Self-guided W Circuit trek, leaving the park in the Pehoé Lake catamaran. Accommodation in refugio and transport included. Daily departures.
This is a high demand program and its spaces are limited, so our recommendation is to book your trip as early as possible.
From 10/01/2025 to 04/27/2026:
From 10/01/2026 to 04/27/2027:
Important notes
Once the online payment is completed, we will confirm your booking within 3 business days (up to 7 business days during high season), depending on accommodation availability. If we are unable to confirm the requested start date, we will offer you the next closest available date (usually starting one or two days later). If the proposed date doesn’t work for you, you may request a full refund.
*The confirmed accommodation for each night, as well as the direction of the program (Central to Grey or Grey to Central), will depend on accommodation availability for your travel dates. If you have any specific preferences regarding accommodations and/or direction, please indicate them in the “Additional comments” box during the online booking process.
*The box lunch is always provided to go, while breakfast and dinner may be either to go or served, depending solely on the meal availability at each accommodation (it is not possible to choose the format). If you have any dietary restrictions, please indicate them in the “Additional comments” box during the online booking process.
*Prices subject to change without notice.
*The following itinerary is for reference only and may not match the itinerary of your confirmed program. If you have any questions about your confirmed itinerary, please contact us at reservas@denomades.com.
Start: Day 1 at 7:00 am in the Terminal Rodoviario de Puerto Natales.
End: Day 4 at 9:30 pm at the Puerto Natales Bus Terminal. This is a fixed schedule and cannot be moved earlier. Therefore, it is required to stay overnight in Puerto Natales on the day the program ends, and your flight from Puerto Natales or your transfer to Punta Arenas must always be scheduled for the following day.
Day 1: Departure from Puerto Natales and Base of Torres del Paine Hike (22 km, 13.7 miles, 8 to 9 hours).
The program starts in the Puerto Natales Bus Station to take the bus to the Portería Laguna Amarga, where you will enter the Torres del Paine National Park. After that, you will be able to take another ground transport to the Welcome Center, where you will have to register. After leaving your things in Refugio Central, you will start walking up for 4 hours, crossing the Ascencio Valley and the Paso de los Vientos until reaching one of the most known places inside the national park: Base of Torres Lookout Point. After visiting the lookout point, you will go back by the same track to spend the night in refugio Central.
Day 2: Cuernos Trek (11 km, 6.8 miles, 4 to 5 hours).
The hike continues from Refugio Central going around the Paine Massif, going through the base of the Cerro Almirante Nieto. During this way you will see the local flora, the Nordenskjöld lake and the hanging glaciers. After 4 or 5 hours walking, you will reach your next destination, the Cuernos del Paine, where you will be able to take some pictures, if the weather is good enough. When night falls, you will sleep in refugio Francés or refugio Cuernos.
Day 3: Francés Valley Hike (25 km, 15.5 miles, 10 to 12 hours).
During this day, you will have to go over 15.5 miles, so the general recommendations is starting the excursion early. The first two hours are smooth, at the same time you can see the Nordenskjöld lake. The first stop will be in the Italiano Campsite, where you can leave your backpack and continue the route only with the essentials (water, warm clothes and food). From there, you will start going up for 1 and a half hour through the Francés River Valley until reaching the Francés Glacier Lookout Point. The travel continues until arriving to the Británico Lookout Point, where you can see the different scenarios delivered by this place inside the national park: Paine Grande, Catedral, Aleta de Tiburón and Cuerno Norte. The return is by the same track until Italiano Campsite, and then you will follow the route to Paine Grande for your third night of accommodation in refugio Paine Grande.
Day 4: Grey Trek and arrival to Puerto Natales (22 km, 13.7 miles, 8 to 9 hours).
During this day you will be able to visit the Grey Glacier Lookout Points. To reach to the first lookout, you have to walk for 1 and a half hour from Paine Grande, from where you will start to see the final destination. You have to continue walking for almost 2 hours to reach the Refugio Grey, where you can leave your things to keep walking for another 15 minutes until reaching the Main Lookout Point. After this effort, you just have revel with the magnitude of the Grey Glacier, the Cordón Olguín and the small icebergs. To go back you have to take the same track until the Paine Grande area. There you will have to be to take the catamaran that crosses the Pehoé Lake to Pudeto. In that last place the bus will be waiting to take you back to the Terminal Rodoviario de Puerto Natales.
*The itinerary may be modified at any time in case of trail closures due to extreme weather conditions (such as whiteouts, heavy snow accumulation, or wind gusts that make trekking unsafe) or natural disasters. These measures are very rare, applied only once or twice a year, and are determined by CONAF, the park’s managing authority, exclusively to ensure visitor safety.
Likewise, no changes, rescheduling, or cancellations will be made if any of the following situations (or similar ones) prevent part or all of the program from taking place: partial or total trail closures, natural disasters, fires, road closures, accidents, strikes, demonstrations, pandemics or epidemics, flight cancellations, lost luggage, accidents involving the traveler inside the park, or personal or health issues of the traveler. If you have a travel insurance policy that covers the reason preventing you from taking the program, we can issue the necessary documentation for you to submit to your insurance company.
This program is self-guided (without a guide), so you will go on your own walking through the tracks of the park. This way is possible due to all tracks in the park are duly marked and that before starting the program we will send you all the details and a map of the circuit.
In a program with accommodations in refugio you will sleep in a shared room (bunkbeds), with shared bathroom (hot shower), while in a program with accommodations in campsite you will sleep in a double private tent (sleeping bag and sleeping pad included) with shared bathroom (hot shower). Notice that for this second mode the tent will be set up in every accommodation place, that is you won't have to carry, set nor disassemble the tent.
Breakfast include coffee, tea, milk, bread, eggs, cheese, ham, jam, juice and fruit. Box lunch usually is a cold sandwich, cereal bar, chocolate bar, dried fruits and fruit. Finally, dinner includes menu of the day, with first course, second course, dessert and water.
Yes. All meals can be adapted to your dietary restrictions. If you have any dietary restrictions, please indicate them in the “Additional comments” box during the online booking process.
In much of the circuit, no. Only in some specific spots in the park (usually at the beginning and end of the circuit), it is possible reaching places for having some signal.
Yes. In every accommodation there is satellite internet (paid with credit card, from CLP$ 10.000 for 1 hour).
Yes. In common areas of the accommodations there are sockets, which work until 00:00 am (time in which power is cut off). Because there are just a few sockets, there's not always availability, so our recommendation is bringing a power bank with you.
Yes. All accommodations have drinking water that comes from the natural springs of the park.
Yes. All accommodations have hot showers.
During the whole year, even in summer, weather is ever-changing. In a single day you can have sun, clouds, rain and wind. So, our recommendation is be prepared for all kind of weather.
Overall rating
Total reviews
02 December, 2025
Todas las coordinaciones perfectamente realizadas. Muy agradecido por una maravillosa experiencia!!!
25 March, 2024
Muy buena información con el pdf de la planificación del tour. Todo perfecto con las reservas de los diferentes servicions
26 January, 2020
Muy bien organizado con clara información desde reunión preliminar en puerto natales, personal en casada refugio muy atento e instalaciones y comida muy bien
02 March, 2019
Big disappointment: I would never recommend Refugio Frances. They literally threw us out of the restaurant after 1/2 hour. We had just ordered a bottle of wine and were requested very unfriendly to drink it in our room or outside by a temperature of 4 degrees.
27 November, 2019
