TORRES DEL PAINE - W-Trek

What Is the W-Trek Really

The W-Trek is a 3-5 day hike in a beautiful national park with glaciers, turquoise lakes, and a mountain range with granite towers in southern Patagonia, Chile. We set out on the approximately 75km long journey to explore the stunning landscape. This involved 4 nights and 5 day stages. We carried our food, cooking utensils, sleeping bag, and other items, but we rented tents and sleeping mats at different campsites.

Relaxation Despite Effort

As a professional indoor person, it was quite refreshing for me to spend a long time in the fresh air. We slept in a tent not only during the trail but also the week before. As we took the bus at the end, I became acutely aware of how fresh my thoughts had become. The fact that there was no internet in the national park also contributed to this. Or at least none that I would have been willing to pay the considerable sum for. While parts of the route challenged Anja, mainly due to a cold and overall fitness level, I coped quite well.

Thankfully, the usual issues with my feet were not too severe, and after shifting some of the load to my disadvantage, the overall mood significantly improved. We had a tailwind on most of our hike, except for the first day. You wouldn't believe what a big difference this makes when walking. At times, the wind was so strong it almost knocked you over.

This didn't happen to us, but other hikers we met on the trail got quite a scrape on their shins from falling. On the last day, we were relieved it was over. For others, however, there was a good deal (3 days) left, as there is also a path around the entire mountain range. This path is then called the O-Trail. On the first day, it felt very unusual to carry a heavy backpack, but I slowly got used to it over the next few days. In the evening at the camp, walking without a backpack felt light, almost springy.

Landscape

On the first day, we of course started early, to then reach the national park after about 2 hours/100 kilometers drive from Puerto Natales. For Patagonian conditions a short drive, practically just around the corner. After checking in with the rangers and a further short bus ride, then we went with a catamaran to the beginning of the W-Trail. From the boat you have a magnificent view of the mountain range and we also had luck with the weather. At the jetty, then the actual hike began. Past some small lagoons and a few altitudes, we could soon see the surrounding mountain ranges.

Towards the end of the first day, the Grey Glacier was also visible, very impressive, but not as beautiful as the Perito Moreno Glacier where we had been a week before. One of the very high mountain peaks, which almost always stood in the clouds, sparkled in a mysterious bright blue, a bit like a blue quartz stone. Unfortunately, we couldn't figure out why this was the case. On the second day, it went the same way back and in the evening we could see the peaks soaked in red by the evening sun.

The third day led us into the middle of the massif, the so-called Mirador Britannico, from where you could admire the surrounding peaks as if you were in the middle of a goblet. On the fourth day, apart from a lot of sunshine, we had a beautiful view of the Lago Nordenskjöld, where we could walk along all day with a lot of tailwind and enjoy the view.

The weather, which was always quite good to this point, did not hold on the fifth day, and we could not get a close look at the famous Torres del Paine towers, as the rain clouds enveloped both the landmark and us. So, we turned around after about 1 hour and spent the rest of the day waiting for the departure bus. We didn't mind this much, at least we could relax.

In the afternoon, the clouds cleared, and we got a few glimpses of the park's landmark and took a few photos.

Is It Expensive or Just a Rip-off

We booked rather late (shortly before New Year's Eve) for the January 10-14 dates, which made the trek quite expensive for us - about €850 with transportation. In my opinion, that's far too expensive, but sometimes the decision is not up to you. After the four days, we talked to our Chilean host in Puerto Natales and apparently it's a systematic issue. There are two camping operators, one of them rents the place from the state and thus has obligations regarding price, equipment, and safety.

Although it is a bit more expensive than a regular campground, it's still justified and provides good service. The other operator, however, made a deal during Pinochet's dictator days and was not expropriated for his private land in the national park. This operator exploits his monopoly, charges €220 per night in a tent (2 people), and provides poor service - such as dirty, moldy, and cold showers - with no kitchen facilities or safety regulations, like fire extinguishers near the cooking area provided. As a tourist, I felt absolutely ripped off and would not recommend the trail for this reason, even though the nature there is beautiful and impressive.

Apparently, there's a long legal dispute between the operator and the Chilean state, as such business practices naturally damage tourism and other small businesses in the long run. Especially since the Fitz Roy Massif "nearby" in Argentina is much cheaper and has a similar attraction for tourists. Our host believes that the legal dispute will continue for at least 10 more years and will probably not end well.

Conclusion

The W and O Treks (the O Trek is a bit longer than the W Trek) are heavily hyped in the media, and accordingly, many people are on the move during peak times. We weren't particularly bothered by this, as we anyway belonged to the slow/back hikers. For us, it wasn't too many people, but you have to make way and overtake on the narrow paths more often. A visit with several day trips is possibly even cheaper due to the pharmacy prices at the campsite and you get much more for your money. All in all, the national park is beautiful and worth a visit.

Post Scriptum

Those who still want to see more pictures from the national park can find them at hoenisch.eu/photo/mo/sharing/uONlcedQt.