All About the W Trek in Torres del Paine
The famous “W-Trek” of Torres del Paine is a much sought-after walking trail that people from all over the world come to experience. The reason is rather simple. The path is in the centre of the spectacular Torres del Paine National Park in the heart of Patagonia, in Southern Chile.
For those lucky enough to come here you can walk with and experience an incredible sense of freedom amid the raw, natural beautiful landscape of Patagonia. Here you can see tall, vertically sided, needle-like granite towers, blue-coloured lagoons; massive, jagged mountain peaks, hanging glaciers, huge moving glaciers, large lakes, waterfalls, puma’s, guanacos, eagles, condors and native forests to name some of the great attributes to this part of the world. And, in addition to that you can kayak in a lake past icebergs, climb on a glacier, ride at fast speed in a zodiac up or down river and horse ride. If you ever wanted to “feel alive”, then a visit and walk on the W Trek will certainly give you that feeling.
Here, below, we outline all you need to know about the W Trek in Torres del Paine.
Then, if you refer to the above tabs you will find more key information about the W Trek such as route descriptions, accommodation descriptions as well as hiking times and distances.
Warning:
Weather can change in an instant in Torres del Paine. Take the right clothes for cold wind and wet weather, sturdy walking boots, extra food and water, and a torch and DO NOT go off the TRAIL.
Torres del Paine W-Trek Brief Summary
Total Trekking Distance: 75km approx., depending on which route you take.
Number of Days: Full Trek 5 days, but shorter version can be done in 4 days.
Starting and End Points:
East to West
- Start at Refugio Chileno, Refugio Central (or Norte) or Hotel Las Torres, or ECO Camp
- End at Refugio Grey
West to East
- Start at Refugio Grey, or Paine Grande
- End at Refugio Chileno, Refugio Central (or Norte), Hotel Las Torres, or ECO Camp
Note:
- Made bed means duvet, pillow and sheets.
- Simple bed + Kit: The staff provide you the sheets and duvet and you set up the bed.
- Full Board Means: Hot dinner, breakfast and box lunch (in this order).
Usual Meal Times:
- Dinner: 19:30 – 21:30hrs
- Breakfast: 07:30 – 09:30hrs
- Lunch: 19:30 – 21:30hrs (if trekking you will get a box lunch to go).
The Highest Points:
- The French Valley, Mirador Britanico at 1,200m
- The Torres Base at the base, 870m
About Hiking the W Trek in Torres del Paine
Taking between 4 – 5 full days of hiking, the full W Trek will enable you to see all of Torres Del Paine National Park’s best views, like the Base of the Towers, the French Valley and the Grey Lake.
For the W Trek, traditionally visitors stay in various refugios (hostels) each night for the duration of the trek. However, some choose to camp.
Here at Experience Chile we provide full-board reservations, so you won’t need to buy your own food on the trek.
Suggestion
Consider asking us to reserve accommodation in Puerto Natales or El Calafate the night before you start your trek and the night of the day you end your trek. Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine is approx 2hrs on the old road or 1hr to the CONAF ADMIN (Sector Serrano) on the new road that passes by the Milodon cave. Punta Arenas from Puerto Natales is approx 3hrs. There is a direct bus from El Calafate to TDP and also TDP to El Calafate and this transfer takes approx 6hrs.
Fitness
In order to trek the Circuit and “W” people need to be reasonably fit, not necessarily as an athlete, but perfectly able to walk for up to 10hrs a day (in the longest sectors) over rugged terrain, uphill, over streams and rocks, through woods and sometimes in driving rain and strong winds. If you are not able to endure this environment, you should seriously consider not trekking in TDP.
Questions
The majority of people trek the trail self-guided. The routes are sign-posted clearly with orange-painted poles and are also well-trodden paths and, in the summer season (Dec – Jan – Feb) there will be numerous other hikers about. Nevertheless, this is wilderness country, very remote and subject to sudden changes in weather that can make conditions tough. Do NOT go off the trail because even if you have the slightest incident like a twisted ankle you may find that no one will find you. It is essential that all walkers have the right clothing and food and know what to do it they are caught out in extreme, unpredicted bad weather.
