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Lake Sarmiento Hike to Amarga Lagoon
A one day hike in Torres del Paine to discover the best viewpoints





The one day tour Lake Sarmiento Hike to Amarga Lagoon is the experience you cannot miss in your trip to Torres del Paine if you want to know all the secrets of this corner of Patagonia.
Accompanied by an interpreter guide, you will delve into the history recreated by the cave paintings, admire the dimension of the Paine and Salto Grande waterfalls, and stop at the Nordensköld and Condor viewpoints. Among other stops and surprises that await you that day.
👉 The tour includes roundtrip transportation from Puerto Natales and is available in group and private service. In both cases, the guide will adapt the itinerary to the preferences and characteristics of each group as well as the season of the year. From Howlanders we recommend booking the tour in private service to have a more complete experience 💙.
Tour details
Included
- Certified bilingual local guide
- Transport
- Trekking Poles
- First Aid Kit
Not included
- Entrance to Torres del Paine National Park
- Food
- Water
- Personal insurance
- Personal and medical expenses
Important information
As recommended by the guide, this tour is not suitable for pregnant women.
This tour requires a minimum of 4 travelers. If this number is not reached, we will contact you to offer you an alternative.
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation! If you cancel at least 48 hours before the tour starts, you will receive 100% of the amount paid. After this time, or in case of no-show, no refunds will be given.
Tour itinerary
Lake Sarmiento Hike to Amarga Lagoon
🕗 Duration of tour: 12 hours
✅ Difficulty: Medium-Low
📅 Departures: All year round
Pick up in Puerto Natales
The guide will pick you up at your accommodation in Puerto Natales between 6:00 and 6:30 AM. You will then head to Torres del Paine by minibus on a two-hour road trip.
You will enter the National Park in the direction of Azul Lagoon. You will stop here to admire the view of the Torres and live the same experience that Lady Florence Dixie lived 140 years ago.

Paine Waterfall
On the way to the portería (gate), the guide will make different stops that he considers of interest and will give an explanation about them. With this tour, you will be able to discover in a unique way everything that is hidden among the landscapes of the national park.
A stop that will not be missing from your itinerary will be a visit to the Paine Waterfall. Clear evidence of the natural decline of the Paine River basin. You will continue on your way to the Sarmiento Lake gate.

Sarmiento Lake Portería (gate)
You will start the trekking from the Sarmiento Lake Porteria towards the Laguna Amarga Porteria (Gate-Gate). This route is of low difficulty and will last approximately two hours. You will walk through the Patagonian steppe, appreciating the Paine Massif and its lakes in the background.
📍 Sarmiento Lake Porteria to Laguna Amarga Porteria Trekking
👣 Distance: 6.64 km
🔺 Positive difference in altitude: 351 m
🕗 Time: 2 hours

Cave paintings - Nordensköld viewpoint
The route has a great variety of fauna that you and your guide will be able to admire and interpret. You will visit cave paintings that are more than 10,000 years old and were made by the first inhabitants of the area.
And you will arrive at the Laguna Amarga Gateway.

Laguna Amarga Porteria - Salto Grande Waterfall
At the entrance of the park Portería Laguna Amarga, the mini bus will be waiting for you again. You will get on and, accompanied by your guide, you will head for the Salto Grande waterfall. Another of the stops you will not miss on your day trip to Torres del Paine.
On the way, you will also stop at the Nordensköld viewpoint, from where you will see the Paine Massif from its east face.
From here, the guide will adapt the tour to the needs and preferences of each group, taking into account the weather conditions of that day and the season of the year in which the tour takes place.

Trekking to Mirador los Cuernos
If the energy and the weather are good, you can go trekking to the viewpoint Los Cuernos. A route of medium difficulty and about two hours of duration (round trip) with a dazzling landscape waiting for you at the end.
You will return to the beginning of the route by the same road, and your minibus will be waiting for you.
📍 Trekking Salto Grande to Mirador Cuernos (round trip)
👣 Distance: 6.66 km
🔺 Positive difference in altitude: 266 m
🕗 Time: 2:30 hours

Lunch - Camping Pehoe
You will now travel to Camping Pehoe. Here you will enjoy a well-deserved break and have lunch overlooking this glacial lake. The tour does not include lunch and you can buy your own at the campsite (subject to availability) or take it with you in your backpack from Puerto Natales.
Condor Viewpoint
Before returning home, you will make one last stop: the Condor Viewpoint in Torres del Paine. This unique viewpoint is located a few meters from the campsite.

Return to Puerto Natales
You will get back on the mini bus in the company of your guide, and head back to the city of Puerto Natales on a road trip of about two hours. You will arrive at your hotel between 18:00 and 19:00.

What to bring to Lake Sarmiento Hike to Amarga Lagoon
- Trekking clothes 1st, 2nd and 3rd layer.
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Small backpack
- Waterproof mountain footwear
- Water
- Food
- Warm clothing
Where does the tour Lake Sarmiento Hike to Amarga Lagoon start
The Lago Sarmiento Hike tour starts and ends in Puerto Natales and includes the transfer to and from the Torres del Paine National Park.
If you are traveling from Santiago de Chile the best option is to take a direct flight to Puerto Natales. You can also fly to Punta Arenas and from there take a bus to Puerto Natales (3:15 hours duration). If you are traveling from El Calafate (Argentina), there are buses that connect directly to Puerto Natales in a 5-hour trip.