2019 Dec. W Trek. Torres del Paine. Patagonia. Chile.
This was an amazing and memorable 5-day W Trek in Torres del Paine National Park in the extreme south region of Patagonian Chile, in the southern tiers of the Andes with picturesque mountains, lakes and glaciers.
Best time to visit is between Nov and Apr, which coincides with spring and summer in the southern hemisphere. You need to book entry permit and accommodation well in advance, and be mentally and physically prepared! I have experienced myself that weather can change dramatically very quickly, and four seasons in a day is a fact. The trek is gonna be tough, and STRONG wind is something you need to brace yourself with, no joke.
We took a flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas, and then a 3-hr bus ride to Puerto Natales. We had to attend a pre-trek briefing at the local travel agent office upon arrival.
So excited and all geared up for the 5-day W trek when we arrived in Puerto Natales, a low key and laid back town which is the main portal to access Patagonia. We put up at Hotel Altiplanco Sur, which had a unique layout with nice views. It was 3km from the small town centre but the walk along the water was enjoyable.
Found a nice small restaurant Lenga serving modern cuisine run by a young couple for dinner. The pisco cocktail had the nicest garnish ever! Food wise, commendable effort in plating presentation, food prep execution was good but not top notch quality. Supposedly one of the better restaurants in Puerto Natales, the other being Santolla which was full when we walked in.
Early next morning, we left our big luggages at the hotel, cab to the bus terminal to take the bus to Torres del Paine National Park. The journey was about 2hr, and once out of Puerto Natales, there was no more mobile or wifi signal. Radio silence till Christmas Eve, how nice! The photo below showed Laguna Amargo, where everyone need to disembark to submit entrance ticket, register and attend another safety video briefing. We then transferred to another minivan to reach Las Torres’ Welcome Centre few km away. The arrangement was confusing as there were many operators, but you should find the right car by asking around.
This was the Welcome Centre, and our accomodation Refugio Torre Central/Norte was just a short walk away. Saw a fox when we walked towards the refugio! Hiking in Torres del Paine National Park is significantly cheaper if you go self-guided. The W trek is well marked and so busy that you will probably see people all the time, so there is absolutely no chance you will get lost.
After checking in and storing our backpacks, we departed from Refugio Torre Central/Norte towards Refugio Chileno with our daypack. The hike for the Day 1 would cover 18km to reach the iconic base of the Towers, which would be steep in parts, particularly the section up to the towers, and return the same way, in about 10 hrs. The W Trek can be done in either direction, our itinerary was planned East to West due to limited accommodation availability. Many trekkers plan the hike to the 3 towers as finale of their W Trek or the big circuit O Trek. It was the most tedious hike of all the days and I was glad we did it in the beginning rather than at the end.
The Windy Pass along the way to Chileno. The wind in Patagonia is notorious for being so strong that it could blow you over. Patagonia is an enormous, mostly treeless plateau which gets blasted by the relentless dry polar winds that continually blow from the west. As the trail gently wound down the side of valley, there were gorgeous views of Rio Ascencio and the surrounding mountains.
Water in Torres del Paine National Park is safe to drink without sterilization, and you can fill up your bottle from any moving body of water such as a river, stream, or waterfall. The cold water may look slightly cloudy but it actually tasted crisp and delicious, even better than potable tap water! I really missed drinking from these natural sources. Water at its purest and best!
It took about 2 hrs to reach Refugio Chileno, a good place to break for our packed lunch. Throughout the trek, we would collect a lunch box from the refugio with a meal ticket during breakfast. The lunch boxes were often similarly packed with cheese sandwich, snacks like nuts, cereal bar or chocolate, and a fruit. Quantity was always more than enough to not let you go hungry.
The next stretch of the hike after the refugio was largely unremarkable, climbing through a lengthy section of forest.
End of forest trail, the view opened up. From this point onwards, it was a tedious climb upwards on rocky and sandy terrain. This was the most difficult and intense part of the trail, had to navigate steep pile of rocks and boulders while fighting to maintain balance fighting the strong winds that whipped through at high speeds. The ascent in elevation for the day’s hike was about 900m or 3000ft, most of which was this stretch. I struggled hard with the tedious climb, and had no desire in taking any photos while catching my breath… 🙂
I was thoroughly exhausted when I reached Torres del Paine (Spanish for ‘Towers of Paine’, ‘Paine’ being the old indigenous name for the colour blue), the three immense rock towers that give the park its name. Took me a while to recover, but the view was worth it. No sun with overcast sky, and the wind was loud and strong, sweeping across the turquoise lake. Beautiful!
Short video clip at Mirador las Torres
It was the same route back after the stunning views at the mirador. Climbing down the rocky trail was equally tough, watching every step on slippery rocks and fighting to keep my feet on the ground against the strong winds, careful not to get injured on the first day.
I had underestimated the difficulty of trekking in Patagonia, it was way tougher and more strenuous than I imagined. I was dead beat by the time I returned to Refugio Torre Central for dinner. Dinner and breakfast was basic and bleahhh, but I was thankful for hot food and shan’t complain. Our bunk was in a small quaint outpost Torre Norte (shown in pic below) a stone’s throw away from main Torre Central building. There were power points in all refugios for charging phones and batteries, so remember to pack your adaptor and cable.
