The Original Torres del Paine W Trek - 5 - $2,095
Trip Summary and Itinerary Map
Day 1: Trek to Las Torres (The Towers) lookout; Refugio Torres Central
Day 2: Trek to Los Cuernos (The Horns) lookout; Refugio Los Cuernos
Day 3: Trek to the French Valley; Refugio Paine Grande
Day 4: Trek to Glacier Grey; optional kayaking; Refugio Grey
Day 5: Boat trip to face of Glacier Grey; optional ice hiking
Start from Puerto Natales and end at Puerto Natales
Landmarks visited on The Original Torres del Paine W Trek
Operator's Itinerary
Due to COVID-19 refugios might not be offering shared dorm beds during the 2022-23 season. In this case we can book an entire dorm for a group, or pre-pitched tents with mattresses and sleeping bags. We'll help form groups with like-minded trekkers.
Day 1: Trek to Las Torres lookout; Refugio Torres Central
We leave Puerto Natales at 7am for the drive to Torres del Paine National Park, passing flat pampas and lagoons where you can see guanacos, Darwin's Rheas, Chilean flamingos and black-necked swans.
After arriving at the Refugio Torres Central you’ll have time to relax before we begin our first hike of the trip, up to Las Torres lookout.
An initial ascent follows the Ascencio River into the Ascencio Valley. At a lookout point, about an hour into the trek, we’ll pause to take in the beauty of the valley's rich beech forests, glaciers and waterfalls.
After this point the path continues climbing through lush beech forests before ascending a gigantic terminal moraine (the ridge formed at a glacier’s end point). It's here, at an altitude of 900m, where we’ll be rewarded by the stunning sight of Las Torres and stay a while to soak up the amazing views, take photos and have lunch.
We'll then retrace our steps back to the Refugio where we’ll have dinner and rest for the evening.
Private transfer: 2hrs
Length of hike: 8-10hrs, 22km
Meals: Picnic lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Refugio Torres Central or supported camping (tent set up with sleeping bag and mat provided)
Day 2: Trek to Los Cuernos lookout; Refugio Los Cuernos
Today we'll hike to Los Cuernos lookout, where monumental horn-shaped black twin granite peaks shoot skyward. This route is the best on the trek for all-round panoramic views where you can take in not only the Andes mountains, glaciated valleys and stunning lakes, but also the wind-swept rolling hills of the steppe which stretches eastwards to the Atlantic.
We'll leave behind the crowds who are entering the park just to see Las Torres and will follow a route via Inge Lagoon – condors and other birds of prey may be circling the skies above us. The well-marked trail climbs 200m from the base of Mt Almirante Nieto (2750m) and crosses the Bader River with the magnificent turquiose-hued lake a constant to our left until we reach our finishing point and accommodation for the night – Refugio Los Cuernos or Domos Frances.
Length of hike: 4-5hrs, 13km
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Refugio Los Cuernos, Domos Frances or supported camping (tent set up with sleeping bag and mat provided)
Day 3: Trek to the French Valley; Refugio Paine Grande
A challenging trek to the heart of the Paine massif awaits us today. After breakfast, a meandering path leads us to the French River, a 1-2 hour hike depending on whether we stayed at Refugio Los Cuernos or Domos Frances the night before. On entering the French Valley – a glacial moraine surrounded by peaks and hanging glaciers – we’ll scramble over huge boulders and catch our first sight of the hanging glacier atop the valley.
From here we ascend for an hour through a dreamlike Japanese garden landscape before arriving at the French Valley viewpoint (the 'Plateau'). Your reward is a stunning bird’s eye view of granite peaks and hanging glaciers. On one side is the French Glacier and Paine Grande (3050m); while on the other, La Espada, La Hoja, La Máscara and the main and north 'horns' of Los Cuernos arch upwards. In the upper section of the valley, Mt Catedral and Mt Fortaleza loom like turrets above the landscape. We'll have plenty of time to rest and have lunch at the viewpoint, surrounded by these imposing peaks and open skies.
Our descent is via the same path until we reach the valley’s entrance, from where we’ll continue around the south-west side of Torres del Paine’s highest peak, Paine Grande. This final stretch passes through native firebush and evergreen beech forests to Refugio Paine Grande, by the shores of Lake Pehoe. We'll have dinner and rest here for the night.
Length of hike: 8-9hrs, 18km
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Refugio Paine Grande or supported camping (tent set up with sleeping bag and mat provided)
Day 4: Trek to Glacier Grey; optional kayaking; Refugio Grey
We’ll start early, ascending 200m on the winding trail to Lake Negra. It's here where we’ll see sections of the massive Southern Patagonian Ice Field, a geological phenomenon that still guards many unexplored peaks.