However, if you are a group you should take a guide to comply with the Park regulations, or if you are unsure of doing the trek on your own. The guide will also be able to inform you of valuable information during the trek, about geological features, vegetation, and wildlife, as well as handle the check-in.
Porters are available to carry one, back-pack style bag (NOT a suitcase) up to 15kg in weight.
For both a guide and / or porter there is, of course, additional cost.
People coming from Santiago will inevitably pass by Puerto Natales, either coming from Punta Arenas or on a direct flight to the village. Therefore, Puerto Natales is the ideal stop-off for a night or two pre and / or post your visit to Torres del Paine. Also, here at Experience Chile, we operate W Trek programs based from Puerto Natales, whereupon you can avoid the dorm-room sleeping situation in the refugios and, instead, enjoy a decent hotel or top-end hotel as well as restaurants and “vibe” of a village.
The other place to stay pre and / or post the W Trek is in El Calafate, over the border in Argentina, which is a 6hr transfer away. Moreover, over at El Calafate you will be able to visit the impressive Perito Moreno Glacier and / or go trekking at El Chalten (3hr transfer).
The W route is called so because the path you walk forms a pattern in the shape of a “W”, when viewed down from above.
For most of the time walking the footpaths in TDP you will be staring at the ground a few paces in front and looking up occasionally, and then stopping to take in the breath-taking views all around.
However, a number of people ask which way is better. In reality there is really no specific advantage over the other, but the main differences are that going West to East means that from Paine Grande you will have the Cuernos del Paine in view for most of the way, hanging glaciers on your left, and lakes on your right as well as the prevailing wind, which, if blowing, will be on your back.
If you go East to West you will have the beautiful view of the lakes to your left and hanging glaciers on your right and the prevailing wind against you, if it is blowing.
Ultimately, it is better to plan the route around the reality of travel logistics and connections you will require.
There is an entrance fee to pay to enter Torres del Paine and this will need to be paid in Chilean Pesos or in USD– equal to approx USD50 per person. Experience Chile will pre-arrange entry tickets for all our clients and have them sent to your cel phone or email.
Payment for all extras at the refugios can be paid in USD or in Chilean Pesos
Chile has a modern network of ATM machines called Red Bank located in many areas (banks, supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations) in villages, towns and cities. It is easy to use a debit or credit card to get local currency cash out BUT NOT within Torres del Paine so ensure you have enough CASH with you before entering the park. More refugios are now accepting credit cards too (but do not rely on this).
Torres del Paine offers visitors various accommodation alternatives ranging from camping, to refugios (these are hostels), to hotels and luxury lodges. For those walking the W Trek, the question for you is what type of person are you and how much money do you have to spend?
Seasons
Torres del Paine High Season
The busiest months are December, January and February, therefore, the trekking route and Torres Del Paine National Nark will be more crowded during this time.
For the reason mentioned above, October, November; March and April are considered by “those in the know” to the best months to embark on the W-Trek.
If your schedule is flexible, out of all the options we recommend visiting the park in April because it is quieter and there is less wind.
All bookings will need to be made up to one year in advance in order to secure your spot. However, if you have limited availability, don’t hesitate to get in touch and we can build a custom travel itinerary that suits your exact needs.
The Torres del Paine Low Season
The winter months of Chilean Patagonia (late April to early September) present challenges to itinerary design that have to be worked around. Days are shorter and the weather is generally colder, leading to a high likelihood of snow on the roads and trails.
Self-guided programs are not available as a result and many hostels scale back their opening hours and services offered to compensate for the reduced quantity of tourists. If a Patagonian winter is still the only time you can make it, or you just love a challenge, we can still easily create your custom itinerary to work around these restrictions.
Torres del Paine W Trek Info & Advice
Buses
All regular buses from Puerto Natales pass by Laguna Amarga (and Pudeto and the CONAF ADMIN Center). Laguna Amarga is 7km from sector Las Torres (1.5hr trek, unless you take the shuttle bus, for which there is a very low charge). Shuttle buses run regularly between Laguna Amarga and the area for Hotel Las Torres, Refugio Torres Central and Refugio Torres Norte (located in the same sector). Refugio Chileno is a 2.5hr hike from Refugio Torres Central.
