5-day hiking guide for the W-Trek in Torres del Paine National Park

This one special hike has been on our list for so long: the W-Trek in Torres del Paine National Park. Torres del Paine National Park is located in Southern Patagonia on the Chilean side and is known for its breathtaking scenery and spectacular mountain backdrops.

The landscape in Torres del Paine National Park is characterized by deep valleys, high mountains, turquoise lakes, imposing glaciers, and dense forests. The striking granite peaks of the Torres del Paine, which rise majestically into the sky, are the national park's most famous landmark and the main destination of our 5-day hike.

Info: The W-Trek is a five-day hike that takes its name from the shape of the route through the valley of the national park, which looks like a "W". The hike covers around 80 kilometers and passes some of the national park's most famous natural sights, including the famous granite peaks of Torres del Paine, the Grey Glacier, Lake Pehoé, and the fertile Valle del Francés.

As we will be sleeping in tents and taking our own food with us, this hike requires a lot of preparation and, above all, suitable equipment. It is particularly important to have a comfortable, lightweight rucksack that fits snugly on your back and sits well-padded on your hips. This allows us to stow our sleeping bags, mattresses, some clothes, a gas cooker with a gas bottle, a camera, a first aid kit, and all meals for the next 5 days and carry them comfortably on our backs.

Day 1 - Camp Grande to Camp Grey

At 7.00 a.m. we take the first bus from Punta Arenas to the national park and the ferry across Lago Pehoé to Camp Grande, where our hike starts.

Lago Pehoe on the ferry to camp Refugio, Torres del Paine

There is the option of spending the night in this camp, but we have opted for Camp Grey. We start the first day comfortably with only 14 km, but over 600 meters in altitude in bright sunshine. From Camp Grande, we make our way to Camp Grey directly on the Grey Glacier. After just half the distance, we arrive at Lago Grey and can see the glacier and our destination in the distance. The path now leads along the lake and offers wonderful views. Every now and then we look for a nice place to take a break and enjoy the view.

Lago Grey

We arrive at the camp in the afternoon and settle into our tent. In the evening, we hike a short distance to the viewpoint that looks directly onto the glacier. Here we experience a wonderful sunset over the ice floes. The weather is very atypical for Patagonia - bright sunshine, no wind and so we were motivated and ready for the coming days.

Glacier Grey

Day 2 - Camp Grey to Camp Frances

On the second day, we have the longest stage ahead of us. We have just under 20 km and another 600 meters of ascent ahead of us to reach Camp Frances. So the alarm clock rings early because we want to set off early. The night was very cold and almost zero, so we warmed up with a hot cup of tea. After breakfast, we pack our rucksacks and check out, then set off back towards Camp Grande.

Even though we saw the first 11 kilometers of the day from the other direction yesterday, everything looks completely different today. We hike along Lago Grey again until we get back to Camp Grande. Here we take a lunch break, where we use the kitchen to cook ourselves a meal. The only places in the entire national park where cooking is allowed are the kitchens at the camps. During the break, we check the weather forecast for the next few days, which unfortunately doesn't exactly encourage our motivation - rain is forecast for the last morning when we want to see the sunrise at the Torres.

Mountain View at Torres del Paine

But giving up is not an option and we put our rucksacks back on our backs and continue our hike, always alongside Lago Nordenskjöld, which lies turquoise-blue below us. The rugged granite rocks rise up on our left and we can see glaciers between them again and again. The thundering sounds of the glaciers also accompany us on our way. This section is fantastically beautiful and, despite the cloudy weather, the landscape is very impressive.

W-Trek Views, Torres del Paine

Exhausted but happy, we arrive at the camp in the early evening and set up our tent, which will be our home for the next two days. Before we go to sleep, we cook ourselves dinner and have a hot shower.

Day 3 - Valle del Frances

On the third day, the weather forecast is unfortunately not quite as good. But somehow the rain doesn't materialise and so we set off for the Valle de Frances. Today, for once, we only hike with light packs as we will be staying at Camp Frances for two nights in Camp Frances. This means we can leave the heavy contents of our rucksacks at the camp. The Valle del Frances is an additional path into the mountains, which is optional and not on the direct route to our destination. However, we definitely want to do the hike and see the impressive Valle.

