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11 GUIDED W Trek from Camp Serrano

INTRODUCTION

GUIDED W Trek from Camp Serrano

GUIDED W Trek from Camp Serrano

Duration
3 Nights / 4 Days
Style
Guided
From
USD $2,320 PP

From USD $2,320 Per Person

All Inclusive

Introduction

This Torres del Paine W Trek is a fully guided itinerary. Included is accommodation in prearranged, pitched tents, and is a low cost way to enjoy the full W Hike.

The itinerary program will be escorted by one of Torres del Paine’s top guides who will educate and look after all participants during this 4 Nights / 5 Days W Trek Hike itinerary. You will see the famous TORRES BASE, the FRENCH VALLEY and get to the GREY LOOK OUT POINT.

Note that this itinerary has the following fixed, first night dates:

JAN 2027 – 02 / 06 / 09 / 13 / 17 / 21 / 25 / 29

FEB 2027 – 02 / 07 / 12 / 17 / 27 / 26 / 30

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Your Day-By-Day Itinerary

Where you will be met by your driver who will take you to your hotel. Evening briefing with your guide to discuss the hiking ahead. Night at Hotel Puerto Natales.

NIGHT: Puerto Natales (not included in the cost)

06:00 a 06:30 / Pick-up from Puerto Natales We depart from Puerto Natales after picking you up at your accommodation and travel to Torres del Paine National Park via Route 9. After a 1.5-hour drive, we arrive at Laguna Amarga Entrance, where we complete registration before continuing to Las Torres Reserve Welcome Center. Here, our guides will provide a briefing as we prepare for our first activity: the Base Torres Trek. This is the park’s most famous hike and one of the world’s most recognized trekking routes. Accompanied by our guides, we will hike 22 km round trip in approximately 8 hours along a medium-high difficulty trail that introduces us to the mountain environment. Upon reaching Base Torres Viewpoint at 870 m.a.s.l., we will enjoy our box lunch while admiring the spectacular South, Central, and North Towers (De Agostini, Central, and Monzino), together with Torres Glacier and its lagoon. We then descend along the same trail to the Welcome Center, where our vehicle will trans- fer us to Serrano Camping at the western entrance of the national park. Our campsite host will welcome us with snacks and regional beverages before dinner, where you may choose from three main course options. Overnight accommodation is in our fully equipped campsite with pre-assembled tents. The following morning, after breakfast, we will receive our box lunch before starting the second day of your adventure.

After breakfast, you will be collected from your accommodation in Puerto Natales.
Hike up to CHILENO 6.1km / 3.8m – Altitude: 43m – 2.5hr hike.
Go on to Torres Base 4.8km / 3m – Altitude: 43m – 2hr hike.
Back to CHILENO 4.8km / 3m – Altitude: 43m – 2hr hike.
Continue down to the Welcome Centre 6.1km / 3.8m – Altitude: 43m – 2.5hr hike.

NIGHT: Base Camp Serrano

07:00 HRS - FROM CAMPING SERRANO After breakfast, we travel by vehicle to the Pudeto area to board the catamaran. We will sail for approximately 25 minutes across Lake Pehoé toward Paine Grande Refuge, enjoying outstanding views of the Paine Massif and Salto Grande. After disembarking, we begin a 22 km round-trip trek of approximately 8 hours along a low to medium difficulty trail bordering Lake Skottsberg. Upon reaching the Italiano Camp area, we will stop briefly to rest and have a snack before entering the French Valley, a landscape shaped by intense glacial activity. Here, we will enjoy unique views of the southwest face of the Paine Massif and its surroundings as we continue to the viewpoint overlooking the magnificent French Glacier. After enjoying our box lunch and a well-deserved rest, we return along the same trail and board the catamaran back to Pudeto. Our vehicle will be waiting to transfer us to Serrano Camping. After a snack and dinner, we will spend the night at our campsite and prepare for the final day of the adventure.

Paine Grande to French Valley Entrance: 7.8km / 4.8m – Altitude: 43m – 2hrs 40mins hike.
French Valley Entrance to the FV Viewpoint: 2.6km / 1.6m – Altitude: 43m – 1hr 30min hike.
Total time from Paine Grande to the FV Viewpoint and back is: 10.4km / 6.5 – Altitude: 43m – 8hrs 30mins hike.

