sectors and enjoy an unforgettable hut-to-hut backpacking experience. Accommodation options include sleeping in fully equipped camps – canvas tents raised 6 feet above the ground – or in mountain lodgings that offer a hostel-like communal experience. They are all equipped with toilets, catered meals and relaxation areas stocked with board games. For those comfortable in the saddle, there are full-day riding experiences such as the Enchanted Valley Tour, galloping across the pampas and following the O Circuit into the Paine River valley. For a deeper insight into the heritage of the Patagonian cowboys, the Baqueano Cultural Experience spends a morning working with the cowboys, learning skills, sharing traditional food and the mate pumpkin.
Young adults: Older teens and adult children traveling with their parents move into expedition territory, with the option of longer, more challenging and technical trekking routes. The full five-day W Circuit covers the Towers, French Valley and Gray Glacier and requires a level of general fitness. The demanding eight-day O Circuit, developed fifty years ago by British mountaineer John Garner, requires extensive planning, preparation and endurance training. Las Torres Patagonia’s all-inclusive program allows guests traveling together to individually customize their days from a menu of 15 exclusive day and half-day tours. One of these is the full-day Las Torres Base Viewpoint Horseback Riding + Hiking, which combines horseback riding and hiking to climb to the Las Torres Base Viewpoint and see the granite towers rise above the ice-blue lagoon. Gathering again in the evening by the fireplace in the Galpón restaurant is the perfect place to regale each other with stories about the day’s adventures, while enjoying craft cocktails from master mixologist Federico Gil. Hotel Las Torres offers further opportunities to relax after a strenuous day, either in the sauna or with a massage – ‘Tired Legs’ is one of the most requested treatments!
“Las Torres Patagonia has always been about creating meaningful connections – not only with nature, but also between generations,” said Juan Lopez, Marketing & Sales Director at Las Torres Patagonia. “What makes Patagonia so special for families is that every age group experiences it differently, but no less deeply. Young children discover the wonder in nature and horses, teens build self-confidence through adventure, and adults reconnect with both nature and each other. These are the kinds of shared experiences that become family stories for years to come.”
Las Torres Patagonia will reopen on October 1, 2026 for the 2026/27 season. Rates start from £1,755 pp for a two-night all-inclusive package, based on two people sharing a double room. For more information, visit www.lastorres.com/en
