Torres del Paine of Chilean Patagonia is a trip dreams are made of! It is one of those destinations at the furthest reaches of the Earth that leaves you wanting to only explore further. I was fortunate to visit this November on my annual Thanksgiving trip with a group of three former coworkers. This long time group of close friends and hiking buddies went on the trip to celebrate one of our member’s 40th birthday. We spent several days and nights on the trail and then ended our stay in Patagonia with a few days in Punta Arenas exploring the Straights of Magellan. 

EXPERIENCE

Getting to Torres del Paine is a bit of an adventure in and of itself. We arrived into Santiago then took a regional flight to Punta Arenas. From here we took a five our drive down to the park to begin our park experience stopping in the small seaside town of Puerto Natales on the way to check out the pretty pier and watch the fisherman. Our first night after an extensive day of travel was spent at Refugio Torre Central. This was the first of many park refugios we would stay at while hiking the W Trek in Torres del Paine. It was one of the larger and more crowded establishments.

TREK DAY 1: From here we woke early, ate and began our first ascent. This was an exciting day of hiking and allowed us to get used to our packs. While the incline was moderate, you do not have to worry about elevation in general while hiking the W. This is a nice feature of this trek vs. some of the hiking I have done in South America like in Peru. We were able to drop our packs at lunch time at that night’s camp, Refugio El Chileno, then hike to the Towers of Paine Massif as an in and out. This second refugio was not our favorite; bunks were stacked 4 high which was a little frightening after all the beers and pisco we slugged down at dinner. The bathrooms and showers at El Chileno were also not in the best or cleanest conditions. The wind was absolutely wild both on our hike up to Paine Massif and then through the night.

TREK DAY 2: We set out early on our second day of hiking to walk along the brilliant blue glacial lakes. This day of the hike was not very difficult and ended up being much more beautiful than we anticipated. We hiked the flowering meadows wound around the gorgeous Cuernos Mountains. This hike got exciting near the end when a huge gust of wind knocked us to our butts and into the rocks when we came around a corner. This scared us a bit, and caused us to pick up the pace for our final kilometer into Refugio Domo Los Cuernos for the night. This refugio was cute in that we stayed in a little geode-dome, the dining area had gorgeous views and the had a great special on pisco sours- so good that we had a little accident from a top bunk 😉

TREK DAY 3: The third day on the trail we were feeling a little run down but hiked a full day. We dipped into the French Valley for a bit by taking the in and out hike from Camp Italiano, though some of the trail was closed due to high winds. We got some spectacular snow capped mountain views on this day and also really enjoyed walking through the burnt cypress forests. This day of trekking ended with our stay at Lodge Paine Grande. This was another very large refugio, much like when we first arrived to the park. Here we had a nice meal, hit the bar and enjoyed nice clean showers and a private room of bunks. 

TREK DAY 4: We left the comforts of Lodge Paine Grande in a light rain headed for Grey Glacier. The sights along this hike were lovely, yet starting to feel familiar. Long grasses and lots of rabbits were notable sightings along this walk. Eventually floating icebergs started to appear in the water below and we caught a glimpse of the gigantic glacier. This was a somewhat more intense day of trekking than the day before, but we managed to arrive at an early hour to the next lodge for the night, Refugio Grey. We decided to pass on the ice climbing activity due to time and cost, we were pretty worn out. This place ended up being one of our favorites, in fact it was our favorite. The room was private, the showers were hot and clean and the dining room was clean and orderly. We had a nice evening here and hit the sack for our last day of trekking. 

TREK DAY 5: We started our day with a quick hike from the refugio down to the base of the glacier, here we could touch the icebergs and get a closer look at what we came to see. After taking in this impressive wonder we packed up and walked back to Lodge Paine Grande the same way we came. We arrived there for our second night, relaxed and made plans to board the ferry, Hielos Patagonicos Pehoe, back across to Lake Pehoe to meet our car in the morning.  On the other side of the ferry route, there is a nice Waterfall Salto Grande, worth walking over to check out. 

Once back in Punta Arenas we took a few days to unwind and explore the town and the Straights of Magellan. We did some horseback riding and sea kayaking, both were nice, but not great. I would not recommend the company we did these activities with, so I will leave out the name. We were here at the slightly wrong time of year, but if you time it right you can see Magellanic Penguins at the Semi Otway Penguin Colony at certain times of the year. This town is also noted for having a pretty cemetery, great city center and some beautiful old ships marooned in it’s harbors. 

STAY

Along the W Trek and in the park, there are two major outfitter that run Refugios: Fantastico Sur and Vertice. These are hostel like lodgings with bunk beds and communal showers and dining facilities. I have mentioned some details of these above since it fit well into the narrative of our experience. The other option while on the trail, of course, is camping. There are options to camp or stay in refugios as you go if you plan accordingly. If you do the W Trek it is possible to hike carrying only clothing and day supplies and make it to refugios each night for dinner, showers, sleep and breakfast before beginning again. For more ambitious hikers, or folks with more time, the entire O Trek, (which adds several days) is also more rugged. This less traversed portion of the trail has the benefits of seclusion but also means you will need to camp. This seems like a manageable thing to do, however it requires carrying considerably more supplies. The ideal to me, seems to be a combination of the refugios and camping, and this is the way I would do it if I were to visit again. Note that many of these lodges book up extremely early, so you may want to begin contacting Fantastico Sur and Vertice as soon as you know you will be going to Patagonia (up to a year in advance). 

While in Punta Arenas we stayed in an exceptional place! Though my perception was likely enhanced by the fact that we had spent the five nights prior in bunk beds, this place was beautiful and charming by all standards. Hotel Ilaia was very modern with a homemade breakfast served by a lovely hostess. The hotel has very modern amenities including a rooftop glass room perfect for reading or doing computer work while sipping tea. 

EAT

On the trail keep expectations low and try to think of food as fuel. The refugios include breakfast and dinner as part of the deal when you stay the night. A typical dinner consisted of a simple soup, bread, rice, meat and some sort of gelatinous dessert. Breakfast was typically juice, coffee, toast, scrambled eggs and oatmeal or porridge. They also sell snacks, wine, and have box lunches available to take with you on the trail- but we just made do on granola bars for mid-day.

In Punta Arenas we had plenty of time for indulging our bodies after days of hiking and eating the aforementioned. Here we had some fantastic meals. Our favorite restaurant was one recommended to us by many- La Marmita. The fare is healthy, largely vegetarian and locally Chilean. The ceviche here was great, as was the other seafood, lamb, home brewed beer and calafante (local berry) pisco. While here, we also tried La Luna, which we found unimpressive and mediocre at best. We had great appetizers at the new pizza spot next door however, and regrettably did not get a chance to eat at Sotito’s a rumored seafood mainstay in the city with fabulous King Crab.