The world does not need another blog entry about Torres del Paine. Yet here we are.
If you had time for just one trek in Patagonia, it should probably be the O-Trek in Torres del Paine national park (or it‘s shorter sibling the W-Trek for that matter).
Depending on how much of a purist you consider yourself, there‘s pros and cons to the whole experience. We heard Torres del Paine being referred to as the Disneyland of hiking territories. The reasons being
-There‘s one route and one route only.
-The O-Trek can be hiked in one direction only.
-Both the terrain and the distances are reasonably easy.
-Camping is only allowed on the designated campgrounds.
-These campgrounds are well equipped with varying amenities ranging from at least cold showers at Los Perros, to what can be described as a supermarket in Grey and Paine Grande. They are maintained by a good number of rangers and employees.
-You can carry your own tent and food or choose to eat and sleep in refugios or pre set up tents. These tents are equipped with sleeping pads and sleeping bags.
-You have to book well in advance.
-You need camping reservations and park entry tickets to do a multi-day hike in Torres del Paine.
-Especially the W-part can feel a bit crowded at times.
-There are many other hikes in Patagonia that will feel more like an actual adventure.
BUT
-The landscapes and views are probably second to none, period.
Things to do before you go
We wanted to do the O-Trek fully self supported starting the hike on December 1st. We booked the whole thing in August, but at that time it was only possible to opt for the rather expensive version with pre set up tents. The package also included the bus transfer to and from the park entry and the national park permits.
But since it was our first hike of many in Patagonia it was a good way to ease into the whole experience and see what it’s all about.
Also, due to the fact that the campgrounds are managed by different companies (Vertice and Las Torres), who then have respective websites of differing user friendliness, booking the whole thing yourself can be a bit overwhelming.
That being said, we also heard of people who just showed up in Puerto Natales and got some left over spots at one of the many travel agencies in town just before starting the hike.
Stats
The O-Trek covers 119km/73mi with 4970m/16300ft of elevation in 8 days.
The W-Trek covers 80km/50mi with 2730m/8950ft of elevation in 4 days. That being said, we also met people who did the W in two days, so there‘s some room for creativity.
How to get there
Fly in to Puerto Natales (we came from Santiago on a reasonably cheap SKY Airlines domestic flight) and take the bus from Puerto Natales bus terminal to the entrance of Torres del Paine.
Puerto Natales is built around the many tourists going to Torres del Paine. You‘ll find everything you need here. Be it gear, food, cafés or accommodation.
We booked the same airbnb for before and after the trek so we could leave our excess luggage there. We also had a washing machine, which was just priceless.
The hike
Day 1, Central to Serón (14km, 430m)
We got off the bus, registered at Central picked up our packed lunch (which we got every day as part of our fancy pants O-Trek experience) and got going.
Our schedule had us do the O part first and end with the W.
Once you‘re on the trail you can‘t go wrong. No GPS needed, not on day one, not ever. The section from Central to Serón is a perfect introduction to Torres del Paine. It‘s arguably the least spectacular day, but the last stretch to the campground gave us a good indication as to what was waiting for us the next couple of days.
Day 2, Serón to Dickson (18,5km, 750m)
It got better and better. Once we reached the top of the first small hill we were rewarded with a view of Lago Paine and the general beauty of the Patagonian landscapes – and got a first taste of the notorious Patagonian winds. The rest of the trail continues above Lago Paine, Rio Paine and ends at Lago Dickson.
Day 3, Dickson to Los Perros (11,5km, 620m)
The trail follows the Rio de los Perros through a beautiful forest and ends with a small incline to Laguna de los Perros. The Los Perros Campground is the least „luxurious“ and therefore was the only one where had to bring our own food for dinner and breakfast. For an extra 70 bucks we could have added the two meals, but it‘s not a real trek if you don‘t light up the stove at least once.