Bus Puerto Natales - Torres Del Paine | Bus 1 | Bus 2 |
---|---|---|
Leaves Puerto Natales | 7.30am | 2.30pm |
Arrives at Laguna Amarga (park office) | 9.45am | 4.45pm |
Arrives at Pudeto (ferry) | 10.30am | 5.15pm |
Bus Puerto Natales - Torres Del Paine | Bus 1 | Bus 2 |
---|---|---|
Leaves Puerto Natales | 7.30am | 2.30pm |
Arrives at Laguna Amarga (park office) | 9.45am | 4.45pm |
Arrives at Pudeto (ferry) | 10.30am | 5.15pm |
Catamaran
The catamaran operates between Pudeto (no accommodation here) and Refugio Paine Grande. NO previous reservations are accepted, and it costs approx USD35 per person, each way. Take Chilean Pesos ($25.000 CLP) if you can, although in the high season they accept USD too.
Catamaran Departure Times 2021 - 2022 The crossing takes about 25 minutes | From Pudeto | From Pudeto |
---|---|---|
01 Sep to 15 Sep | 11.00am | 11.35am |
16 Sep to 31 Oct | 11.00am 6.00pm | 11.35am 6.35pm |
01 Nov - 30 Nov | 9.00am 11.00am 6.00pm | 9.35am 11.35am 6.35pm |
01 Dec 2019 to 31 Mar 2020 | 9.00am 11.00am 4.15pm 6.00pm | 9.35am 11.35am 5.00pm 6.15pm |
Christmas & New Year | 12.00pm 4.15pm 6.00pm | 12.35pm 5.00pm 6.35pm |
01 Apr to 30 Apr | 11.00am 6.00pm | 11.35am 6.35pm |
Only the 1st and the 15th of each month 01 May to 31 Aug | 12.00pm | 12.35pm |
Note: Crossing charge approx USD35 per person - One back pack per person. |
Glacier Grey Navigation
This operates from Hotel Lago Grey and offers excursions to see the Glacier Grey, but ALSO drops off and collects people at Refugio Grey.
It goes FIRST to the Refugio Grey to drop off and collect passengers, and AFTER THAT it passes in front of the glacier, except for navigation 3 (see chart below).
The return trip from Hotel Grey back to Hotel Grey passes in front of the glacier and also the one way trip FROM the refugio to Hotel Grey passes in front of the glacier.
From Hotel Lago Grey the trip begins in a small inlet and takes in the length of Lago Grey passing by any icebergs that are floating in the lake. On a clear day the surrounding scenery is spectacular with views of hanging glaciers and snow-caped peaks around the Park. After about 45mins the boat will reach the drop-off point for people going to, and coming from, refugio grey.
Once other passengers coming from refugio grey have come aboard the trip continues towards Glacier Grey, passing by the face of the glacier. Here, in the face of the glacier you will see the stunning spectrum of blue-coloured ice and jagged ice peaks, and hear the crack and rumble of the glacier splitting as it moves. The lined walls of the mountains will show clear evidence of the glacial forces that twisted and scratched lines onto the rock.
Included: Pisco, with ice from the glacier (made thousands of years ago).
Glacier Grey Navigation 2020 - 2021 | Check-in Hotel Grey | Departs Hotel Grey | Arrives Refugio Grey | Departs Refugio Grey | Arrives Hotel Grey |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hotel Grey - Refugio Grey - Glacier Grey - Hotel Grey | |||||
1 Navigation - Refugio first then glacier | 9.00am | 10.00am | 10.45am | 11.00am | 12.45pm |
2 Navigation - Refugio first then glacier | 12.00pm | 1.00pm | 1.45pm | 2.00pm | 3.45pm |
3 Navigation - Glacier first then refugio | 3.00pm | 4.00pm | 5.30pm | 5.45pm | 6.45pm |
4 Navigation - Min 25 Pax, only summer | 6.00pm | 7.00pm | 7.45pm | 8.00pm | 9.30pm |
Take a warm jacket, warm hat and even gloves as it can be quite cold when the wind blows down off the ice. Note that this service is subject to local weather conditions and when there is too much wind it will not operate.