Here is the second instalment for my 5 day W trek in Torres del Paine. In the first post I wrote about my experience of the W trek and how I (unbelievably!) managed to do it.
This post is going to be geared towards any practical information I have. So, what I packed, equipment, my breakdown of costs, food, my advice and tips and finally how to get to Torres del Paine. I hope it comes in useful for someone and is a reference for me if anyone asks!
What I packed for the 5 day W trek
I packed the following clothing and items for 5 days of hiking:
- 2 Uniqlo heat-tech long sleeve tops (one was extra warm for night)
- 1 T-shirt (which I never wore)
- 1 sports bra
- 2 pairs of pants
- 2 pairs of hiking socks (one for night)
- 1 fleece (for day use)
- 1 alpaca jumper (for night)
- 1 down jacket (for day and night)
- 1 waterproof
- 1 waterproof trousers
- 1 pair of Uniqlo extra warm heat-tech leggings (for night)
- 1 pair of walking trousers
- Hat and buff
- 2 pairs of gloves (one thin liner pair and one pair more windproof)
- Headlamp (for final day sunrise hike to the towers)
- Sunglasses
- Toiletries: toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, insect repellent, hand sanitiser, toilet roll, suncream
- Medical: plasters, paracetamol, ibuprofen, immodium etc
Equipment
The list below is the camping equipment we needed. I didn’t own or have any of the items with me so I had to rent from one of the shops in Puerto Natales.
- A 2 person tent
- A stove, cooking set (forks, spoons, bowls etc) and 2 cans of gas (plus we bought a lighter)
- A sleeping bag
- A sleeping mat
- Walking poles
Rucksack wise, I didn’t need to rent one yay!! Before I came out to South America, I debated long and hard about whether to use my Osprey Farpoint 40L backpack again or invest in a bigger one for the sole purpose that I would be able to use it for multi day hikes and camping.
I’m so happy I decided to go for a bigger one – an Osprey Kyte 66L. It was worth it!
Costs – How much I paid to do the W trek independently
To do the 5 day W trek I paid $157,085 CLP = £180 in total. I did hike the trek with a girl so there were a few costs we could share e.g. tent, campsites and food. I hope this part helps with cost estimates!
Now for the cost breakdown…
Entrance fees and transport
Entrance fee to Torres del Paine National Park: $21,000CLP.
Bus from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine: $13,000CLP (return journey).
Shuttle bus from Camping Central to Laguna Amarga entrance: $3000CLP
Ferry from Pudeto to Paine Grande (start point of W trek if going West to East): $20,000CLP (you can get a return ferry for $30,000).
Accommodation
4 nights camping at the park campsites: $45,000CLP (this was $90,000 in total but the two of us split the cost).
Rental equipment
Total: $48,500CLP (approx £55). See my equipment list above to see what I rented.
Food
I had a few snacks already with me. We spent $13,170CLP for breakfast, lunch, dinner and some more snacks for two people for 5 days. This cost $6585CLP per person (approx £8).
See my food section for a breakdown of the food we took. As you’ll see, we kept it very simple! You could definitely spend a bit more and cook more interesting dinners!
What we ate on the W trek for 5 days
- Breakfast: we bought a box of instant oatmeal and divided it up into bags for each day. We also got a packet of powdered milk to make the oatmeal milkier. If I was to do it again I would take honey to add.
- Lunch: a packet of wholemeal tortilla wraps, a packet of ham and cheese. I’d take a second packet of cheese if I was to do it again. We chose tortilla wraps over bread because they took up less space and were easier to put together on the trail.
- Dinner: Two 400g bags of pasta and two cartons of tomato sauce. Again, a third bag of pasta wouldn’t have gone amiss here. That said, at some of the campsites where there are refugios there are free food baskets. We picked up some instant soup and more pasta from them.
- Snacks: Chocolate, cereal bars, nuts, dried fruit, biscuits, bananas.
You can have more adventurous meals on the W trek for sure. We were super last minute so we kept things as simple as we could dashing around the supermarket.
Also, personally I know that when I’m camping I like simplicity. After a long day of walking I don’t want to wait ages for something to cook! Another reason why I love pasta – for its quickness!
Tips and advice
– Poles are invaluable. My walking poles basically became my best friend. They were so useful, helping me maintain my balance with my heavy bag and relieving pressure on my legs and knees. I really recommend them!
– Keep your items dry with bin bags and dry bags. Line the inside of your bag with a bin bag and then separate your items into other bin bags or dry bags. It’s a great way to organise your bag too and easily find the items you’re looking for.
– If you’re planning on camping throughout your trip, really consider bringing your own tent and sleeping bag. A lightweight tent and sleeping bag will make a massive difference. We rented a tent and sleeping bag from an agency in Puerto Natales. They did the job well, however they really added to the weight of our packs and were quite bulky.
– You don’t need to bring a big water bottle. The water in Patagonia is some of the best water you can drink and there are streams and rivers all over the place to fill up from. I took a 1.6L bottle and definitely wish I’d taken my smaller 750ml one.
– Go to the Erratic Rock talk in Puerto Natales. There’s a daily talk at Erratic Rock about the Torres del Paine treks. They give very useful and reassuring information. In our case, it completely saved our skin! Going to the talk was the only reason we got the opportunity to do the W trek! I’d go even if you have nothing booked, you never know what might come up!
– You can do the W trek west to east or vice versa. I recommend going west-east, like we did, as you finish with the iconic towers. I think finishing at the towers is a great way to end!
– The name of the treks (W, O and Q) coincide with the routes themselves. I didn’t think about this until I was in the park and properly looked at a map! I was also probably quite slow. Realising that really helped me understand the hike as a whole and I imagine would really help when trying to book campsites etc.
– If you’re considering doing a guided tour because you’re concerned about getting lost, don’t be. The paths are so clearly marked, it’s honestly super hard to go off track. The one time we were slightly off track was leaving Campamento Torres in the dark. Walking at night is harder and does confuse your bearings. We quickly joined the main path and from there on it was straightforward.
– If you’re heading to the towers for sunrise, take your sleeping bag with you! You’ll be able to stay up there for so much longer. We were up there for 8 hours which was a bit extreme but worth it! The sunrise didn’t show, however we were finally rewarded for our perseverance when the clouds cleared and the towers appeared.
– If you’ve tried to book campsites for the W or O trek and you haven’t been successful or you’ve turned up to Puerto Natales with no plans but are keen to do it, head to the camping offices of Fantastico Sur and Vertice in town. You can speak to them in person and often there are spaces or last minute cancellations. I know a couple of people who have been successful with this approach.
How to get to Torres del Paine
Buses to Torres del Paine leave daily from the bus station in Puerto Natales. They leave at 7am, 7.15am and in the afternoon. They return from the Laguna Amarga entrance at 2.30pm, 7pm, 7.45pm. A return journey costs $13,000CLP and you can buy tickets usually from your hostel and the bus station.
There are five main companies: JB, Maria Jose, Juan Ojeda, Buses Gomez and Bus Sur. The pick up times for the various bus companies can differ slightly so make sure you know which company you bought your ticket with and their timings.
That’s it!
I hope this post has been useful! I remember feeling very confused by it all when researching back in the UK. It was one of the main reasons why I never booked anything in advance. Just by being in Puerto Natales everything was a lot easier!
I’m now heading back into Argentina to see the Perito Moreno glacier in El Calafate. I then continue upwards to El Chalten for some more walking!