Day 4, Los Perros to Grey (14,9km, 1130m)
This section is the reason why we would always recommend doing the O-Trek as opposed to just the W. While days 1,2 and 3 are great, it‘s the crossing of John Gardner pass on day 4 that provides the first real highlight of Torres del Paine. The vast Grey glacier that stretches out beneath John Gardner pass is truly a sight to behold. While the weather on our previous days was mostly cloudy we were lucky to get clear skies and magnificent views on top of the pass.
It is also worth noting that while the ascent is not technical, it can be complicated by more or less snow depending on the season. We brought our light crampons which made the climb a lot easier.
The rest of the way is all downhill with the glacier constantly to your right ending in Refugio Grey. And it‘s also here where the relative loneliness of the O gives way to the „crowds“ of the W. Oh and on the way down there are three suspension bridges for additional hiking pleasure
Day 5, Grey to Paine Grande (13km, 550m)
Before heading south to Paine Grande we went up to mirador Grey to get a different view of the glacier. After that it was 13km with Lago Grey to the right and the glacier in our backs. At Paine Grande campground we got our first glimpse of the black and white Cuernos. The viewpoint right outside the campground is highly recommended. It‘s just a five minute walk and we were lucky to get a clear sunrise view of the mountain range.
Day 6, Paine Grande to Frances (20,8km, 1140m)
The highlight of this day is the mirador Britannico. The climb to said viewpoint starts at Campamento Italiano, where we and most other people left our backpacks since it‘s an out and back. Before reaching the top, we passed Paine Grande whose glacier both looks impressive and the very frequent avalanches coming down it also sound the part.
Britannico lookout is hard to capture photographically, because you‘re surrounded by what is basically a 270 degree panoramic view of a stunning mountain range that can be described as a mixture of Yosemite Valley, the Dolomites and a Himalayan giant.
Once we had recollected our backpacks at Italiano it was just a short walk to Campamento Frances. For some others it was a bit farther because on this particular day it is also possible to spend the night at Campamento Cuernos.
Day 7, Frances to Central (15km, 700m)
Day 7 is a beautiful stroll along Lago Nordenskjöld ending up where we started, namely Central. If we could have made one change to our itinerary, it would have been to stay at Campamento Chileno for the last night. On the one hand, because coming back to Central feels like a premature end to the whole experience. On the other hand, because of the early start that is required if you want to get to Torres Base for in time for sunrise.
From Chileno you get a head start for that particular endeavor.
Day 8, Central to Mirador las Torres Base and back (20,3km, 1300m)
The Mirador las Torres Base is arguably the most famous photo motive of Torres del Paine. The three peaks behind the blue lagoon might be the quintessential Patagonian shot – maybe along with the Laguna de Los Tres plus Fitz Roy in El Chaltén.
Consequently we set our alarm to 0:30am, got in a little breakfast and hoped for clear skies on the way up. Clear skies we did get, but only after a 1.5 hour wait in the cold and dark. But better to get there too soon rather than too late, I guess. And the view was worth the wait in the end.
Conclusion
We feel like the whole O-Trek experience very much depends on the weather – as is so often the case in Patagonia. We were very lucky to get clear skies for the days of John Gardner pass, Mirador Britannico and Las Torres Base. We wore our long pants only on the last day and never had to deploy our backpack rain covers. Had we started one day later however, our feelings about Torres del Paine might be different. So it‘s pretty much a game of chance.
Apart from the great trails and amazing landscapes, the O-Trek has one more feature that makes it stand out in comparison to the other hikes we did in Patagonia. Maybe companionship is too big a word, but let me elaborate:
The stages of the trek are pretty much fixed so you will end up with the same group of people in at least 6 of the 8 camps. In our case, we had the pleasure of getting to know some amazing people from Australia, New Zealand, USA, Belgium, France, Ireland and Colombia. We stayed in contact with some of them and ran into others by chance at later stages of our journey.
So add that to the list of pros for the O-Trek at Torres del Paine.