It was sheer mind power to be up and ready to go for Day 2 hike, from Torres Central to Los Cuernos, approximate 12km in about 6 hours. Pure mind over body, as I was determined to go on with the W Trek. The rain did not make it any easier as we started the hike, seeing rain was unlikely to stop anytime soon. Within short few hours, waterproof shoes just no longer work, so wet socks throughout the day. Luckily the hike was shorter and relatively easy compared to the day before, although we had to carry our backpacks all the way.
Not all trails were nicely paved, be prepared for all conditions including crossings over shallow streams and muddy areas.
As the weather cleared up, beauty unfolded. The intensity of colours started to reveal, the turquoise Nordenskjöld Lake contrasted the shades of green of local flora, against the blue skies and white clouds.
We were booked camping at Refugio Cuernos as the travel agent did not manage to secure a bunk bed for that date. Ended up I had the best night rest sleeping in the tent with good privacy. Temperature was not as cold as I thought, the tent shielded the wind effectively and the sleeping bags provided were adequately warm and comfortable. Love the camping in nature experience and the hot shower in the toilets. Great views!
Dinner at Refugio Cuernos deserves a mention, rice was uncooked and beef was tough and tasteless. I don’t usually waste food but this occasion was an exception. Just glad I always pack emergency ration of Korean instant ramen on standby for supper, which tasted heavenly in cold weather.
Day 3 hike from Los Cuernos to French Valley Lookout and then to Paine Grande. Another 17km, to be done in about 9 hrs. It started to drizzle again just as we were about to set off. Due to the wet weather the day before, water level on some streams were high and got my shoes soaked and wet in no time. Another wet socks day right from morning, bummer!
Rainbows were a common sight during the W Trek. Check out the double rainbow! The rainbow instantly lifted our mood and spirits to keep on going.
Video showing views of Lake Nordenskjöld
The hike from Cuernos to Camp Italiano took about 3 hours. We left our backpacks by the ranger station and hiked to French Valley Lookout with a smaller daypack.
Weather was freezing cold near the lookout point. Even taking my phone out of the pocket to snap pictures was unbearably cold. And there was no cover to hide from the freezing winds.
Weather can change very quickly, and when the blue sky appeared, the views looked even better.
Backtracked to Camp Italiano to take a break and eat our packed lunch box, before continuing the hike.
The landscape at Lago Skottsberg midway between Cuernos and Paine Grande was gorgeous. The deep blue hue of the water was very different from the turquoise colour of Lake Nordenskjöld. Simply breathtaking!
As we caught a glimpse of the different coloured water of Lago Grey, it meant we were reaching Refugio Paine Grande soon. Even in plain sight, the walk to the refugio was quite a distance away.
Refugio Paine Grande was a relatively huge complex packed with many guests, both hikers and lazy luxury tourists who came by boat. 🙂 There were several spacious and comfy lounging areas with fireplace, and we enjoyed nice conversations sharing experience with other fellow travellers. Cafeteria food was mediocre again. Slept in a stinky bunk, sharing the room with noisy western hikers with smelly boots and wet clothings hung everywhere in the cramped space unfortunately.
The next day, Day 4 was an easy shorter hike of 11km from Paine Grande to Grey, in about 4 hours.
Took about 2 hrs of hiking from Paine Grande, before we reached the lookout point halfway with a glimpse of Grey Glacier in the distance.
Refugio Grey was a small cosy place, and I enjoyed the stay there. Blessed with pleasant and considerate bunkmates for the evening.
I should also mention that drinks and food at Refugio Grey were the best we had, comparing across all the refugios we stayed in.
On Day 5, the morning was free time to explore the area. We were told by fellow travellers that a hike to the second suspension bridge northwards (about 3 hrs roundtrip) would offer beautiful close up views of the Grey Glacier.
After the second suspension bridge and a short walk, we got to the viewpoint of the ice fields of Grey Glacier up close. It was grey and gloomy at first, but weather changed quickly and the sun and blue took a quick peep momentarily where I managed to capture a few nicer shots.
We hiked back to tho Refugio to have lunch before making our way to the beach nearby to catch our boat excursion on Grey III across Lago Grey.
The 2 hr boat ride went across Lago Grey, took us up to the face of the glacier where we saw icebergs calve. The icebergs were so blue and beautiful!
The boat trip continued down the lake to Hotel Lago Grey where we disembarked, transferred via minivan to National Park Administration Office (30min), and eventually boarded a bus back to Puerto Natales (3 hrs).
That was the end of my Chilean Patagonia W Trek, on Christmas Eve. We arrived back at the Altiplanco Sur Hotel at around 10pm. We had reserved the special Christmas dinner at the hotel and had an enjoyable late night celebration with delicious hot food. The friendly waitstaff was very generous in pouring us cocktail, champagne and wine. This had to be a memorable Christmas dinner to remember in many years to come.
Very happy that I survived W Trek in Patagonia! The hike was way tougher than I imagined, compared to my previous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The mountains, valleys, lakes, and glacier views along W trek were simply breathtaking. The 5-day trail is for serious trekkers, not casual holiday makers. Thought I had reached my limit after the first day, and it was mind over body struggling to push on for the next four days. Glad that I completed the entire route on Christmas Eve, rewarded with gorgeous scenery along the way. Feliz Navidad!
