Patagonia's W Trek: Five Days in the World's Most Dramatic Mountains
The W Trek in Torres del Paine National Park is one of the world's great multi-day hikes — five days through a landscape of granite towers, glaciers, and turquoise lakes that looks like a film set but is entirely real.
Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia contains some of the most dramatic mountain scenery on Earth — the three granite towers of the Paine Massif rising 2,500 metres from the Patagonian steppe, the Grey Glacier calving icebergs into a lake of extraordinary blue, and the Cuernos del Paine — the Horns — whose dark sedimentary caps contrast with the pale granite below in a geological composition of almost theatrical beauty.
The W Trek is the most popular route through the park — a five-day, 80-kilometre hike that traces the shape of the letter W between the park's three main valleys. The route passes through the Valle del Francés, where hanging glaciers calve ice onto the valley floor; the base of the Cuernos; and the Mirador Las Torres, where the three granite towers are reflected in a lake at their base. It is one of the finest multi-day hikes in the world.
The accommodation on the W Trek ranges from basic campsites to the Explora Patagonia lodge, one of the finest wilderness hotels in South America. The CONAF-managed campsites are well-maintained and inexpensive, and the refugios — mountain huts with dormitory beds and hot meals — offer a comfortable middle option. Booking accommodation in advance is essential; the most popular sites fill up months ahead during the peak season of December to February.
The weather in Patagonia is the defining challenge of the W Trek. The park sits at the convergence of the Pacific and Atlantic weather systems, and the wind — the famous Patagonian wind — can reach 120 kilometres per hour on exposed ridges. Rain, sun, and snow can occur within the same hour, and the ability to layer quickly and protect your pack from the wind is as important as any other hiking skill. The reward for enduring the weather is that the light in Patagonia, when the clouds break, is unlike anywhere else on Earth.
The Mirador Las Torres, at the end of the first day's hike, is the most famous viewpoint in the park — a two-hour climb from the Chileno refugio to a lake at the base of the three towers. The towers are best seen at sunrise, when the first light catches the granite and turns it from grey to gold to orange in the space of a few minutes. Camping at Chileno and making the climb in the dark to arrive at dawn is the classic approach, and it is worth every step of the pre-dawn scramble.
The full O Circuit, which extends the W Trek into a seven to nine-day loop around the entire Paine Massif, is the more demanding and more rewarding option for experienced hikers. The back side of the circuit — the John Gardner Pass, at 1,241 metres — offers the finest view in the park: the Grey Glacier stretching to the horizon, the towers behind you, and the Patagonian steppe visible in the distance. The pass is frequently closed by weather, and the descent on the far side is steep and exposed.
Getting to Torres del Paine requires flying to Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales and taking a bus to the park entrance. Puerto Natales, 112 kilometres from the park, is the base for most trekkers — a small town with excellent gear shops, good restaurants, and a genuine frontier atmosphere. The best time to trek is November to March, with December and January offering the longest days and the most stable weather, and October and April offering fewer crowds at the cost of more unpredictable conditions.
The wildlife of Torres del Paine is one of the park's underrated attractions. Guanacos — the wild relatives of the llama — are abundant throughout the park and entirely unafraid of humans, grazing on the steppe within metres of the trail. Condors soar on the thermals above the towers, their three-metre wingspans making them unmistakable even at altitude. Pumas, the apex predators of Patagonia, are increasingly visible in the park — particularly in the early morning and late afternoon on the open steppe south of the towers.
The Perito Moreno Glacier, three hours north of Puerto Natales across the border in Argentina, is one of the most accessible and dramatic glaciers in the world — a 30-kilometre river of ice that advances into Lago Argentino at a rate of two metres per day, periodically calving enormous blocks of ice into the lake with a sound like a cannon shot. The walkways above the glacier allow close-up views of the ice face, and the boat trips that approach from the lake give a sense of the glacier's scale that is impossible from the shore.
Gear and preparation for the W Trek: the most important items are waterproof layers (a Gore-Tex jacket is not optional), trekking poles (the descent from the Mirador Las Torres is steep and loose), and a sleeping bag rated to at least -5°C for the campsites. The refugios provide meals and sleeping bags can be rented, but the quality varies and bringing your own is more reliable. The park entrance fee is around $35 USD for foreigners and must be paid at the CONAF office in Puerto Natales or at the park entrance.
