Argentina’s Laguna de los Tres and Chile’s Base of the Towers are Patagonia’s two best-known hikes. Many people travel to Patagonia specifically to do both and they are rewarded not only with stellar views but also with the simple satisfaction of having completed these famous hikes.
Many of those hikers will want to mentally prepare by finding out which of Laguna de los Tres and Base of the Towers is easier. The short answer is that neither of them is easy. Both are long, with steep ascents and difficult terrain.
But in this article I’ll present some hard stats and hopefully give you a mostly objective comparison of the two.
A word on safety
First, a word on safety. I’ve seen other blog posts saying that anyone can do these hikes. Respectfully, I disagree. Not only will you not enjoy these hikes if you are not physically prepared for them but it would simply not be safe for you or for those hiking with you.
You also need to have proper equipment with you. I saw several people hiking Laguna de los Tres in trainers and it seemed mad to attempt it without proper walking boots. You also need a waterproof coat, ideally waterproof trousers and also warm clothing such as thermals, hat and gloves. You’re on a mountainside surrounded by snow, and Patagonia’s weather can change drastically at any time.
These are difficult hikes and, as for any strenuous activity, they are only safe when you are properly prepared.
The terrain of the hikes
The structure of Laguna de los Tres and the Base of the Towers is oddly similar. Both are out-and-back hikes. Both are about the same length. Both start with a gentle slope upwards, then have a flatter section, then a steep ascent at the end. So the terrain is perhaps not a good way to compare the two hikes.
The stats
Maybe the best way to give an objective comparison of Laguna de los Tres and the Base of the Towers is to give you the statistics gathered by my iPhone when I did them:
| Laguna de los Tres | Base of the Towers | |
| Steps | 45,301* | 38,017 |
| Flights climbed | 268 | 336 |
| Walking distance | 28.7kms* | 23.9kms |
* I did an extra little detour of about 4 kilometres on my Laguna de los Tres hike so my step count is higher than it should be, but the whole of the detour was flat so the flights climbed is accurate.
So what can we conclude from this? Laguna de los Tres is longer with less ascent throughout, and Base of the Towers is shorter but with more ascent throughout.
I think a lot of the ascent in the Base of the Towers hike comes from shorter, sharper slopes throughout the hike. The flatter section in the middle of Laguna de los Tres is almost completely flat so you’re not picking up those extra flights in incremental steps as you are in the Base of the Towers.
Steep sections at the ends of the hikes
Many people might only want to focus on the steep sections at the ends of the hikes in making a comparison between the two.
My view is that they are both equally difficult in terms of physical effort but that Laguna de los Tres involves more mental effort. This is because the path is not well-marked so you have to constantly think about each step. The path in the Base of the Towers is better-marked and it is more obvious where you need to go.
My conclusion
My personal experience was that Base of the Towers was slightly easier than Laguna de los Tres but this might be to do with the fact that I used hiking poles for Base of the Towers but not Laguna de los Tres. I didn’t think it would make as much of a difference as it did – it is so much easier going uphill when you can pull yourself up with your arms!
Ultimately both are difficult hikes and I would advise doing them only if you are genuinely prepared for them.
If you are prepared for them, I hope you get amazing views and feel as much satisfaction in completing them as I did!
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