The Original Torres del Paine W Trek from £862

Day 1: Transfer to Torres Del Paine – Wildlife hike
Starting from Puerto Natales at 12 PM, we drive all the way to Torres del Paine National Park. We will drive through open pampas and huge ranches (estancias), and chances are we will be able to observe one of the most typical animals in this area, the ñandu, (rare South American ostrich).  We will follow an unpaved road heading to Refugio Las Torres to spend our first night. Upon entering the park we will have excellent photographic and birding opportunities as we drive alongside lagoons frequented by Chilean flamencos and black-necked swans.  Today’s hike is on a gentle trail following the border of the park and offers opportunities to see guanacos (Llama family) and the Andean Condor.

(2 hours by private transfer, 2 hours soft hike) (B-D) (Night at Refugio Las Torres)

Day 2: Round trip hike to Las Torres lookout point
We will start our first day trekking to the base of the Towers, following the Ascensio River to enter the Ascensio Valley. Our walk will be uphill for one hour before stopping to observe the first glimpses of the valley surrounded by unbelievable beech forests (Nothofagus family), glaciers and waterfalls. We’ll continue through the valley for another hour and a half before ascending a huge terminal moraine to a lookout (900 M), excellent for picture taking. At this point we will be surrounded by three giant granite towers (2850 M) and a lagoon with slurry waters due to erosion produced by glaciers. This amazing view will be accompanied by lunch to add to the enjoyment. After being awed by the towers we’ll start our descent, following the same path back to the hut.

(7-8 hours round-trip, 18 KM) (B-BL-D) (Night at Refugio Las Torres)

Day 3: Hike to Refugio Los Cuernos
We will start early morning to enjoy, weather permitting, a magnificent dawn filled with orange-pink colors. As we leave the campground we will arrive at Inge lagoon. Chances are, on this path, we may see the flight of an Andean condor or eagles hunting hares or small rodents. We follow a well mark trail ascending around (200 M) from the base of Almirante Nieto Mountain (2750 M), crossing the Bader River to arrive at Refugio Los Cuernos where we will stay overnight.

(500M difference of level, 6 hours, 17 KM) (B-BL-D) (Night at Refugio Los Cuernos)

Day 4: Round Trip Hike to French Valley
We will start our day with a 2-hour walk going to an undulating path until reaching the French River for our first glimpses of the hanging glacier. Then we will ascend (300 M) for one hour through a surreal Japanese garden landscape, crossing beech forests, to reach the French valley viewpoint gifting us with a magnificent view of both mountains and lakes. We will lunch here with good possibilities of seeing avalanches from the hanging glacier or simply observe the west side of the Cuernos (2600 M), Espada (2400 M) and Fortaleza (2800 M). Our way back will be the same until we reach the entrance of the valley where we will hike back to Cuernos.

(8 hours hiking, 18 KM). (B-BL-D) (Night at Refugio Cuernos)

Day 5: Hike to Torres – Transfer & Navigation to Glacier Grey – Transfer to Natales
Early in the morning we hike back to Torres and take a transfer all the way to Lake Grey. We will walk through a mature beech forest where we might observe woodpeckers. We will navigate about one hour through icebergs of different tones of blue up to the Grey glacier, where we will stay for a while in front of the glacier in the hope of seeing icebergs calve. Our return journey offers views of Paine Grande with its impressive ice mushrooms. Then we take a transfer to our hotel on the shore of the Serrano River with amazing views of the Paine Massif.

(4 hours hike, 1.5 hours by private transfer, 3 hours navigation, and 2 hours in transfer back to Natales) (B-BL)