Patagonia W-Trek Adventure

April 13-19, 2024

W Torres del Paine Circuit

5 Days/4 Nights on the W-Trek (46 Miles)

 2 Days/2 Nights in Hotels in Puerto Natales

$3,595.00 per person (double occupancy*)

$4,295.00 per person (single occupancy*)

This hike is rated MODERATE to STRENUOUS

The W Trek is the most famous route in Torres del Paine National Park. The Torres del Paine W Circuit tour is a 5-day hiking tour led by Bruce W. Martin. The tour includes everything necessary for you to just show up and enjoy this amazing experience: transfers from Puerto Natales, 4 nights of accommodation, food (breakfast, lunch and dinner), access ticket to the National Park and even complimentary drinks in the shelters.  April is the Fall season in Patagonia and brings out vibrant colors and snow on the peaks!

During the W Circuit you will discover the most iconic sites of the park: the Base Torres Viewpoint, the British Viewpoint, the French Valley, the Gray Glacier and Gray Lake. You will sleep the first two nights in the Central or Chilean Sector (close to Torres Base), the third in the Cuernos or French Sector and the last in the Paine Grande Sector. Accommodations for the first 3 nights are assigned based on availability

Travel Day to Puerto Natales: This is a travel day from your point of origin to Puerto Natales. (Airfare and bus fare not included.) Your adventure begins at the airport in where we’ll meet you and provide a shuttle to your hotel where you can relax, shop and enjoy dinner (on your own.)

Day 1: Central Sector – The first day of the W Torres del Paine Circuit starts after lunch, where we will take a bus to the park to the Laguna Amarga welcome center, where we’ll register as visitors and enter the park. Once inside the park, we’ll take a minibus to the Welcome Center and from there we’ll hike to your campsite. Upon arrival we’ll check-in, and they will tell us our dinner and breakfast times. Breakfast and dinner are always served in the refuge dining room even though we’re staying at the campsite. We’ll settle in the place where we’ll spend the first two nights.

Day 2: Chilean Sector – The day begins with breakfast at the time assigned during check-in (between 7:30 – 8:30). At the end, you will collect the lunch-box, which will be your food during the route. Since we are going to return to sleep in the Central Sector, we only have to carry in our backpacks what we need to get through the day. Today’s route is the iconic climb to the Base Torres viewpoint. We’ll begin the hike crossing the Ascencio River Valley until reaching the first uneven section at Paso de los Vientos , with views that will make the effort worthwhile. Then we pass through the Chilean Sector area and suddenly enter a totally different ecosystem: the trail enters a Lengas forest! Then on to the Base Torres del Paine viewpoint. We’ll go the same way back until we reach our tent sites, where we’ll have free time to rest, have a drink at the bar while chatting with other travelers and have dinner.

Day 3: French Sector – After breakfast, the third day of the W Circuit through Torres del Paine begins, the least demanding stage, since there is very little gradient and the trail is in very good condition. During this day we’ll walk next to Lake Nordenskjöld, cross a small river and walk some stretches along the beaches that form next to the lake. For much of the route the background landscape is Cerro Almirante Nieto and the Cuernos del Paine,  Patagonia in all its splendor as our backdrop. The Torres del Paine W Circuit tour includes the third night of accommodation in the French Sector or Cuernos Sector depending on availability. We’ll enjoy tent accommodations and dinner there!

Day 4: French Valley – This day of the W Circuit is one of the most demanding. The first section between Cuernos and Francés is flat. Wen then continue to the intersection where the road divides, one path ascends to the French and British viewpoint and the other continues to Paine Grande. We’ll walk into “Campamento Italiano ”, then on to Mirador Francés, a 2-mile journey with almost 1,000 feet of elevation gain. Once we reach Mirador Francés, we will continue to Mirador Británico, a 2.5 mile route with over 900 feet of elevation gain. When we reach the viewpoint, we’ll find an area of ​​stones that you can climb to take the best photo of the Británico lookout and enjoy stunning views. We’ll return along the same path and continue walking the remaining 5.5 miles to the refuge with a slight downhill slope that our legs will appreciate after so much uphill. We’ll cross an area that suffered a fire a few years ago where the tree trunks create a somewhat gloomy landscape finally reaching Paine Grande Refuge with a unique location in front of Lake Pehoé.

Day 5: Cerro Paine Grande –  The last day of the W Circuit through Torres del Paine is a round trip route along the same path, with a medium-high difficulty due to the unevenness. Along the ascent route you will have Lake Gray on your left hand side and on your right the majestic Cerro Paine Grande , which can already be seen impressively from the Paine Grande Sector itself. The first stop is the Lake Gray viewpoint , above which you can see numerous pieces of glacier floating from Glacier Gray. Some travelers end their ascent here, but we’ll continue to the Gray Refuge, from where you can see the Gray Glacier very close or even further to the first suspension bridge. The way back to the Paine Grande Sector is always downhill, so it is much easier. It is important to stick to the times on this route because at 6:30 p.m. we will have to take the catamaran that takes us back to Pudeto. We will sail across Lake Pehoé to Pudeto and once there, a bus will take us back to Puerto Natales, where we’ll spend the night, ending our spectacular adventure through Chilean Patagonia.

*Double Occupancy means you will share a hotel room and tent. Single occupancy means you will have your own hotel room and tent.

Your registration amount includes:

• Roundtrip Bus tickets between Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine National park
• 2 Nights Accommodation in Puerto Natales (Breakfast Included)
• Airport transfers in Puerto Natales
• Guided 5-day, 4 night hike on the W-Trek
• Four nights in Torres del Paine National Park (Camping/Refugios)
• Camping equipment including tents, sleeping bags and pads
• Catamaran ticket Pehoe Lake
• All meals as described on the itinerary
• Spiritual direction each day by Bruce W. Martin

Your registration does not include:

• Airfare or bus transportation to Puerto Natales
• Meals in Puerto Natales except those mentioned in itinerary
• Tips for guide, hotel staff, park staff, etc.

WE MUST HAVE 6 PEOPLE REGISTERED BEFORE DECEMBER 31, 2023 TO DO THIS TRIP, SO DON’T WAIT!

This trip is limited to the first 12 people who register. We cannot offer refunds for this trip unless we don’t have enough participants. We must have a minimum of 6 participants to do this trip. Permits for hiking in the Torres del Paine Park are non-transferable, non-refundable, and the dates are unchangeable. DO NOT PURCHASE AIRFARE UNTIL WE HAVE CONFIRMED THE MINIMUM OF 6 PARTICIPANTS. We will hold your registration in escrow until then. If we do not get 6 participants, we will offer you a full refund.