Guide · The W

W Trek tours in Torres del Paine, section by section

The W links Grey Glacier, the French Valley and Base Torres on one route. Here is how long it takes, what you must book before you set foot on it, and when a guided trip makes more sense than going alone.

Check availabilityfrom $100 · free cancellation possible

Editorial team, torresdelpainehikingtours.comUpdated October 16, 2026Reading time about 6 minutes29 sources

On this topic: the tour Torres del Paine: W Trek Express 4.7 (114 reviews) 5 days from$1,190per person Check availabilityCancel for free up to 24 hrs ahead

The short version

01Length: The W is approximately 70 km long.¹
02Days: Las Torres Patagonia plans it at 4 to 7 days, or 3 to 6 nights.²
03Booking: Refugio or campsite reservations are mandatory to enter the mountain area.³
04Guided option: A 5-day guided W Trek Express starts from $1,190.
05Winter: Parts of the W are hiked only with a guide in the winter period.⁴

What the W actually is

The W takes its name from the shape it draws on the map: a chain of valleys walked in and out again, strung along the southern face of the Paine massif. On the park's own list it is the route that visits Grey Glacier, the French Valley and Base Torres, and it is listed with a reservation requirement.⁵ That combination is why it fills up first every season. You get the glacier, the granite towers and the hanging valley in between, without crossing the remote north side of the massif.

In distance the route is approximately 70 km long.¹ Las Torres Patagonia, which runs lodging on the eastern half, says it can be done in 3 to 6 nights, or 4 to 7 days, depending on your itinerary.² The park's own planning page lists it at 3 to 5 days.⁵ The spread is not a contradiction: it is the difference between a fast hiker who links sections and someone who wants a spare afternoon at each viewpoint.

Hikers walk it in either direction. Starting in the west means a boat across Lake Pehoé and the glacier first; starting in the east means the Base Torres climb while your legs are fresh. Catamarans run on Lake Grey and Lake Pehoé inside the park, and the Pehoé crossing is how many itineraries reach the western end.⁶ Whichever way you choose, the beds you booked decide where each day ends.

West to east

The W in its official sections

Grey to Paine Grande

Glacier to the lake

11 km, about 3 hours 30 minutes.⁷
Paine Grande to Italiano

Under the massif

7.5 km, about 2.5 hours.⁸
Italiano to Británico

The French Valley

5.4 km, 3 hours, rated demanding.⁹
Italiano to Los Cuernos

Along the lake

5 km, about 2 hours 30 minutes.¹⁰
Los Cuernos to Las Torres

The long eastern stretch

11.6 km, about 4 hours 30 minutes.¹¹
Las Torres to the towers

Base Torres

5 km to Refugio Chileno, then on to the viewpoint.¹²

The sections and how long they take

CONAF publishes a length and a walking time for every stretch, and they are the most useful planning numbers you will find. From the Grey ranger post to Paine Grande is 11 km and about 3 hours 30 minutes.⁷ From Paine Grande to Campamento Italiano is 7.5 km and 2.5 hours.⁸ These are walking times on a normal day; wind and a heavy pack stretch them.

Campamento Italiano is the base for the French Valley. The climb from there to Mirador Británico is 5.4 km, takes 3 hours and is rated demanding.⁹ Most hikers leave their big pack at the camp and walk it light, which turns a hard section into one of the best mornings of the trip. From Italiano the route continues to Refugio Los Cuernos, 5 km and 2 hours 30 minutes away.¹⁰

The long eastern stretch from Refugio Los Cuernos to Hotel Las Torres is 11.6 km and takes 4 hours 30 minutes.¹¹ From the hotel the Base Torres trail climbs first to Refugio Chileno, 5 km and 2 hours.¹² Then come 3 km and 90 minutes to the Torres ranger post,¹³ and the last 1.4 km to the viewpoint itself, an hour of demanding moraine.¹⁴

Distances

Length of each W section

Section lengths as CONAF lists them for the park's trails.⁷ ⁸ ⁹ ¹⁰ ¹¹ ¹²

Walking times

W sections, distance and time

Section	Distance	Time	Rating
Grey to Paine Grande	11 km	3 h 30	medium
Paine Grande to Italiano	7.5 km	2.5 h	medium
Italiano to Mirador Británico	5.4 km	3 h	demanding
Italiano to Los Cuernos	5 km	2 h 30	medium
Los Cuernos to Hotel Las Torres	11.6 km	4 h 30	medium

