Torres del Paine

Expect: Glowing glaciers, towering granite spires, vivid turquoise lakes, and stellar lookouts; all packed into one phenomenal trek.  

Pack: Camping equipment, really warm sleeping bag, rain-proof jacket, and a lot of heart.

Torres del Paine

It is an understatement to say that Torres del Paine is an unmissable part of anyone’s visit to Chile or Patagonia. A trek through this fairy tale land takes you over dreamy, turquoise lakes, to momentous glaciers, through valleys with carved cliff walls and way up to the iconic Torres. Days spent here are like walking into an infinite postcard. As long as you don’t have terrible weather, Torres del Paine is one of those rare experiences that way surpasses even your highly-hyped expectations. 

To even begin to get the most out of this phenomenal national park, widely seen to be the best in South America, you have to have at least 3 to 5 days. This is enough time to do the overwhelmingly popular “W” trail. The “W” is about 70 kilometres and packs in the major highlights of the park; Glacier Grey, the French Valley and the Torres, into a neat trekking package. Because of the extensive number of campsites and refugios along this well beaten path, how fast you choose to do the “W” is entirely up to you. 5 to 6 days allows you to really take your time, avoids long, exhausting hikes with your heavy pack, and also, crucially, means you have the flexibility to adjust your itinerary as you go, enabling you to better deal with the unpredictable weather.

If you’re tight for time (when are you not) then you can complete the “W” in 3 to 4 days. This is the way most people do it and it is by no means impossible; although you should expect to walk about 8 hours each day, sometimes with a full pack, and you can do nothing but pray for good weather. Real walking gods will settle for nothing less than doing the full circuit. This takes in the “W” but when the mere mortals doing that trail begin to backtrack to their campsite, those doing the circuit push on. They walk the whole back side of the park until, exhausted and euphoric, they meet up with the “W” again on the opposite side. For the circuit you should give yourself 5 to 7 days and be prepared to encounter some pretty hard conditions and some genuine patagonian solitude. 

The trekking season officially runs from September to April, but the overwhelming majority of people come between December and February; when the long days and more hospitable weather make everything that much easier and more pleasurable. Because of this tight concentration of tourists, visiting in November or March can be a nifty way of avoiding an overly congested “W” trail, although the weather is a little more unpredictable. 

If you’ve got to Puerto Natales (the town from which you access the park) without adequate equipment do not fear. There is an abundance of outdoor shops and rental stores where you can get kitted out. However, (unsurprisingly) the new gear is criminally overpriced. Renting is a better bet. Chat to Christopher Thompson, a local lad whose been trekking in Patagonia for years, who lent my travel companion his dad's boots so he could trek the "W". He will sort you out with all the stuff you need as well as giving you tips on routes, bus times and even Puerto Natales nightlife.