Day 1 Monday: The Patagonian Adventure starts
Torres del Paine NP, Chile
The trip begins with you being picked up from your hotel in Punta Arenas or Punta Arenas airport in the morning and driven to EcoCamp Patagonia, located in the world-famous Torres del Paine National Park. Alternatively you can start your trip in Calafate (see our weekly transfer board for EcoCamp's pick up & drop off schedule). En route we make a couple of stops - First in Puerto Natales, a small, lively town on the shores of "Seno de Ultima Esperanza", where we enjoy a hearty local lunch, and second at Cueva de Milodon, a massive prehistoric cave where the remains of a giant ground sloth were discovered in the 1890’s. The whole journey is very scenic, with plenty of wild birds and wonderful landscapes to be seen. The day ends with our arrival and overnight stay at EcoCamp Patagonia, nestled in the heart of the park with a view of the Torres. During summer the sun sets around 11pm, so upon arrival there's plenty of light to admire the Patagonian steppe with its guanacos and snow-peaked mountain horizon. For more details about trek distance and walking time, click here to check out our Trekking Chart and W Trek infographic.
Day 2 Tuesday: Los Cuernos
Torres del Paine NP, Chile
We start our adventure in the Park with a pleasant walk through the curly Cuernos trail located beside beautiful Lake Nordenskjold. During this appetizer walk we admire the park’s exquisite flora and fauna, its strong wind and the curious, rapidly-changing weather that’ll accompany us in the upcoming days. As we walk along the trail we enjoy magnificent views of the park’s central lakes and the Paine’s Horns, majestic black horn-like peaks of slate atop gray granite which crown the center of the Massif. The trek ends at Refugio Los Cuernos, a small and cozy mountain refuge located by the shores of Lake Nordenskjold. The evening is free for relaxing and enjoying dinner.Our first Patagonia trekking day includes a short trek from Estancia Las Torres, and the Eco Camp, to the undulated Los Cuernos Trail (12km/8mi). This trek is the introduction to the trekking in Torres del Paine National Park, with an explanation of the region, common sights and wildlife to keep a look out for. At the end of the day, we will be reaching the Refugio Los Cuernos for our overnight stay at this remote Bed & Breakfast.
Day 3 Wednesday: The Paine Massif’s Heart: Valle Frances
Torres del Paine NP, Chile
After breakfast, we begin a challenging trek to Valle Frances (French Valley) along a steep trail that goes into the very heart of the Paine Massif. How deep we go depends on our groups’ rhythm - An active walk leads us to the hanging bridge over the French River, located at the foot of the south-eastern face of the Massif, where there is a truly wonderful view. Then we continue up the trail until reaching the upper section of the valley and admire the valley's entire group of geological formations: Hoja (Blade), Máscara (Mask), Espada (Sword), Catedral (Cathedral), Aleta de Tiburón (Shark’s Fin) and the magnificent Fortaleza (Fortress). Here we picnic and rest for a while. An optional trek to Mirador Britanico is available as well, if the group isn't keen on resting. Then we descend through a rippling terrain of mixed grassland and light forest until reaching Refugio Paine Grande, located on the peaceful shores of Lake Pehoe. We organise our luggage, relax and enjoy a replenishing dinner.
Day 4 Thursday: Glacier Grey
Torres del Paine NP, Chile
Today we hike from Paine Grande Refugio along the shores of Lake Pehoe to the northern end of glacial Lake Grey. We enjoy a picnic lunch before boarding the boat that sails to the blue face of Glacier Grey. There's lots of time to marvel at this calving glacier during the boat ride across this lake, with its floating pieces of ice. From Lake Grey’s southern end we transfer to EcoCamp. Occasionally the weather may not permit us to sail across the lake, or during Shoulder Season (October and April) the sailing might be cancelled if the required minimum of 10 passengers isn't reached. In this case we will trek up to the sightseeing point offering a spectacular view of the Glacier. Then we'll return on foot to Paine Grande and take a catamaran to Pudeto’s dock, from where we're driven back to Ecocamp.
Day 5 Friday: the big challenge: Torres del Paine
Torres del Paine NP, Chile Time for a big breakfast and lots of enthusiasm - Our goal today is to complete the most famous trekking trail in Torres del Paine NP! We walk from the camp site towards Hostería Las Torres and join the uphill path to Ascencio Valley on the Tower's eastern face. Dry mountain spots, beech forests and small rivers line the scenic walk towards the valley. Our big challenge comes as we climb the steep moraine, a mass of boulders leading us towards one of the world's most famous views overlooking the Towers. The famous Torres del Paine (2,900 m/ 9,400 ft) consist of three gigantic granite monoliths, the remains of a great cirque sheared away by the forces of glacial ice. After an uphill slog, 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 and return to EcoCamp.
