Torres Del Paine W Trek

Our Torres del Paine Classic ‘W’ trek is one of the best in South America.
We have run a number of treks in the Torres del Paine region of Patagonia. The most highly trekked route in Torres del Paine National Park is called the ‘W’. This trail system can be done in a variety of ways, from more rugged camping style treks to stayed in cramped Refugio’s. They are well stocked along the trail, where beds, food, and showers await you at the end of each day. We prefer camping along the way. The trek is named after its trail system that navigates up and down out of the mountain valleys. We include continuous training support and advice along with our 25 page booklet on the trek.
We have a great team of trusted staff who deliver on the ground. Ian has climbed Everest to the top and lead treks to Patagonia. Torres del Paine is an amazing and immense park and the ‘W’ trek brings you up close to its world-famous Patagonian views and natural splendors. The typical ‘W’ takes five to seven days, with five to eight hours of hiking per day. Most notably, the trek boasts a lot of the park’s must-see attractions: Los Torres, Los Cuernos, Valle Frances, Paine Grande, and Glacier Grey. This is one of the most popular hikes in Patagonia, and is truly world class and considered a trekking experience of a lifetime. Although this trek is growing in popularity, the remote nature, rough trails and strong winds can humble even a seasoned trekker. You will be challenged but you will discover magical scenery and you will be left wanting more.

This program is physically demanding and you need to come with excellent physical conditioning for this trek. We recommend a serious training plan to be able to hike long distances, uphill and downhill, up to 10 hours a day and with a 15kg/ 33lbs back pack.

Torres del Paine National Park is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, as well as one of the most pristine and remote places on earth. The granite towers of Paine make a sudden and dramatic appearance on the horizon in the midst of a flat, dry, wind-swept Plain. Despite the almost constant winds, this is some of the finest trekking country in Chile. Endowed with severe mountains, sparkling lakes, waterfalls and glaciers, as well as herds of guanacos, majestic condors, flocks of pink flamingos and large Patagonian hares, the park’s international attraction is immediately evident. Once a large sheep estancia, the park was established in 1959 as Parque Nacional Lago Grey.

Daily Distances

Day 1

Today you will arrive in Santiago, Chile and will continue onto Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales, Chile (PUQ). Upon arrival you can either have a private bus or take a bus from the airport to our team hotel. The night will be spent in Puerto Natales you can go out and visit this unique setting at the bottom of the world. There will be a team meeting in Puerto Natales at 6pm

Day 2

First thing in the morning private transportation takes us to Torres del Paine National Park, through the Patagonian steppe, where we watch for typical animals of Patagonia like Guanacos and Ñandus. Today we get the chance to enjoy one of the main highlights of the program, the famous Towers lookout trek. This is our big chance to see the three famous Towers of Paine (2800m). After arriving in our first camp in the national park we start our trek into the ascencio valley, and only bring our packs loaded with only warm layers and some food. We head up the steep trail for 5hours to the Towers view point, for some of the most amazing photos ever. Our efforts are well rewarded by the views of one of the most famous spots on earth. We later descend and head back to our camp for a hot dinner.

Day 3

Today, we will have the best of all worlds. Beautiful blue lakes, pebbles beaches, hanging glaciers and granite walls. Our trek takes us around the base of Mount Almirante Nieto (2640m), along high trails with many view points and photo stops. Our destination is Camping Frances, a new campground in the park, were we set camp up for the night, overlooking Lago Nordenskjold.

Day 4

We pack up our camp and head to Valle Frances. At the entrance of the valley we drop our backpacks and only head up with some food, rain gear, our cameras (just a few basics) and head up into Valle Frances light. It’s a steep hike, so going light is nice. We spend most of the day trekking up the valley, witnessing thundering ice falls from Paine Grande (3050m) from one side and the Cuernos towering over us on the other. The valley offers natural lookouts; ice falls, avalanches, condors… impressive. A true highlight of Torres del Paine National Park. And after a day exploring Valle Frances, we continue on again and arrive to Paine grande for our next camp. Here we have an amazing view of the waters of Lago Pehoe and the rocks faces of the Cuernos.

Day 5

Today we wake, break down camp and take our 4 hour trek to Camp Glacier Grey. This is a magnificent camp area where we camp in a beautiful forest, close to the Glacier Grey lookout. After making camp we continue up the trail towards Camp Paso which is located above the glacier and gives us a birds eye view of the ice. Here we have a chance of seeing the edge of the Patagonia Ice Field – the third largest sea of ice on the planet.

Day 6

After a good breakfast we trek to Paine Grande where we catch the catamaran across the Lake Pehoe to meet our private transportation back to Puerto Natales. We arrive back at Base Camp at 5pm. This is the official end of the program.

Day 7

Today is either a day of rest or you will be making your way back to the airport for your flight home. You will either be flying out of Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales. There are lots of other day excursions you could do in the region so consider staying on for more adventures in this majestic part of the world.

  • A little bit more about our Torres del Paine Classic ‘W’ trekking adventure

    This classic trek has some of the best views in the Torres del paine region of Patagonia. Having made this journey a number of times, it is truly is one of the best treks in South America. The classic ‘W’ route in Patagonia is a shorter option for people with less time to spend in the region. It’s essential to make reservations ahead of time. Prices start from $2,950

    If you are looking for a true Patagonia classic in one of the world’s greatest national parks. Our Torres del Paine Classic ‘W’ trekking adventure will give you exactly what you are looking for.




Ready to go?

Does this information excite you to take the next step towards achieving your goal if going on our Torres del Paine Classic ‘W’ trekking adventure. If so, get in touch today.

We pride ourselves on making sure that our clients have every opportunity to succeed in the mountains, including professional training advice, gear lists and video links on how to pack your bag, and much more.

Our Everest base camp trek will not disappoint. We are always available to answer any questions you may have by email, phone or skype, so contact us today!

Latest Blog Posts