Refugio Laguna Amarga

The WiFi worked well, which was a relief with no cell signal, and the staff were friendly and helpful. It’s a short drive to the park and main trailhead. This is a remote hostel/refugio, with the nearest gas station, as far as I can tell, two hours away in Puerto natales. Given that, we found it delightful. Our four-person bunk room had a spectacular view of the TDP towers, though not every room does, and the view was better than we could get from inside the park. The photos may be out of date because there seem to have been significant renovations. On booking.com it appears as Goiien House, so management may have changed. The showers had hot water and good pressure. There are three women’s showers for perhaps ten rooms, and I never had to wait. I enjoyed the food: I had salmon and my friend had a veggie lasagna bowl, with good soup and a small dessert. Dinner was about $25, expensive by Chile standards, though it’s remote and similar to prices inside the park and at European hiking refugios. Breakfast was good. It seemed possible to bring your own food into the dining area, but the kitchen appeared to be for staff only. Hot and cold drinking water were freely available. Bring a towel. The bedding setup was a little confusing, with what seemed like a liner, sleeping bag and duvet, plus a pillow. I’d definitely stay again.

I’d been emailing since May 2025 and messaging them on Instagram, but got no reply. Today, 13 January 2026, I drove here myself and a park ranger told me the refugio had been PERMANENTLY CLOSED for months. Goiien House was closed too, and is the same place.

We stayed two nights before hiking, and the staff were really friendly and service-minded. It’s a simple, straightforward Refugio, with plenty of beers in the fridge. The place can feel cold before they light the stove fires, but it does the job. For 25 000, the three-meal dinner was really OK: salmon or veggie lasagna, soup and dessert. My only small comment is that the liners are short for people who are 197 cm tall, though I’m used to that. We’ll come back if we’re in the area.

The staff were very friendly and helpful, and the place is close to the park entrance for a Torres del Paine hike. The food was the letdown. We paid 12000 pesos per person for packed lunches because we weren’t sure what else was available, then found better sandwiches at the Torres del Paine welcome centre by the trailhead for 8000 pesos. The three-course meal we’d ordered for 25 USD per person was underwhelming too.