When is Torres del Paine not Torres del Paine?

I remember years ago being at the entrance to Torres del Paine in a queue to pay the entrance fee of something like US$10. 

A British couple just behind me got to the front, expressed disgust that the fee should be so high, turned on their heels and left to return across the plains to Puerto Natales and God knows where after that. 

I've never forgotten how stunned I was. Not that I didn't get that US$10 could go a long way - it was just that they'd clearly invested so much time and money to get to the gate that it seemed truly bonkers to not finish the job and head into one of the world's most beautiful mountain ranges. 

We're seeing a bit of a trend at the moment - perhaps not quite as stark - with more and more tour operators including Torres del Paine but using the town of Puerto Natales as a base. I get it, accommodation anywhere near the park is expensive. As a remote destination in high demand with a limited season, it's naturally going to be so. But it's still a false economy to travel all that way and deny yourself the joy of sunrise over the Torres, epic star-filled nights, or sunsets over the Paine massif.

Here's the layout. Torres del Paine sits in something of a geological cul-de-sac at the bottom of Chile. To get out of the park, you effectively have to pass through Puerto Natales - about an hour to the south. There are two roads from the park to Puerto Natales: one from the main Sede Administrativa on the western side, the other from Laguna Amarga on the eastern edge. Within the park, there's an unpaved road connecting the two. This creates a triangle with each side representing approximately 90 minutes' journey time. 

Staying in Puerto Natales means a 90-minute journey to the park entrance and then further travel within the park to any trailhead or viewpoint. Obviously, that depends on where you're headed. But it's reasonable to assume an average of a further 45 minutes before you get to lace up your boots. Even being generous, that's a two-hour journey to get where you're going. Truth is, there are also likely to be quite a few others doing the same, particularly in high season (January-February). So there'll be delays at the park entrance to process arrivals. In summer, the days are nice and long, so you can fit in an amazing day of walking and still find space for a four or five-hour return commute. 

But would you want to? 

Even with the best will in the world, you're not going to be treated to any sunrise or sunset - times of day when Torres del Paine is at its most beautiful. It really is worth it. So if you can't afford to stay in a hotel in or near the park, camp. Or stay in a refuge. But don't go all that way and deny yourself nature at its most awe-inspiring.