Camping at the Refugio's
There are two different companies that you have to use to book your stays online for the W Trek.
- Vertice Patagonia: Refugio Paine Grande & Refugio Grey
- Fantastico Sur: Refugio Cuernos & Refugio Chileno
There are also two options for staying the night:
- Camping
- The Lodge
If you choose to camp, like we did, there are bathrooms, warm showers, potable water faucets, a camp store, and all but Refugio Chileno allowed the use of gas camp stoves. Inside each lodge there is a full bar if you need a pisco sour and all locations accepted cash and credit cards.
Camping has the option of bringing your own gear, or renting it from the refugio. We chose to bring all of our own gear. Learn about how we got our gear from America to Patagonia in our blog, How to Fly With Your Backpacking Gear.
There are also food options to purchase breakfast, lunch, or dinner from the refugio. We chose to purchase Cena for each night, which was a three course dinner at the lodge served between 7:00pm – 9:00pm (19:00 – 21:00). I highly recommend this option for three reasons:
- The food is delicious. I’m talking salmon, pork, chocolate fudge brownies. It was nice!
- You will be seated at a table with a bunch of strangers from all over the world. We met people from Norway, France, Japan, UK, Germany, Canada, Brazil, America, and the list goes on.
- Frees up space in your pack.
Refugio's
Refugio Grey
I was expecting an old wood cabin in the middle of nowhere; however Refugio Grey is like a really nice ski chalet. The campground offers coverage under the trees or on the grass in the open and the actual refugio had a place indoors to store gear for a day hike to the main attraction of the area: Glacier Grey!
Although we only spent one night here, I would recommend staying two. Besides trekking to the Glacier Mirador near Camp Paso, I highly recommend having a ‘glacier day’ where you sign up at the refugio or beforehand for both kayaking to the glaciers and a glacier hike. Go kayaking in the morning when the winds are calmer.
Refugio Paine Grande
This is the Disneyland of Patagonia. There are hundreds of tents at the campground, and just as many people staying in the large refugio. The refugio has a large mess hall for dinner and an upstairs sports bar with television.
The campground has multiple showers and bathrooms and a large camp cooking building. The views from this refugio are spectacular of the mountains and lakes mixed with the colorful tents in the foreground. If you’re lucky you may even see the foxes that came out from underneath the camp cooking building.
Refugio Cuernos
This was my favorite refugio. It’s quaint, offers camping on a platform which overlooks the lake, or on the ground under the trees, and has a stellar indoor atmosphere. The bar is a great place to meet other hikers and play Jenga! If you can get here early to just relax, I highly recommend it.
Between here and the Frances Valley rivals the Camp Paso Glacier Grey Mirador as the most beautiful area of the trip.
Refugio Chileno
It is a challenge to get to Refugio Chileno whether your coming from the Hotel Las Torres Patagonia, or from Refugio Cuernos. It’s uphill and the weather can get a little dicey through the river valley. Chileno is tucked away on a side of the river, up in the trees. This was the least established of the refugio’s, but probably see’s the most foot traffic from people visiting the Torres.
Have an Austral Patagonia Torres del Paine beer or a bottle of wine on the picnic benches by the river and celebrate either the ending or beginning of your trip the night before you hike up to the Torres.
Note: It’s not that dangerous but if you get hurt up at the Torres, all you need to do is make it back to Chileno and you can take a $100 USD horse ride back to the base hotel. We know this since our first night a woman from Colorado twisted her ankle up at the Torres and took a horse from Chileno back to the bottom.