Welcome to Patagonia
W Trek Itinerary
Day 1: Bus from Puerto Natales to the park entrance. Get back on the bus after paying and continue to Pudeto. Take the Catamaran to Paine Grande then hike to and stay at Refugio Grey.
Day 2: Hike from Refugio Grey to Glacier Grey Mirador near Camp Paso then back down to Refugio Paine Grande. Stay at Refugio Paine Grande.
Day 3: Hike from Refugio Paine Grande into the Frances Valley and then to Refugio Cuernos. Sleep at Cuernos.
Day 4: Hike from Refugio Cuernos to Refugio Chileno and stay at Chileno.
Day 5: Hike up to the Torres del Paine and then back down to the shuttle pickup at Hotel Las Torres Patagonia. Then take the shuttle to the entrance and a bus back to Puerto Natales.
Weather Considerations
The weather in Patagonia changes drastically each day. You must be prepared for sun, rain, and snow, along with high winds.
We were fortunate with weather and had mostly sunny skies, but the week before they had to shut down the W and evacuate hikers due to heavy rains. Apparently the rains were not normal, but it goes without saying that you have to be aware of your surroundings and especially careful of rising rivers as you cross.
Following weather.com from a Google search of ‘torres del paine weather’ was accurate for us.