Our Torres del Paine Classic ‘W’ trek is one of the best in South America.
We have been running treks in the Torres del Paine region of Patagonia for years. 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.
On arrival to Puerto Natales Airport, you will pick up your belongings and start your Patagonian adventure! You will exit the airport and can see taxi options available to bring you to the hotel, where you will be booked on a shared bed and breakfast basis. The normal price of the taxi to/from Puerto Natales is around $35. You will have a group briefing in the evening with our head guide to prepare you for the journey ahead. The guide will do a full gear check and review of the itinerary before heading to sleep that evening!
We will start our trip early in the morning, leaving Puerto Natales for a 2 – 2.5-hour drive to the West entrance of the National Park Torres del Paine. On the way, you can enjoy the view of the mountains that form the amazing landscape of Patagonia. We will pass by lakes, forest and also one of the best lookouts of the entire National Park Mountain range. After we check in at the ranger station and entrance of the park, we will continue driving for another half an hour to get to Pudeto Peer. We will take a catamaran that will take us approximately 25 minutes over to Lake Pehoe, known as the most beautiful lake in the region due to its bright colors, until we get to the Paine Grande Campsite. From here we start to get ready for our first hike and the official start of the ‘W’ Trail. After a quick organizational break, we begin hiking towards Campsite Grey. This will be an 11 km / 7-mile hike with amazing views over the Grey Lake, which displays the impressive geological changes that have happened in this area. When arriving to the campsite, we will do a short check in and prepare for a delicious dinner within the Refugio. The trek today will take about 4-5 hours and cover 11 km / 7 miles, with an elevation gain of 370m / 1,214 feet.
On the morning of our second day, we do a half-day hike that goes up to an amazing viewpoint of glaciers and the Southern Patagonian Icefield. We will be able to do this section of the hike with a light daypack. During this hike, we will cross mainly forest and two hanging bridges to get to an encompassing view over Glacier Grey. Coming back to the Refugio, we will pack our backpacks and start our hike back to Paine Grande Campsite, where we will stay for the night. This area is known for its amazing views of the “Cuernos”, big granite walls that are part of the unique mountain range of the National Park, and also the strong gusts of wind that can make camping an all-together more challenging experience. Dinner will be served within the Refugio. Today you will trek for 7-8 hours and cover up to11 km / 7 miles with an elevation gain of 370m / 1,214 feet.
On the third day, we make our way to the beautiful Valle del Francés. We start our walk from Paine Grande to Campsite Italiano, over rolling hills we will arrive at a ranger station at the foot of the valley. There are 2 viewpoints to hike to; the first viewpoint is called Mirador Francés, it will take us 1 hour hiking up some steep parts of the valley. From this viewpoint, you can enjoy the view of the hanging glacier coming down from the largest mountain in the park, the Paine Grande. From this spot, it is another hour and a half to get to the second viewpoint called Británico. This next part of the trail is easier and relaxing, with a boulder field at the end where you will have amazing 360° views around you. The Británico lookout is on a big rock formation at the end of the valley, the best spot for the perfect picture from the Valle del Francés. After enjoying the view, we turn around and go back to Campsite Italiano. From here we have another half an hour of hiking to our campsite for the night, Domes Francés. Beautiful round structures on a hillside where you can enjoy beautiful views over the Nordenskjold Lake. Dinner will be served inside. Today you will trek 8-9 hours and cover 21 km / 13 miles with an elevation gain of up to 680m / 3,117 feet.
Today is one of the longer days on the W Trek. We will cross forest, pebble beaches, some steep inclines, and descents, all this with views overlooking Lago Nordenskjold and up against the impressive walls of the Cuernos and the Almirante Nieto Mountain. Around every corner you will find a different perspective of the Patagonian steppe, making this a beautiful landscape. The trek today today will be approximately 5-6 hours and will cover 15.6 km/ 9.7 miles, with an elevation gain of 725m/ 2,378 feet.
This is our last trekking day, going up to the famous Torres del Paine. A full day of hiking with only our daypack. Starting the hike up into the mountain, we will have an amazing view from the green Ascencio Valley, and the mountains from the surrounding views. After 2 hours hiking up, we reach “The Pass of the Wind”, this is the best view of the entire valley Ascencio. From here we start walking down to Refugio Chileno, located next to the river of the valley. After a short break we will continue hiking for another hour into the valley, through the beautiful Magellan Forest. At the end of the forest, we will find “Camp Torres” and the ranger station of the area. From here we start hiking the last section of the trail, for 45 minutes we make our way up to the “Mirador” where you can see the three towers standing in front of a glacial lake. After enjoying the spectacular view of the towers, we will make our way back down to the campsite. This marks the end of our trek. We will then take our private transportation back to Puerto Natales. Today you will trek 8-9 hours, covering 24 km / 15 miles with an elevation gain of 880m / 2,887 feet.
This morning, you may enjoy a relaxed breakfast in your hotel and have time to explore Puerto Natales afterwards. You will want to arrange with the hotel a taxi back to the airport, allowing at least two hours before your flight departs. This will be the end of your Patagonian Adventure!
Country:
Chile
Duration:
7 Days
Distance:
72 km
Max. Altitude:
870m / 2,854ft
Difficulty:
Challenging
Group Size:
6

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.