The W-Trek in Torres del Paine national park is one of the world’s most iconic adventures. Few places on earth can compare with the rugged beauty of Patagonia, and we couldn’t be more excited to be offering our first ever adventure in Torres del Paine.
The elevation on this trek is not extreme, but the weather can be. This region has no dry season and it is famous for high winds. However, those willing to brave the elements, will encounter one of the planet’s truly unique landscapes.
You may notice that the deposit is higher and the due dates for funds are very early on this adventure compared to our other treks. This is because we have to lock in specific campsites in the national park very early. We need to lock the team nearly 6 months in advance of the trip.
Also, we are limiting this adventure to 10 people (and it will absolutely sell out), so if you are interested in joining us, you need to register and get your deposit in ASAP.
Dates: March 22-30, 2025
Getting to Patagonia can be pretty challenging logistically, so we are planning to include our international flights from a few major USA airports (San Francisco/Denver/Chicago/Dallas/New York) in the cost of the trip. We will work with team members to arrange the most convenient and cost effective flights possible. We will almost certainly depart on March 22nd and arrive back in the States on March 30th. If team members prefer to arrange their own travel to Argentina, we can accommodate that as well and we will reduce their trip cost to offset the cost of their flights.
Cost: $3,900 per person (including flights)
- A non-refundable $725 deposit is required at the time of registration to secure your spot on the team. This is more than our usual deposit, but we have to lock in some logistics much earlier on this trip than our other adventures. Please read our Trip Cancellation and Refund policy before registering for your adventure.
- $1,450 is due before August 1st, 2024.
- $2,675 is due before November 1st, 2024.
- $3,900 is due before February 1st, 2025.
What is included:
- All meals and lodging while in Chile and Argentina (3 nights in hotels and 3 nights in tents)
- Flights to Punta Arenas, Argentina from a major USA airport
- All ground and water transportation to and from the start/finish of the trek in Torres del Paine National Park
- All trekking and park entry fees and climbing permits
- We provide tents for the trek (2 people to a tent). Single occupancy tents can be arranged for a modest up-charge, and individuals will have to carry a full tent weight vs only half during the trek.
What is NOT included:
- Team members are responsible for their own trekking gear (backpack, clothes, hiking shoes/boots, trekking poles, head lamp, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, etc.) We will provide an extensive and detailed packing/gear list for all of our participants.
- Team members are responsible for their own snacks.
- Climbing insurance (recommended, but not required ~$150); we will help you arrange this.
- Team members are responsible for their own food during the international travel
Trek Difficulty: Moderately Difficult
The difficulty of this trek is largely dependent upon the notoriously unpredictable Patagonia weather. If we get great weather, this is a very manageable trekking itinerary. If we get rougher weather, it could become quite difficult. The terrain itself is only moderately challenging, but we will be walking significant mileage each day with full backpacks, so we recommend all of our team members devote themselves to a season of training before attempting this adventure. The more cardio fitness you can obtain before your adventure, the more you will enjoy the trek.
Itinerary:
Day 1 (March 22nd)
Team members will depart the USA and fly overnight to Punta Arenas, Argentina.
Day 2 (March 23rd)
We will arrive in Punta Arenas, get settled into our team hotel, and enjoy a nice dinner in a local restaurant.
Day 3 (Mar 24th)
We will get up early and make our way by car to the city of Puerto Natales, Chile. The drive is approximately 3 hours. Once in Puerto Natales, we will do some last minute shopping and take care of some last minute preparations for our trek.
Day 4 (Mar 25th)
We will arrange transportation to the Pudeto entrance to Torres del Paine National Park where we will take a ferry across a gorgeous lake to Paine Grande refugio. We will set up camp at Paine Grande and then make a day trip to Grey Glacier and back. This will be a pretty stunning, but also quite long day on trail (a little more than 13 miles). We will finish with a camp style dinner back at Paine Grande.
Day 5 (Mar 26th)
We will wake up early and start our journey to the French Valley and up to Mirador Britanico. If we get clear weather this is one of the highlights of the Patagonia trek. We will then retrace our steps back out of the French Valley and on to Cuernos Campground. This will be another long and challenging day on trail (approximately 12 miles).
Day 6 (Mar 27th)
Our third day on trail will be the lightest day of the trek as we make our way from Cuernos Campground along the lakeside and up to Chileno Campground, our staging point for our early morning trip to Mirador los Torres, the most famous viewpoint in Patagonia. We will only be walking around 5 hours on this day, so we should arrive in camp early enough to catch up on some much needed rest.
Day 7 (Mar 28th)
We will be up very early (~4:00AM) and on the trail in the dark. The trail to Mirador los Torres is not particularly long, but it is quite steep. It should take us around 2 hours to get to the viewpoint for a spectacular sunrise. We will then retrace our steps back to camp, break down our tents, and make our way back out of park. We will enjoy a nice dinner and shower in Puerto Natales at our team hotel and get ourselves ready for the long travel home.
Day 8 (Mar 29th)
We will travel by car back to Punta Arenas to catch our international flights.
Day 9 (Mar 30th)
Arrive back in the States.