Mirador Condor Hike, a Viewpoint not to miss, Patagonia, Chile
The short hike to Mirador Condor is perhaps one of the easiest and most scenic hikes in the Torres del Paine National Park. The Condor viewpoint offers bird’s-eye views of the Cuernos, the Paine massif, Lake Pehoé, and sweeping views in every other direction.
View from Mirador Condor.
It’s a short and easy hike too, one that you can easily combine with others on the same day, as it is in the heart of the Park and is easily accessible, close to popular locations to stay at like Hosteria Pehoé or the Explora Hotel.
It’s a hike you can easily combine on the same day with other short or longer hikes. For example, Mirador Cuernos or Mirador Ferrier. And, as one of the best viewpoints in Torres del Paine, of it’s a location that offers great photo opportunities.
View from Mirador Pehoé, the starting point of the hike.
The “Cuernos” in the early morning.
Table of Contents
Overview of the Mirador Condor Hike & Map
Typically, this is a hike that can be completed in about an hour, and the trail presents no particular difficulties. However, this short hike actually has three different trailheads:
- The main one is located right above Hostería Pehoé, at the Pehoé viewpoint.
- One starts directly from within the Pehoé campsite.
- Another one more or less right outside the abovementioned campsite.
The last two trails converge more or less halfway through, and they only converge with the trail from the Pehoé viewpoint at the summit. All the trails cover pretty much the same distance and elevation gains. So there’s not much of a difference between them.
I hiked to Mirador Condor both from Hostería Pehoé and the Pehoé campsite; not much of a difference between the two trails, with the main one being that you face the Cuernos on the way up from the campsite, and on the way down from Hostería Pehoé.
Doing this hike, like the other hikes in the park, requires purchasing an entrance ticket to Torres del Paine.
| Max Altitude | 239 m (784 ft.) |
|---|---|
| Distance | 3 KM (1.8 miles) |
| Elevation gain | 320 m ↑ / 320 m ↓ (1,049 ft.) |
| Hike time | 1-1.15 Hours |
| Hike Difficulty | Easy – but beware of the winds! |
Here is the map of the hike. You can download the GPX file for free from the activity linked below.
How to get to the Mirador Condor Trailhead and Parking
The Mirador Condor Trailhead is located along Road Y-150, a road that crosses the entire Torres del Paine National Park from East to West. The main trailhead is easily accessible from Hosteria Pehoé.
- Driving Directions: If you are coming from Puerto Natales, the best way is to take Road 9 and Road Y-150 from the East, entering the Park via the Laguna Sarmiento Station. Then keep following the road until Hosteria Pehoé. Alternatively, from Puerto Natales you can also turn onto Road Y-290 shortly after passing the Puerto Natales Airport, enter the park through the Serrano Ranger Station, and join Road Y-150 from there. Though Road Y-290 is rougher and slower going, both are equally scenic.
- Parking: If you are starting at the Pehoé, you can park in the relatively large parking area next to Hostería Pehoé. For the other trailheads, you can either leave the car at the campsite if you are staying there, or at the small pull-out area next to the campsite.
- Public Transport: Although there is no official public transportation, there are bus transfers operated out of Puerto Natales by companies like Bus Sur, and they drop you off at the Hosteria/Camspite Pehoé
The wscenic view of Hosteria Pehoé, with its parking area – start of the hike of the main trail.
The other trailhead is farther down the road, by Camping Pehoé or by the small parking area on the right.
The Mirador Condor Hiking Trail
From the Hosteria Pehoé parking area, you can walk back to the road and toward the Pehoé viewpoint, which is another panoramic viewpoint at the start of the hike. It’s a bit of an anticipation of the views you’ll have from Mirador Condor too.
The trail is well marked right from the start. Mirador Condor is the peak visible on the right hand side.
From this viewpoint, you can easily spot the trail sign pointing toward the Mirador Condor, which is the highest, somewhat rounded peak above the road. Initially, the trail follows the side of the mountain, as it gradually gains elevation.
