How to Hike the W Trek in Torres del Paine National Park: The Complete Planning Guide
The W Trek in Torres del Paine National Park is one of the most popular hikes in Patagonia, but the planning for it can be quite a logistical challenge. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know to hike the W Trek in Torres del Paine, including how to get to Torres del Paine, where to start the W Trek, how to book campsites and refuges on the W Trek, how long and hard the W Trek is, W Trek itineraries, and more!
The W Trek is perhaps the most famous and sought after hiking trail in Patagonia. This remote corner of the world boasts incredibly scenic mountains, massive cascading glaciers and icefields, electric blue lakes, unique wildlife, and incredible alpine landscapes, and a hike on the W Trek in Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile will take you through some of the best and most famous Patagonian scenery there is.
Over 4 to 5 days on the W Trek, you’ll get to hike to viewpoints over the massive Grey Glacier cascading down from the southern Patagonia ice field, hike to epic viewpoints in the French Valley (and see and hear the thundering French Glacier up close), and trek to the base of the iconic triplet of granite towers that give Torres del Paine National Park its name.
So, what’s the catch?
Well, planning to hike the W Trek in Torres del Paine can be a challenge.
For one, the logistics can be confusing- between figuring out how to get there, where to start the trek, and how to book the various campsites and refuges along the trail, there’s a lot to figure out. But also, the W Trek is popular (for good reason!), so this means that you have to start planning the W Trek well in advance, and accommodations along the trail can be tough to get with all the competition out there.
In this guide, our goal is to give you all the information you would possibly need to know to plan for the W Trek in Torres del Paine. We’ll go over how to get there, the different places you can start the trek, the different accommodations on the W Trek and how to book them, what you can expect along the trail, and different W Trek itineraries to help you plan. We hope that after reading this, you’re fully prepared to hit the trails and experience the best of Patagonia!
In this W Trek guide:
W Trek Overview
The W Trek is a multiday hike found in Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile, one of the most popular places in Patagonia. Patagonia is a mountainous region at the tip of South America known for its stunning alpine landscapes, and the W Trek is a great way to see a lot of what this remote corner of the world has to offer- iconic granite peaks, stunning blue lakes, giant icefields, thundering glaciers, and sprawling alpine meadows.
The famous Torres del Paine- part of the W Trek Torres del Paine National Park!
The W Trek is named for the shape the trail makes on a map. It spans across the front side of the Cordillera del Paine massif- the main mountain range in the park- with three out-and-back arms that go to different highlights in the park: one to viewpoints of the massive Grey Glacier, one to viewpoints in the scenic French Valley, and one that goes to the base of the famous Torres del Paine. Typically, it takes 4 to 5 days to complete the W Trek.
The view of Grey Glacier from the W Trek
Hiking through the French Valley- another highlight of the W Trek
As such, the W Trek is actually an abbreviated version of the larger multiday trek through the park- the O Circuit. The O Circuit, which typically takes 8 days, circles around the entire Cordillera del Paine mountain range and tackles the infamous and challenging John Gardner Pass on the back side of the range. The W Trek travels along just the western and southern portion of the O Circuit, so it’s much shorter and a bit easier (and more popular). It’s great for those who want to see the highlights of the park and experience multiday trekking in Patagonia, but in less time.
Along the W Trek are various campsites and refuges that break up your days into manageable hikes. These accommodations allow you to make the W Trek as easy or as challenging as you want. You can choose to make it a true backpacking experience, taking all your gear and food with you and camping at each site. Or, you can sleep in beds in the refuges and hostels along the way and pay for meals at each of the sites, lightening your load substantially for the multiday trek. Don’t worry- we’ll cover all these logistics and expenses throughout this W Trek guide!
Map of the W Trek in Torres del Paine
To help you better visualize things, here’s a map of the W Trek in Torres del Paine.
The full W Trek is shown in orange (the full O Circuit is the red track). This map is adapted from the park brochure.
Most W Trekkers will hike all the way up the French Valley to the final viewpoint called the Mirador Britanico (the middle arm of the W) and also all the way up to the Torres del Paine (the right arm of the W).
However, how far people will hike up the left side of the W varies. Here are some common turnaround points:
Many people will hike from Paine Grande and end at Grey campsite to get distant views of the glacier. At about the halfway point between the two campsites is the best view of Grey Glacier along this section of trail, called Mirador Lago Grey (or Grey Lake Lookout). If you continue to Grey campsite, you can hike down to a viewpoint along the shore of Lake Grey for a view of the foot of the glacier.
The rocky outcrop on the left is the Mirador Lago Grey viewpoint over the lake and Grey Glacier
Some will hike past Grey campsite to get closer views of Grey Glacier. A common turnaround point is the Grey Glacier Lookout, which is found just past the second suspension bridge.
This is the view of Glacier Grey from the lookout just past the second suspension bridge. This is a common turnaround point for W Trekkers as it’s quite a hike from the Grey campsite.
The furthest you can hike up this arm of the W is to the Paso campground before the trail becomes one-way and part of the O Circuit only, but there’s not too much of a need to do this and would be quite a long hike from the Grey campground.
Do You Need A Guide to Hike the W Trek in Torres del Paine?
During the summer months in Torres del Paine, roughly October through April, a guide is not needed for the W Trek and you can hike it independently. During winter, the park requires that you have a guide due to the more challenging and unpredictable conditions.
Most people will hike the W Trek in the summer months, and while you can absolutely hire a guide or join a tour group if you wish, we don’t think it’s necessary. Guides are expensive, groups can be big, and the trails on the W Trek are well- maintained, easy to follow, and well-trodden, so getting lost is not an issue.
However, because planning the W Trek can be a hassle, hiring a guide will take all of the planning out of the equation, and you mostly just get to show up and hike. If hiring a guide for the W Trek is something you are interested in, here are some W Trek tour options to give you an idea for pricing and itineraries.
Our W Trek guide assumes you’ll be hiking the W Trek independently, and will give you all the information to plan out all the important logistics yourself!
How Long is the W Trek in Torres del Paine?
Here are the hiking stats for the W Trek in Torres del Paine based on three different starting points (which we’ll go over in just a bit).
While you can modify the W Trek slightly based on how far you want to go up each of the “arms” of the W, these hiking statistics assume that you hike all the way to the Mirador Glacier Grey on the western most arm of the trek, hike all the way into the French Valley on the middle arm, and hike all the way to the base of the Torres del Paine on the eastern most arm. This is the most complete and typical way to do the W Trek.
Starting from Grey Campground
Distance: 65.5 km / 40.7 miles
Total elevation gain: 2,886 meters / 9,470 ft
Starting from Paine Grande
Distance: 75.6 km/ 47 miles
Total elevation gain: 3,270 meters /10,726 ft
Starting from Torres Central
Distance: 75.6 km / 47 miles
Total elevation gain: 3,193 meters / 10,476 ft
W Trek elevation profile
This elevation profile starts at Grey Campground and ends at the Central Sector as it hikes the W Trek from West to East.
