Our self-guided W Trek Patagonia Adventure
Let me start of by saying we are NOT ” bucketlist” travelers, BUT hiking Patagonia’s W Trek was indeed on my ” bucketlist!” This multi-day, moderate hiking path in Chilean Patagonia is something I wanted to do for years. And guess what, we didn’t finish it, but certainly not for lack of very careful planning! Read on to learn about what to expect, what to pack, budget breakdown, accommodation suggestions for the W Trek Patagonia: Self Guided 5 day hike recommendations.
Can you do the W Trek selfguided?
Yes! As long as you are traveling between October-April. During the winter months ( from May- September), due to the weather you aren’t able to backpack and plan the route out on your own. So if you are looking for an independent, budget friendly option, then stick to that October-April range.
How difficult is the W Trek in Patagonia?
This hike is ranked as ” moderately difficult.” Understanding hiking ratings internationally can be tricky! We’ve showed up to ” easy” treks ( I’m looking at you Orangutan hike in Sumatra) and had our butts kicked a bit, and we’ve shown up to ” difficult” treks in regular trainers and are totally fine! What you do need to know are some of the concrete stats on what the W Trek entails and then you can make the determination for how ” difficult” it is for yourself.
How many days do you typically need to complete the W trek?
-The W Trek is typically completed over 4 nights/5 days
What’s the distance for the W trek in Patagonia?
The W trek is roughly 50 miles ( 80 kilometers).
What is the total elevation gain during the hike?
Across the full trek, the total elevation gain on the W trek is 8,956 feet (2,730 meters).
Where can you sleep during the W Trek?
The best thing about the W trek is that there are SO many options depending on your travel style. You can:
-Pack your own camping gear ( like we did)
-Pay to have a camping tent set up for you
-Stay in a Refugio with shared dormitory rooms
-Stay in a cabin with private accomodation
Depending on your budget, travel style, and the type of luxuries ( or lack there of) that you’re looking for for this hike, you can find an accommodation to support what your looking for. The biggest advice for accommodation during the W trek? BOOK AHEAD! This is a popular route with a variety ,but limited number, of accommodations so accommodations do book up and reservations to some sights open up to 1 year in advance! To learn more about the types of accommodation available through the W trek, click here.
If you’re looking to streamline the booking process, we suggest using Torres Hike which is a search tool that actually pools together available accomodations! They do charge a small fee, but this will definitely save you a lot of time and energy during the planning phase of your hike.
What are the refugios available to stay at during the W trek?
Along the W trek, you’ll find Refugio Grey, Refugio Paine Grande, and Refugio Los Cuernos.
Are there showers on the W trek?
Yes! The refugios along the trek include access to showers ( even if you’re camping) and most even have hot water. Oh the luxuries.
Food options on the W Trek
Like accommodation choices, you are spoiled for options depending on your budget, dietary needs and love ( or indifference) to a hot meal. Coming from Puerto Natales ( the closest town to the start of the park), you’ll have plenty of options for grocery shopping. As this is the most budget friendly choice, we decided to cook all of our meals for our W trek Patagonia self-guided adventure!
If you don’t feel like cooking all of your meals ( and carrying all of your food for that matter), then you can pay for half board or even full board when booking your accommodations. There’s also the option to buy snacks/drinks at most of the refugios too if you want to supplment your instant ramen diet with a bit of a caloric splurge. If you are looking to have a full meal at a refugio, expect to dish out between $20-$30 USD for a full meal.
W Trek Direction: West to East, or East to West?
Either way, you’ll see the same trail! West to East is more popular ( the route we chose). The thinking behind this way is that you end your hike with the grandest view- Torres del Paine. The downfall? The last day is the hardest part. If you move East to West, you’ll start in the most iconic ( and challenging) section, and then everything else will be easier!
Preparing to leave for the W Trek: Where to stay before
The closest major town is Puerto Natales. A lot of travelers swing through here for one night before they leave for the trek. If you have more time, we recommend a few nights to prep, go grocery shopping and explore. We stayed for 3 nights and would recommend the same. After completing the trek, it’s nice to have an acommodation booked here too to refresh!
Travelling to Patagonia
Getting to Torres del Paine National Park from Puerto Natales
After visiting Valpairiso, we headed back to Santiago and took a flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas. From Punta Arenas, you can take a bus to Puerto Natales. We used Bus Sur and the ride takes between 3-4 hours and costs around $10 USD.
