By: MJ + PJ
Visiting Patagonia was high on our list, and the scenery did not disappoint. We took a leisurely five days to complete the ‘W’ Circuit from northeast to southwest. This was our second hiking and camping trek in South America (The first was our Ausangate trek). This post serves as a reference to hiking the circuits without a guide. It is necessary to read broadly and ahead about this trek and region, this wikiexplora article being a good place to start.
DAY ONE – Refugio Central and Nordenskjöld Lake Hike – 28th November
Up early, we left our hostel and walked the short hill to the Puerto Natales bus terminal to catch our 7:15 bus. Almost two hours later we arrived at Laguna Amargas, where the park entrance and Ranger Station is located. Everyone disembarks their bus here to register their visit and pay the fee. The water in the taps is potable here and the restrooms are free and modern. In late November 2018, the front and west aspects of the building were being renovated (for perhaps a store?). There was no store or vending machines at this location.
Having already paid our entrance fee online with our booking of Refugio Italiano a few weeks beforehand, we got in the short entrance check in line of one person (rather than the long line of about 40 people). We then took the black shuttle bus to the Welcome Center at Refugio Central, about 7km/10min away. This is where the campsites and hotel are located, and where you can drive to if you arrive by private vehicle. The Welcome Center has bag storage, restrooms, a small cafe, and souvenir area.
After putting one bag into storage (3.000 CLP per bag per day) at the Welcome Center, we checked through that checkpoint and walked about five minutes to the campground. After checking in there for camping (yes, three check-ins in one hour) we found a suitable site for our tent. “Suitable site” meaning “not going to get hammered by the wind”. Many of the tents were pre-pitched and some permanently pitched – these for the guided tours and those paying for the option to not carry camping gear around the park. The multiple check-ins are to ensure fees are paid, bookings are held for every night you are in the park, and for keeping track of visitors for safety.
After setting up camp we then took a walk towards the north eastern edge of Nordernskjöld Lake. It was going to be a fairly short walk to a lookout, but we decided to continue on the road that led to the creek and eventually the northern edge of the lake. This was a better choice as we got to see a rocky delta and some interesting geologic seams jutting out of the hillsides. AJ got to wade in the water briefly, which helped him justify this walk. This hike was mostly flat and we took it leisurely for it was hot and only mildly windy. We explored the 5.8km (3.5 miles) out and back trail in just under three hours.
We then got settled back at the campsite. We needed an early dinner and early bed knowing that tomorrow was going to be a long day of hiking. At this location you could use a camp stove on the picnic tables. At other locations camp stoves are banned (Chileano), or have designated cook areas (Cuernos, Italiano, Paine Grande). No, you nor anyone else can be trusted to use individual discretion with any type of flame or spark in the park. There are good reasons for this strict policy: In the park there has been 44 fires in 30 years, it is hard to communicate emergencies, and it is hard to evacuate visitors.
DAY TWO – Refugio Central to Base of Torres Hike – 29th November
After taking a while to get up and going, we left camp at 8:30am for the Base of Torres del Paine. This was a 9km (5.5 miles) hike up the valley from the junction near our campsite. It was about 8*C at dawn and there was only a light breeze. The weather was ideal as we started, but we could see that the distant but looming towers were obscured by clouds.
We stopped at Refugio Chileano to eat the first of our boxed lunches (two for today). Although expensive to purchase (we ordered these at the time of booking), they saved us thinking about, planning and carrying the extra food leading into these days of hiking. This was only a 20 minute rest, then we headed onward and upward to the towers. After enduring the steep final kilometer we stopped, looked around, and had the rest of our lunch. We had learned from our day two experience on our Ausangate Trek that an insufficient lunch causes suffering later.
The clouds parted at times to reveal most of the three towers, having a similar level of suspense to what we experienced at the Christ the Redeemer monument in Rio de Janeiro. It is hard to photograph and fathom the abruptness and size of the towers – for reference the campsite was at 180m (590 feet) elevation, the edge of the lake 900m (2950 feet), and the three peaks above 2400m (7880 feet). From the lake, the base of the towers are a mile away and the tops a mile up. The wind was biting despite the sun, so most visitors didn’t stay longer than an hour at the lake. Luckily the weather held out for us, and the wind was only moderate at times for the rest of the day.