It passes by a flatter area, where there are some dead Lenga trees before picking up some elevation gain again for the last stretch. As you have the Paine massif behind you, make sure to turn back too from time to time to enjoy the landscape.
As you gain elevation, the views get better and better.
The path to Mirador Condor isn’t immediately visible from here, but it will become clear as you hike further up the mountain. And the higher you go, the higher the chances of stronger winds. This prompts me to the following anecdote.
Winds on Mirador Condor
When I was hiking up from the Pehoé campsite side, I met a group coming down the opposite way. They did warn me about very strong wind, so strong they could barely stand, and the wind blew the glasses off the face of one of the group! Needless to say, the glasses flew so fast and furiously away that they never found them. So yes, beware of the winds, beware of your glasses, and always have a spare if you have to wear them as I do.
Warning sing on the trail from Pehoé Campsite. on that small saddle, the winds can be very brutal – be careful there.
If you wear glasses as I do, you don’t want to miss all those beautiful views because the wind blew your glasses to Argentina – I certainly did not, so take your precautions! For me that means pulling up the hoodie and keeping it narrow around my face as much as possible. Apart from that, strong winds are a real hazard when they blow hard, so don’t be afraid to turn down as needed.
But seriously, strong winds are a real hazard up there, and I had trouble standing up myself.
Mirador Condor viewpoint
But back to the trail. As you approach the summit, the trail takes a slight detour behind the actual summit to approach the last short uphill section that leads to the condor Lookout.
In the last section, the trail turns around the Mirador, to climb up on the opposite side.
The Mirador is actually a rather wide, flat area, where you’ll find a bunch of rocks you can sit on, rest and enjoy the views. And as you reach the summit, you will gain the magnificent views of Lago Pehoé and Lago Nordenskjöld to the north, and the whole Paine Massif.
It’s one of those places where you could spend an hour sitting and gazing at the landscape without realizing how much time has passed. Wind allowing, of course!
Mirador Condor is a relatively wide lookout with plenty of space to sit around and enjoy the views.
View from the Mirador
Vew of lake Pehoé toward the Lago Grey area
Panoramic image of the same views
Mirador Condor Hike Photos and Photography Tips
The best two photo spots on this trail are at the beginning and at the end. At the beginning, Mirador Pehoé.
The best time to take photos from the Mirador Condor is the Morning Golden hours and the afternoon golden hours. Early in the morning or late in the afternoon to catch the best sidelight. The main difference is that in the morning less light will hit the lake, while in the afternoon the golden light will help the waters shine. But really, it’s a location good for any time of the day.
Between the two, on the main trail from Pehoé there also are some good views and some interesting dead trees to play with when the light conditions are right.
mirador Pehoé located at the trailhead, is also a great option for either sunset or Sunrise.
A mid range telephoto zoon can help capturing close up images of the beautiful “Cuernos”
Branches of the trees mid-way through the hike can offer interesting opportunities too
On the wide side, anything between 18-24 will be enough; wider and probably the Paine Grande/Cuernos massif will look a tad too small. A telephoto lens is highly recommended too. You can zoom in on the smaller details of the massif, as well as the surrounding mountains and landscape.
I used a 100-400 mm for that purpose. A longer telephoto lens really allows you to capture the finer details of the Cuernos as well as the surrounding landscape. That’s a big plus in the sweeping Patagonia Landscapes.
70mm
100mm
400mm
Phot taken at 180mm.
Where to Stay
Accommodations inside the park are somewhat limited and require advanced booking. In the immediate vicinity of Mirador Condor, there’s obviously the popular and scenic Hosteria Pehoé, and the Pehoé Campsite a little farther down the road. I stayed at both on different days, and they are definitely worth it, as they are fairly close to the main trailheads and scenic points.
Additional Resources
- If you are planning a trip to Torres del Paine, you may also want to Checkout my Base Torres Sunrise Hike Guide.
- To purchase the pass/entrance to the park, you can visit pasesparques.cl
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