Own transport
Sailing only
From Hotel Lago Grey
- Length3 hours
- DrinkPisco sour
- GuideEnglish, Spanish
Packing and prep checklist
Grey Glacier boat tour duration in Torres del Paine, hour by hour
The 3-hour boat to Grey Glacier
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Reserve a spotEditorial team, greyglaciercruise.click · Updated November 12, 2026 · Reading: 7 min
Quick look
- Duration3 hours, with 2.75 hours afloat and a beach walk at each end.
- Check-inAt Hotel Lago Grey, 1 hour before departure.
- SailingsDepartures at 09:30, 13:00 and 16:00 in the season; the park bulletin lists only the first two in September 2026.1,2,3,4
- The boatGrey III, a catamaran seating 98 with an outside deck.5,6
- IncludedOne drink each: pisco sour, soft drink or juice.7
How long the boat day really takes
The headline Grey Glacier boat tour duration in Torres del Paine is 3 hours, roughly the time you spend afloat between leaving the beach and stepping back onto it. The listing's itinerary adds 45 minutes on foot before and after 2.75 hours of sailing on Grey Lake. The operator itself gives the sailing as roughly 2 hours and 45 minutes up to the glacier and back.7
Add the time before and after. The desk at Hotel Lago Grey expects you 1 hour before the boat leaves, and reviews show that people who confuse check-in with the sailing time end up waiting. Allow a little longer again for parking, the toilets and getting your layers on before the walk. The hotel stands on the shore of the lake, so the wait comes with a view, and it is the last place with a proper roof until you are aboard.
In practice, then, plan on about half a day at the lake for the sailing alone, plus the road from wherever you slept. From Puerto Natales the drive is about 2 hours each way, so a day trip from town turns the 3-hour boat into a full day out.8 Chile Travel makes the same point, advising you to set aside a whole day for the sailing to Grey.9
Timetable
The Grey III sailings of the season
| Sailing | Check-in | Departs | Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | 08:30 | 09:30 | 12:15 |
| Midday | 12:00 | 13:00 | 15:45 |
| Afternoon | 15:00 | 16:00 | 18:45 |
Times as the operator publishes them for the season; a fourth sailing is added on busy summer days, and the park bulletin lists only the 09:30 and 13:00 sailings in September 2026.1,2,3,13,4
The sailing timetable and which one to choose
The operator runs a fixed timetable through the season. The morning sailing checks in at 08:30, sails at 09:30, calls at the refuge at 10:15 and is back at 12:15.1 The midday sailing checks in at 12:00, sails at 13:00, reaches the refuge at 13:45 and returns at 15:45.2 Afternoon passengers check in at 15:00 for a 16:00 departure and land at 18:45.3
The order of stops differs. The morning and midday boats call at the Grey refuge first, where one-way passengers get on or off, and then go on to the glacier fronts; round-trip passengers stay on board throughout. The afternoon boat goes to the glacier first and calls at the refuge afterwards.11 Either way you get the same time at the ice.
Pick the sailing that fits your transport. The midday boat is the one the Bus-Sur service is timed to meet in both directions, the morning one suits people sleeping in the park, and the afternoon one gives drivers from Natales an unhurried morning.12 On busy summer days a fourth sailing is added.13 Book early in high summer either way, since Chile Travel warns that demand for the navigation is very high in that season.14
Boarding from the beach
There is no pier at the hotel. After check-in you walk out onto Grey Beach, a broad strip of dark sand and pebbles, and follow it to the boarding area; Chile Travel describes the walk along a black sand beach before you board the catamaran.18 Allow 30 to 45 minutes on foot, as the operator estimates; the listing puts the distance at 3 km from the nearest car park.10
Passengers who arrive by Bus-Sur are driven about 2 km further after check-in, to the cafe by the Pingo bridge, which shortens the walk.19 From there Bus-Sur reckons on 25 minutes to the pier, a little less than the walk from the hotel itself.20 Ice that has drifted down the lake sometimes lies stranded on the shore, so you may get your first close look at Grey ice there, before you even reach the boat.
The beach is open to the wind, and the walk changes with the weather. In the operator's words the walk does not suit anyone with reduced mobility or who relies on a mobility aid, and recommends a carrier backpack for babies, as the ground does not suit prams.21,22 The crossing is the only part of the day you cannot shorten. Wear proper shoes: loose gravel and wet sand make trainers hard work.
Your sailing
Which Grey sailing suits you
Pick the departure that matches where you sleep and how you travel.
