Worldwide Hiking

My guide to the Torres del Paine W trek – Part 2 – Preparation

Posted on by worldwidehiking

This post is based on my personal hiking experience at the Torres del Paine of 2015

Arriving in Puerto Natales

The first thing to be able to hike the W trek is actually… reaching the Torres del Paine. Most people start their journey in Puerto Natales, in the Magallanes region of Chile. Puerto Natales is a small pretty city, which offers all the possible tourist services for people that want to embark in this adventure. 

To reach Puerto Natales you must first take a flight to Punta Arenas and from there take a bus to Puerto Natales (about 3 hours). Buses run directly from the Punta Arenas airport, so there is no need to go to the city. Two bus companies offer daily buses between the cities, both also giving the opportunity to reserve a ticket online.

What to bring

The following list is based on the assumption that you would stay in the campsites inside the park and you hike the W circuit during the summer period.

  • Big Backpack (50-60L): it should accommodates the tent, the sleeping bag, food for 5 days, so my suggestion is to bring a big one with good shoulder support.
  • Clothes: this depends on the individual person, considering that anything you bring you will carry for five days. 
    1. 4x Underwear, 2x Hiking Socks, 1x Normal Socks
    2. 2x T-Shirts, 1x Fleece Jacket, 1x Waterproof Jacket, 1x Down Jacket
    3. 1x Hiking Pants (best convertible), 1x Rain pants (optional)
    4. 1x Hat, 1x Gloves
    5. 1x Hiking Boots, 1x Flip flops
  • Toiletries: toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper, microfibre towel, sunscreen, soap
  • Accessories: sun glasses, drinking bottle, hiking poles, head lamp, camera
  • Camping: light-resistant tent, camping mat, sleeping bag (suggested for -5º), camping stove, gas cans (buy in Pto. Natales), camping kitchen kit, camping mug, lighter/matches, book to read
  • Food: You can buy all the food you need in Pto. Natales. There is a big supermarket in the town center where you can buy all what you need. This was what I eat usually on a trekking day:
    • Breakfast: instant milk/coffee with cereals
    • Lunch: Sandwich with cheese slices and salami
    • Dinner: Pasta rice with canned sauce
    • Snacks: Dried fruit, nuts, cereal bars, chocolate

Transportation to Torres del Paine

The best way to reach the park is using the direct bus from Puerto Natales. You can buy the bus ticket directly at the main bus station. Buses leave two times per day at 7.30 and 14.30. You can buy an open return ticket (about 15.000 CLP). The companies that offer the service are: Buses Gomez, Buses Fernandez, Buses Maria José and Bus Sur (offers also a connection from Punta Arenas). 

The bus will stop first at the entrance of the park, where you will have to pay for the entrance fee (21.000 CLP for not chilean people). After that you jump back on the bus and go out at the stop of Pudeto, where you will catch the catamaran. 

For more information, visit the catamaran webpage: https://torresdelpaine.com/en/schedule-values-and-information-season-2016-2017/

 

Accommodation inside the Torres del Paine

Since few years it is necessary to book your campsite in advance, even the free ones. This is the list of the campsite you need to book for the five days trek of the W circuit:

Final Tips

Some final tips:

  • In Puerto Natales most of the hotels/hostels will take care of your luggage during your visit to the park
  • Most of them also sell bus tickets and rent the equipment
  • I highly recommend to go to daily 3 o’clock induction to park organised at the Erratic Rock hostel, https://www.erraticrock.com/, where you can learn more tips to the park and maybe find some hike companions
  • Enjoy the visit!

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