Our elevation profile hiking the W Trek from West to East
How many days does it take to hike the W Trek in Torres del Paine?
It typically takes 4 to 5 days to hike the W Trek in Torres del Paine, although modifications to your itinerary can remove or add a day depending how fast you want to move, how much time you want to spend on the trails, or what campsites/refuges you are able to get during the booking process.
We’ll go over different W Trek itineraries at the end of this guide, after we go over all the different accommodation options.
How Hard is the W Trek in Torres del Paine?
The W Trek is a relatively moderate hike. There is nothing technical or specifically challenging about the W Trek other than its sheer length. You’ll definitely want to be used to multiday trekking so that you have the proper endurance to tackle the full four or five days on the trek.
There’s also a lot of elevation gain that you’ll tackle throughout the trek as a whole, but the great thing about the W Trek is that a lot of it can be done without your heavy backpacking pack. You can drop your unnecessary gear at camps along the way, and then day hike each “arm” of the W, which makes things a bit easier.
There’s a lot of climbing on the W Trek, but a lot of it can be done with day packs rather than with your heavy backpacking gear
In terms of the trails themselves, they are well-maintained. There are some rough and rugged portions, but for the most part, much of the trail is smooth and easy to follow.
Most of the trails on the W Trek are well-trodden and easy to follow
However, there are some sections of trail that are rocky and rugged- particularly the hike up to the base of the Towers, which requires following orange poles and blazes through the rock fields to stay on track
The only thing that might make those with a fear of heights nervous are the series of three suspension bridges that run along the western portion of the W Trek. These are found past the Grey campsite and refuge, and are not actually necessary to hike the W Trek at all. The W Trek ends technically at the Grey campsite itself, but often W Trekkers will continue past this point to get to better viewpoints of the Grey Glacier. One of the popular turnaround points is at the Glacier Grey Lookout or Mirador, and to get there requires crossing two of these suspension bridges.
One of the suspension bridges that you can choose to cross while hiking the W Trek
However, if you choose not to cross the bridges, don’t worry- you’ll still get amazing views out to the glacier and icefield right around the Grey campsite.
The last thing that can make the W Trek a bit difficult is simply the elements. Patagonia is notorious for having crazy, rapidly changing, and unpredictable weather. And it’s also well known for its crazy winds- with gusts up to 60 to 70 mph at times!
It can be sunny and warm one minute, and then rainy and cold the next. You can be enjoying a nice warm breeze one minute, and then turn a corner and be blown over by hurricane force winds whipping into your face. It’s all par for the course in Patagonia! And because the W Trek spans multiple days and requires advanced planning and booking, it’s hard to plan the trip to have entirely perfect weather (it’s nearly impossible), so you have to come expecting the worst.
Wind, fog, and rain on the way up to the base of the Torres del Paine
A mix of rain and sun with a beautiful rainbow in Torres del Paine!
It's definitely helpful to check forecasts a few days before the W Trek (we liked using YR and the Torres del Paine site), but keep in mind that forecasts more than a few days out might not be entirely reliable, so it’s still pretty hard to predict the kind of weather you’ll see on the trail, particularly the latter half.
So in summary, while the day-to-day hiking on the W Trek is nothing hard itself, come prepared with the endurance for multiple long days on the trail and the mental fortitude (and right gear!) to handle whatever the Patagonian weather gods decide to throw your way.
Do You Need A Permit to Hike the W Trek?
You don’t need any sort of permit to hike the W Trek specifically, but you will need to secure some other important things as you plan your hike.
Campsite/refuge reservations
You must have all of your accommodations on the W Trek booked in advance! These can get snatched up early, so it’s very important to start planning for the W Trek early (we’ll go over booking all of these in just a bit). Once you have your reservations, be sure to save them to your phone and print them out as backup because you will be asked to show them when you enter the park and at each campsite/refuge along the trek.
Torres del Paine entry tickets
Before you get to the park, you also must purchase a park entrance ticket in advance (you can’t get these at the park on the day of!). Be sure to print the ticket out or save to your phone to show the staff at the park entrance.
You can buy a Torres del Paine National Park ticket here. There are options for Chilean citizens and for tourists, and you can select a ticket that’s good for up to three days or one that’s good for over three days, so buy whichever one works for your planned W Trek itinerary.
Bring your passport and PDI card
Two other things to make sure you carry with you on the W Trek are your passport and your PDI tourist card that you’ll get when you fly into Chile. Each campsite/refuge will ask for these when you check in, so be sure to keep them in a safe place!
The Best Time to Hike the W Trek in Torres del Paine
While the W Trek is accessible year-round, the best time to hike the W Trek is in the summer months. Summer in Torres del Paine is roughly October to April, but the best weather and best chance at clear trails and snow-free days are between December and February. Consequently, these are also the busiest months and the hardest months to reserve campsites and refuges.
We hiked the full O Circuit (and by default, the W Trek) in mid-March, which is getting pretty late in the season. At this point, nights were pretty cold, and we even had some snow flurries in the higher alpine regions of the O Circuit, but the W Trek was clear and snow-free. On the plus side, we didn’t have issues finding all of the campsites we needed, likely because it was so late in the season. It’s a little bit of a gamble to hike towards the shoulder season, but it did pay off for us!
No matter when you hike the W Trek, though, just be prepared for everything- rain, cold, snow sun, warm temperatures, and wind.
Come prepared for any kind of weather on the W Trek!
Where Does the W Trek Start?
Okay, now it’s time to get into the nitty gritty of actually figuring out how to hike the W Trek and planning your time and itinerary.
First off- where do you start the W Trek?
The W Trek is done as a point-to-point hike, and can be done in either direction. As such, there are three places you can start the hike.
The Central Sector
The start of the W Trek near the Central Sector in Torres del Paine
The Central Sector, as the name suggests, is a central and popular jumping off point for many people in Torres del Paine. Here, you’ll find a large parking lot, Welcome Center, a hotel, refuge, and campsite. It’s the trailhead for the famous day hike up to the base of the Torres del Paine, and also the main starting point for the O Circuit.
If you start the W Trek here, you’ll be hiking the W Trek from East to West, and end your trek at either Paine Grande or Grey Campsite. You’ll start with a hike up to the famous Torres and then continue west across the front of the massif, hiking into the French Valley, and then continuing to Paine Grande. From here, you can do an out and back day hike to Grey Campsite and refuge to get viewpoints over the Grey Glacier, or you can spend the night at Grey and day hike further up the trail the next day to more glacier viewpoints and the suspension bridges before hiking back to Paine Grande.
Paine Grande
The lodge and campsite at Paine Grande- a common starting point for the W Trek
Paine Grande is the biggest campsite and refuge on the W Trek, sitting right along the shore of Pehoe Lake. You can start the W Trek here by taking a catamaran across the lake.
