Booking Patagonia Review & How To Use The New Platform
An Honest Review of Booking Patagonia (bookingpatagonia.travel)
I recently completed the O Circuit in Torres del Paine National Park, which I had to book in advance. I initially made all my reservations through the new Torres del Paine online reservation platform, Booking Patagonia. This site allows you to reserve everything in the one place, which definitely has its advantages.
However, my experience was not a smooth one. And unfortunately I met various other hikers who also had a difficult time booking. To help you avoid the same issues, here is my honest review of using bookingpatagonia.travel and how to use this new booking platform to make W Trek and O Circuit reservations.
About Booking Patagonia
Booking Patagonia is a new online reservation platform which was launched for the 2022/2023 hiking season. Through the site, you can book everything for your visit to Torres del Paine in one place. This includes all the campsites or refugios (shelters), meals, park entrance fees, the bus to and from the park and extras like tent, sleeping bag and linen rentals.
Through BookingPatagonia.Travel you can also book accommodation in Puerto Natales for before and after your hike. However, their partner hotels are limited and you will likely find better deals elsewhere, so I wouldn’t recommend booking this through them.
What Are The Advantages of Using Booking Patagonia?
The benefit of using BookingPatagonia.Travel is that you don’t have to make multiple reservations with different providers. This is logistically easier to organize and keeps it simple with one booking confirmation for everything.
The refugios and campsites are operated by two different companies: Vertice and Las Torres. So you would otherwise need to make separate bookings with each provider for the sites that they own. Plus you would have to make additional bookings for the bus, entrance fees and other add-ons to your trip.
Booking Patagonia also makes planning your hike easier than doing it yourself. You can select from pre-configured packages or routes, so you don’t have to figure out the itinerary from scratch. However, if you have your own itinerary in mind, you can also book a personalized route through the platform.
➡️ READ MORE: How To Make O Circuit & W Trek Reservations
What Are The Disadvantages of Using Booking Patagonia?
In theory the Booking Patagonia website sounds like the best way to make Torres del Paine reservations. However, it’s actually not as straight forward as you would imagine, and there are a few downsides.
Cost
Firstly, as BookingPatagonia.Travel is a third party website, going through them does come at an added cost. The prices advertised on the site are the same as directly through the providers. However, when you checkout a 15% service charge will be added to your booking.
Although this isn’t a huge markup, the O Circuit and W Trek are not cheap hikes to book, so this can really make a difference to your budget.
Terms & Conditions
In addition to the standard T&Cs of each of the providers, Booking Patagonia comes with additional terms and conditions which apply to your booking. And unfortunately these T&Cs aren’t very flexible. This makes it more confusing and difficult to make changes or cancel your booking.
It’s worth familiarizing yourself with the T&Cs of each company before making your reservations, so you understand if and when you can make changes.
The Availability Isn’t Completely Accurate
To avoid double bookings, not all availability is visible on the Booking Patagonia website. In particular, there will always be a couple of additional spots reserved for those who book their accommodation directly through Vertice and Las Torres.
I understand why they do this, but it’s frustrating when you’re trying to reserve a multi-day hike and one refugio or campsite isn’t available on your dates. This prevents you from proceeding with your entire booking and having to start again, trying different dates.
Therefore, if all the sites aren’t showing up as available on your preferred dates, I suggest checking the Vertice and Las Torres websites. Do this before changing your dates or itinerary to accommodate the availability shown through BookingPatagonia.Travel, as you might be pleasantly surprised!
The Platform Isn’t That User Friendly
Booking Patagonia isn’t the most user friendly website to try and navigate. Although, saying this, the Vertice and Las Torres websites also have their issues. So no matter which way you book, you will likely encounter some technical challenges!
The biggest issues with BookingPatagonia.Travel is that it’s difficult and time consuming to use if all your dates aren’t available. When you put together your itinerary, you will need to input your start date. You can then start selecting sites for each date on your hike.
But, if one site ends up being unavailable you can’t just amend your dates and continue booking. Instead, you have to start the process over again from scratch, trying a new start date. You also can’t just view a calendar or list of available sites and dates. So finding an itinerary in which all the sites are available on your dates can take a lot of time and be a very frustrating process.