Today's destination is the Britanico viewpoint. The 6.8 km hike takes us up over 600 meters in altitude, along impressive glaciers that are very active today. We pass Camp Italiano, which is already closed, and hike deeper into the mountains. As it is already the end of the season, all the trees are bathed in orange-red autumn colors and shine against the grey sky - just as we had hoped. Of course, this increased the risk of bad weather, but in our case, we planned it this way precisely because of the beautiful autumn colors.

Mirador Valle del Frances, Torres del Paine

The path gradually ascends and spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding mountains open up as you hike through the Valle Francés. The characteristic granite peaks, including the imposing Cerro Paine Grande, tower high into the sky and provide a breathtaking backdrop for the entire hike.

Mountain Views in Valle del Frances, Torres del Paine

When we arrive at the top of the viewpoint, the sky suddenly clears up and reveals the breathtaking rock formations and blue sky.

Viewpoint Britanico, Torres del Paine

However, as it is very windy at the top, we don't stay too long and hike the almost 7 kilometers back to Camp Frances. On the way, we walk in the direction of Lago Nordenskjöld, which we can even see halfway around. It shines bright blue between the dreamlike landscape.

Viewpoint Lago Nordenskjöld, Torres del Paine

Day 4 - Camp Frances to Camp Chileno

The forecast for day 4 was again bright sunshine and the best weather. We are of course very happy, but it is very atypical for this area. That's why we're all the more pleased because today we have another 16 km with over 700 meters of elevation gain. As we already have three days of hiking, we are slowly finding it harder to walk. Also, the fact that the weather forecast is still predicting rain for the last morning doesn't motivate us. But we have no choice but to reach our last camp by nightfall. So we start quite early in the morning to have enough time for breaks in between.

Lago Nordenskjöld, Torres del Paine

Our destination today is Camp Chileno, which is just 4 kilometers below the famous Torres which we want to visit the next day at sunrise. Today's hike continues along Lake Nordenskjöld, which shimmers a beautiful turquoise color. The first half of the trail is mostly downhill, saving us some energy. In between, we take a break on the beach of the lake and enjoy the view. We even see a few horses on the way and the landscape becomes wider again. The route then continues through the Ascencio Valley, a breathtaking gorge with high cliffs, wildflowers, and clear streams. The hike through this valley is picturesque and offers a mixture of challenging passages and more relaxed sections. After the ascent through the Ascencio Valley, we finally reach Camp Chileno, which is located in a picturesque setting at the foot of the Torres del Paine. We arrive at camp quite exhausted today and fall into bed very early, as the alarm clock is due to ring at 5:00 am the next morning.

Bridge to Camp Chileno, Torres del Paine

Drone info: Flying drones is strictly forbidden in the national park, which is why we naturally didn't have one with us. The advantage: it saves on luggage.

Day 5 - Camp Chileno via the Torres to Camp Central and back to Puerto Natales

The biggest highlight was probably planned for day 5: marveling at the sunrise at the Torres. Unfortunately, the weather forecast had been predicting rain for the day all week. Even when the alarm clock rang at 5:00 a.m., we could hear the raindrops pattering on the tent. Nevertheless, we decide to tackle the 500 meters of elevation gain over 4 km and start the ascent punctually at 6:00 am. It has actually stopped raining in the meantime, but that doesn't mean that the view of the Torres will be clear. With sore muscles from the last four days in our legs and in a relatively bad mood, we fight our way up the rocky path to the Torres. But about half an hour before sunrise, we can already see the dark red light shining on the mountains from below, making them look like a volcano. With growing hope, we reach the last few meters and suddenly we are standing in front of our destination, the Torres del Paine. Miraculously, the last stretch of the horizon is clear of clouds, exactly where the sun shines, and so the Torres are bathed in red light and glow pink. What a sight! And as if that wasn't enough, a rainbow appears in the clouds behind the Torres - what a magical morning!

Lago Torres, Torres del Paine

We were rewarded for our efforts in a way that we had not dared to hope for. We descend again overjoyed, pick up our rucksacks at Camp Chileno, and hike the last stretch down to Camp Central, from where the shuttle takes us back to the bus to Puerto Natales.

The W-Trek in Torres del Paine National Park was undoubtedly a challenging but unforgettable experience. The impressive natural scenery, the challenges of the hiking trails, and the opportunity to be so close to the wild beauty of the Torres del Paine made this trip an unforgettable adventure that we will remember for a long time to come. All in all, it was a trip full of experiences and impressions that left us with unforgettable memories and a deep respect for nature.

If you want to get even more details about the hike you can watch our full YouTube Video (German but with English subtitles).