W Trek Patagonia: 4-Day Itinerary, Map, Refugios and Costs

The W Trek is a hike of 4 to 5 days through three valleys on the south side of the Paine massif, in Chile's Torres del Paine National Park. It runs point to point between the Central sector and Lago Grey. Every night on it must be booked before you reach the trail.

This guide starts with the park's own distances, then our 7-day week from Puerto Natales, walked east to west, and the two versions most people plan themselves. Prices are from the 2026-27 rate cards. The W is one of our two Patagonia hiking tours, next to the O Circuit.

What Is the W Trek in Patagonia?

The W joins three side valleys with the path along Lago Nordenskjöld. The eastern arm climbs the Ascencio valley to the Base of the Towers, the middle arm goes up the French Valley to Mirador Británico, and the western arm ends at Lago Grey. On a map, the route draws a W.

Published lengths run from 60 to 83 km because walkers start in different places. The park's sections add up to about 65 km from Refugio Grey to Hotel Las Torres, and starting at Paine Grande adds 11 km for the walk to Grey and back. Our route measures 67 km.

W Trek Distances and Times by Section

This table lists the park service CONAF's official sections of the W from east to west, with its distance, one-way walking time and grade, read in October 2026.

Add the rows in either direction, since a west-to-east walker uses the same figures backwards. Only two sections are graded demanding: the boulder moraine below the towers and the climb to Mirador Británico. CONAF's full trail list also gives each section's winter grade.

From Hotel Las Torres to Chileno, and from Las Torres past Los Cuernos to Italiano, the path crosses private land of the Estancia Cerro Paine. Added up, the posted times make the French Valley day about 11 hours. It is the longest day on any version of the W.

W Trek Itineraries and Map, Day by Day

There are three common ways to walk the W, numbered for navigation, not ranked. Our 7-day week comes first, and the 5-day and 4-day versions are the ones walkers most often book direct. For the park's other trails, the best hikes in Patagonia puts the W beside nine more.

1. Our 7-Day W Trek, East to West

• Distance: 67 km over 4 walking days, 11 to 24 km a day

• Climb: 2,570 m up and 2,650 m down, 1,150 m of it on the towers day

• Duration: 7 days and 6 nights, departures from 1 December 2026 to 12 March 2027

• Route: Puerto Natales round trip; the towers first, out by boat on Lago Grey

• Surface: forest and lakeshore paths, boardwalk, a boulder moraine below the towers

• Difficulty: 3 of 5 for fitness, 3 of 5 for technical ground

• Included: park ticket, buses, the Grey III boat, 4 trail nights with dinner, 2 hotel nights

• Best for: a first multi-day trek, fitted into one week

The table shows each day, with distances and climbs from the tour page and hours from CONAF's posted section times, added up.

Day 2 carries the hardest climb. After the 07:00 bus to Laguna Amarga and a shuttle over the 7 km to the Welcome Center, the path climbs the Ascencio valley past Refugio Chileno. The last 1.4 km is a boulder moraine, an hour at CONAF's times.

Day 3 is the short one, 12 km along Lago Nordenskjöld. Day 4 is the long one: the French Valley to Mirador Británico, 5.4 km each way from Guardería Italiano, then 7.5 km to Paine Grande. Day 5 is 11 km to Grey, with the afternoon free for the glacier or an optional kayak trip.

On day 6 the Grey III boat collects walkers at the beach below Refugio Grey and visits the glacier face. It lands them for a 30 to 45 minute walk along Grey Beach to the bus at Hotel Lago Grey. The tour is self-guided, with the route loaded on a GPS app.

Walkers who plan the W themselves use the same refugios and the same trail, in another order or over fewer nights. Both versions below need the same unbroken chain of booked nights across the two refugio companies, and both start or end with a fixed boat or bus time.

