Updated 7th January 2018.
Hiking the W in Torres del Paine is an amazing and challenging experience, so here’s some Torres del Paine tips for anyone else who’s thinking of doing it.
You can read about our experience hiking the W here: Part 1 & Part 2
The Route
There are two multi-day hikes in Torres del Paine: the W and the Circuit (or O). The W is the most popular one and the one we’ll be focusing on here in our Torres del Paine tips. The Circuit follows the W but then also takes a few days to go around the backside of the mountains before ending up back at the start again.
Normally the W is done in 4-5 days, but there is no limit on how fast or slow you can go. You just have to sleep at the authorised campsites/refuges each night. You can start in the east and head west, or vice versa. The different directions have their pros and cons, but in the end it doesn’t really matter which direction you pick.
When to Hike
Summer (December – March) is the most popular season because of the long days and warmer weather, but it also comes with high winds. Up to 130km/h! Autumn, when we went, is very beautiful with the leaves of the trees changing colours. In winter you get snow which make the park look magical.
In summer (December – March) the temperatures range from 5-8°C at night to 16-19°C during the day. And in winter (June – August) you get -3°C to -1°C at night and 4-7°C during the day. But these are just averages, and you can get very cold weather in the summer and mild weather in the winter. Patagonia has crazy weather.
Accommodation
Camping isn’t the only way to sleep in the park. You can stay in refuges with dorm rooms, little cabins or even private rooms (only in the Las Torres Hotel area). Camping does give you more options for planning your route as some sites are camping only. If you don’t like sleeping in a tent then you can still hike the W, but you will need to walk further during the day to get to the refuges. Note that you can’t just camp anywhere, it must be in the authorised campsites.
As of the 2016/2017 trekking season ALL ACCOMMODATION IN THE PARK MUST BE BOOKED BEFORE ENTERING. During the busy summer season it’s best to do this in advance, but in the quieter early spring, autumn & winter seasons you might be able to get away with booking directly at the offices when you arrive in Puerto Natales. Feedback for this system has been mixed so the government might change this in the future.
The three organisations running the campsites/refuges are:
CONAF
http://www.parquetorresdelpaine.cl/en/
CONAF operate Camp Italiano & Camp Torres (near the base of the Towers). Their sites are free, but you can only reserve one night in each camp.
NB: For the 2017/2018 hiking season, Camp Torres is closed for maintenance.
Fantasticosur
http://www.fantasticosur.com/en/
Fantasticosur operate Camp Frances, Los Cuernos Camp/Refuge, El Chileno Camp/Refuge and various camps and refuges in the Las Torres Hotel area. They also rent tents and camping equipment at each of their campsites which can save you some weight in your backpack. If you camp at Los Cuernos or Chileno it is much more expensive because you are automatically charged full board (3 meals). It’s actually cheaper to stay in the refuge.
Vertice
http://www.verticepatagonia.cl/home
Vertice operate Grey Camp/Refuge and Paine Grande Camp/Refuge. Like Fantasticosur they also rent out tents and camping equipment. But you’re not automatically charged full board for camping so it’s not so expensive.
Difficulty of the Hike
This is not an easy hike so if you’re not sure you can carry camping gear the whole way, maybe look at staying in refuges, renting camping equipment at each campsite or organising a tour where you only carry daypacks (like we did through Cascada).
The time estimates on the official map require you to keep up a steady pace the whole time. They don’t include breaks. If you’re taking a relaxed pace or stopping for lots of photos, then you should add an extra 25% onto the time estimates. Make sure you add an hour or two to your hiking time estimates per day in case of injuries or tiredness. Your knees will definitely feel it coming out of French Valley & coming down from the Towers.
The hardest sections are the hikes in French Valley (Valle Frances) and Ascencio Valley (to the Towers). So try and organise your route so that you aren’t walking too far on the days that you go into these valleys. Going downhill is also difficult because of the rough and steep terrain, so don’t dismiss it. The final ascent up to the Towers is similar in difficulty to the final ascent up to Mount Fitz Roy in El Chalten, Argentina.
