Description
Discover the famous W Circuit, exploring its three main attractions
The Express W Circuit is the perfect program for those who are lovers of trekking and camping in the wild. You will make the most famous circuit of the Torres del Paine National Park in an express way, in 4 days and 3 nights.
In this trekking circuit, you will pass through the main points of Torres del Paine Park, visiting its most famous attractions. You will get to know the three granite towers, the imposing Grey Glacier and the icebergs that float in the Grey Lake, as well as the beautiful French Valley.
Also, in the Express W Circuit program, you won’t have to worry about bringing a tent and a sleeping bag. Our circuit already includes accommodation in the refuge.
Get to know the base of the Towers, the Grey Glacier sector and the French Valley
Then, on the first day of the Express W Circuit, you will leave Puerto Natales towards the park and do the best-known trekking in the area. The Towers Base Trekking is a trail of approximately 20 km and of medium-high level of difficulty. However, even with the difficulty of a path with climbs, when you reach the viewpoint you will feel that your effort was rewarded.
The next day, you will sail through the beautiful Pehoé Lake to reach the Paine Grande sector. From there the trek begins in the direction of the Grey sector. You will be able to appreciate the view of the Grey Glacier from the well-known hanging bridges.
You will visit the French Valley on the last day of the Express W Circuit. You will walk through forests and moraines of an ancient glacier. Once at the French Valley viewpoint, you will enjoy an incredible view of the Paine Horns along with hanging glaciers and rocks of different colors.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at Torres del Paine National Park – Hike to the Towers Base Viewpoint
After breakfast at the hotel, you must request your box lunch to go to the bus terminal to take the 7:00 am bus (we recommend being at least 10 minutes before departure) to go to the Torres del Paine National Park.
You will travel through the beautiful landscapes until you reach the Amarga Lagoon main entrance, where you need to register with CONAF (park rangers). From here you make a transfer with “Transporte Las Torres” which takes you to the welcome center. You register at Estancia Cerro Paine and then walk a very short distance of 5 minutes to the Torre Central Refuge. In this place you have to register either in Refuge or in camping before starting your trekking.
Today’s walk begins through the Ascencio Valley enjoying the extensive forests. During the final ascent, you go through an immense field of giant rocks until you reach one of the most emblematic viewpoints in the world, the famous Towers Base Viewpoint. At a height of 900 meters above sea level, marvel at the 3 towers (north, central and south) of granite and the brilliant turquoise glacial lake at its feet. Take some beautiful photos and enjoy your box lunch before following the same path back to the Torre Central Refuge. After a long day and enjoying the Towers, enjoy a warm dinner at the Torre Central Refuge.
Distance: 22km
Time: 8-10 hrs
Difficulty level: very demanding
Accommodation: Refugio Central
Meals: box lunch and dinner
Day 2: Catamaran – Hike to Grey Refuge
After having breakfast at Torre Central Refuge and asking for your Lunch Box, you must take the bus from Las Torres at 8:30 a.m. that will leave you at Amarga Lagoon, where you must take the South Bus that comes from Puerto Natales, so that it leaves you at the Pudeto Pier. At 11 a.m., you will have to board the Catamaran, which will sail for approximately 35 minutes through Pehoé Lake, arriving directly at the Paine Grande Refuge, from here the walk to the Grey Refuge begins.
The walk begins through a narrow and winding valley that leads to the Los Patos Lagoon. As you continue advancing you will begin to see parts of the immense Southern Patagonian Ice Field, as well as the ice floes of Grey Lake. After passing the sometimes (very) windy viewpoint, the path descends through a mountainous forest until reaching the Refuge. From here, continue for 10 minutes until you reach the Grey Glacier Viewpoint, where you come face to face with one of the arms of the Southern Ice Fields. Dinner will be served at the shelter between 7 and 9 p.m.
Distance: 11km
Time: 4-4.5 hrs
Difficulty level: easy-medium
Accommodation: Grey Refuge
Meals: breakfast, box lunch and dinner
Optional: For an unforgettable view of the Grey Glacier, plan an extra 3-4 hours (round trip) spent heading towards the famous hanging bridges. It is by far the best viewpoint of the Glacier. In addition to contemplating the impressive ice, you can see the depths of the ravines formed by the rivers and waterfalls that come from the Olguín cord. If you are lucky, you could see the ice melting from the glacier into the cold waters of the Lake.
Distance: 4km
Time: 3-4 hrs (round trip)
Difficulty level: medium
Day 3: Grey Refuge to Paine Grande Refuge
Enjoy breakfast in the Grey Refuge dining room and don’t forget to order your box lunch. In case you did not get to visit the suspension bridges the previous afternoon, you can take the morning to go and explore the spectacular panoramic views of the Grey Glacier.