2. 5-Day W Trek, West to East

• Distance: about 76 km, including Grey and back from Paine Grande

• Duration: 5 days and 4 nights from Puerto Natales

• Route: Pudeto catamaran to Paine Grande, Grey and back, French Valley, Los Cuernos or Francés, Chileno, the towers

• Surface: the same paths as entry 1, walked in reverse

• Difficulty: two days of 16 km or more, and the towers climb on the last morning

• Best for: walkers who want to finish at the towers

The first day starts on the water: the 07:00 bus reaches Pudeto at 10:00, in time for the 10:30 catamaran to Paine Grande. The walking that day is just the 11 km to Grey. Day 2 returns to Paine Grande, and day 3 climbs the French Valley before a night at Francés or Los Cuernos.

The towers come last, from Chileno: 4.4 km and about 2 hours 30 minutes to the viewpoint at CONAF's times, then 5 km out to the Welcome Center. CONAF bans walking on its trails without daylight, so a sunrise at the towers means setting off at first light, not climbing in the dark.

3. 4-Day W Trek With 3 Nights

• Distance: about 60 km on CONAF's sections, plus the walk towards Grey

• Duration: 4 days and 3 nights, with a hotel in Puerto Natales before and after

• Route: the towers from Central, two nights at Francés, out by the Pudeto catamaran

• Surface: as entry 1, with only the first part of the Grey path

• Difficulty: three days of about 15 to 19 km back to back

• Best for: fit walkers short on time, or dates with only three free nights

Las Torres, the company that runs the eastern refugios, sells this shape as its 4-day, 3-night self-guided W. Day 1 is the bus and the towers, with a night at Central. Day 2 follows the lakeshore to Francés, and day 3 goes up the French Valley and back to the same bed.

On day 4 the route walks towards the first Grey lookout and catches the catamaran from Paine Grande. It is the quickest complete W, but it leaves no spare day for bad weather. The Grey glacier is seen from a viewpoint rather than from the boat.

East to West or West to East?

There is no one-way rule on the W itself, and CONAF lists its sections in both directions. The O Circuit's back side is different, run one-way since 9 December 2025. The 17 km Las Carretas trail to the park administration opens in summer only for leaving the park, says Vertice, the western refugio company.

East to west puts the 1,150 m towers day first and ends with the Grey III, while west to east starts on the Pudeto catamaran and saves the towers for last. In practice the free nights usually decide the direction, because one full refugio can turn a plan round. Our week walks east to west.

How Hard Is the W Trek?

We grade our W 3 of 5 for fitness and 3 for technical ground, for walkers who manage five to seven hours a day. Nothing needs ropes or scrambling, and the refugios mean no tent or stove in your pack. CONAF grades only the towers moraine and the Británico climb as demanding.

Descent and wind tire people most: our route drops 2,650 m in four days, 43% of it on the towers day, and gusts are strongest from November to January. CONAF warns that help in the mountains can take several hours, so carry a first-aid kit and turn back in strong wind.

Refugios and Campsites on the W Trek

Two companies run every overnight stop: Las Torres operates Central, Chileno, Francés and Los Cuernos in the east, and Vertice runs Paine Grande and Grey in the west. Las Torres' refugios sleep six to a room in mixed bunk dorms. Paine Grande is the biggest, with 100 guests a night against Grey's 60.

Vertice sells a single bed with a mattress cover and pillow, for walkers with a sleeping bag, or a made-up bed with sheets and a blanket. The only private rooms on the trail are the Los Cuernos cabins. Check-in is from 15:00 at Las Torres and 13:00 at Paine Grande, and check-out at 09:30.

Camping comes in three levels: a pitch for your own tent, a semi-equipped tent with a mat, or a fully equipped tent with sleeping bag and mat. Stoves are allowed only in signed cooking areas and are banned at Chileno for fire risk. Wild camping is not allowed anywhere in the park.

Our tour uses four of these refugios for 4 nights: Torre Central, Los Cuernos, Paine Grande and Grey. Dinner is booked at each one, and so are the beds, before you arrive.