In comparison, the rest of the hike is pretty straightforward. It goes up and down, and there are a few steepish sections, but they don’t last for long.
I’m not trying to discourage you here, but I think it’s important that you have a realistic idea of what’s in store for you so you can be prepared rather than get caught out and not enjoy yourself.
Luckily altitude is not an issue here, all of the hike is under 1000m so you won’t have to worry about thin air.
Before the Hike
Spend a day or two in Puerto Natales to stock up on gear, food and info. The best place to get info is from Erratic Rock Hostel. Every afternoon at 3:00 they have a free info session, and can answer whatever questions you might still have. Anyone can go, you don’t have to be staying at the hostel. But it is a good place to meet trekking partners if you’re looking for some.
You can hire pretty much all the equipment you need like tents, stoves, sleeping bags, trekking poles, etc. in Puerto Natales. You’ll still need to bring your own clothes or buy them there (expensive!).
Clothing
Regardless of the season you’ll need to have some warm clothes as well as a good rain jacket & rain pants. Torres del Paine is well known for having 4 seasons in one day. So you’ll need to be prepared for heavy rain, high winds, snow & frost.
While you’re actually hiking you don’t need lots of warm clothes since your body will warm up pretty quickly once you get going. Just a pair of uninsulated trekking pants and a breathable shirt are all that’s needed when when you’re hiking. Try to avoid cotton as it tends to absorb water and takes a long time to dry, which will make you cold. Make sure you have a fleece or puffy jacket to put on when you sit down for a break. Or just a rain jacket if the weather’s nice. Every time we stopped for a break we were freezing cold again after a couple of minutes.
If it’s very frosty then you might need to hike in a jacket and some gloves and a beanie. And if it’s raining or very windy then your rain jacket & rain pants will be useful. If you’re not cold, and the rain doesn’t look like it will last for long you may be better off not bothering with your rain gear. Just embrace the rain instead of putting on your rain gear only to take it off again 15 minutes later because the rain stopped and you’re sweaty again.
Don’t forget to bring a few pairs of thick woollen hiking socks and a sturdy pair of waterproof hiking boots. Make sure the boots have been broken in before you get to Torres del Paine.
You definitely want warm clothes for when you’re at camp (and not working up a sweat). And for nighttime if you’re in a cabin or tent. Camp is where you want to layer up in your long woollen thermals, especially if you’re in a tent. It can get very cold at night.
Even though they’re not clothing, trekking poles are strongly recommended! They’re not just for old people, they’re literally lifesavers on the steep descents. They’re good for helping you keep your balance on the steep sections (especially with a big bag), help take the weight off your knees and can stop you falling flat on your face when you trip or slip.
Suggested Routes & Tips
Tips for Las Torres
To make the trip up to the Towers easier you should try and stay at Camp Torres or Chileno Camp/Refuge the night before. These are 1-2 hours from the Las Torres lookout, so you can do the final climb first thing in the morning when you’re fresh. (And enjoy seeing the Towers brilliantly lit up in the dawn light if you’re staying at Camp Torres). I would avoid staying in the Las Torres Hotel area the night before heading up to the towers just because it adds a lot of time and effort to your day before reaching the Towers. But it might be unavoidable in peak season.
NB: For the 2017/2018 hiking season, Camp Torres is closed for maintenance.
Tips for French Valley
The best time of day to see French Glacier is in the morning. The lighting is better, and if it’s sunny the sun will warm up the snow and create avalanches.
If you’re camping, then going to French Valley will be easiest if you can stay at Camp Italiano one night and Camp Frances the other night. And then spend the day between going all the way up to Mirador Britanico and back with only a daypack. So you only have to carry your camping gear for 30 minutes (the distance between the two camps). Even if you’re not into camping, I would strongly suggest you spend one night at Camp Frances rather than go all the way from Los Cuernos Refuge, up to Mirador Britanico, then down and on to Paine Grande Refuge like we did.