If I sleep inside the park
Morning sailing
Sails at 09:30 and is back by 12:15, leaving the afternoon free.1
If I come by bus from Natales
Midday sailing
The Bus-Sur service connects with it in both directions.12
If I drive from Natales
Afternoon sailing
If I am heading to the refuge
Morning or midday
These stop at the refuge before going on to the glacier.11
If I am coming back from the refuge
Be early on the beach
Be on the refuge beach 15 minutes before the boat arrives.16
Ways aboard
Grey III with or without a ride
No car
Sailing and van
Pickup in Natales
- Length8 hours
- Walk35 minutes
- GuideEnglish, Spanish
Longest day
Punta Arenas day
Park and boat in one
- Length18 hours
- GroupUp to 10
- ViewsPehoe, Nordenskjold
Grey III, the catamaran that sails to the ice
The boat is the Grey III, a catamaran built in 2005 of naval steel, 24.40 m long and 8.20 m wide, painted white and red.6 It is not a big ship, and that is part of its charm: from almost any window you are close to the water, and the outside deck brings you closer still to the ice and the cold air coming off it. It seats 98 passengers in its main cabin and has an outside deck, and it is crewed by a captain, 2 crew members and a naval engineer.6,5
Safety equipment follows the maritime authority rules. The operator lists 4 life rafts, 2 for 35 people and 2 for 25, an outboard motor boat for 20 people and 116 life jackets for adults and children.23 That is reassuring in a park where, by CONAF's own warning, rescue on the mountain trails may be hours away.24
The cabin keeps you out of the wind and lets you watch the lake from your seat, but the best views are outside. When the boat nears the ice, people drift out to the deck, cameras ready. The crew keep the mood lively; recent reviewers single them out as friendly and full of information about the landscape around them.
Fare for your party
Grey III seats for your group
Pick how you board the Grey III and the size of your party.
Compare 3 alternatives
Grey III seats for your group
Pick how you board the Grey III and the size of your party.
- Sailing onlyFrom Hotel Lago Grey · per person, from $120
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View - Sailing and vanPickup in Natales · per person, from $276
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View - Punta Arenas day18 hours, small group · per person, from $296
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View
GetYourGuide's starting prices, converted at the ECB reference rate; exact pricing appears when you book.
The midday sailing
A Grey boat trip from check-in to return
The Grey Glacier navigation in Torres del Paine, at the ice
The Grey Glacier navigation in Torres del Paine follows the lake northwards past forest, granite and snowy peaks. The operator promises views of Paine Grande and the wider Paine massif on the way, and after about 1 hour of sailing the boat reaches the front wall of the glacier.17 Grey itself grows from a pale band on the horizon into a wall that fills the view as the boat closes in.
Near the ice the boat moves between the fronts so everyone gets a clear view. Chile Travel describes the boat drawing near to every front in turn, with walls reaching 30 m; the listing calls the wall over 25 m tall.25,15 Both figures shift as the ice moves and breaks. With luck you see and hear a block come away from the face and drop into the lake.26
This is also when the drinks come out. Your ticket covers one glass, pisco sour, soft drink or juice as you prefer, and the pisco sour is the one people remember, served beside the ice.7 Hold it in one hand and your camera in the other, and keep looking up: the colours change every time the light shifts across the wall, and a photograph taken a minute later can look like a different glacier.
Video
What to expect at Grey Glacier in Torres del Paine
The Couple Abroad on YouTube · Nothing is fetched until you hit play.
On your way to visit the glacier, you will also enjoy views of Paine Grande Mountain, Paine Massif, forests that border the lake, mountains made of igneous rock, and snowy peaks that reach the clouds.
What to wear on deck
Dress for the outside deck, not the warm cabin. Expect anything: Chile Travel warns of wild, shifting weather and wind in the park, and its packing advice runs from thermal underwear and fleece to a waterproof shell and rain trousers.27 The park administration agrees: conditions turn fast, so pack for rain, wind and even snow.28
Small items make the biggest difference. Hotel Lago Grey suggests waterproof layers, trekking shoes, a hat, gloves, sunglasses and sunscreen for a visit, and every one of them earns its place on the boat.29 The wind chill near the ice catches out people who walked the beach in a light jacket, so pack the warm layer even on a sunny morning in Puerto Natales; conditions at the lake can be very different from those in town.
Keep electronics in a pocket, not on a strap swinging over the rail, and bring a spare battery, as cold drains it fast. Leave the drone at home: CONAF forbids flying them anywhere in the park unless it has approved the flight for science or professional film work.30 Smoking is not allowed anywhere in the park either, the deck included.31
Wind rules, children and accessibility
The captain and the operator have the final word on the weather. Any sailing can be stopped on safety grounds, the listing says, and whatever a stopped sailing costs you beyond the fare is your own loss. The operator also needs a minimum of 25 people for a boat to sail.32 Free cancellation covers your own change of plan up to 24 hours before the sailing.