Starting here means you’ll hike the W Trek from West to East, and it’s the most common starting point for the W Trek. This is because you’ll get to finish your trek at the Torres del Paine (essentially saving the best for last!).
You’ll start your trek by hiking up to the Grey Campsite and Refuge. You can do this as an out and back day hike from Paine Grande, or you can spend the night at Gray and day hike up to the Grey Glacier viewpoints the next day before hiking back to Grande Paine. After, continue hiking east along the massif, into the French Valley, and then to the Torres. You’ll finish at Central.
Grey Campsite and Refuge
The last option is to start the W Trek at Grey Campsite and Refuge. Because Grey Campsite basically marks the western boundary of the W Trek, it seems like it would only make sense to start here. However, this is not a common option, mostly because the cost of the boat to get to Grey is very expensive. It leaves from Hotel Grey and crosses Lago Grey, but its prime purpose is a tourist boat that brings people up to the foot of Glacier Grey (and just so happens to drop people off at Grey campsite along the way). It’s a more expensive option, however it does keep you from having to backtrack the trail between the Grey and Paine Grande campsites. You can simply hike from Grey to Paine Grande and continue hiking east along the front of the massif, ending at Central.
Which direction should hike the W Trek?
Because it’s a point-to-point hike, you can hike the W Trek in either direction, from west to east or east to west.
Honestly, it doesn’t matter too much, and will mostly be dictated by what campsites are available on the dates you want.
But if you are able to choose, the west to east direction is usually recommended, starting at Paine Grande and ending at the Central sector. This is for one main reason- you’ll end your hike at the Torres del Paine, which is the most famous and iconic view in the park, and perhaps in all of Patagonia. It’s a great grand finale for your 4 or 5 days on the trail!
This view will be your grand finale if you hike the W Trek from West to East!
Most people do the trail in this direction, so if you choose to hike from west to east, you’ll be going against the grain and might experience more solitude on the trail because of this (not getting stuck behind people or surrounded by groups going in the same direction).
How to Get to Torres del Paine National Park
Now that we know the different starting points of the W Trek, let’s talk about how to get there.
The first step of getting to the W Trek is getting to Torres del Paine National Park. And the most common way to reach the park is by flying into Punta Arenas, Chile by flying into Presidente Carlos Ibáñez del Campo International Airport (PUQ).
Once here, it’s common for people, especially those doing the W Trek, to get around by bus rather than by renting their own car. While it might be a tad bit more convenient to have your own car (and renting a car is usually the option we’d opt for), it would be a pretty big waste to have the car sit in a parking lot for 5 days while you complete the W Trek.
For us, it made sense to get around this region of Patagonia by bus. The bus network between all the relevant towns in the Patagonia area is pretty good. Tickets are easy to book online or at the bus stations in town and they are pretty cheap. Buses also run frequently, so it worked well for us.
Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales
From Punta Arenas, you’ll want to head to the gateway town of Torres del Paine- Puerto Natales. The bus ride between these two towns is about 3 hours and 15 minutes.
Bus Sur and Bus Fernandez are two major bus companies that run this route. A one-way ticket costs about 8,000 CLP, or less than $9 USD- so very affordable!
In the high season, we recommend buying a bus ticket a few days in advance either online on their websites or at their bus station in town, just to be sure you can get a seat for the specific time you want. However, there are lots of options, as buses run from Punta Arenas about every hour or two, so you shouldn’t have an issue getting a seat on at least one of the buses on the day you want.
Once you’re in Puerto Natales, we recommend spending a day or two here to prep for the W Trek- get any last-minute gear you need, purchase all your food, and pack for the trek. There is one central bus station in Puerto Natales that all the bus companies use, so we recommend booking a stay at a place within walking distance of this station just to make it easier on yourself.
Spend some time in Puerto Natales before the W Trek to plan your trek and enjoy the mountain views!
Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine
From Puerto Natales, you’ll take another bus to Torres del Paine National Park, which is a 2 to 4 hour ride depending on where you’re going in the park – make sure to book the correct ticket based on where you’ll be starting the W Trek!
Travel time to the different W Trek starting points:
2 hours to the park entrance at Laguna Amarga, where you will then shuttle to the Central Sector
3 hours to Pudeto where the catamaran to Paine Grande awaits
4 hours to the Grey Lake Hotel to catch the ferry to Grey campsite
There is a central bus station in Puerto Natales that houses a lot of bus companies that seem to run this route, including Bus Sur, Bus Pacheco, Turiismo Zaahj, Bus Maria Jose, and Bus Cootra, however Bus Sur is the one that seems to be the easiest to find and book tickets online. However, you can simply show up to the station in town and buy tickets for any of the buses, too.
Whether you buy a ticket online or in person, we definitely recommend buying a ticket a few days in advance. There are limited buses that run each day, and if you want to get an early start on the trail, you’ll need to snag a morning spot.
Bus Sur, for example, has five daily buses from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine. There are a couple of early morning buses (6:45 am and 7 am), a midday noon bus, a midafternoon bus at 2:30 pm and an evening bus at 6 pm.
If you want to get a day of hiking under your belt on your first day in the park, we definitely recommend getting one of the two early morning buses. We took the first 6:45 am bus so that we could get on the trail as early as possible- we were on the trail starting at the Central Sector by 9:30 am.
The bus will cost about 14,000 CLP, or $15 USD (and slightly more- 25,000 CLP/$27 USD- to go all the way to the Grey Lake Hotel).
Getting to the W Trek trailhead
Because there are three possible starting points for the W Trek, there are a few different ways to get there.
Regardless of where you’re starting, all buses into Torres del Paine will stop at the Laguna Amarga entrance. Everyone is required to get off here to check into the park.
A lot of buses end up arriving here at the same time, so it can feel a bit crowded. When we arrived with the first buses of the day, the line was already long but it actually moved pretty quickly and we were on our way in about 15 minutes.
Checking in at the Laguna Amarga entrance of Torres del Paine
At check-in, you will be asked to show your pre- purchased Torres del Paine park ticket. They might ask for other things, like what your plans are, your passport, and your reservation confirmations. However, they only asked us for our entry passes and what our plans were, and then they gave us a map and sent us on our way.
Your next steps will depend on where you are starting the W Trek…
Starting from the Central Sector
If you are starting the W Trek from Central and are hiking West to East, don’t get back on the bus. Instead, there will be a shuttle waiting here to take people up to the Welcome Center at the Central Sector of the park.
This shuttle has an additional fee and is booked separately from the bus you took to get here. We purchased with cash in person, but it can also be booked online. It costs 4,000 CLP or $5 USD.
When we were there, there were lots of people who needed this shuttle, and it filled up fast, so they brought in another van to fit everyone else- so it doesn’t seem like you have to worry too much about not getting a seat. They seem well- prepared to transfer everyone from each of the bus loads that come in.