It was a long walk back down to camp. We hiked a total of 23 km (14.5 miles),taking almost 10 hours. AJ covered his first half marathon distance in one day, taking over 40,000 steps. PJ reached her ‘flights of stairs’ goal at least 4 times. MJ just had sore feet. It was nice not to carry our heavy packs all day or to have to set up camp at the end of the day. We celebrated another bucket list location with a box of Santa Helena red wine… which also saved us from having to carry it the next day.
DAY THREE – Refugio Central to Refugio Cuerno Foothills Hike – 30th November
Another long day on our feet was the order of the day. This time we had to carry our packs. Bummer. There exists an option to have your packets transported by horseback (bag taxi!) across the rolling foothills, but we could not justify the expense. We had carried these packs across worse terrain, and above 4000m (13100 feet) elevation for several days, a few weeks beforehand.
Departing Refugio Central at 9:30am, we hiked a total of 13.7 km (8.5 miles) along the edge of Nordernskjöld Lake in fluctuating (and comical at times) wind, taking 6.5 hours. The estimated time for this route is 4.5 hours, but we have other considerations, these being: we carry all of our gear, we have a child, and we were in no hurry. This was a choice based on our budget and wanting to be more flexible with a child participating. By taking this approach we spent about $USD700 total for our family of three. (One unavoidable indoor bunk night at $USD100 per person per night at Cuernos due to no tent sites available, using our own sleeping bags (!), cost us the majority of the expense). Utilizing a tour (a great approach for less experienced hikers; they are various companies and options) would have cost us between $USD1800 to $3800. Additionally, by going ‘solo’ we could take our time with whatever we did without the pressure of our child having to keep up with a group of adults.
The trails are very straightforward and anastomose like the veins in your limbs – they all head the same general direction to the same end location. There were plenty of people about, individuals and small groups mostly, which made help mostly at hand if needed (a stark contrast to our Ausangate hike…).
This was the second day of boxed lunches, and again they were worth it. For reference, each Fantistico Sur lunch included the following: Hearty vegetarian or chicken sandwich, an orange or apple, a small milk chocolate bar (3 squares/30g), a muesli bar, and a small 50g bag of mixed nuts and fruit. The lunch comes in the black drawstring bag, with the entire lunch having a minimal rubbish profile and weight. Along the trail you have to take all rubbish with you, and this lunch is designed with this I’m mind. It is nice not to have to t think or take extra time to get lunch ready or out of our packs. Transport costs of goods to this remote area make any goods more expensive.
Not having to carry our packs on the long hike the previous day certainly helped us make it to camp on this day. We struck the infamous wind blasts about one third of the way into the hike, which was pretty entertaining:
We stopped several times to break up the journey and to eat. While there were not persistent elevation gains, there were rolling hills and a headwind as we hiked southward. The Refugio never seemed to appear, and we were all feeling the distance in our legs. Finally, we spotted the Refugio and it was a cruel and sharp descent climbing down rocks on the trail for about 200m (650 feet) to reach the creek and buildings. At least we didn’t have to start the trail with that the next morning!
After checking in to the Refugio and seeing the bunks we would collapse into, we moved our gear inside and then had a well earned drink in the bar area. It was late afternoon, but we started cooking dinner as we were done-like-a-dinner from the two long days. We fell asleep in broad daylight at about 8:30pm
DAY FOUR – Refugio Italiano and Frances Lookout Hike – 30th November
Leaving at 8:10am, we walked about 6km (3.5 miles), this taking two hours 45 minutes. A short day at last! The gradient was sharp at times to about halfway, then it was moderate up to Refugio Italiano by the river. MJ had deleted about 35 photos to clear space on his phone and took about 30 photos in the first 45 minutes of this stretch – a clear morning with amazing clouds, rocky beaches, and a vivid blue lake.
