Torres del Paine — W Trek

The route

The W Trek is the classic route through Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia, roughly 80 km traced in the shape of a W between the Lago Grey shore, the Valle del Francés and the base of the three granite towers. It lies in the Última Esperanza province, about 110 km north of Puerto Natales. Unlike a wilderness traverse, the W is a managed route inside a heavily visited national park: you sleep in fixed refugios and campsites, catamarans and shuttles form part of the itinerary, and every night must be reserved before you are allowed in.

About 3,000 m of cumulative ascent over 80 km, with the highest point around 900 m at the Torres viewpoint. Nothing is technical, but the ground is rough: moraine boulder fields, root-laced beech forest, scree and long stony traverses above the lakes. The final climb to the Base Las Torres mirador is an hour of loose rock and the hardest section of the walk. The wind is the defining feature. Gusts across the exposed lake shores and at the Británico lookout regularly knock walkers off balance, and there is little to do beyond leaning into it.

Five days is the standard, four if you are fast and drop a side valley. Walked east to west, sample stages run Laguna Amarga to Refugio Chileno at 9 km, Chileno to the Base Las Torres viewpoint and back at 14 km, Las Torres to Los Cuernos at 12 km, Los Cuernos to the Valle del Francés at 15 km, and the Valle del Francés to Paine Grande at 20 km. Two of those days include out-and-back spurs, so ascent matters more than distance. Park rules also set latest-entry times for some sections.

The season is November to March, the southern-hemisphere summer, with December to February the busiest and most settled, and November and March quieter and colder. Even at the height of summer, expect four seasons in a day: sun, sleet, rain and hard wind in a single afternoon is normal, and the Torres are often in cloud. Daylight is long, with light until after ten in December. Refugios and most campsites close outside the season, and although a limited winter programme exists, it is guided and a different proposition entirely.

You sleep in refugios and campsites operated by two concessionaires, Vértice and Las Torres, alongside the free CONAF sites where these still function. Every night must be booked in advance, and the park will not let you start without confirmed reservations covering the whole itinerary — rangers check them. Beds and platform tents for the December to February peak are released months ahead, often around the middle of the previous year, and the popular combinations go quickly. Options run from a bunk with half board to a bare tent site, and prices differ sharply between them.

The W suits walkers who want serious mountain scenery without technical ground, and who accept a rigid, pre-booked itinerary in exchange. It is demanding rather than difficult: consecutive days of six to nine hours on rough ground in strong wind. It suits less well anyone who wants flexibility, solitude or a cheap trip. This is one of the more expensive treks in South America per day, the trails are busy in January, and the reservation system means a missed catamaran or a closed section is hard to work around once you are inside the park.