The Las Torres shuttle (center) waits to bring hikers to the Welcome Center
The shuttle will bring you to the Welcome Center about ten minutes away. Here, we were required to check into the trek by showing our reservation number for our first campsite on the trail, and then we could simply start the trek from here!
Finishing the W Trek: You will likely finish the W Trek at Paine Grande. To make it back to Puerto Natales, you will need to:
Reserve a ticket on the Pehoe Lake catamaran here (27,000 CLP / 29 USD for a one-way ride). The boat leaves daily at 9:00 am, 11:20 am 5:00 pm and 6:40 pm, so make sure to plan your last day of hiking on the W Trek accordingly to get one of these boats. The ride is about a half hour and brings you to the Pudeto stop along the park’s main road.
Book the bus back to Puerto Natales (Bus Sur has a few departures from the Pudeto stop that sync nicely with the boat).
Starting at Paine Grande
After you check in at Laguna Amarga, hop back on the same bus and continue to the next stop at Pudeto. Here, you’ll catch a catamaran, which leaves daily at 8:30 am, 10:30 am, 4:15 pm, and 6 pm, and we recommend trying to get the 10:30 am one to get the earliest start on the W Trek this day.
The boat crosses Lake Pehoe to get to Paine Grande Refuge and Campsite that sits right on the shore of the lake along the W Trek. The boat journey takes about a half hour, and you can start hiking by midday.
This boat ride on Lake Pehoe needs to be booked in advance here. Each one way trip costs 27,000 CLP/$29 USD.
Finishing the W Trek: You’ll finish your hike at the Central Sector. Here, you can catch a shuttle back to the Laguna Amarga entrance station (usually timed well with the buses to Puerto Natales) where you can then take the bus back to Puerto Natales. Make sure to book your bus ticket back in advance! We recommend getting the evening bus time (Bus Sur has an 8 pm departure time) to give yourself enough time on the trails on your last day.
Starting at Grey Campsite and Refuge
After checking in at Laguna Amarga, hop back on the bus and take it to Lake Grey Hotel where you’ll take a boat (the Grey III) to the Grey Lake Campsite and Refuge.
This boat also needs to be booked in advance here. It’s more of a tourist boat that takes people on a scenic cruise to see the base of Grey Glacier, so it’s a longer ride and quite a bit more expensive- one way to camp is 100,000 CLP or $107 USD.
Once you hop off the bus, check in for the boat at the hotel and from there, it’s a 30-45 minute walk along the lake shore to the boat pick- up point. Boats leave daily at 10 am, 1 am, 4 pm, and 7 pm in the summer. Depending on which boat you get, the ride to the campsite can be 45 to 90 minutes to the drop- off point near the Grey campsite. The 4 pm boat is the one that takes longer because it visits the Glacier before dropping people off as opposed to after dropping people off, so the pro to taking this boat is you can take full advantage of glacier tour that this boat includes before hopping off. However, you’ll get to camp too late in the day to start the W Trek, and will have to wait until the morning to start. The other boats make the drop-off first, so it’s a lot of money to spend for a short boat ride and not get the full ticket’s worth.
Finishing the W Trek: You’ll finish your hike at the Central Sector. Here, you can catch a shuttle back to the Laguna Amarga entrance station (usually timed well to catch the next bus) where you can then take the bus back to Puerto Natales. Make sure to book your bus ticket back in advance! We recommend getting the evening bus time (Bus Sur has an 8 pm departure time) to give yourself enough time on the trails on your last day.
An overview of how to get to the W Trek
This map shows an overview of the different starting points of the W Trek and how to get to them
Option 1 (Start at Central):
Fly to Punta Arenas
Bus to Puerto Natales
Bus to Torres del Paine (stop at Laguna Amarga entrance to check in)
Take the shuttle to Las Torres Welcome Center and start the hike here
End at Paine Grande
Take the catamaran to Pudeto
Take the bus to Puerto Natales
Option 2 (Start at Paine Grande):
Fly to Punta Arenas
Bus to Puerto Natales
Bus to Torres del Paine (stop at Laguna Amarga entrance to check in)
Take the bus to the Pudeto stop
Take the catamaran to Paine Grande and start the hike
End at Central
Take the park shuttle to the Laguna Amarga entrance
Take the bus to Puerto Natales
Option 3 (start at Grey):
Fly to Punta Arenas
Bus to Puerto Natales
Bus to Torres del Paine (stop at Laguna Amarga entrance to check in)
Take the bus to the Lake Grey Hotel
Walk 30-45 minutes to the boat launch
Take the boat to Grey Campsite and start the hike
End at Central
Take the park shuttle to the Laguna Amarga entrance
Take the bus to Puerto Natales
Accommodations on the W Trek in Torres del Paine
There are several campsites and refuges to stay at along the W Trek
Now onto the next big question- where do you stay on the W Trek?
Well, along the W Trek are a series of accommodations in the form of both campsites (campamentos) and refuges (refugios) that allow you to break up the trek into reasonable distances each day.
There are two companies that operate the campsites and refuges on the W Trek: Vertice Patagonia and Las Torres.
Vertice Patagonia runs the Grey and Paine Grande sites.
Las Torres runs Frances, Cuernos, Chileno and Central sites.
Each site along the W Trek offers both a campground and a refuge option with different amenities, and the cost of the W Trek can vary drastically depending on which accommodation options you choose.
Staying in a refuge: The refuges (or hostels) on the W Trek typically have dorm style beds in shared room, a restaurant or café that serves snacks, drinks, and/or warm meals, a camp shop, shared bathrooms, and hot showers (often only at specific times throughout the day or on timed use to preserve hot water for everyone).
Camping: If you choose to camp, you’ll get a place to pitch a tent, but you also have access to most of the refuge’s amenities, like bathrooms, hot showers, and the ability to buy snacks and food if you want.
Usually campsites also have a cooking shelter where you can cook any camp food that you packed in. It’s usually required to do any cooking in these shelters to protect stoves from the high Patagonia winds and prevent fires.
Pre set-up campsites: If you want to cut down on gear and weight in your pack, you can buy the option of having the tent and all sleeping gear set up for you when you arrive to camp.
Meals: For both campers and those staying in a refuge, you can purchase half or full board, which includes dinner and breakfast, or dinner, breakfast, and a packed lunch to go, respectively. If you don’t buy half or full board in advance, most sites have a small store or café to buy light food and snacks as well.
Having the option to rent gear and buy food at each site really allows you to pack light for the W Trek and hike much faster and easier, but it does come at a very high cost.
Some other things to note:
At each site, you’ll be required to check-in, show your reservations, and sometimes your passport and PDI tourist card, so make sure you have all of these things on hand.