Children are welcome on board. They sail free until their fifth birthday, pay a lower rate up to 12, and pay the full fare from 13, always accompanied by an adult.33 Bring snacks and a warm layer for them, and plan for the beach walk, which small legs find long. A child who walks it happily on the way out may need carrying on the way back, so bring a carrier if yours is young.
Accessibility is limited by the beach rather than the boat. The walk to the boarding area is the only way on, and limited mobility rules it out, the operator says.21 Travellers who cannot manage it can still see Grey from the shore and from park viewpoints, or choose a glacier boat elsewhere that is listed as wheelchair accessible.
FAQ
Short questions, short answers.
How long is the Grey Glacier boat tour?
3 hours, beach walks included.
The listing gives 45 minutes on foot each way and 2.75 hours of sailing.
What time does the Grey boat leave?
How long until the boat reaches the glacier?
About 1 hour.
About 1 hour after leaving, the boat is at the face.
Is a drink included on the boat?
Yes, one per person.
One drink per ticket, either pisco sour, a soft drink or juice, so children and drivers are covered.7
How big is the Grey III?
Can I fly a drone from the boat?
No.
Drones need CONAF approval for research or professional filming, otherwise they are banned.30
Do children need a ticket?
Under 5 rides free.
Between 5 and 12 a lower rate applies, and children never sail without an adult.33
Sources
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · Grey Glacier Navigation (Grey III) ↩
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · Grey Glacier Navigation (Grey III) ↩
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · Grey Glacier Navigation (Grey III) ↩
- CONAF, Torres del Paine National Park Administration, 2026-2027 season newsletter (parquetorresdelpaine.cl) · Torres del Paine National Park Newsletter 2026-2027 Season (September-April) ↩
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · Grey Glacier Navigation (Grey III) ↩
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · Grey Glacier Navigation (Grey III) ↩
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · Grey Glacier Navigation (Grey III) ↩
- Chile Travel, the official tourism site of Chile (Sernatur and Imagen de Chile, chile.travel) · Grey Glacier ↩
- Chile Travel, the official tourism site of Chile (Sernatur and Imagen de Chile, chile.travel) · Grey Glacier ↩
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · Grey Glacier Navigation (Grey III) ↩
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · Grey Glacier Navigation (Grey III) ↩
- Bus-Sur, bus operator Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine, for its own services (bussur.com) · Torres del Paine: horarios y conexiones ↩
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · Grey Glacier Navigation (Grey III) ↩
- Chile Travel, the official tourism site of Chile (Sernatur and Imagen de Chile, chile.travel) · Essential Torres del Paine: Base Torres and Grey Glacier ↩
- Chile Travel, the official tourism site of Chile (Sernatur and Imagen de Chile, chile.travel) · Grey Glacier ↩
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · Grey Glacier Navigation (Grey III) ↩
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · Grey Glacier Navigation (Grey III) ↩
- Chile Travel, the official tourism site of Chile (Sernatur and Imagen de Chile, chile.travel) · Essential Torres del Paine: Base Torres and Grey Glacier ↩
- Bus-Sur, bus operator Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine, for its own services (bussur.com) · Torres del Paine: horarios y conexiones ↩
- Bus-Sur, bus operator Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine, for its own services (bussur.com) · Torres del Paine: horarios y conexiones ↩
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · Grey Glacier Navigation (Grey III) ↩
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · Grey Glacier Navigation (Grey III) ↩
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · Grey Glacier Navigation (Grey III) ↩
- CONAF, the National Forest Corporation of Chile, park authority of Torres del Paine (conaf.cl) · Parque Nacional Torres del Paine ↩
- Chile Travel, the official tourism site of Chile (Sernatur and Imagen de Chile, chile.travel) · Essential Torres del Paine: Base Torres and Grey Glacier ↩
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · Grey Glacier Navigation (Grey III) ↩
- Chile Travel, the official tourism site of Chile (Sernatur and Imagen de Chile, chile.travel) · Essential Torres del Paine: Base Torres and Grey Glacier ↩
- Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, the park administration site (parquetorresdelpaine.cl) · Recomendaciones para su viaje 2026 ↩
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · What You Should Know Before Your Trip (FAQ) ↩
- CONAF, the National Forest Corporation of Chile, park authority of Torres del Paine (conaf.cl) · Parque Nacional Torres del Paine ↩
- CONAF, the National Forest Corporation of Chile, park authority of Torres del Paine (conaf.cl) · Parque Nacional Torres del Paine ↩
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · Grey Glacier Navigation (Grey III) ↩
- Turismo Lago Grey, operator of the Grey III boat and Hotel Lago Grey, for its own services (lagogrey.com) · Grey Glacier Navigation (Grey III) ↩
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