Short W Trek: 5-Day Guided Trek in Torres del Paine, Chile
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TripsChilePatagonia

Short W Trek: 5-Day Guided Trek in Torres del Paine, Chile

Chile
4 Nights·5 Days
PatagoniaHiking & TrekkingEco Lodges

Overview

The Short W Trek is a guided 5-day journey that condenses the most iconic sights of Chilean Patagonia into a highly rewarding experience. Located in the breathtaking Torres del Paine National Park, this itinerary is designed for active hikers who want to explore the region’s highlights. Over the days, you will cover a total mileage of 58 km through dense beech forests, beside turquoise glacial lakes, and beneath towering granite peaks.

The trail leads you deep into the French Valley, a striking natural amphitheater surrounded by massive rock walls and scenic rivers. On an excursion that includes walking and a boat ride, travelers also reach the imposing blue ice face of Grey Glacier. The route finally culminates with a steep ascent to the Base of the Towers, rewarding you with close-up views of the three iconic granite spires.

Accommodation perfectly balances an authentic immersion in nature with comfort and sustainability. Guests spend 3 nights resting in the unique geodesic domes of EcoCamp Patagonia, a fully sustainable lodge running mostly on solar and micro-hydro energy. To provide a complete outdoor experience, one night is dedicated to camping in a tent at the Paine Grande campsite, located right near Lake Pehoé.

  • Full itinerary: catamaran across Lake Pehoé, the French Valley trek with the Británico lookout, the Lake Grey hike, a boat ride to the face of Grey Glacier, and the trek through the Ascencio Valley to the base of the Towers.
  • Reach the base of the Towers at 897 m (2,943 ft), a glacial lake under three granite towers, on the 22 km climax of the trek.
  • Sail up to the ice wall of Grey Glacier, with a drink served over glacier ice, after an 11 km hike along Lake Pehoé.
  • Sleep 3 nights in a heated dome at EcoCamp Patagonia (Standard, Superior, Suite or Suite Loft), a camp run on 90% solar and micro-hydro energy.
  • Activities guided by English- and Spanish-speaking trekking guides, with 1 guide for every 6 guests.
  • All-inclusive experience: round-trip transfer from Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales, 4 nights of accommodation, all meals, the park entrance fee, both boat trips, camping gear, porters, and a local trekking guide.

  • Please note: Patagonian weather changes fast. The guide may alter the order of the days or shorten/replace an activity for weather or safety—especially in October and April.

Itinerary

Day 1

Pickup in Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales / Lunch in Puerto Natales / Drive to EcoCamp Patagonia

  • TransferPunta Arenas or Puerto Natales → Torres del Paine · Shared minivan
  • Distance123 km from Puerto Natales (~1h50) · 365 km from Punta Arenas (~5h)
  • ArrivalEcoCamp Patagonia · around 5:30 PM · Trek briefing

Your Short W Trek starts with a morning pickup at your hotel or the airport in Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales. The minivan stops in Puerto Natales, a small town on Last Hope Sound, for a lunch of local food (or a box lunch, depending on your transfer).

The road then crosses the Patagonian steppe into Torres del Paine National Park. Watch for wildlife from the window on the way to EcoCamp Patagonia, whose domes face the Towers. In the evening, your guide explains the next day’s hike.

Meals included: Lunch / Dinner

The Welcome Dome geodesic structure at EcoCamp Patagonia, framed by purple and pink lupin flowers in the foreground, a snow-capped mountain peak behind, and a rainbow arching through a stormy sky — the starting point of the short w trek
Dozens of cormorants perched and taking flight on the weathered wooden pilings of a ruined pier, with choppy grey-blue water and snow-dusted mountains in the background near Puerto Natales, the gateway to the short w trek in Chilean Patagonia.
A row of teal geodesic domes with rustic wooden entrances at EcoCamp Patagonia, set along a boardwalk amid low shrubs, with snow-capped mountains glowing orange at sunrise and the iconic granite towers of Torres del Paine emerging through clouds in the background — the base for the short w trek.

Day 2

Catamaran on Lake Pehoé / French Valley Trek / Night at Paine Grande

  • CatamaranPudeto → Paine Grande across Lake Pehoé
  • French Valley trek25 km (15.5 mi) · ~8h · +663 m · Highest point 686 m
  • OvernightTent at the Paine Grande campsite

After breakfast, a short drive takes you to the Pudeto dock, where the catamaran crosses Lake Pehoé. From there, hike into the French Valley in Torres del Paine, at the heart of the Paine Massif.

A hanging bridge crosses the French River at the south-eastern base of the massif. The trail climbs into the upper valley, among huge rock walls, and reaches the Británico lookout when the group’s pace allows. Lunch is a picnic on the trail.

The descent crosses varied terrain to Refugio Paine Grande on Lake Pehoé. Dinner is served inside the refugio, and you sleep in a tent set up with the gear included in the trip.

