Luxury Camp W Trek

Due to COVID-19 refugios aren't offering shared dorm beds for the 2021/22 season and this trip includes 2 nights camping in pre-pitched tents with mattresses and sleeping bags included.

Day 1: Transfer to Torres del Paine National Park; EcoCamp Patagonia 

The trip begins in the morning with you being picked up from either your hotel in Punta Arenas or from Punta Arenas Airport and driven to your accommodation in Torres del Paine National Park (5hrs). Alternatively, you can start your trip in El Calafate or Puerto Natales.

En route, we'll stop in Puerto Natales, a small, lively town on the shores of Last Hope Sound (Ultima Esperanza), where we'll enjoy a local lunch. This journey is through a very picturesque region – look out for wildlife.

The day ends with your arrival during late afternoon at EcoCamp Patagonia, nestled in the heart of the Torres del Paine National Park and with a prime view of the majestic Torres. This evening you'll meet your guide and a small group of like-minded travel companions as you're briefed on your upcoming adventure together.

Enjoy a sumptuous dinner in the communal dome and admire the sunset across the Patagonian steppe and Torres del Paine massif – usually around 11pm during the summer months.

Meals: Lunch, dinner

Accommodation: EcoCamp Patagonia

Day 2: Trek Los Cuernos trail; Refugio Los Cuernos

The first day of the official hike will see us set out through the sinuous Los Cuernos trail which leads to the beautiful Lake Nordenskjold. During this warm-up trek, we'll have plenty of time to admire the park's exquisite flora and fauna and the magnificent views of the park's central lakes and Paine's Horns – the majestic black peaks of slate atop grey granite which crown the centre of the Massif.

Today's trek ends at Refugio Los Cuernos, a small and cosy mountain refuge on the shore of Lake Nordenskjold. Alternatively, you could choose to end at the French Domes, located between the Cuernos and Italiano camping sites – this enjoys an amazing view of Lake Nordenskjold. The evening is set aside for relaxing over dinner.

Length of hike: 4.5hrs, 12km (or 5.5hrs, 14km to Domo el Francés)

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner

Accommodation: Refugio Los Cuernos or Domo El Francés (depending on availability)

Day 3: Trek the French Valley; Refugio Paine Grande

After breakfast at Refugio Los Cuernos, you will begin the challenging trek to the French Valley (Valle Frances), along a steep trail that leads to the very heart of the Paine Massif. How far we go will de dictated by the pace of the group as a whole, but a faster walk will lead us to the hanging bridge over the French River, located at the foot of the south-east face of the Massif. From here there are fantastic views of the valley.

We'll then continue our ascent to the upper section of the valley where we'll take in the valley's incredible geological formations: The Hoja (Blade), Máscara (Mask), Espada (Sword), Catedrál (Cathedral), Aleta de Tiburón (Shark's Fin) and the stunning Fortaleza (Fortress) peaks which combine to make this valley simply breathtaking.

After all this ascent, we'll stop for a picnic lunch and rest up. Afterwards, it's a descent through undulating terrain of mixed grassland and light forest to Refugio Paine Grande.

Note: An optional trek to Mirador Británico is also available

Length of hike: 10hrs, 26km

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner

Accommodation: Refugio Paine Grande

Day 4: Trek to Glacier Grey; EcoCamp Patagonia

Today we'll hike from Refugio Paine Grande along the northern side of the beautiful Lake Grey, edging gradually closer to the park's iconic glacier. Here we'll tuck into a picnic lunch before taking a boat trip to the huge facade of Glacier Grey where there will be plenty of time to watch the calving glacier. The boat trip ends at the southern end of Lake Grey, where we'll drive back to EcoCamp Patagonia via a stunning route bordering the entire massif.

Due to the highly temperamental weather in the region, boat trips across the lake may occasionally be cancelled. This can also happen if the required minimum of 15 passengers is not reached. If either is the case, we'll trek up to the sightseeing point and from there will have superb, panoramic views of the Glacier Grey. From here we'll return on foot to Refugio Paine Grande and take a catamaran to the dock at Pudeto, where we'll be picked up and driven to EcoCamp Patagonia.

Length of hike: 4hrs, 11km

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner

Accommodation: EcoCamp Patagonia

Day 5: Trek to the Towers; EcoCamp Patagonia

The goal of our fifth day will be to complete the most famous trekking trail in all Patagonia – the trek to the Towers, or Las Torres! Departing from EcoCamp Patagonia on foot, we'll enter the Ascencio Valley before following the river through scenic forest, along an undulating trail.

Our main challenge comes in the form of the steep moraine (a huge mass of boulders) which lead us to the base of the Towers – three gigantic granite monoliths, the remains of a great cirque sheared away by the forces of glacial ice.

After a tough final ascent, the Towers eventually come into full view, soaring majestically before us. Here we'll stop at probably the best lunch spot in the world! After soaking up the view, we'll backtrack along the same trail through the Ascencio Valley and return to EcoCamp Patagonia for a well-deserved dinner.

Length of hike: 9hrs, 22km

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner

Accommodation: EcoCamp Patagonia

Day 6: Trek around the Eastern Lakes; EcoCamp Patagonia

Today we'll have a more relaxed walk as we recover from the previous day's exertions. After breakfast, we'll take a leisurely drive towards Laguna Azul, passing Cañadón Macho, home to many wild guanacos and Darwin's rheas (ñandú). We'll pause occasionally to admire the views of the Patagonian steppe and the towers from different angles.

At Laguna Azul, we'll walk to the viewpoint for fantastic views of both the lagoon and the granite towers. After lunch, we'll drive to the northern shore of Lake Sarmiento where the Fauna Trail begins. As we hike northbound on this trail we'll see an wide and varied range of Patagonian fauna, including guanacos, ostrich-like nandus and maybe even see the occasional puma print. This trail will afford us the best panoramic views of the entire Torres del Paine massif.

The next lagoon we'll pass is the charming Launga Goic and, after about 5km of relaxed walking in total, we'll reach the Laguna Amarga ranger station. Our transport will be waiting here to drive us back to EcoCamp Patagonia where we can celebrate the achievements of our trip over a farewell dinner.

Note: If there are more than 6 travellers in the group there's an option to split into two groups. One group (or the whole group if everybody desires) can do an alternative excursion to Laguna Azul.

Length of hike: 3hrs, 6km

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner

Accommodation: EcoCamp Patagonia

Day 7: Transport to Punta Arenas or El Calafate

In the early morning you can sit back, relax, and enjoy a scenic ride back to Punta Arenas (5hrs) to catch an afternoon flight to Santiago. Or, alternatively, take an early morning ride to the border to continue your journey to El Calafate.

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch