“Snowfall rouses your inner child to dream and play once more.” — Angie Weiland-Crosby
Torres del Paine
Winter W Trek
6 Days from 4250 ex Puerto Natales or Punta Arenas
Accommodation
3 nights hotel,
2 nights lodge/refugio
Transportation
Mostly by foot
Transfers via vehicle & boat
Included Meals
5 Breakfasts
5 or 6 Lunches
4 or 5 Dinners
Trip Grade
Category 3
High Heart Rate Holiday
There’s a gentle crunch underfoot as we pad our way across the valley floor, a fresh fall of snow having blanketed the landscape in a sea of white.
Then it hits me.
But for my own panting, that crunching is the only sound at all.
There’s not a breath of wind.
My breath unfurls before my face, like curls of smoke in the cold winter air.
The patchy blue sky appears threatened at any moment by a haze of dark grey hovering above.
At any moment could this place feel like purgatory, but wow, is it beautiful!
“On South America’s southern frontier, nature grows wild, barren and beautiful. Spaces are large, as are the silences that fill them.
For the newly arrived, such emptiness can be as impressive as the sight of Patagonia’s jagged peaks, pristine rivers and dusty backwater oases.“
Lonely Planet
Winter has an incredible impact on Patagonia and Torres del Paine.
Ovenight, sharp jagged features that have taken a millenia to form, take on gentler curves and a soft view.
Sure, it can be colder, but when the wind dies, in the absence of the birds, long since migrated norther, there’s a silence that is truly hard to fathom.
The night skies are clearer, and brighter, if that’s at all possible in this remote pocket of the world.
Combine a challenging winter hiking experience, with the comfort of a warm bed and roof over your head each night (no tents this time).
“In Patagonia, the isolation makes it easy to exaggerate the person you are: the drinker drinks; the devout prays; the lonely grows lonelier, sometimes fatally.”
Bruce Chatwin, In Patagonia
Pricing
Based on a twin share. Please advise if you are travelling as a single, as a single supplement may be required.
Departs Thursdays from May to August. Contact us for additional dates and pricings.
For groups fewer than 4 trekkers, additional supplement fees apply.
The Journey
In the morning, you will be picked-up from the Punta Arenas Airport and head towards your hotel in Puerto Natales, a lively town on the shores of Last Hope Sound (Ultima Esperanza). Here you’ll have some time to relax, have lunch or dinner with your guide and get ready for the adventure to come!.
(L or D)* – Lunch or Dinner is dependent on your arrival time.
The adventure starts with a long day of hiking! After a refreshing night sleep, we’ll get in the van for a 2 hour ride and head to the trailhead of the Tower Base hike.
We’ll head up through the Ascencio Valley, located on the Towers’ eastern face. Mountain ridges, nothofagus forests and small rivers line the scenic walk towards the valley. Our big challenge comes in the form of a steep moraine, a huge mass of boulders which will lead us to that iconic base-view of the Towers – three gigantic granite monoliths, the remains of a great cirque sheared away by the forces of glacial ice. After a tough uphill climb, the Towers eventually come into full view, rising majestically before us with the glacial lake visible below. Is there any better place in the world to have lunch?
After feasting on the view and our picnic, we backtrack along the same trail through Ascencio Valley to finally head towards Grey Hotel to have dinner and spend the night.
Total hiking distance: 22 Km. / 13.6 Mi.
(B, L, D)
*In the event that Hotel Lago Grey is unavailable, a similar, alternative hotel will be used.
Today we will take the 9 AM navigation into Grey Lake, before reaching the face of the glacier, we will be dropped off at Refugio Grey, from where we will hike toward a lookout to take in the views of the immense Grey Glacier and then we’ll walk along the shores of Grey Lake to the northern side of Lake Pehoe.
The day’s trek will end with a soft climb through an undulating terrain of mixed grassland and light forest to Paine Grande´s Campsite.
Total hiking distance: 12 Km./ 7.4 Mi.
*During winter, the boat trip to Glacier Grey may be canceled due to weather conditions or low occupation of the navigation, if this is the case, we will hike the Las Carretas Trail (17Km. / 10.5 Mi.), please read below for more information.
(B, L, D)
After breakfast at Refugio Paine Grande, we will begin the challenging trek into the French Valley along a steep trail that leads to the very heart of the Paine Massif. How far we’ll go depends on our trekking rhythm.
A swifter walk will lead us to the hanging bridge over the French River, located at the foot of the south-east face of the Massif where we will be treated to fantastic views of the valley. We continue to ascend the upper section of the valley where we will be able to marvel at the extensive mass of the valley’s geological formations.
After our upward trek, we will pause for a picnic and relax for a while. This day’s trek will end as we descend through the same trail back to Refugio Paine Grande.
Total hiking distance: 20 Km. / 12.4 Mi. (If you are hiking until Mirador Británico, that’s an additional 4 Km. / 2.4 Mi.).
(B, L, D)
This morning we’ll have our last breakfast inside the Torres del Paine National Park, enjoying the views Pehoé Lake has to offer to then sail in the boat ride that crosses the lake to Pudeto.
Afterward we’ll board a van and take a route along the southern shore of Nordenskjold lake. Our first stop is the two-hour round-trip walk to El Condor Lookout from the shores of Pehoé lake. We go gently uphill through the steppe vegetation; a great opportunity to learn about the local flora. Here we witness the piercing blue of Pehoe Lake and the Paine river. On a clear day, we can see the immensity of the Southern Patagonian ice fields in the distance.
Later, we’ll head toward Salto Grande waterfall, with its impressive cascading waters falling from Nordenskjold lake into Pehoe Lake. From here it’s a short walk to Cuernos viewpoint, with a panoramic view of the mighty Horns. We re-energize while taking in the whole Paine Mountain range and its stunning snow capped peaks.
After taking a final look at these stunning winter sceneries we’ll head back to Puerto Natales, where dinner awaits us, here we’ll have the opportunity to talk about the experience and also share some photos!
Total hiking distance: 4 Km. / 2.4 Mi. (Condor lookout: 2.4 Km. / 1.4 Mi. – Salto Grande waterfall: 1.6 Km. / 1 Mi.)
*During winter, the Pehoé navigation may be canceled due to weather conditions or low occupation of the navigation, if this is the case, we will hike the Las Carretas Trail (17Km. / 10.5 Mi.), please read below for more information.
(B, L, D)
Today it is time to board the transfer back to the Puerto Natales Airport and take the flight to Santiago, in time to head back home or your next winter destination.
Please have in mind that there are flights departing from Puerto Natales but with fewer frequency than Punta Arenas (SKY Airlines has flights departing from PNT/Puerto Natales to SCL/Santiago each Tuesday during the winter season).
(B, L)
Season
May through to August
NOTE: Children must be a minimum 16 years old
Includes
- 2 nights at Hotel Big Sur
- 2 nights at Refugio Paine Grande
- 1 night at the stunningly located Hotel Lago Grey
- Transfers as indicated in the itinerary
- Entrance fees for Torres del Paine National Park
- One expert English/Spanish speaking trekking guide
- All meals as indicated in itinerary (Breakfast – B, Lunch – L, Dinner – D)
Important notes:
- Dinner is NOT included on day 6.
- For this trip, you’ll have to carry your own backpack. Please make sure you can fit all necessary equipment in a medium size backpack (we recommend a bag that is at least 60 liters) so you can fit all your items and walk comfortably. You can leave the rest of your luggage at our office in Puerto Natales while on the trek.
- During winter, light hours are few so we recommend bringing a headlamp fully charged and some extra batteries.
Excludes
- International Flights
- Travel Insurance (this is mandatory)
- Personal spending money
- Tips for General Guides
- Any meals not listed as included
- Domestic Flights (to Punta Arenas/Puerto Natales return or one way)
Unsure if winter trekking is for you?
Why not try one of these more local experiences to give yourself a taste (without jetting around the world)?
Your Guides and Safety
An excellent guide can make the difference between a trip of a lifetime and just an ordinary trip. Our handpicked professionals come from a range of backgrounds. Each has extensive outdoor experience, a knowledge of the mountains in which you’ll walk, and a passion for the beautiful country that is Chile.
The guide will ensure that your trip is truly inspiring, a huge amount of fun, and safe. All guides are trained in Safety First Aid and are connected to our Chile and Melbourne offices by satellite phone.
Accommodation - Hotel Big Sur (2 nights)
Located in Puerto Natales, Hotel Big Sur has concierge services, non-smoking rooms, a terrace, free WiFi throughout the property and a bar. This 3-star hotel offers room service and a 24-hour front desk. At the hotel rooms include a private bathroom and bed linen. Guests at Hotel Big Sur can enjoy an American breakfast.
Accommodation - Hotel Lago Grey (1 night)
Hotel Lago Grey may only be for the one night, but with it’s stellar location providing lake and mountain views, it’s unusual indeed for anyone to wish their stay wasn’t longer.
Most rooms provide views, otherwise it’s ample decking, bar and dining room provide the perfect vantage points from which to savour the surrounds.
Located in Torres del Paine, it offers free WiFi access and rooms are all fitted with heating, private bathroom and satellite television.Guests will find an ample complimentary buffet breakfast. There is an on-site restaurant and a bar.
Accommodation - Lodge Paine Grande (2 nights)
Located on the shores of Pehoé Lake, with beautiful views of the Paine Horns and the Paine Grande Hill. It is the starting point of the route to the French Valley and the path to the Grey Glacier.
Accommodation in Paine Grande will be in bunk beds and mixed shared rooms, including a mattress cover, pillow, sheets and comforter.
“This vast, sparsely populated and simply astonishing region encompassing virgin forests; snow-tipped Andean crags that serve as a dividing line between the two countries; myriad glacial lakes; and immense stretches of pampas (grasslands).
Most of Patagonia’s biggest attractions are outdoorsy – from epic road trips and multi-day treks, to glaciers, prehistoric art and penguin colonies”
Anna Kaminski, Freelance Travel Writer