Day 6 Saturday: Eastern Lakes*
Torres del Paine NP, Chile
Today is a relaxed day after yesterday's challenge. We set off lesuirely after breakfast and drive to Laguna Azul passing by Cañadón Macho, home to a rich fauna including guanacos and ñandúes. We stop en route to enjoy views of the Patagonian steppe and the towers from a different angle. At Laguna Azul we hike to the viewpoint where we have a gorgeous view of both the lagoon and granite towers. After lunch we drive to the northern shore of Sarmiento Lake where the Fauna Trail begins. As we walk northwards along the trail we see fauna on the Patagonian plains including guanacos, ostrich-like ñandús and maybe the occasional puma print! We pass by Goic lagoon and after an approximate 5 km relaxed walk we reach the Laguna Amarga ranger station where we’re picked up and driven back to Ecocamp to celebrate over our farewell dinner.
*Please note that if there are more than 6 travellers in the group there's an option to split into two groups, with one group (or the whole group if everybody's in the mood!) cycling to Laguna Azul!
Day 7 Sunday: Adios Torres del Paine!
Punta Arenas, Chile We board an early morning vehicle, sit back, relax, and enjoy a scenic ride back to Punta Arenas in time to catch the evening flight to Santiago. Or, alternatively, we board an early morning vehicle to the border to continue our journey to El Calafate.
Torres Eco Camp (4 min)
Torres Eco Camp Slide Show
Price and Departure Dates |
Length of Trip: 6 Active Days
Price per Person: Single Occupancy $...... usd (if available)
Price per Person: Double Occupancy $3295.00 USD - Prices are for reference only, please contact us to confirm pricing.
Your described itinerary, guiding, instruction, specialized equipment, and all transportation from your trip pick up point to your trip drop off point, all accommodation Eco Camp Domes are double occupancy), all meals, and wine with dinner.
To see the gear that we provide, please check the packing list of your activity.
All pre and post-trip enroute transportation, food, and hotel(s).
Transportation: Expediciones Chile and G & G Travel and Tours are not financially responsible for travel complications associated with arriving at your trip pick-up point or returning home from the trip drop-off point. However, we will be your relentless ally 24/7 in offering our influence to help solve any issues that you may encounter en route. This is our part of the world and we are very well connected. Our clients provide significant business for the transportation services that we recommended, and they know that we aggressively represent our guests in finding solutions while they are en route to ExChile trips. We also recommend purchasing travel insurance.
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Experience Needed: Reasonable hiker |
Physical Challenge: High Moderate |
Season: December to April |
Cultural Experience: Moderate |
Nature Experience: Very high |
Comfort Rating: Domes at Eco-Camp |
Max Trip Size: 16 |
Min Trip Size: 4 |
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Region Visited: Patagonia. |
Lakes, rivers, and sites: Torres del Paine National Park. |
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Direct Line, USA:
+1.208.629.5032 (7am/5 pm mst)
Toll Free, USA:
+1.888.488.9082 (7am/5 pm mst) |
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Travel Consultant 1 |
Travel Consultant 2 |
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How to get to and From Patagonia |
How to get to and From Patagonia Interactive
In: Punta Arenas
Out: Punta Arenas
In: Calafate
Out: Calafate
Connections can be made to and from Futaleufu through Argentina (Bariloche) Connections can be made to and from Futaleufu through Chile (Puerto Montt)
How to organize your en route in one step: We recommend contacting Gilda (G & G Travel and Tours) who can help arrange all en route transportation and pre- and post-trip hotels for your ExChile trip. Give her a call to compare prices, as she often beats internet fares.
Enroute Hotels |
Other non Torres del Paine Trekking options include: Trekking Patagonia in the Futaleufu Valley Lodge , Trekking Chile's Route of the Cowboys, Torres del Paine Trekking Tours , FitzRoy Trekking Vacations . We also offer two weeklong Futaleufu, Cerro FitzRoy and Torres del Paine combination trips: Trekking in Patagonia: Torres del Paine and Futaleufu Combo , Chile Trekking: Trekking FitzRoy & Futaleufu Combo , Patagonia Trekking: Trekking in Torres del Paine & FitzRoy. For further information see our Trekking in Chile FAQs
Downloadable pdf Brochure: Chile Trekking