If you’ve been paying any attention at all lately, World Travel for Couples has come out with THE Definitive Guide to Hiking Torres del Paine.  All that practical information is nice and well, and it’s certainly necessary to know about pricing, transport information, where to sleep in the park, what to pack, etc., etc.

But what is it actually like hiking in Torres del Paine?  The Guide gives you all the practical information you’ll need, but this page will tell you what to expect on the trail.

As you probably already know from reading The Guide, we took the west to east route once in the park.

Map of Torres del Paine

Day 1

TIP 1: If going west to east on the “W” trek and staying at Paine Grande one of the nights (we stayed there on night 2), you can leave a bag there.  This was quite helpful as we were able to only take the food necessary for the first day and a half of the hike while leaving the rest in storage.

Starting Point: Refugio Paine Grande (bottom left of the “W” on the map).

Synopsis of the day: We arrived at Paine Grande after taking the catamaran once in the park.  Even if leaving Puerto Natales on the earliest bus to the park, you still won’t arrive at Paine Grande until around lunchtime.

After eating lunch, we were on the trail for about an 8 mile (11 km) hike.  The terrain wasn’t too bad, just some regular old ups and downs.  The sun was not out much, which made for a chilly day.  It amazed me how much different the temperature was when the sun came out.  Hiking the “W” has trekkers constantly shedding and adding layers.  And the wind, my God, the wind.  Typical Patagonia wind in Torres del Paine.

The first day was somewhat challenging, but it was short, so it was a nice start for what was to be a long 5 days of trekking.  The scenery varied quite a bit as we got deeper into the park, and the first two days provided us with gorgeous snow-capped peaks, mountains, icebergs, and finally, Glacier Grey.

Ending Point: Refugio Grey (up the left side of the “W”).  This was the most rustic of the refugios/campgrounds that we stayed at.  The toilets were pit toilets, outside, and we didn’t venture into the refugio itself.  The campgrounds were set right on the lake, which was beautiful, and we had a good part of the evening to make dinner and meet some of our neighbors.

Sleeping Arrangements: We rented a tent from Refugio Grey, which was just a basic two person tent.  As you probably read in Part 3 of THE Definitive Guide to Hiking Torres del Paine, you probably know that it is possible to rent tents from the refugios themselves.  Even though this costs a bit more, it’s worth it to not have to carry a tent AND have it set up for you upon arriving at the site.

Length: ~8 miles (11 km); ~4-4.5 hours (remember that hiking times vary for everyone-hike at YOUR own pace)

Day 2

TIP 2: Since the hike to Glacier Grey and back is 16 miles, it is doable in a day.  Some hikers prefer to do the out and back in day 1 and spend the first night at Lodge Paine Grande.  Even with the late start, it’s possible to do since it stays light outside until 10pm-midnight during the summer months.

If staying at Refugio Grey the first night, the second day is spent doubling back to Lodge Paine Grande on the same trail.  I won’t go into specifics since it’s the same exact trail.

Starting Point: Refugio Grey

Ending Point: Refugio Paine Grande

Sleeping Arrangements: We slept in Refugio Paine Grande in a 6-bed dorm.  This was by far the nicest of the refugios we saw/slept in.  The rooms were very nice, the beds comfortable, the bathrooms excellent.  Plus it was in a HUGE lodge that had a restaurant, a separate bar, and a little store.  Great place to splurge to stay indoors for a night.

Length: ~8 miles (11 km)

TIP 3: Depending on the amount of time you have, I would consider either going to Glacier Grey and back all in one day or skipping it all together.  Don’t get me wrong, it was quite beautiful, but it was our least favorite part of the park.  Spending more time in the Valle de Frances would be much better, in our opinions.