There is no cell service in the park. Some of the bigger refuge areas do have WiFi (that is often a paid service)- but we highly recommend just disconnecting for your time out on the trails!
Most places have electrical sockets in common areas to charge your devices, but often they are in use by others and they also cut off electricity at night to save on resources. We recommend carrying a power bank with you to charge your devices on the fly when needed.
Below, we’ll briefly go over all the campgrounds and refuges, their amenities, and their costs. These are listed in the order you will find them on the W Trek from West to East. Typically all accommodation types run by the same company have the same, or very similar, costs which makes things a bit easier to digest.
Grey (campground and refuge)
The Grey Refuge and dining area
This campsite is located right along the shore of Lago Grey at the boundary of the western portion of the W Trek. There is a nearby boat dock where hikers can be dropped off to start the W Trek, and where glacier and kayaking tours launch from. You can also hike down to the boat launch simply to enjoy the amazing views of the Grey Glacier.
While the Grey site marks the western end of the W Trek, many hikers continue past it to day hike to the famous suspension bridges and to the Glacier Grey Viewpoint. Grey Campground and Refuge is a good base for doing this.
Amenities: Campground, refuge, shared bathrooms, hot showers, cooking shelter, restaurant, bar, mini market, lounge, paid Wifi
Current costs in USD for each accommodation option (we recommend heading to the Vertice site for the most up-to-date information and pricing):
Camping options
Bare site to pitch your own tent: $12 per person per night
Pre- set up 2 person tent: $46 per night
Sleeping bag rental: $29 per person per night
Sleeping mat: $13 per person per night
Towels: $11 per person
Tent sites at Grey campground
Refuge options
Single bed- Has a pillow and mat but no blankets or sleeping bag (so pack your own!): $43 per night
Full bed- Has sheets and comforter: $105 per night
Meal options
Full board (dinner, breakfast the next morning, and a boxed lunch to take with you on the trail): $100
Half board (dinner, breakfast): $68
Breakfast: $30
Lunch: $32
Dinner: $48
Paine Grande (campground and refuge)
Breakfast views from Paine Grande along the W Trek
Paine Grande is one of the largest and most elaborate lodging sites on the W Trek. It can be accessed by catamaran as it sits right on Lake Pehoe, and it is the most common starting point for W Trekkers. Both the refuge and campsites have stunning views of the famous Horns (Cuernos del Paine mountains) along the front of the massif.
Amenities: Refuge, campground, shared bathrooms, hot showers, a nice big cooking shelter, restaurant, bar, minimarket, lounges, paid Wifi
Current costs in USD for each accommodation option (we recommend heading to the Vertice site for the most up-to-date information and pricing):
Camping options
Bare site to pitch your own tent: $14 per person per night
Pre- set up 2 person tent: $46 per night
Sleeping bag rental: $29 per person per night
Sleeping mat: $13 per person per night
Towels: $11 per person
Tent sites with a view at Paine Grande
Refuge options
Single bed- Has a pillow and mat but no blankets or sleeping bag (so pack your own!): $65 per night
Full bed- Has sheets and comforter: $105 per night
Meal options
Full board (dinner, breakfast the next morning, and a boxed lunch to take with you on the trail): $100
Half board (dinner, breakfast): $68
Breakfast: $30
Lunch: $32
Dinner: $48
Frances (campground and refuge)
The Frances site is tucked into the forest along Lake Nordenskjöld and beneath the front face of the massif. Tent sites here are on elevated platforms throughout the woods and are located on a hill, so the further you are from the central check-in area, the further up the hill your tent will be. Frances was our least favorite campground on the W Trek- it just felt congested, small, and loud.
Amenities: Camping sites, a hostel, shared bathrooms, hot showers, a tiny cooking shelter, dishwashing station
Current costs in USD for each of the accommodation options (we recommend heading to the Las Torres site for the most up-to-date information and pricing):
Camping options
Bare site to pitch your own tent: $40-50 per person, depending on the time of year- based on double occupancy. If solo, it’s $70-90. If you wanted to rent a basic 2 person tent for the site instead of carrying your own, it’s an additional $60-65 for a night.
Semi-equipped (simple) Premium Campsite (comes with an elevated tent and a sleeping mat): $105-110 per person for double occupancy, or $190-200 for single occupancy.
Fully equipped Premium Campsite (comes with elevated tent, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, pillows): $140-150 per person for double occupancy, or $250-270 for single occupancy.
Tent sites at Frances
Refuge options
Frances has a hostel in the form of domes that each have 8 bunk style beds. These cost $185-207 per person per night.
Meal options
Full board (dinner, breakfast the next morning, and a boxed lunch to take with you on the trail): $130
Half board (dinner, breakfast): $90
Breakfast: $35
Boxed lunch: $40
Dinner: $64
Cuernos (campground and refuge)
Cuernos lies about 3 km past the Frances site at the front of the massif, so it’s likely you’ll pick just one or the other to stay at, rather than both. There are a few types of accommodations here, with views over Lake Nordenskjöld ahead and the mountains behind.
Cabins at the Cuernos Sector along the W Trek
Amenities: Campsites, mountain cabins, a hostel, shared bathrooms, showers, hot water, cooking area
Current costs in USD for each of the accommodation options (we recommend heading to the Las Torres site for the most up-to-date information and pricing):
Camping options
Bare site to pitch your own tent: $40-50 per person, depending on the time of year- based on double occupancy. If solo, it’s $70-90. If you wanted to rent a basic 2 person tent for the site instead of carrying your own, it’s an additional $60-65 for a night.
Semi-equipped (simple) Premium Campsite (comes with an elevated tent and a sleeping mat): $105-110 per person for double occupancy, or $190-200 for single occupancy.
Fully equipped Premium Campsite (comes with elevated tent, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, pillows): $140-150 per person for double occupancy, or $250-270 for single occupancy.
Refuge options
The Cuernos sector has a hostel with rooms that each have 6 bunk style beds. These cost $185-207 per person per night.
This sector also has the option to stay in equipped and heated mountain cabins with rooms that sleep 2-3 people. With 2 people in a cabin, it’s $290-320 per person. Single occupancy is $540-600.
Meal options
Full board (dinner, breakfast the next morning, and a boxed lunch to take with you on the trail): $130
Half board (dinner, breakfast): $90
Breakfast: $35
Boxed lunch: $40
Dinner: $64
Chileno (campground only)
The Chileno lodge and dining area along the W Trek
This campground is one of the most popular and sought-after camping areas in the park due simply to its location- right at the base of the Torres del Paine. Tucked deep within a valley in the front the massif, many people (not just O Trekkers or W Trekkers) stay here to get an early start to the Torres, even early enough to catch the sunrise glow off the famous towers. Because of this, it’s often difficult to snag a site here.
This campground is nestled in the woods along a stream. Individual campsites have elevated wood platforms that sit along a steep hill, so you’ll likely have a small workout to get to and from your tent!
