Torres del Paine W Trek

The 100km ‘W’ can be hiked in either direction – west to east from the Paine Grande guardería to Hosteria las Torres, or vice versa, and how you break up your days depends on your fitness and where you want to stay. These trails are well-trodden, and you’ll need to tread lightly to ensure your footprints don’t add to the destruction of fragile flora here. Stick to the paths – even if other hikers are in your way – as erosion around the trails is a serious concern and once damaged, the plants here take years to grow back. West to east, east to west, via campsites or hostels; however you trek it (the west to east route is outlined below) the ‘W’s highlights remain the same.

Taking you along the Rio Ascencio, through its eponymous valley, the trail that climbs towards the viewpoint at the base of the iconic Torres themselves makes you work for your panoramic reward. The last few kilometres in particular are a rocky scramble over a steep, scree and boulder-filled slope – which hides the fingers of the Torres from you until the very last minute. At sunrise, as a wave of red light floods down each jagged pinnacle, the view is incomparable.
Refugio Chileno – Mirador Base las Torres – Hosteria las Torres walking time: approx 7 hours

The in-and-out nature of this hike means daily distances can be adjusted easily to suit you. The last stretch up the Valle Francés to the Mirador Británico can be particularly tough, but the views are still spectacular further down the valley and turning back early won’t ruin your trip. Even so, you need to be prepared to walk for at least six to seven hours a day over uneven ground to consider the trip.

While altitude is not an issue on the ‘W’ trek – the trek reaches its highest point in the Valle Francés at 1,100m - you do still need to be prepared before you go. Regular day walks over hilly terrain of several hours in length will help get you used to the rigours of a multi-day hike – and are a perfect way to test waterproof gear, and wear in those walking boots before you land in Patagonia.

Experienced hikers will not find the ‘W’ to be too strenuous – although the moderately difficult trails can be considerably more arduous when the notorious Patagonian weather closes in. If you want more of a challenge then you can extend the ‘W’ into the full circuit, or ‘O’, which takes you round the more remote and wild back of the Torres Massif – an extra five days or so of more challenging hiking.