The website also isn’t very intuitive, so it can take a few minutes for you to figure out how to navigate the booking system. Although once you get the hang of it, it’s relatively easy to use.
➡️ READ MORE: The 13 Best Hikes & Treks in Chile
How To Make Reservations Through Booking Patagonia
There are three different ways to make reservations through BookingPatagonia.Travel. You can select a tour package, a pre-configured route, or personalize your own itinerary. You can select your chosen purchase option on the home page under ‘What Would You Like To Do’.
Tour Packages
The tour packages through BookingPatagonia.Travel are only for trips to Paine Grande and the Grey Glacier, where you can kayak, walk on the glacier and do some day hiking. Although these packages do have limited availability, and some of them require a minimum number of guests in order to book.
Pre-Configured Routes
For the W Trek or O Circuit you will need to book a personalized pre-configured route. The easiest way is by selecting a pre-configured route. If you click into this option you will be able to choose from the W Trek, O Circuit and West Circuit (a shorter hike, only doing a portion of the W Trek).
Once you select your chosen hike you will get to choose from several classic itineraries, before being taken to the booking page where you can input your start date and details. At this stage you can also select whether to include the bus to and from the park and accommodation in Puerto Natales before and after your hike.
I recommend including the bus, but skipping the extra accommodation bookings, as you will find more options and better deals by browsing hotels in Puerto Natales and booking separately.
Then, once you click into the itinerary, you will get to choose your accommodation and extras (like meals and equipment rentals) for each night of your hike. If there is no availability on one or more of the dates, you will unfortunately have to go back and start the process from scratch, by going back to the previous page and changing your start date.
Once you have been able to select your preferred options for each day of your hike, you can click through to the checkout, where you will see the final price including the service fee. The park entrance fee will also be automatically added to your order here and included in your booking. If everything looks good, you can continue to fill in some additional information and pay.
Personalized Routes
If you don’t want a traditional itinerary, or are unable to find availability on each day of your hike, then you will be better off booking under the personalized routes section. Here, you can build your own itinerary from scratch.
First, you will be required to input some details about yourself and your travel plans. On the next page you will have the option of adding the bus to and from Torres del Paine to your booking. Then you can start planning your hike from the Laguna Amarga entrance or Pudeto (Paine Grande entrance).
Click ‘Start Hiking‘ and you will be able to add your accommodation stops and extras along the way by clicking ‘Find Another Destination‘. The system will only generate options which are feasible for you to get to each day.
However, I highly recommend spending some time researching your preferred route before booking, to ensure you are allowing yourself enough time and not booking days which will be too difficult. Even though the system might let you book a certain stop, doesn’t mean it will be easy to get there, especially if you’re carrying a large pack.
Once you have added all your stops you can click ‘Exit Park and Continue‘, which will take you to the checkout page, where you will see the final price including the park entrance fee and service fees. If you’re happy with your itinerary, then click through to fill in some additional information and pay.
Contacting Customer Service
If you are having issues with your booking, there is a handy chat feature where you can speak to a live agent. You will see this in the bottom right corner of the screen.
Alternatively, you can also contact Booking Patagonia by phone on +56 22 231 9777, or email at tickets@bookingpatagonia.travel.
My Experience Using Booking Patagonia
When I booked the O Circuit in Torres del Paine recently, I went through Booking Patagonia. However, I encountered some issues which ultimately led me to make an additional booking directly with Vertice.
We were flexible with our itinerary
I was initially trying to book the traditional 8 day O Circuit starting from Laguna Amarga. But I was flexible to doing a slightly shorter or longer hike, or starting from Paine Grande, if needed. We were also looking to camp with our own equipment, but were flexible to staying in the refugios or equipped campsites if there was no other availability. So I tried a lot of different possible itineraries to find what was available.
It was very time consuming trying to find availability
I only booked our hike several weeks in advance, so many of our possible dates were already sold out. Therefore, I failed to find any suitable availability using the pre-configured routes, and instead had to try creating a personalized route.