How to Book the W Trek

Under CONAF's rule, overnight walkers without a reservation for every night are not let into the mountain area; only day walkers, such as those going to the towers and back, are exempt. Pick a direction, then find an unbroken chain of nights across both companies' calendars.

Read the terms before paying: Las Torres takes full payment for stays booked alone and keeps 20% if you cancel 89 to 70 days out, 50% from 69 to 45 days and all of it from 44 days. No dates can be changed once you have paid in full, even for a bad forecast.

Then buy the park ticket on Pases Parques at least 24 hours before you enter, and save its QR code offline for the check at Laguna Amarga. Vertice opened its 2025-26 beds on 1 April 2025, and the 2026-27 season is already on sale. Our tour books the beds, ticket, buses and boat.

How Much the W Trek Costs

The park ticket for foreign adults costs CLP 48,500, about USD 49, for 2 to 10 days, or CLP 32,400 for one day. Bus-Sur charges CLP 35,000 return from Puerto Natales. The Pudeto catamaran costs CLP 28,000 one way, and the Grey III boat is the dearest transfer at USD 129 one way.

Beds are the biggest part of the W Trek cost. A Las Torres dorm bed costs from USD 230 between November and March and USD 200 in October and April, plus USD 140 for full board. At Vertice a single bed costs USD 66 at Paine Grande and USD 46 at Grey, and full board USD 110.

Both companies price foreign visitors in US dollars, and those rates need your passport and PDI entry card at check-in, or 19% VAT is added. A peak night at Central with full board comes to USD 370, and a night at Grey with your own sleeping bag and full board to USD 156.

The cheapest legal way is your own tent, at USD 11 to 13 a night at Vertice's campsites and from USD 50 at Las Torres. You then cook in the signed areas. Our 7-day W includes the park ticket, transport, the Grey III boat, four trail nights with dinner and two hotel nights.

Getting to the Trailheads From Puerto Natales

Most walkers fly to Punta Arenas, then ride Bus-Sur to Puerto Natales, about 3 hours 15 minutes, on one of 11 daily departures. Puerto Natales' own aerodrome opens only at weekends in February and March 2027, and Friday to Sunday in January, because of runway works.

The 07:00 bus reaches Laguna Amarga at 09:00 for the east start and Pudeto at 10:00 for the west. Buses return from Laguna Amarga at 11:00, 15:00 and 20:00, and from Hotel Lago Grey at 13:30 and 17:15. Airport transfers are on our page on getting to Torres del Paine.

When to Hike the W Trek

The refugios set the season, roughly October to April. Last season Las Torres opened the Central dorms from 1 October to 25 April, but Los Cuernos opened only from 1 November to 30 March. So every refugio was open from November to late March, and Vertice keeps Grey open all year.

Winter is guided or closed: in 2026 CONAF required an accredited guide on the W from 27 April to 15 September, and the trail closed completely in June and July. Our departures run from 1 December 2026 to 12 March 2027. The best time to visit Patagonia weighs wind, light and crowds month by month.

What to Pack for the W Trek

Pack for four seasons in a day: a waterproof jacket and trousers, a midlayer and a down jacket, gloves and a warm hat. Add a sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Poles help on the long descents, and in spring 2026 CONAF still required microcrampons and poles where snow lay on the W.

A 25 to 45 litre pack is enough when you sleep in refugios. Bring a sleeping liner, or a sleeping bag for a Vertice single bed, plus a headlamp and a small first-aid kit. Carry cash for the Laguna Amarga shuttle, and your passport with the PDI entry slip that the dollar rates need.

W Trek or O Circuit?

The O is the W plus the park's remote back side, as one loop. Our W is 7 days with 67 km on four walking days, graded 3 of 5 for fitness. Our O is 10 days with 135 km on seven walking days, graded 4, and it includes a 35 km day to Dickson.

The O has stricter rules: since 9 December 2025 its back side has been one-way, capped at 100 walkers a day, with registration at Guardería Coirón, and it has been closed since May 2026, initially until 31 October. The pass and camps have their own O Circuit guide. Our O Circuit tour books the loop.