Distances, times and difficulty from CONAF's trail list; times are without long stops.⁷ ⁸ ⁹ ¹⁰ ¹¹

Guided options

Three guided W Trek tours

Best rated

W Trek Express

Small group, 5 days

Duration: 5 days
Group: up to 4
Rating: 4.74

See this trek

3 days

W Trekking

Shorter, with pickup

Duration: 3 days
Pickup: included
Rating: 3.90

See this trek

Torres del Paine: 5-Day Trek camping and Glacier Navigation

Longest

5-day trek and glacier

Camping plus a boat

Duration: 5 days
Extra: glacier navigation
Reviews: none yet

See this trek

Guided or not

Which way to do the W

Match the trip to how much planning you want to own.

I have little time to book campsites I want to go in winter I am an experienced backpacker I want the smallest group I only have one day

Guided tour

An operator sells the confirmed beds in the right order, which is the hardest part to arrange.³

Guided tour

Several W sections may be hiked only with a guide in the winter period.⁴

Self-guided

The route is marked; your job is booking every night and buying the park ticket ahead.¹⁵

W Trek Express

It is limited to 4 participants.

Base Torres day hike

Day visits to Base Torres need no overnight reservation.¹⁶

To hike the W and the Macizo Paine circuit you must book your lodging in the refugios and campsites inside the park; without these reservations you cannot enter the mountain area.

Parque Nacional Torres del Paine (CONAF)translated, original in Spanish · Source 3

Book the beds before anything else

The single most important rule of the W is not about fitness. To hike the W or the Macizo Paine circuit you need reservations at the refugios and campsites inside the park, and without them you cannot enter the mountain area.³ Rangers check. A plan that starts with flights and ends with campsites is a plan that can fail at the gate.

Two concessionaires run the lodging along the route, Las Torres Patagonia in the east and Vértice Patagonia in the west, and you book each one on its own site or through an accredited operator. Plan the nights first, then fit the hiking days between them. The park entry ticket is separate and must be bought online at least 24 hours before you enter.¹⁵

Once you are on the trail, the park asks you to register on arrival at every ranger station.¹⁷ There is no phone or internet signal on the interior trails, so expect to be disconnected for several days.¹⁸ Tell someone at home your itinerary, carry a printed copy of your reservations and do not count on checking anything on the way.

Map

From Puerto Natales to the trails of Torres del Paine

Where the hikes start and what lies along them: the park entrances, the viewpoint trails of this tour, and the route of the W.

Map from Puerto Natales north to the Sarmiento and Laguna Amarga entrances of Torres del Paine — Puerto Natales to the park

Map of the W route from Hotel Las Torres past Los Cuernos to Paine Grande and Grey, with Mirador Cuernos and Mirador Cóndor — The W and the viewpoints

Map of the trail from Hotel Las Torres via Refugio Chileno to the Base Torres viewpoint — The Base Torres trail

Map of Chile from Santiago south to Punta Arenas and the Puerto Natales airfield — From Santiago to Patagonia

1
Puerto Natales
The town tours start from; by Ruta 9 it is 112 km to the Sarmiento entrance and 129 km to Laguna Amarga.¹⁹
In Google Maps ↗
2
Portería Sarmiento
The Lago Sarmiento entrance, where this tour begins its first walk on the Aonikenk Trail.
In Google Maps ↗
3
Laguna Amarga
The first stop of the scheduled buses from Puerto Natales, about two hours away.²⁰
In Google Maps ↗
4
Salto Grande
The waterfall in the Pudeto area, a stop on this tour before the walk to Mirador Cuernos.
In Google Maps ↗
5
Hotel Las Torres
Start of the Base Torres hike: 22 km out and back from here.²¹
In Google Maps ↗
6
Refugio Chileno
The first section from Hotel Las Torres is 5 km and takes about 2 hours.¹²
In Google Maps ↗
7
Mirador Base Torres
The final 1.4 km from the Torres ranger post take about 1 hour and are rated demanding.¹⁴
In Google Maps ↗
8
Refugio Los Cuernos
A stop on the W, 11.6 km from Hotel Las Torres.¹¹
In Google Maps ↗
9
Mirador Cuernos
The viewpoint this tour walks to from Salto Grande, about 2 hours there and back.
In Google Maps ↗
10
Paine Grande
On the W; Campamento Italiano is 7.5 km away.⁸
In Google Maps ↗
11
Refugio Grey
From the Grey ranger post to Paine Grande is 11 km.⁷
In Google Maps ↗
12
Mirador Cóndor
The tour's afternoon climb, a round trip of about 2 hours up to about 350 m.
In Google Maps ↗
13
Santiago airport (SCL)
Flights to the Puerto Natales airfield take 3 hours 17 minutes, about 2,000 km.²²
In Google Maps ↗
14
Punta Arenas airport (PUQ)
About 3 hours 27 minutes from Santiago; a bus then covers about 250 km to Puerto Natales.²³ ²⁴
In Google Maps ↗
15
Natales airfield (PNT)
Teniente Julio Gallardo airfield; a taxi into town takes about 11 minutes.²⁵
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Before you go

