Wind, granite and glaciers
Patagonia
Torres del Paine is the reason people fall in love with the south. Turquoise lakes, guanacos on the road, and weather that changes four times before lunch.
- Best time
- November to March — November is spring, green and less crowded
- Recommended days
- 6–7 days door to door (5 days for the W trek itself)
- Getting there
- 2h flight Santiago–Puerto Natales, then a short transfer to town
Where to fly
Fly Santiago (SCL) → Puerto Natales (PNT) with LATAM or JetSMART — about 2 hours. From the airport it is a quick 10-minute taxi or transfer to Puerto Natales town. Puerto Natales is your base; from there it is 2 hours by bus to the park entrance at Laguna Amarga. You can also fly into Punta Arenas (PUQ) and take the 3-hour bus to Puerto Natales, but Puerto Natales saves a long transfer.
What not to miss
Base de las Torres
The three granite towers over a milky green lake. A steep 8–9 hour return hike, and the postcard everybody comes for.
Glaciar Grey
A wall of blue ice at the end of Lago Grey, with icebergs drifting past you. Reach it by catamaran or on the western arm of the W.
Valle del Francés
The middle arm of the W: hanging glaciers cracking above you all day and the Cuernos closing in at the top of the valley.
Puerto Natales
Colourful tin houses on the fjord, the best coffee and pisco sours before and after the trek, and where you rent anything you forgot.
Day by day
Day 1
Puerto Natales
Arrive and settle into your accommodation — there are plenty of welcoming home stays in Puerto Natales. Walk to the bus station and buy a ticket for the early bus the next morning, which will take you to the entrance of Torres del Paine.
Day 2
W day 1 — Base de las Torres
Take the early bus to Laguna Amarga, hike up to the towers and sleep at Refugio Central.
Day 3
W day 2 — Los Cuernos
Along Lago Nordenskjöld to Refugio Los Cuernos or Francés. Flat-ish, windy, spectacular.
Day 4
W day 3 — Valle del Francés
Up the middle valley to Mirador Británico, then on to Paine Grande for the night.
Day 5
W day 4 — Glaciar Grey
Along Lago Grey to Refugio Grey, hanging bridges and ice on the water.
Day 6
W day 5 — catamaran out
Back to Paine Grande and the catamaran across Lago Pehoé, bus to Puerto Natales, a very deserved dinner.
How to plan the W trek
The W is 5 days, roughly 80 km, west to east or east to west. You can sleep in refugios or camp, with the option to book a tent and sleeping bag already set up and waiting for you. It is not technical, but the bookings are the hard part.
- 1Pick your direction. We walked east → west (towers first, glacier last) so the hardest day is on fresh legs.
- 2Book refugios first, flights second. Beds open around May for the following season and the popular nights disappear in days.
- 3You need two bookings: Las Torres Patagonia for Chileno / Central / Francés / Cuernos, and Vértice for Paine Grande / Grey.
- 4Bring some food, but not too much: you can also buy warm meals at the refugios along the route.
- 5Buy your CONAF park ticket online (aspticket.cl) and print it; there is no ticket office at the gate.
- 6On the day you arrive in Puerto Natales, go straight to the bus terminal and book the public bus to the park for the next morning — the early departure sells out.
- 7Sleep in a small home stay or hostel in Puerto Natales that first night: cheap, warm, and they let you leave your extra luggage while you trek.
- 8For the last day, book the Lago Pehoé catamaran and the bus back to Puerto Natales in advance — both fill up and the last connection of the day is tight.
- 9Leave a spare day in Puerto Natales at the end — Patagonian weather rearranges plans.
- 10Rent what you do not want to fly with (poles, sleeping bag, big pack) in Puerto Natales — it is cheap and easy.
- 11To actually walk on Glaciar Grey, book an ice hike with Big Foot Patagonia in advance — they are the only operator on the glacier.
Where to stay
- · In the park on the W: stay in refugios or choose camping, including ready-to-sleep tents with sleeping bags already set up for your arrival
- · Not trekking? Hotel Lago Grey or Explora inside the park
- · Puerto Natales: Vinnhaus, Kau Lodge or The Singular
Don't forget
- · Layers, and a genuinely windproof jacket — November wind is no joke
- · Book refugios the moment they open (usually the previous May) — they sell out
- · Buy your park entrance online in advance; it is not sold at the gate
Who we booked with
Las Torres Patagonia (Fantástico Sur)
The refugios on the eastern half of the W: Central, Chileno, Francés and Los Cuernos. This is where we booked the first nights.
Visit websiteVértice Patagonia
The western half: Paine Grande and Grey. Two separate companies, two separate bookings — that is the part everyone gets wrong.
Visit websitePark entrance — Aspticket (CONAF)
Buy your Torres del Paine ticket online before you travel.
Visit websiteBus Sur / Buses Fernández
Puerto Natales ↔ park entrance. Book the park bus the day before.
Visit websiteBig Foot Patagonia
The only operator that takes you walking on Glaciar Grey with crampons. Book the ice hike well in advance.
Visit website