The Chileno sector used to have a refuge but this seems unavailable at the moment, so we will only list the camping option here.
Amenities: Campground, indoor dining area, shared bathrooms, showers with hot water.
Current costs in USD for each of the accommodation options (we recommend heading to the Las Torres site for the most up-to-date information and pricing):
Camping options
Bare site to pitch your own tent: $40-50 per person, depending on the time of year- based on double occupancy. If solo, it’s $70-90. If you wanted to rent a basic 2 person tent for the site instead of carrying your own, it’s an additional $60-65 for a night.
Semi-equipped (simple) Premium Campsite (comes with an elevated tent and a sleeping mat): $105-110 per person for double occupancy, or $190-200 for single occupancy.
Fully equipped Premium Campsite (comes with elevated tent, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, pillows): $140-150 per person for double occupancy, or $250-270 for single occupancy.
Tent sites at Chileno campground
Meal options
Full board (dinner, breakfast the next morning, and a boxed lunch to take with you on the trail): $130
Half board (dinner, breakfast): $90
Breakfast: $35
Boxed lunch: $40
Dinner: $64
Torres Central (campground and refuge)
The Central camping area on a gloomy day
The Central sector is a central hub of Torres del Paine National Park. Here, you’ll find a large campground, a hostel, and even a hotel, and they are all located right near the Las Torres Welcome Center right at the start of the O Circuit and W Trek, so there’s no hiking required to get here. If you find that you can’t get a spot at the Chileno campground, the Central site is a good alternative. Though it will be a much longer hike from here to the base of the Torres than from Chileno, it’s still the next best location, as it sits right at the start of the day hike for the Torres.
Amenities: Campground, hostel, hotel, Wifi, snacks, restaurant, bar, shared bathrooms, showers with hot water, cooking areas
Current costs in USD for each of the accommodation options (we recommend heading to the Las Torres site for the most up-to-date information and pricing):
Camping options
Bare site to pitch your own tent: $40-50 per person, depending on the time of year- based on double occupancy. If solo, it’s $70-90. If you wanted to rent a basic 2 person tent for the site instead of carrying your own, it’s an additional $60-65 for a night.
Semi-equipped (simple) Premium Campsite (comes with an elevated tent and a sleeping mat): $105-110 per person for double occupancy, or $190-200 for single occupancy.
Fully equipped Premium Campsite (comes with elevated tent, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, pillows): $140-150 per person for double occupancy, or $250-270 for single occupancy.
Refuge options
The Central sector hostel with rooms that have 6 dorm-style beds that cost $185-207 per person per night.
This sector also has one of the best hotels in the region, the Hotel Las Torres, which is essentially an all-inclusive luxury hotel right at a prime location in the park. If you want to have a (well-deserved!) relaxing luxury experience when you get off the W Trek, but expect to pay over $1,000 for a room here!
Las Torres Hotel
Meal options
Full board (dinner, breakfast the next morning, and a boxed lunch to take with you on the trail): $130
Half board (dinner, breakfast): $90
Breakfast: $35
Boxed lunch: $40
Dinner: $64
Map of the W Trek campgrounds and refuges with distances
Here is a map to help you better visualize where all the campsites and refuges on the W Trek are located, and the distances between them.
W Trek camping and refuges with hiking distances (map adapted from the park brochure)
How to Book Accommodations and Campsites on the W Trek
There are a couple different ways you can book W Trek campsites and refuges.
The first way is to go directly through the two companies themselves- Vertice and Las Torres.
Each of these companies is independent from each other, and so the bookings for each open at different times. This makes things a little frustrating because you can’t simply hop on and book everything at the same time.
However, reservations tend to open up sometime in April or May for the following summer (November to March) season (this past season, Vertice opened on April 2nd and Las Torres opened on May 2nd).
When March hits, we recommend to keep checking each of their sites to see when they’ve announced their opening dates. And you don’t have to wait for both companies to open up reservations to start booking. When the first company opens up their booking process, feel free to book your first set of accommodations. Then, if you can’t get your second set of accommodations that you need to properly complete the W Trek once the second company opens reservations, you’ll likely be able to cancel the first set with a full refund (be sure to carefully ready their cancellation policy first, though, to confirm!).
Booking directly through the company websites is fairly straightforward and easy. It’s how we did it and we had no issues.
Vertice operates the W Trek campgrounds that are on the west side of the massif: Grey and Paine Grande.
When you start the booking process, you’ll be asked how many people are in your party, and what trek you are doing (the O Circuit or the W Trek). From there, it will guide you through each of their camping and refuge sites.
Once you’ve selected which sites you want, you’ll select the dates you want to stay at each one, the accommodation type you want at each one, and any additional amenities (gear and board) that’s available. Then review all your information and book! Easy peasy.
You can select which sites and which dates you’d like for your W Trek hike
Once you’ve selected your accommodation types, you can then select from the list of amenities that each site offers
The Las Torres website runs the Frances, Cuernos, Chileno, and Central sites, and is pretty straightforward as well. You’ll enter the dates you want, and then for each sector, you can choose from the available accommodation options and amenities.
You can select your desired dates for each site along the W Trek. The system will show which accommodation types are available for your dates, and will let you pick which type of accommodation you want and what amenities you want to include (food and gear).
The Torres Hike reservation system
Using the individual websites above requires that you have a planned out route and know each of the campsites you need to stay at.
If you want to take some of the planning out of the equation, there’s a website called Torres Hike that’s pretty useful when it comes to planning and booking sites for the W Trek.
On this website, you can put in your desired dates for hiking the W Trek, and then it will show you several currently available W Trek itineraries of various days around your desired timeframe. You can filter to only show itineraries for the W Trek specifically (and not the full O Circuit) and you can filter on based on accommodation types (for example, you can have it only show itineraries where staying at campsites (and not refuges) every night is an option.
After you enter desired dates for your W Trek, the Torres website will suggest different available itineraries and their costs
When you click on a specific itinerary, it gives an incredibly useful day-by-day breakdown of the W Trek. It shows different segments of hiking for each day, and their individual distances and elevation changes, along with an interactive map. If there are multiple lodging options in the area, you can choose which one you prefer, and then it will list all available accommodation options for the given date and the prices based on the number of people in your group.
For each itinerary, you get a day-by-day breakdown of hiking, and you can also select which accommodation types you want and which amenities (food/gear) you want each night. The site will give you real-time availability and prices.
Once you select an accommodation option, you can then select from extra amenities, like gear and food.
If you’re happy with the itinerary, you can book everything directly through this site, which is really convenient.
All in all, the Torres Hike site is a great way to play around with different dates and itineraries and to see real- time availability and prices as you go for both companies all in one place.
Really, the only catch to using this site to book W Trek campsites and refuges is that they do charge extra nonrefundable booking and payment fees, so it does add an extra expense to an already expensive process, but that extra cost may be worth it for the convenience that the site provides.