This day, you will follow the same path to go back to Paine Grande Refuge. Rest and enjoy dinner in the Refuge’s dining room.
Distance: 11km
Time: 4-4.5 hrs
Difficulty level: medium
Accommodation: Paine Grande Refuge
Meals: breakfast, box lunch and dinner
Day 4: Hike to the French Valley – Return to Puerto Natales
Today’s hike will be round trip, starting and ending at Paine Grande Refuge. Travel to the heart of the park along the blue waters of Skottsberg Lake. After approximately 2.5 hours of walking, you will arrive at the Italian Camp (park ranger), where you will begin your journey to the French Valley. Climb up large rocks and then continue through the forest until you reach the Plateau del Francés (French Viewpoint). Here, you will be rewarded with incredible views of the Paine Horns, turquoise glacial lagoons and amazing hanging glaciers that fall down the east face of the Paine Grande mountain (3,050 m.a.s.l.). If you are lucky, you can hear the thunderous noise of the glacier and the falling water, as well as it is very common to witness an avalanche. Enjoy your box lunch and well-deserved rest.
Go down the same trail to the Italian Camp and then to the Paine Grande Refuge.
At 6:30 p.m., you must take the catamaran that will take you back to Pudeto, where you must board the regular bus at 7:00 p.m.
Distance: 19km
Time: 7-8 hrs
Difficulty level: demanding
Meals: breakfast and box lunch
Detail
Included |
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Transfer: – Roundtrip transportation by regular bus from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine National Park – Connection from Amarga Lagoon Gate to the welcome center Refuge accommodation Meals: – Breakfast (coffee, tea, milk, bread, eggs, jam, juice and fruits) – Box lunch (cold sandwich, cereal bar, chocolate bar, nuts and fruit) – Dinner (menu of the day, with starter, main course, dessert and water) Tickets: – Entrance to Torres del Paine National Park – Catamaran crossing Lake Pehoé |
Not included |
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Flights to/from Puerto Natales Tips Health insurance Medical assistance in case of accident Assistance in evacuation due to climatic causes or force majeure Travel insurance that covers accidents and cancellations due to force majeure |
FAQ
How far in advance should I book the Classic W Circuit?
This circuit has a high demand and there are dates on which quotas are sold out months in advance. Therefore, we recommend that you book as far in advance as possible as places are limited.
What is the difference between the W Circuit with refuge accommodation or camping accommodation?
The program with shelters will sleep in a shared room with bunk beds and a shared bathroom. On the other hand, in camping accommodation you will sleep in a private double tent already set up with a sleeping bag and insulation with a shared bathroom.
What differences are there between the W Express Circuit and the Classic W Circuit?
The difference between both circuits is that the Classi W Circuit covers a distance of 75.5 km, to reach the second viewpoint of the Grey Glacier, closer to the glacier. On the other hand, the 72.5 km Express W Circuit reaches the first viewpoint of the Grey Glacier, further from the glacier.
What is the difference between a guided program and a self-guided program?
In the guided circuit you will go with a professional guide, who will accompany you throughout the walk, in addition to giving you information about the places you will visit during the circuit. On the other hand, doing it autonomously is possible because the park’s trails are duly marked. In addition to receiving an explanatory talk at the beginning of the circuit, where you will be given a map with all the details.
From what age can they do the W Circuit?
The minimum age is 14 years old, it must be considered that it is a trek of several days, with medium-high physical demand, which is not advisable for minors.
Is it necessary to bring water?
It is not necessary to carry water since there are drinking water sources available along the way, either in the refuges and camps or natural water sources, during the walks.
Is there WiFi and plugs?
Yes, there is WiFi service in the shelters but it is not included in the price, it is paid directly in each refuge. The price may vary according to time and speed. You can use the sockets available in the common areas of the refuges. However, we recommend that you carry charged external batteries.
Can I leave part of my luggage in some of the refuges while I do the circuit?
If you can leave your large backpack in the Chilean and Italian camps, and pick it up on the way back.
What are the transportation options to get to Puerto Natales from Punta Arenas and El Calafate?
The companies Bus-Sur, Buses Pacheco and Buses Fernández offer the regular bus transportation service from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales, while the companies Bus-Sur, Turismo Zaahj and Cootra provide the regular bus transportation service from El Calafate to Puerto Natales. To know prices, availability and frequency of these services you should review the information published on the websites of the indicated companies.
What to bring?