Suggested Routes
Here’s my suggested routes for each direction. I’ve been a bit generous and picked a route that has shorter walking days so you can stop for lots of breaks and photos, and enjoy the scenery. This does end up adding an extra day to the usual hiking time for the W.
West to East
Day 1
Take the morning bus to Pudeto, then take the boat to Paine Grande Refuge. Walk to Grey Camp/Refuge & spend the night here. Total walking: 11km, 3.5 hours.
Optional extra day: Spend an extra night at Grey Camp/Refuge so you can go hiking on the glacier (6 hours) or kayaking on the lake in front of it (2.5 hours).
Day 2
Take a short walk to the glacier viewpoint (the sun is in a better position for photos/views in the morning). Hike from Grey Camp/Refuge to Camp Italiano or Camp Frances and spend the night here. Total walking: 18.5 – 20.5km, 6 – 6.5 hours.
Day 3
Take just a daypack and hike up into French Valley. Make sure you spend some time at Mirador Frances to watch the avalanches. As you get closer to Mirador Britanico the path gets harder to follow and you might think you’ve come to the lookout when you reach the open areas. The lookout it actually up a steep scramble up big boulders. You’ll know you’ve reached it when you see a big plaque at the top. After enjoying lunch with a view, head back down and spend the night in Camp Frances. Total walking: 12km, 6.5 – 7 hours.
Day 4
Hike from Camp Frances to Chileno Camp/Refugio. Or you can continue on to Camp Torres if you have your own gear. Total walking: 16 – 19km – 7 – 8.5 hours.
NB: For the 2017/2018 hiking season, Camp Torres is closed for maintenance.
Day 5
Get up nice and early and hike the last section up to the Towers and enjoy your achievement in the beautiful morning light. Then hike down to Las Torres Hotel area and either spend a night here or walk / take the shuttle to Laguna Amarga where you can take the bus back to Puerto Natales. Total walking: 11 – 14km, 5.5 – 7 hours.
Suggested Route (East to West)
Day 1
Take the bus to Laguna Amarga then walk / take the shuttle to Las Torres Hotel area. Hike up to Chileno Camp/Refuge (or Camp Torres if you have your own equipment) and spend the night here. Total walking: 5 – 8km, 2 – 3.5 hours.
NB: For the 2017/2018 hiking season, Camp Torres is closed for maintenance.
Day 2
Get up early so you can see the Towers lit up in the beautiful morning light. Then hike down to Las Torres Hotel area and spend the night here. Total walking: 11 – 14km, 5.5 – 7 hours.
Day 3
Hike from Las Torres Hotel area to Camp Frances and spend the night here. Total walking 14.5km, 6.5 hours.
Day 4
Hike to Camp Italiano and take your daypack up into French Valley. Make sure you spend some time at Mirador Frances to watch the avalanches. As you get closer to Mirador Britanico the path gets harder to follow and you might think you’ve come to the lookout when you reach the open areas. The lookout it actually up a steep scramble up big boulders. You’ll know you’ve reached it when you see a big plaque at the top. After enjoying lunch with a view, head back down and spend the night in Camp Italiano or back in Camp Frances. Total walking: 13 – 15km, 6.5 – 7 hours.
Day 5
Hike from Camp Italiano or Camp Frances to Grey Camp/Refuge and spend the night here. Total walking: 18.5 – 20.5km, 6 – 6.5 hours.
Optional extra day: Spend an extra night at Grey Camp/Refuge so you can go hiking on the glacier (6 hours) or kayaking on the lake in front of it (2.5 hours).
Day 6
Take a short walk to the glacier viewpoint (the sun is in a better position for photos/views in the morning). Hike from Grey Camp/Refuge to Paine Grande Refuge and take the boat to Pudeto where you can then catch the bus back to Puerto Natales. Total walking: 11km, 3.5 hours.
Websites & Other Resources
We hope you’ve enjoyed our Torres del Paine tips, and that they’ll be helpful for planning your own adventure.
Official Information on Campsites/Refuges
Information on buses to and from the park
Bigfoot Patagonia website (kayaking and hiking on Glacier Grey)
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