NIGHT: Base Camp Serrano

07:00 HRS - FROM CAMPING SERRANO After breakfast, we depart from our campsite in Río Serrano and head to the Pudeto area to board the catamaran that will take us to Paine Grande, where we begin our route toward Grey Refugio. After disembarking, we start an 11 km trek (one way), taking approximately 4 hours along a medium-difficulty trail through lenga forests and offering beautiful views of Paine Grande and Lake Grey. Upon arrival at Grey Refuge, we will enjoy lunch, rest, and take in the stunning natural surroundings. We then continue on a 1-hour hike to the Grey Glacier Viewpoint before descending to the beach to board the Grey III catamaran. From the water, we will admire the three faces of Grey Glacier before sailing to Grey Beach in the Pingo sector, where our vehicle and luggage will be waiting for us to begin our return journey to Puerto Natales.

After breakfast, you will receive a box lunch and join the shared transfer to Pudeto for the catamaran crossing to Paine Grande. Our guide will escort the group to the Grey lookout from where there is a panoramic view over Grey Lake and the Glacier Grey in the distance. After some time taking in the spectacular view, the hike will continue on to Refugio Grey. From here, is the weather is good, you will board the Navigation Grey for the trip that passes in front of Glacier Grey and ends the other end of Grey Lake, from where the transfer will meet you and take you to Puerto Natales. Night at your hotel in Puerto Natales.

NIGHT: Puerto Natales (Ask Experience Chile to arrange this, and your pre hike Natales accommodation, cost as per your budget)

W Trek : FAQs

Most people walk the W self-guided — the trail is clearly sign-posted with orange poles and busy in summer — but groups must take a guide to comply with park regulations.

It should be said that 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.

Take Note

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.

Stay in Puerto Natales — it is the gateway village for Torres del Paine and everyone arriving from Santiago passes through it. El Calafate in Argentina, six hours away, is the alternative.

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.

Based in Natales

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.

Alternatively, 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 trek is called the W because the path forms the shape of a “W” when seen from above. The three upward strokes are the Ascensio Valley to the Torres Base, the French Valley in the centre and the Grey Glacier valley in the west, joined by the two stretches along Lake Nordenskjöld and Lake Pehoé.

Neither direction has a specific advantage — plan the route around your travel logistics and connections instead. Walking west to east you keep the Cuernos del Paine in view from Paine Grande, hanging glaciers to your left and lakes to your right, with the prevailing wind behind you. East to west gives you the lakes on your left and the glaciers on your right, with the wind against you.

For most of the time walking the footpaths in Torres del Paine 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.

Is There Any Advantage?

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.

Bring Chilean Pesos or US Dollars — both are accepted for the park entrance fee and for extras at the refugios — and draw your cash before you enter, because there are no ATMs inside Torres del Paine.

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.

Extras

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).

Refugios suit most walkers — a bed in a six-person dorm with hot showers and meals included. Camping is the budget option, and hotels or luxury lodges in the park cost more but give you a private room every night.

Torres del Paine offers visitors various accommodation alternatives ranging from camping, to refugios (these are hostels), to hotels and luxury lodges.

For a fuller comparison of each option on the trail, see the W Trek Accommodation section on this page.

Some of Our Testimonials

Group 88

“All in all one of the best holidays we have ever had, if not the best, so thank you for putting together such an enjoyable itinerary for us.

With best wishes for the new year.”

Joe

Group 88 (1)

“Our 60th birthday trip has been so amazing because of your fantastic help. We both turned 60 years old in 2018 so we wanted to celebrate by proving to ourselves we were still fit enough to do this kind of trip.

Your help made this easy, so THANK YOU!!!!!!”

Randy and E

Group 88 (2)

“We are getting ready to leave and I just wanted to thank you for helping us along the way. We had a great time and the weather was perfect. On the “O circuit” all your arrangements went smoothly.“

Marc

MEET EXPERIENCECHILE.ORG DIRECTOR, CHARLES HALLIFAX

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