- 40 liter backpack to carry all things and 25 liter backpack for day hikes to Towers Base and French Valley
- Waterproof jacket and pants, fleece-type outerwear, thermal clothing (first layer), short-sleeved and long-sleeved shirts
- Trekking shoes, slippers and sandals for showers and rest
- Hat and gloves for the cold, hat for the sun, sunscreen, sunglasses, earplugs, towel
- Rechargeable battery for the mobile, flashlight, padlock, bags to store your garbage, trekking poles, travel insurance that covers accidents, insurance for cancellations due to force majeure
Conditions
Check the contracting terms of the Express W Circuit program (refuge – self-guided).
This circuit has a high demand and there are dates on which quotas are sold out months in advance. Therefore, we recommend that you book as far in advance as possible as places are limited.
Services offered
- Accommodation in camping for individual reservations Paine Grande, Grey, Dickson and Los Perros and also for group reservations in Paine Grande.
- Lodging rooms with single beds in the Dickson, Grey and Paine Grande refuges.
- Food at Paine Grande, Grey and Dickson.
- Camping equipment (as additional services) in Paine Grande, Grey, Dickson and Los Perros: tents for a maximum of 2 people, individual mattresses and individual sleeping bags.
- Bed kit and towels as additional services in Paine Grande, Grey and Dickson refuges.
Glossary
- Standard Room: accommodation service in rooms available for closed groups, in bunk beds that includes a mattress cover, pillow and cover. Available at Paine Grande, Grey and Dickson refuges.
- Bed kit: made up of sheets and a blanket, offered as an additional service to the single bed.
- Meals: dinner service, breakfast, lunch or box lunch separately or full board, in that order. The full board service is delivered in the same refuge and cannot be separated between 2 sectors. In the event that the reservation considers food services in different refuge, these will be charged as separate services.
- Lunch: it is a single menu, with the option of a vegetarian menu (with indication in the reservation or prior registration until the day before before 3:00 p.m.). You must indicate at Reception the day before if you prefer to take the option of lunch or box lunch for the next day.
- Dinner at Paine Grande consists of a buffet with various options such as salads, meats, side dishes and desserts, while at Dickson y Grey it is a single menu served at the table.
- Christmas and New Year’s dinners include a buffet dinner accompanied by a glass of wine (available only at Dickson, Grey and Paine Grande).
Season
Given the current situation, the opening dates of our refuges and campsites have been modified: Paine Grande and Grey, from October 1, 2021 to April 29, 2022.
- Dickson, from November 2, 2021 to April 26, 2022, subject to weather conditions and future evaluation in coordination with the park administration and other operators.
- Los Perros, from November 3, 2021 to April 27, 2022, subject to weather conditions and future evaluation in coordination with the park administration and other operators.
Check-in and check-out times and services in general
- Check-in from 01:00 p.m.
- Check-out at 09:00 a.m.
Service hours:
Paine Grande Refuge and Camp
- Reception: 07:00 a.m. a 10:00 p.m.
- Minimarket: continuous hours from 07:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Bathrooms: 24 hours
- Showers: 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Grey Refuge and Camp – Dickson and Perros Camp
- Reception: 07:00 a.m. a 10:00 p.m.
- Minimarket: from 08:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and from 02:00 p.m. to 09:00 p.m.
- Bathrooms: 24 hours
- Showers: from 08:00 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. and from 05:00 p.m. to 08:00 p.m.
Although we do not offer services outside of the established hours, our team will always be on the lookout in case you need or require us to provide you with help in a particular case.
The schedules can be modified, so it is important to confirm at each reception.
Reservation process
To make reservations you must send an email. Each reservation must specify the following data that will be requested from the Operator or Travel Agency:
– Name of the guest or group.
– Name of the refuge or campsite.
– Total number of guests (including guides and staff).
– Nationality. o Passport number / ID / RUT.
– Type of currency in which it should be invoiced.
– Dates of permanence (in and out).
– Additional services required by guests.
– Inform if the guides and/or staff are Chilean, since in this case they must present a separate voucher and invoice in pesos (invoice affects).
You will receive by mail a confirmation of the request containing a Reservation Number. Only with this number and email, the request made can be considered as confirmed. This also applies to modifications and/or cancellations.
It should be considered that a reservation modification could cause a change in the final value to be paid.
Refuges and campsites do not receive or process reservations directly.
Foreign clients who are required to present their passport and entry card to the country (original and valid validity date), at the time of check-in so that they can make use of the tax exemption. In the event that these documents are not presented, you must pay the IVA difference (19%) directly at the refuge or campsite reception.