Meals included: Breakfast / Box lunch / Dinner

Three hikers with backpacks scrambling up a rocky ridge on the short w trek, with a snow-covered mountain peak wrapped in clouds and a glacier visible below in the valley
The Hielos Patagónicos catamaran docked at a metal pier on turquoise Lake Pehoé, framed by bare lenga beech branches in the foreground, as passengers board for the short W trek crossing to Paine Grande
A hiker with a green backpack stands on a rock looking up at massive granite peaks dusted with snow during the short W trek, with a dense beech forest filling the valley below under a vivid blue sky.
A group of hikers with backpacks and trekking poles crosses a wooden footbridge on the short W trek, with a snow-covered granite peak rising through clouds above lenga beech forest in Torres del Paine

Day 3

Lake Grey Hike / Grey Glacier Boat Ride / Return to EcoCamp

  • Lake Grey hike11 km (6.8 mi) · ~4h · Highest point 244 m
  • Boat rideTo the face of Grey Glacier · ~40 min
  • TransferBack to EcoCamp Patagonia

From Paine Grande, the trail follows Lake Pehoé and climbs over to the northern shore of Lake Grey, where you stop for a picnic lunch.

The boat then sails up to the face of Grey Glacier, close to its wall of blue ice, and the crew serves a drink chilled with glacier ice. A vehicle takes you back to the domes for a hot shower and dinner. This is the shortest walking day of the W trek in 5 days.

If the boat cannot run (due to bad weather or fewer than 10 passengers booked), you hike to a glacier viewpoint instead, walk back to Paine Grande, and return by catamaran and van.

Meals included: Breakfast / Box lunch / Dinner

Two travelers in orange life vests photographing the jagged blue ice wall of Grey Glacier from a boat on the short W trek, with snow-dusted granite peaks rising behind
A hiker in a red hat crosses a long suspension bridge on the short w trek, with the blue ice face of Grey Glacier and snow-capped peaks filling the valley behind
The Grey II tour boat packed with passengers in orange life jackets floats directly in front of the towering blue ice face of Grey Glacier during the short w trek boat excursion on Lake Grey
A bearded traveler in an orange life jacket holds a large chunk of glacial ice on the deck of a boat during the short w trek Grey Glacier excursion, with snow-dusted mountains and a calm grey-green lake visible behind him

Day 4

Ascencio Valley / Trek to the Base of the Towers

  • Towers trek22 km (13.7 mi) · ~9h · +1,023 m · Highest point 897 m
  • Ascencio ValleyBeech forest, streams and a steep boulder moraine
  • Celebration dinnerWith Chilean wine at the camp

From the camp, walk to the eastern edge of the Ascencio Valley and climb between ridges, through beech forest and across streams.

The last hour is a steep moraine of loose boulders. At the top, the three granite towers rise above a glacial lake, shaped by ancient glaciers. This is the Base of the Towers, the highest point of the trek, and the place for your picnic lunch.

Return the same way through the valley. Back at EcoCamp Patagonia, dinner comes with Chilean wine to close the trekking part of your trip.

Meals included: Breakfast / Box lunch / Dinner with Chilean wine

A hiker in a cap and shorts stands at the base of the towers on the short W trek, looking up at the three granite spires rising above a snow-covered moraine under a cloudy Patagonian sky
A hiker with trekking poles and a full backpack walks a rocky trail on the short W trek, surrounded by lenga beech trees in vivid orange and gold autumn foliage, with a rocky peak visible through the canopy above

Day 5

Transfer to Puerto Natales or Punta Arenas

  • TransferCamp → Puerto Natales or Punta Arenas · Departure 7:30–9:30 AM
  • DeparturePuerto Natales airport 9:30–11:30 am · Punta Arenas airport 1:00–1:30 PM

After an early breakfast, the minivan leaves the park for Puerto Natales or Punta Arenas, with a box lunch for the road. Book an afternoon or evening flight.

If you continue to El Calafate in Argentina, the transfer can be arranged instead (it leaves the camp at 6:15–6:45 AM).

Meals included: Breakfast / Box lunch

Two hikers with backpacks walk among a herd of grazing guanacos on open Patagonian grassland during the short w trek, with snow-capped granite peaks rising under a blue sky in the background
Cluster of green geodesic domes at EcoCamp Patagonia during the short W trek, with the iconic granite towers of Torres del Paine glowing in warm evening light behind rolling hills

What is Included

  • Round-trip transfer (Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales ⇌ Torres del Paine National Park), within city limits, on the scheduled shared transfers
  • 4-night stay: 3 nights at EcoCamp Patagonia in the dome category of your preference + 1 night in a tent at the Paine Grande campsite
  • Meals (full board: 4 breakfasts, 5 lunches or box lunches, 4 dinners)
  • Chilean wine with dinner on Day 4
  • Torres del Paine National Park entrance fee
  • Catamaran across Lake Pehoé and the boat ride to Grey Glacier
  • Camping gear for the Paine Grande night: tent, sleeping bag, sleeping bag liner, and sleeping mat
  • Porter service for tents, sleeping bags, mats, and one dry bag per guest
  • Guided tours (French Valley trek with the Británico lookout, Lake Grey hike, Grey Glacier boat ride, and the trek to the base of the Towers)
  • One English- and Spanish-speaking trekking guide for the group (1 guide per 6 guests)

Not included

  • Flight tickets
  • Travel and health insurance (mandatory)
  • Tips for guides and staff
  • Extra drinks, soft drinks, liquor, and snacks
  • Souvenirs and personal items
  • Transfers outside the city limits of Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales, or El Calafate
  • Drop-off at El Calafate airport (extra fee)
  • Upgrade from the tent to a dormitory bed inside Refugio Paine Grande
  • Laundry
  • Visas and airport taxes
  • Medical and evacuation costs

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$ 1,629/ per person