Continuing on to Glacier Grey’s lookout point, we pass forests and rivers, with possible sightings of the spectacled and flightless steamer ducks. Lunch is at the lookout point with the monumental Glacier Grey at our feet. We might catch sight of ice calving from its huge walls into the freezing waters below.
There is a fantastic opportunity to go on a 2.5-hour kayaking excursion in the afternoon (advance booking required, please enquire for more information).
Accommodation for the night is at Refugio Grey, on the shore of Lake Grey.
Length of hike: 4hrs, 11km
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Refugio Grey or supported camping (tent set up with sleeping bag and mat provided)
Day 5: Boat trip to face of Glacier Grey; optional ice hiking
The final day starts with a free morning to relax and take in the landscape or go kayaking. There's also an excellent option to ice hike on Glacier Grey which would be great if you had already kayaked the day before (advance booking required for both activities, please enquire for more information).
After lunch we’ll take a boat across Lake Grey to the massive facade of Glacier Grey. There will be plenty of time to study the wall’s textures, lines and colours and of course, watch for ice calving. The return journey passes blue icebergs and you’ll also see the wind-sculpted 'ice mushrooms' atop the massive peaks of Paine Grande.
Once back on dry land, we’ll hike 20 minutes along Grey Beach to rendezvous with our private transfer. This takes us back to Puerto Natales where our journey ends.
Boat trip: 2hrs
Private transfer: 2hrs
Length of hike: 20mins
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch
What our customers think of The Original Torres del Paine W Trek
The Original Torres del Paine W Trek trips scored 4.7/5 from 59 reviews
Original W Trek
Prices, Departures and Inclusions
Camping
4-8 people: USD $1,795 per person
3 people: USD $1,895 per person
2 people: USD $2,095 per person
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Refugios
4-8 people: USD $2,095 per person
3 people: USD $2,195 per person
2 people: USD $2,395 per person
| Start date | Price (pp) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2022 | ||||
| 3-Nov-2022 | $2,095* | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
| 10-Nov-2022 | $2,095 | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
| 17-Nov-2022 | $2,095* | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
| 24-Nov-2022 | $2,095 | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
| December 2022 | ||||
| 1-Dec-2022 | $2,095* | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
| 8-Dec-2022 | $2,095 | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
| 15-Dec-2022 | $2,095* | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
| 22-Dec-2022 | $2,095 | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
| 29-Dec-2022 | $2,095* | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
| January 2023 | ||||
| 5-Jan-2023 | $2,095 | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
| 12-Jan-2023 | $2,095* | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
| 19-Jan-2023 | $2,095 | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
| 26-Jan-2023 | $2,095* | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
| February 2023 | ||||
| 2-Feb-2023 | $2,095 | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
| 9-Feb-2023 | $2,095* | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
| 16-Feb-2023 | $2,095 | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
| 23-Feb-2023 | $2,095* | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
| March 2023 | ||||
| 2-Mar-2023 | $2,095 | Provisional Date | Enquire | |
* Note: Prices are per person. Paid in USD ($) - figure above is based on today's exchange rate. Actual cost $2,095
Additional Notes
Group size – 8 maximum, 2 minimum
Optional excursions – Kayaking, ice hiking
Accommodation upgrade – Due to Covid-19 restrictions, refugios might not be offering shared dorms during the 2022-23 season so the cost of staying in dorm rooms can be costly for groups of fewer than four people. If a group of four is not achieved or you would like more privacy we would recommend that you upgrade to Hotel Las Torres and Cabins at Cuernos or stay in pre-pitched tents at the refugios. Please enquire about which accommodation is available for each departure and let us know whether you would prefer to camp or stay indoors. Camping is available for all departures.
Joining & departure instructions – Please arrive in Puerto Natales on the afternoon before for your trip starts for your group briefing. It is also recommended that you plan to stay in Puerto Natales when you finish your trek. If you would like help booking your pre/post-trek arrangements please just let us know.
Christmas and New Year trips – Trips starting on the following dates will incur and extra fee: Dec 22nd and 29th. Please contact us for more information.
Includes
- Meals: 4 breakfasts, 5 picnic lunches, 4 dinners
- Accommodation: Supported camping throughout, or refugio dormitory rooms if available
- Sleeping bags and liners (when possible with sheets, blanket and pillow)
- Torres del Paine entrance fee
- All private transport included in the itinerary
- Boat trip on Lago Grey
- English and Spanish speaking guide
Excludes
- Meals not indicated in itinerary
- Any extra/optional excursions
- Travel insurance
- Personal equipment (our recommended kit list)
- Gratuities/tips
- International and domestic/in-country flights
- Drinks during lunch or dinner
- Any visa, passport and vaccination expenses