Budget Accommodations in Puerto Natales
We stayed at Hostel 53 Sur and it worked out fine for what we needed and is cost effective at around $25 USD/ night for a private room! Other popular budget friendly options include this hostel with a 9.3/10 rating and over 900 reviews or the Treehouse Patagonia for a bit more ( around $60 USD/night) but with a 9.8/10 rating and over 1,000 reviews!
W Trek Patagonia: South America
W Trek Patagonia Self Guided 5 Day Hike Itinerary Ideas:
Once you’ve decided which way you’re headed, the pace of your trip is pretty much determined by the location of the accommodations. Here’s one example of what your 5 day/4 night trip might look in terms of distances and hiking highlights:
Day 1: Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine
If you’re happy with your experience with Bus Sur, book them again for your bus to Torres del Paine. They run busses starting early in the morning ( around 7:00 am). For 2 hours of your time and about $15-$25 USD you’ll arrive at the entrance to the national park! Make sure you purchase your entrance ticket ( for $5 USD AHEAD OF TIME) on the Torres del Paine website.
From the park entrance, you can take a shuttle to the Grey part of the park. Today you’ll be spoiled with views of Grey Glacier which is definitely a highlight. You’ll cover about 13 miles today depending where you start. Spend the night at Refugio Grey ( either camping or in a dorm room) to refresh for day 2.
Day 2: Refugio Grey to Campamento Paine Grande.
Today is a shorter hiking day of about 7 miles. After leaving the glacier view, make your way past the stunning Lago Grey and end at the Campamento Paine Grande.
Day 3: Paine Grande to Refugio Cuernos
You’ll leave behind the lake views for a forest trek which will lead you to Refugio Cuernos. You’ll end up hiking another 13 miles today!
Day 4: Refugio Cuernos to Campamento Chileno
Today you’ll start slowly ascending to the base of the Torres. You’ll travel about 11 miles and end up at Campamento Chileno in anticipation of an early night.
Day 5: To the Torres ( and back)
The earlier you start today, the better the views! Most wake up around 4:00 in order to catch the grand Torres towers around sunrise. You’ll hike 5 miles to the look out, 5 miles back to your campsite, and then 3 miles back to the park entrance. This part of the hike is certainly the hardest ( with rock scramble at the end), but definitley the most rewarding and iconic!
Now to be honest, that was the PLAN, but that is not what happend for us.
More details to come another day, but to put a long story short, Pat’s disability and the dangers of the hike did not mix. We found that he was physically in a dangerous space and after a few ( luckily small) injuries, we decided that it wouldn’t be responsible to complete the whole trek. So we personally only hiked 3/4 of the W trek. We had to turn around. We had to end early. I cried. I was dissapointed. In the moment it feels like a huge problem. In reality, it’s a small blip in life.
We share this to remind you that travel is just a part of life and there’s more sh*t outside of your control then in it. So we made the most of the time we had, took way too many pictures, called it a small ” loss” and can only think that if it’s meant to be, the opportunity will present itself again. And if it’s not, well then we add this experience to our list of bucketlist destinations that we passed up.
Final thoughts on the W Trek Patagonia Self Guided 5 Day Hike:
For reference, most guided W Trek tours cost between $1,500-$2,000 per person! Though organizing some of the logisitcs beforehand might seems tricky at first, organizing a self-guided hike is SO much more cost effective.
W Trek Patagonia Self Guided 5 Day Hike Resources:
The great thing about this route is that is explored by all types of travelers and is well documented. I combed through a lot of resources before my trip and found these to be some of the more helpful:
–This site talked about how the trip could be expensive, so I used her strategies to determine what we would avoid!
-This is a simple top 10 list of the basics of hiking the W Trek ( and mentions ways to accommodate the hike if you have less time)
-This lengthier narrative style post provides a nice thorough encounter of one travelers experience which helps picture what its like once you’re there
We hope our attempt at the W Trek Patagonia Self Guided 5 day hike inspires you to tackle the planning on your own! While it is a bit tricky to navigate the logistics initially, it’ll literally save you thousands of dollars so we think the time is worth it in the end!
Looking for other recommendations for a Chile trip itinerary?
–Artsy coastal Valparaiso on a Budget
–DIY Chilean Winery Tour ( Casablanca region)
How about exploring nearby in:
- Guatemala
- Belize
- Mexico
- Malaysia
- Singapore
- Indonesia
- Bulgaria
- Macedonia