Since Booking Patagonia doesn’t allow you to edit your dates once you’ve started making your booking, I had to keep starting the process from scratch, trying different start dates and locations. Then, I would be able to select an accommodation stop for each day of my proposed itinerary, until eventually I would get to a stop where there was no availability, which is when I would have to give up and start over.
As you have to click into each stop individually and select from the available accommodation options, I would sometimes get almost to the end before finding out that one of the sites wasn’t available. This process took a few minutes every time and overall the whole booking process took me several painful hours, over a couple of days.
I spoke to the booking agent through the live chat function
I was starting to lose hope as every itinerary I tried there was always at least one stop which was unavailable. As such, I contacted an agent through the live chat function on the website, to see if they could help.
My first question for them was whether there was any other availability not advertised on their website, or the one stop which was unavailable to book, or if there were any other options to get around this. The booking agent confirmed that all the availability was shown on the site and there were no ways to book the unavailable sites. (Although this turned out to be false – more on this below).
The only option given to me by the booking agent was for us to spend two nights at one of the campsites, and skip another campsite. This itinerary would have resulted in us having a couple of VERY long days of hiking, which wasn’t ideal. But as we really wanted to complete the hike, this is what I booked.
I later discovered that the booking agent had given me FALSE information
A few days after making my reservation on BookingPatagonia.Travel, the less than ideal itinerary I had booked was bugging me. At this stage I decided to browse the Vertice and Las Torres websites (which I now realize I should have done first). To my surprise, some of our preferred dates and stops (which were unavailable on the Booking Patagonia website) were showing up as available on Vertice AND Las Torres.
I contacted Booking Patagonia for assistance
Immediately after realizing all the stops and dates for my preferred itinerary were in fact available, I contacted a booking agent for assistance to change my booking. Once I pointed out to them that there actually was availability at my preferred stops, they said it was too late to change, as it was too close to the start of my hike.
I got stung by the T&Cs
As it turned out, Vertice’s T&Cs only allowed for changes up to 45 days before your reservation, and Las Torres up to 30 days. As I had only booked a few weeks in advance, I was actually right at the 30 day deadline for Las Torres, but was outside the 45 deadline for Vertice.
I asked the booking agent to try make the changes anyway
The booking agent initially wasn’t very helpful. They advised that they can try requesting the changes but if one company approves them and the other doesn’t, I will be stuck with reservations for two completely different dates/itineraries. I asked whether they could wait for both companies to confirm if the changes were possible before locking them in, and they said no, change requests were final.
In the end, I decided to take the risk and had them request the changes. They advise this can take several days, but I pushed for them to try and prioritize the request since I was on the cusp of falling outside the change period for Las Torres, and I had already missed the Vertice deadline.
I had to re-book my Vertice stops
Luckily, the Las Torres changes were approved, but there was no word from Vertice yet. Therefore I decided to just re-book the Vertice stops directly through Vertice, so I wouldn’t risk missing out on them. I then contacted Vertice explaining what had happened and asking if they would be able to refund me the original sites through BookingPatagonia.Travel, but they never ended up responding to this request.
I managed to get my preferred itinerary, but it was expensive and messy
While in the end I did manage to book the traditional 8 day O Circuit, my reservation ended up being half through Booking Patagonia and half through Vertice.
Plus some of the changes I had to make with Booking Patagonia were confirmed just by email, rather than showing up on the booking confirmation. So I ended up with a lot of different documents to show my reservations, and the worry that I would get to one stop and be told that they can’t find my reservation!
Plus, having to re-book the Vertice stops led to me spending about $200 USD extra. I did ask Booking Patagonia if they could absorb this cost and refund me the original Vertice bookings, since it was their error which led to this mess. But they ultimately didn’t, so I just accepted the extra cost and focused on enjoying my hike.
Would I Recommend It?
After my overly complicated, expensive and messy booking experience through BookingPatagonia.com, you might be wondering, would I recommend them? Surprisingly, yes, but ONLY if all your preferred dates are showing up as available on your first try.
