The W Trek in Patagonia: Route, Real Cost and How to Plan It

The W Trek is the most popular multi-day hike in Torres del Paine National Park, in Chilean Patagonia. Drawn on a map, the route looks like a W: three “arms” that take you to the park’s three great sights — the granite towers at Base Las Torres, the French Valley under the Cuernos del Paine, and the ice of Grey Glacier. It covers about 80 km (50 miles), usually in five days and four nights, sleeping in campsites or mountain refuges along the way.

This guide explains the route day by day, what the W in Patagonia really costs in the 2026/27 season and how to book it — plus the one thing most W hikers forget to plan: the day in Santiago on the way there or back.

The W Trek route, day by day

The classic itinerary runs from east to west. You can also hike it the other way, starting with the catamaran across Lake Pehoé; the experience is the same, only the order changes. Distances are approximate and vary with the campsites you book.

• Day 1 — Base Las Torres (about 20 km). The hardest day: a long climb through the Ascencio Valley and a steep final section over boulders to the lagoon at the foot of the three towers.
• Day 2 — Along Lake Nordenskjöld (about 12–17 km). A gentler day along the turquoise lake to Los Cuernos or the Francés sector, with the Cuernos del Paine above you all afternoon.
• Day 3 — The French Valley (about 20–26 km). The middle arm of the W: up the valley below the French Glacier and its granite walls to the Británico lookout, then down and across to Paine Grande on Lake Pehoé.
• Day 4 — Grey Glacier (about 11 km). North along Lake Grey, with icebergs in the water, to the viewpoints over the glacier.
• Day 5 — Back to Paine Grande. Return to Lake Pehoé and take the catamaran to Pudeto, where buses leave for Puerto Natales.

Patagonia W Trek cost in 2026/27

What the W costs depends almost entirely on where you sleep and who cooks. These are the main costs per person, checked in October 2026. Prices change every season and are charged in Chilean pesos, so confirm them with each provider before you book.

• Park entrance: about CLP 48,500 (around US$50) for a foreign adult’s multi-day pass. It is sold online only, at pasesparques.cl — don’t count on buying it at the gate.
• Bus from Puerto Natales: about CLP 15,000 each way. The park is around 110 km away, roughly 1.5–2 hours.
• Catamaran across Lake Pehoé (Pudeto ↔ Paine Grande): roughly US$30–40 each way, paid at the terminal.
• Campsite with your own tent: from about US$11–13 per person at the Vértice sites (Paine Grande, Grey) to roughly US$40–100 at the Las Torres sites, depending on the season and whether you share.
• Equipped tents and refuge beds: from about US$66 for a basic bed to around US$230 for a bed in a shared refuge room, per night.
• Meals: full board costs roughly US$110–140 per day. Carrying your own food is the biggest saving.

Put together, a rough budget for the five days, not counting flights:

• Your own tent and food: about US$400–550.
• Equipped tents and some meals: from about US$800.
• Refuge beds with full board: about US$1,300–1,600.
• A guided package: often US$2,000 or more.

How to book the W

• Book every night before you go. You can’t just turn up and camp: each site checks reservations. Two companies run the campsites and refuges — Vértice on the west side (Paine Grande, Grey) and Las Torres on the east and center (Central, Chileno, Los Cuernos, Francés). For November to February, book as soon as reservations open.
• Buy the park pass online at pasesparques.cl, the official CONAF site.
• Plan your season. Hiking without a guide is allowed from October to April; outside that period a registered guide is required. November to February is the peak; October and April are quieter, with more changeable weather.
• Getting there: fly to Santiago, then on to Puerto Natales or Punta Arenas, and take the bus to the park.
• Pack for four seasons in a day. Wind is the constant in Patagonia: bring a real rain shell, warm layers and broken-in boots.

Beautiful hikes in Patagonia beyond the W

The W is the classic, but Patagonia has many more beautiful hikes if you have extra days:

• The O Circuit adds the quieter back side of the Paine massif to the W and takes about a week or more. Check its current status and booking rules before you plan it.
• Base Las Torres as a day hike — long and steep, but if you only have one day in the park, it takes you to the towers themselves.
• Laguna de los Tres, El Chaltén (Argentina) — the classic day hike to the foot of Mount Fitz Roy, across the border from Torres del Paine.
• Cerro Castillo, on the Carretera Austral — a wilder multi-day trek in Chile’s Aysén region, much farther north.

Before or after the W: a day in Santiago

Most international trips to the W pass through Santiago: long-haul flights land there, and the flights south to Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas leave from there. Instead of a long layover at the airport, plan one day in the city — a good way to get over the long flight before the trek, or to celebrate it afterwards. Our guide to your first day in Santiago covers the airport, money and the Metro.

Our Santiago Food Tour fits that day perfectly: four hours on foot through the historic center, Mercado Central, Tirso de Molina and La Vega Central, with 12+ Chilean tastings — enough to replace lunch. It starts at 10:00 AM outside Bellas Artes Metro, Monday to Saturday, in small groups, and ends around 2:00 PM in Barrio Lastarria, with the afternoon free to rest or pack. USD 58 / person.

Staying longer? From Santiago you can also ride horses through the dunes and beach of Ritoque or look for Humboldt penguins at Cachagua — small-group day trips on Chile’s central coast.