Checklist for a W Trek tour

Book ahead

Park entry ticket online, at least 24 hours before
Every refugio or campsite night, in order
Transport to the start and from the finish

Pack

Wind shell, warm layers and gloves
Rain gear for every day
Trekking poles for the moraine
A stove, used only in camp cooking areas

On the trail

Register at every ranger station
Stay on the marked trails
Leave early: times are without long stops

Group cost

Price a guided W Trek

Pick a trip and set the group size to see the from-price.

W Trek Express5 days, small groupfrom $1,190 W Trekking3 days, pickupfrom $1,450 Trek and glacier5 days, campingfrom $1,890

People 2

Total from$2,380

per head from $1,190

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Figures use each trek's GetYourGuide starting price per hiker, converted at the day's ECB rate; your booking confirmation carries the true amount.

Video

W TREK, TORRES DEL PAINE (2025) | Hiking Guide to the W Trek In Patagonia, Chile (with Trail Maps)

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Guided W Trek tours compared

A guided W Trek tour sells you exactly the thing that is hardest to arrange: confirmed beds in the right order, transfers, a guide and someone else carrying the logistics. The W Trek Express on this page runs 5 days, is limited to 4 participants, and starts from $1,190. It is rated 4.74 from 114 reviews.

A shorter guided W Trekking listing covers 3 days with pickup and starts from $1,450, with a rating of 3.90 from 3 reviews. A 5-day trek with camping and glacier navigation starts from $1,890 and has no reviews yet. Each of them offers free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, which matters on a route where a forecast can change your mind.

The price gap to a self-guided trip is real, but so is what it buys. A guide reads the weather, knows when the wind on an exposed stretch is too strong and handles the paperwork at each ranger post. If you have only one chance at the W and little time to chase campsite availability, a guided departure removes most of the ways the trip can go wrong.

Hiking the W on your own

Plenty of hikers walk the W independently, and the route is well marked. The work is all in the planning: securing the campsites or refugios on the nights you want, buying the park ticket ahead and arranging how you get to the start. Carry your own shelter and food if you camp, or pay for full board at the refugios if you want a lighter pack.

Respect the park's rules on fire. Using any heat source inside the national park is prohibited under Law 20.653.²⁶ Cooking is allowed only on stoves in the designated areas of each camp, so learn where they are before you light a burner. Leaving the trail is the other big mistake: almost all fatal accidents in the park happen off authorized trails.²⁷

Independence also means you decide what to do on a bad day. The French Valley is the section most often cut short when clouds sit low, and an extra night in your plan gives you a second chance at it. Pack layers for rain, wind and possible snow, keep your schedule loose and treat every published walking time as a minimum.

Season, winter rules and the weather

The W can be hiked outside the summer, but the rules change. In the winter period several sections of the W may be hiked only with a guide, under the park's winter visiting protocol.⁴ The park warns that winter trails can be covered in ice and 20, 30 cm or more of snow.²⁸ That turns a guided tour from a comfort into a requirement for parts of the route.

In the busier months the challenge is availability rather than snow. Buses from Puerto Natales run daily in high season, which Chile Travel gives as September to April.²⁹ Campsites and refugios on the W are what sell out, so the earlier you settle the dates, the more choice you have about direction and pace.

Whatever the month, plan for wind. Patagonian gusts can stop you on an exposed ridge and make a lake crossing uncomfortable. Pack poles, a shell that really blocks wind and gloves even in summer, and keep a few hours in reserve each day for the moments when the mountain sets the pace instead of your itinerary.

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