The convenience of having all your bookings in one place through BookingPatagonia.Travel can make it worthwhile. Although keep in mind, this convenience does come at a premium, as there is a 15% service fee. So you will have to decide if this added expense is worth the convenience.
However, the best way to book really is directly with the different providers. It will be much quicker to find an available itinerary using the Vertice and Las Torres websites. And it will be cheaper, as you will save yourself the service fee and will avoid costly mistakes.
➡️ READ MORE: How To Book The O Circuit & W Trek
Alternatives – Booking Directly
If you want to make your bookings directly, you can do so here:
Refugios, campsites, meals and equipment rentals:
- Vertice (for the Dickson, Los Perros, Grey and Paine Grande campsites and refugios) – Vertice Reservations
- Las Torres (for the Las Torres (Central), Serón, Francés, Los Cuernos and Chileno campsites and refugios) – Las Torres Reservations
Bus to and from Torres del Paine: Bus Sur, through torresdelpaine.com
Park Entrance Fee: Payable through CONAF
If you want to learn more about the different ways to make Torres del Paine bookings, and the pros and cons of each, read my complete guide to booking the O Circuit and W Trek.
FAQs
Is BookingPatagonia.Travel a legit website?
Yes, it is a real website! It’s a new third party booking platform for Torres del Paine. It has only been around since 2022, which is why you likely haven’t come across it in the past.
What is the best way to book the O Circuit or W Trek?
The best way is by booking directly with the various providers. You can read more here about the different ways to make book the O Circuit and W Trek.
Is BookingPatagonia.Travel a trustworthy website?
Yes, although there are some downsides to it, it is a trustworthy website. It’s a legitimate third party booking platform for Torres del Paine.
How much does it cost to book through Booking Patagonia?
Booking Patagonia adds a 15% service fee to all bookings through the platform. This fee will appear on your booking at the checkout, before you pay and confirm your reservation.
Check out my blog about reserving the W Trek and O Circuit to find out more about how much booking hikes in Torres del Paine costs.
What is the cancellation process like through BookingPatagonia.Travel?
To cancel reservations made through BookingPatagonia.Travel, you must contact them to request the cancellation. Booking Patagonia will then liaise with the providers to manage the cancellation process, if you’re eligible to cancel.
For the 2023/2024 season, both Vertice and Las Torres allow for cancellations up to 45 days before check-in. Although Las Torres only allows for partial refunds up to 90 days before check-in.
Can you visit Torres del Paine without a tour?
Yes, most people visit the park without a tour! Although there is the option to book a day tour or multi-day trek as a tour package.
How long does it take to hike Torres del Paine?
This depends on which hike you’re planning to do. The traditional W Trek takes 5 days to complete, and the O Circuit takes 8 days. If you’re planning to visit the park just for a day or two, you can also do a range of day hikes.
One of the most popular day hikes is from Hotel Las Torres to the Mirador Las Torres (the Torres del Paine lookout). This is a 19 km hike which can usually be completed in around 6 to 7 hours.
How do I reserve campsites in Torres del Paine?
You can make campsite reservations on BookingPatagonia.Travel, Vertice.Travel and/or LasTorres.com websites. To find out more about how to reserve campsites in Torres del Paine, check out my blog about reserving the W Trek and O Circuit.
How much does it cost to enter Torres del Paine National Park?
The park entrance fee to enter Torres del Paine National Park is $35 USD per day. Or, you can pay a flat fee of $45 USD for 3 or more days in the park. You can purchase park tickets here.
Final Thoughts – Booking Patagonia
In theory the Booking Patagonia website should make Torres del Paine reservations simpler. However, in reality, it is not very user friendly and is more expensive.
Therefore, I would always recommend booking directly with the various providers. It might initially take you a little bit more time to figure out what exactly you need to book. But finding availability will be quicker and overall it will save you money.
READ MORE
O Circuit & W Trek Reservations 2023/2024 – How To Book Torres Del Paine
Hikes in Chile – 13 Amazing Hikes & Treks For Your Bucket List
Is Patagonia Worth Visiting? 15 Best Reasons to Visit
11 Best Santiago Chile Wine Tours & Everything You Need To Know
