Torres Del Paine W Trek East to West

Hiking the Torres Del Paine W Trek East to West means that you are starting at the trail head located close to Hotel Las Torres. Also in this sector is the Eco Camp and Refugios Central and Norte. In addition, the Torres del Paine Welcome Centre is also located in this area.

Typically, a person will start their trek from the above-mentioned area and hike 2hrs up to the Refugio Chileno. Basically, Refugio Chileno is the place to stay for your first night on the W Trek, if there is space. Above all, the trek from Refugio Chileno is only 2hrs to the iconic Torres Base, which is where the lagoon is located at the base of the three tower spires, after which the Park gets its name “Torres”, meaning “Towers” of Paine.

After the Torres Base

Following a visit to the Torres Base and a night at Refugio Chileno the trail comes back down to a point where it will fork right and lead to where Refugio, Cabins and Serviced Camping Cuernos is located. This is a main stop off for people trekking the W. Alternatively, there is an option to walk a further 1hr and stay the night at Domos Frances. Moreover, staying at Domos Frances means that you will be one hour closer to the entrance to the French Valley.

After Cuernos, trekkers have the option to go into the stunning French Valley and back out, or cut it entirely and hike on to Refugio Paine Grande.

Refugio Paine Grande is a large refugio and also the start, or drop off point, for the catamaran that operates between Paine Grande and Pudeto. Some people terminate their Trek here, whilst others prefer to do the “full W Trek” and continue on to Refugio Grey, located at the far western arm of the trail, close to Glacier Grey. The trail will pass beside the Grey Lake and at one point, on a clear day, there is a spectacular view of the lake and Grey Glacier at the end, coming down from the Southern Ice Field of the Andes.

Advantages to Trekking East to West

Many of our clients ask the question: Which is the best direction to hike the W Trek Trial? Our answer is always, “in reality is does not matter”. As long as you stop regularly to admire the views, you will get the same views. However, if the prevailing wind is blowing, hiking East to West will mean that you are headed IN TO the wind.

Our Suggestion

Here at ExperienceChile.Org we have developed thousands of Torres del Paine W Trek itineraries. The reality is that the first thing we do is to get you the accommodation. Without the accommodation nailed you cannot do the trek, therefore this is the first base reality.

Once we have the accommodation confirmed we then look at all the other logistics connected to your wider travel itinerary. For these reasons, should we take care of all your requirements in an, and around Patagonia, you will have a lot of hassle taken off your mind!

Our East to West Sector Breakdown is over on our W Trek Page – See Link Below

Direct W Trek Request Email: request@experiencechile.org