After AJ mostly setting up the tent and arranging a day pack we headed up to the first of two lookouts on this route. We didn’t anticipate seeing the second as we needed to back off the distances for a day. We left Italiano at 11:45am, and hiked about 2km (1.5 miles) all up hill with some clambering up small steep sections in places. This trek took one hour and 35 minutes to arrive at the lookout.
Sitting at the lookout, we heard and watched numerous “small” glacier cleaves and avalanches, hoping to see a “big one”! There were plenty of people at the lookout, with the rangers stating that the latest you could leave Refugio Italiano for this lookout was 3pm, and the latest for the further lookout, 1pm. These cutoffs ensure everyone has the time to make it back to a camp before dark.
At 3:20pm we descended, taking our sweet time (an hour and a half) to return to camp. On the way back down we turned and saw one of the highest ice shelves tumble. It became a billowing avalanche and eventually amplified the flow of one of the lower waterfalls, taking about 2 to 3 minutes from start to finish. Totally what we had been waiting for!
After cooking dinner MJ and AJ sat by the bridge and watched the glaciers cleaving late in the day as the sun set. With the heat of the direct sun gone, there was less frequent snow and ice activity than during the day.
DAY FIVE – Paine Grande and Grey Lookout Hike – 1st December
A mostly downhill and rolling hike was the order of the day. We departed at 8:40am, walking 8km (5 miles) in 3 and a quarter hours. There were plenty of stops for photos, and to battle the gusts of wind.
The scenery here was all encompassing: huge streamlined skies, multicolored lakes, wind that ripped the water off the lake surface, burnt out forests, iconic mountain views, and Spring flowers blooming.
Selecting a tent site after checking in was tricky – not because there was nowhere to pitch the tent, there was nowhere out of the wind to pitch a tent. So you do the best you think you can. As we arrived at a moderate hour (around noon) we were too late for the best spots tucked in the low shrubbery near the valley wall, but early enough to be not totally exposed to the worst wind.
Since we were unable to secure a Campsite at Refugio Grey to the north (the final part of the W) we figured we would just hike to the lookout. We left at 1:45, covering 11km (8 miles) in 4 hours, which was longer in distance and time than we had expected. Our child was not particularly impressed, but the crazy wind at the Grey Glacier lookout and surreal afternoon lighting over the glacier made up for his complaints
This day marked the six month mark of our travel adventure, so we celebrated in our tent which was whipped intermittently with wind as we reminisced. It was a great place and day for this milestone to fall – the end of half a year, the end of another short but epic trek, and the end of our time in South America.
DAY SIX – Exit to El Calafate ARG – 2nd December
The generators come on at about 6am, and that is when the campsite starts to come alive. By the time 7am rolled around, the cooking building was packed with guides preparing lunches for the day, and others escaping the light rain that had been falling since very early in the morning.
We hiked about 1/6 of a mile to the ferry stop. Not exhausted at all, we stood watching the clouds drift over the mountains reflected in the still lake in front of us as the ferry approached. It was mesmerizing. This ferry took us to the other end of the lake, and was the first leg of a somewhat compressed and stressful exit from South America.
See our other posts from the Patagonia Region:
A) ARGENTINA: Glaciers and Wind
In summary: If you are going to travel all the way to Patagonia and Torres del Paine, you owe it to yourself to do a few days on the trails. Unlike other national parks, Torres del Paine has a limited number of trails given it’s size. This is because of the immense central range that everything is based ‘around’. It also requires some astute preparation to get campsites secured via the three different booking websites that manage the Refugios (Fantistico Sur, CONAF, and Vertice). It’s complicated but worth it!
Post-Trip: Costs by Country - Cupcakes and Campfires
July 14, 2020 at 8:23pm[…] we needed somewhere cheaper, so we headed to South America. This worked until we went way south to hike the “W Circuit” in Torres del Paine in Patagonia! We were then going to head to Asia, but ended up in Europe. Europe is known to be both […]