Even if don’t want to book through the Torres Hike site directly, we still recommend using the site and playing around with the features to get a better sense of the different W Trek itineraries you can create, the different accommodation options available, and the hiking distances between each site. We also highly recommend signing up for their mailing list- they give lots of useful information and updates through their emails, and they also let you know when bookings have opened with each company- super useful info!
Regardless of how you book your W Trek reservations, be sure to save these reservations to your phone, and even print out copies to carry with you on the hike- you will be asked to show these at each site!
How far in advance should you book W Trek campsites and refuges?
Because of the popularity of the W Trek, it’s recommended to book your trip months in advance. Basically, try to reserve your accommodation for the W Trek within a few days of each of the reservation systems opening. There are limited spaces, and they can go pretty quickly. Or at the very least, one type of accommodation, such as campsites, can go quickly, and you might be left with only the very expensive options (which is what we usually see).
This is especially true for the peak season months of December, January, and February. We did the full O Circuit in mid-March, and we were able to snag all our necessary sites in early January, but this may have been a (very lucky) fluke, and we wouldn’t advise waiting that long.
In our experience, the Chileno campsite is the hardest site to get, since it sits right at the base of the Torres, making it popular for O Trekkers, W Trekkers, and overnighters trying to get to the Torres for sunrise. We are writing this guide in late May, and currently only see Chileno availability in the last week of the following March! So these sites do book out fast.
You might need to start with the availability of that campsite and work from there by playing around with different dates and itineraries, and this might dictate the direction you ultimately end up hiking the W Trek in.
If you simply cannot find a date at Chileno that works for your timeframe, you can always stay at the Torres Central campsite or hostel. This is a huge site, so there will likely be something available. It will add a bit more mileage and climbing to your overall hike, but it’s the next best thing to be able to hike up to the Torres- the main attraction!
How to Plan a W Trek Itinerary
Hiking beside the French Glacier on the W Trek
Now that you know everything about getting to the W Trek and booking accommodations along the W Trek, it’s time to put all that information together to create your W Trek itinerary!
As a first step to creating an itinerary, we recommend studying the W Trek maps we provide above and understanding the distances between all the possible campgrounds and refuges. Decide where you think you’d want to start, and how much mileage you think you’d be able to tackle in a day.
Keep in mind that there are trail cutoff times at several places along the W Trek for safety purposes, as park officials don’t want people hiking after dark. So, for example, you cannot start hiking into the French Valley or the last part of the trail up to the Torres del Paine after 2 pm. Keep this in mind when planning out your days and don’t try to cram too much hiking into a single day on the trail.
Trail closure times are posted at various campsites and ranger stations along the W Trek. In particular, the hike to the base of the Towers closes at 2 pm near the Torres Ranger Station (pictured above) and the trail into the French Valley closes by 1 pm.
We would highly recommend dedicating 5 days to the W Trek to avoid rushing or skipping through any parts of the trail, however it is possible to do the trek over 4, or even 3 (very rushed) days if needed.
Once you figure out your ideal itinerary and what sites you’ll be staying at, the next step would be to reserve all your campsites and/or refuges. The availability of these sites will be the ultimate factor in determining how your itinerary will be arranged, so have a few alternate back- up plans in mind just in case. For example, Chileno is ideal, but if it’s not available, are you willing to stay at Central campsite instead? Or are you willing to hike the W Trek in either direction?
Here are some W Trek itinerary options to help kick start your planning.
5 day W Trek itineraries
5 Day W Trek (West to East) – our most ideal itinerary
Day 1: Take the boat to Paine Grande and hike up to Grey campsite to spend the night.
Day 2: Day hike out to the Grey Glacier Viewpoint, then turnaround and hike back to Paine Grande to spend the night.
Day 3: Hike to Frances, hiking up the French Valley en route.
Day 4: Hike to Chileno.
Day 5: Hike to the Torres del Paine, then hike back down to Central to finish your trek.
Alternate 5 Day W Trek (West to East)
Day 1: Take the boat to Paine Grande and spend the night.
Day 2: Day hike out as far up the western leg of the W Trek as you can, ideally making it to the Grey campsite and viewpoint before turning around and spending a second night at Paine Grande.
Day 3: Hike to Frances, hiking up the French Valley en route.
Day 4: Hike to Chileno.
Day 5: Hike to the Torres del Paine, then hike back down to Central to finish your trek
Alternate 5 Day W Trek (West to East)
Day 1: Take the boat to the Grey camp and refuge and day hike as far up the trail as you’d like, ideally making it to the Grey Glacier Viewpoint.
Day 2: Hike to Paine Grande.
Day 3: Hike to Frances, hiking up the French Valley en route.
Day 4: Hike to Chileno.
Day 5: Hike to the Torres del Paine, then hike back down to Central to finish your trek
5 Day W Trek (East to West)
Day 1: Hike to the base of the Torres and then stay at either Chileno or Central
Day 2: Hike to Frances
Day 3: Hike through the French Valley and then to Paine Grande
Day 4: Hike out and back to Grey, stay at Paine Grande
Day 5: Take the boat to Pudeto to finish the trek
4 day W Trek itineraries
4 Day W Trek (West to East)
Day 1: Take the boat to Paine Grande and hike up the trail towards Grey as far as you can before turning around (ideally to the midway point of the trail between Paine Grande and Grey where the Grey Glacier first comes into view). Spend the night at Paine Grande.
Day 2: Hike to Frances, hiking up the French Valley en route.
Day 3: Hike to Chileno.
Day 4: Hike to the Torres del Paine, then hike back down to Central to finish your trek.
4 Day W Trek (East to West)
Day 1: Hike to the base of the Torres and spend the night at Chileno or back down at Central
Day 2: Hike to Frances
Day 3: Hike through the French Valley and then stay at Paine Grande
Day 4: Get a very early start to the day and hike up the trail towards Grey as far as you can before hiking back to Paine Grande to get the afternoon boat to Pudeto. Be mindful of time today!
3 day W Trek itineraries
3 Day W Trek (West to East)- not recommended! Three days is very little time and you will have to skip out on seeing the Grey Glacier and some of the French Valley.
Day 1: Boat into Paine Grande and hike to Frances (going only just a little ways up the French Valley to see the French Glacier up close).
Day 2: Hike to Chileno.
Day 3: Hike to the base of the Torres and hike back out to Central.
3 Day W Trek alternative (West to East)
Day 1: Boat into Paine Grande and hike towards Grey as far as you can before turning back and spending the night at Paine Grande.
Day 2: Hike to Cuernos (if time allows, hike a small way up the French Valley to see the French Glacier up close on the way).
Day 3: Hike to the base of the Torres and then out to Central. This will be a very long day of hiking and you have to be mindful of the time to catch the last bus back to Puerto Natales.
How Much Does it Cost to Hike the W Trek in Torres del Paine?
The W Trek can be as budget-friendly or as expensive as you’d like. It all depends on whether you decide to stay in refuges or campsites, and whether you choose to carry all your own food and cook your meals as you go or buy meals at each site.
Regardless, the W Trek isn’t exactly cheap- between park entry fees, transportation to and from the park, and campsite and refuge accommodations, the costs all add up quickly.
The W Trek can be expensive, but carrying all your own gear and cooking your meals will cut costs significantly
To give you an idea of what a W Trek budget might look like, here are two extremes of the spectrum. One of these budgets assumes you carry all your own gear and food and camp at each site (this is the cheapest you can do the W Trek), while the other assumes you stay in refuges wherever you can and buy full board at each site along the way (this is the most expensive way to do the W Trek).
These costs are in USD and are per person based on two people sharing costs during peak season. It’s also based on a 5 day/4 night hike of the W Trek.
Low budget W Trek
Roundtrip transportation costs between Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales, and Torres del Paine (including a one-way ferry trip across Lake Pehoe): $82
Park fee: $50
Gear rental from Puerto Natales: $100
Food: $20
Campsites: $126
Total: $378
Still quite a lot for a hike…but it’s the cheapest way to do it! If you bring your own gear with you from home (your own backpacking, sleeping bag/mat, etc), you can save money there, but these costs will probably just be replaced with high airline baggage fees anyway.
High budget W Trek
Roundtrip transportation costs between Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales, and Torres del Paine (including a one-way ferry trip across Lake Pehoe): $82
Park fee: $50
Food: $460
Lodging: $567
Total: $1,159
As you can see, things can really add up fast and you can end up spending a lot to hike the W Trek. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be quite this expensive. Your W Trek costs could lie anywhere in between these two extremes depending on what combination, gear, food, and lodging you choose to buy along the route.
Can You Do the W Trek as a Series of Day Hikes?
Views from the W Trek
If you can’t manage to get any of the W Trek accommodations, or you just aren’t up for a multiday trek, it’s actually possible to see most of the highlights of the W Trek by simply doing a series of day hikes in Torres del Paine!
Here’s how you can essentially day hike the W Trek:
Day 1: Day hike to the base of the Torres del Paine: While part of the W Trek, the Torres del Paine lookout is actually a popular day hike in the park. It starts right from the Welcome Center near the Central camping area and is a long out-and-back day hike, but definitely doable in a day. Check out our complete hiking guide to day hiking the Base of the Torres Lookout trail for more information!
Day 2: Return to the park and take the boat across Pehoe Lake to Paine Grande. Day hike out and back to the Grey campsite for views of the Grey Glacier. This will be about a 20 km / 12.7 mile hike.
Day 3: Return to the park and take the boat again to Paine Grande. Day hike out and back through the French Valley. If you hike all the way to the final viewpoint (Mirador Britannico) and back, it will be a very long day- about 28 km / 16 miles, but you can stop at the first viewpoint of the Frances Glacier to cut the distance down significantly.
Hiking the W Trek in this way will require a lot of long days on the trail, but it can save you the hassle of organizing a multiday trek. You’d just need to organize transportation to the park each day (whether by rental car or public buses), book two days of ferry tickets, and pay for the park pass.
What to Pack for the W Trek
Aside from all the standard backpacking and hiking gear, here are some things we’d highlight packing specifically for hiking the W Trek.
Rain gear- No matter what time of year you do the W Trek, be prepared for lots of rain. Pack a rain jacket and pack cover at a minimum, but we also suggest having rain pants, and dry bags to keep belongings safe inside your pack. We also recommend having waterproof hiking boots as well to keep your feet dry.
Layers- It can get quite cold (and windy!) at night and up at the higher elevations throughout the hike. Make sure to have warm base layers and windproof outer layers. A hat and gloves are also handy too for the cool evenings at camp.
Sun protection- Make sure to bring a hat or sunglasses and sunscreen for the trail’s sunny days and exposed areas.
A buff or bandanna- Or some other thing that can be used as a face covering to protect yourself in high wind areas. The wind can often blow sharp dirt and gravel up at your face, and sometimes the wind can be so strong that it can be hard to breathe as you’re trying to walk into the headwind, so having a face covering will be a big help here. Also, have a small pack of tissues on hand (as your nose will probably start running!).
Ear plugs- Campsites on the W Trek can feel cramped, and if you’re in a refuge, you’ll be in dorm-style rooms, so you’ll always have close neighbors. Ear plugs might help you get a better night’s sleep.
Cash or card- Most of the accommodation sites on the W Trek have small camp stores to buy food and gear, so it’s helpful to have some emergency cash on you in case you need anything along the way.
Portable charger- All accommodations on the W Trek do have outlets and electricity for charging devices, but these can be quickly taken by others, and electricity is usually turned off at night, so we still recommend having your own portable charger to be able to charge on the go and when needed.
All necessary documentation- At each campsite along the W Trek, you’ll be required to check in and show your reservations, passport, and PDI tourist card. Make sure to have all reservations saved to your phone (and even better-printed out and carried with you).
Gear rental for the W Trek
Planning to camp your way through the W Trek but need to rent camping gear? While you can pay to have a tent set up for you at each campsite, that is an expensive option. Plus, it could be annoying to pack all your heavy backpacking gear from home. For us, it would have cost us a lot in baggage fees, and we also just didn’t want to lug it around for the several months we’d be in South America.
Luckily, there are several places around Puerto Natales where you can rent gear- backpacks, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, pillows, camp stoves, tents, complete camping kits, and more.
Rental Natales is a popular option for gear rental in Puerto Natales.
Erratic Rock is popular hostel that also rents out gear. It was often recommended to us that we go to their daily 3 pm talks that cover lots of useful information about the O and W Treks, but when we visited them, the staff told us that they don’t really do that anymore and that they were actually going to be closing up shop soon. He was honest and told us that most of their gear was pretty old, well- worn and out dated, but he was still happy to answer any questions we had about the trek. It does seem their website is still up and running so I am not sure if they are still in business or not, but it might be good to have a back- up plan in case it’s not.
We ended up renting gear from the Yagan House. We were able to rent all the gear we needed- a tent, sleeping bags, and mats, the day before our trek for a reasonable price. The gear wasn’t in too bad of shape, but we could never fully adjust our backpacks perfectly, which made the trek a bit rougher than we would have liked (the cons of having to rent your gear!).
More Patagonia Guides
Are you looking for more information on the W Trek, O Circuit, or Patagonia in general? Be sure to check out all our other guides to help you plan your perfect trip!
And that’s a wrap on the W Trek! We really hope this guide has given you all the information you need to plan your perfect W Trek itinerary and that you get to experience this amazing piece of the planet. Let us know if you have any questions on the W Trek in the comments below- we are happy to help!