Vouchers
This document must clearly specify: reservation code, name of the guest or group, days of stay indicating the entry (check-in) and exit (check-out) and the detail of the confirmed services. Amended, adulterated or photocopied vouchers will not be accepted. A voucher must be presented for each establishment and it must be differentiated if it is for camping or refuge. For example, for a group with services in Paine Grande, a voucher must be issued for shelter and one for camping in case they have contracted services in both sectors. Vouchers are nominative and non-transferable.
Blocks – Individual or group
Reservations must be paid in full up to 45 days before the entry of passengers.
For cancellations, reduction in the number of guests, changes in services or date changes less than 45 days before check-in, 100% of the original reservation will be charged.
At least 30 days before check-in, the agency / tour operator must send us the complete guest data form with all the information requested therein. Reservations made less than 45 days before check-in have an extension of up to 2 business days from the initial confirmation of the reservation to cancel or modify without charge and to pay 100% of the reservation. After this period, any modification or cancellation will be charged in full. Reservations are nominative and non-transferable.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of groups, series or blocks, reserves the right to modify the payment conditions, along with the dates, terms and amounts to be paid, which will be informed at the time of confirming the reservation. In order to know the status of the blockages, you can request an update from the Operator or Travel Agency and quotas may be requested if you need them.
Prepayment will be required for all confirmed reservations. If these are not paid on the dates stipulated in the confirmation, the right to cancel or cancel the reservation is reserved.
No show or no presentation
When the reservation is made through a Tour Operator or Travel Agency and a passenger does not show up at the refuge or campsite, it will be considered a No Show and an invoice will be issued in national currency for the total amount of the reservation.
If the reservation has been made in dollars, an invoice will be issued in national currency for the total amount of the reservation at the exchange rate observed on the day of check-out plus IVA. The agency or tour operator must pay the difference for this tax.
If a passenger does not show up on the day of their reservation at the refuge or campsite, the right to dispose of the reserved spaces will be reserved to re-market them.
If the guest has a reservation for more than one night, failure to show up on the first day of their reservation will automatically cancel their entire stay, with the exception of those who inform via email that they will arrive the next day (the first night is also lost). This applies to cancellations after the deadline and/or No Show.
Responsibilities
The company is not responsible for additional costs for modifications or cancellations of reservations, nor expenses generated by losses or delays in passenger air, land, lake or maritime transportation services. Likewise, Vértice S.A. is not responsible for loss of documents or personal property of the passenger on his trip or during his stay in our refuges and campsites. It is the responsibility of each person to carry out a preventive medical check-up, prior to an activity, excursion, trekking, etc., to ensure that their health is in good condition and is compatible with the activity to be carried out.
The company is not responsible for accidents on the way or on the trails, or in places that are not related to its facilities. Any liability that the company may have must be accredited by means of an enforceable judicial sentence. Although the distances and degrees of difficulty of the walks on the trails are indicated, it is the responsibility of the guest to read them and know what their limitations are, as well as to bring the appropriate equipment for an optimal development of these. At the same time, it is the responsibility of the passengers to find out from Conaf about the closing and opening hours of the trails, the need for a guide during the low season, as well as the internal regulations of the Torres del Paine National Park.
Covid-19 Clause
Acts of the Authority
In the event that a passenger must cancel their trip outside the cancellation period (45 days before check-in), due to an Act of the Authority such as: changes in air, land and / or lake transfers or closure of national or regional borders due to COVID-19, it can be rescheduled without penalty until the 2022 – 2023 season (maximum date of stay April 30, 2023).
In case of contagion of the passenger
In the event that a passenger must cancel their trip outside the cancellation period (45 days before check-in) due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the affected passenger must present a medical certificate to be able to reschedule without penalty until the 2022 season – 2023 (maximum date of stay April 30, 2023).
In the event that the new reservation date coincides with December 24 or December 31, the value of the dinner service or full board for Christmas or New Year must be paid, with the values of the new season.
In the event that the new reservation date coincides with December 24 or December 31, the value of the dinner service or full board for Christmas or New Year must be paid, with the values of the new season.
In case of suspicion of contagion during the stay
If a situation arises in which a passenger is suspected of being infected or is in close contact with COVID-19, following the regulations of the Chilean Health Seremi, they must remain in isolation until they can be transferred to the Puerto Natales hospital. to be checked.
In the event that due to this situation the stay must be extended or additional services must be taken to those contracted, these expenses must be paid directly by the passengers (with RACK rate) unless the agency takes care of these additional expenses ( applying CONFIDENTIAL rate).
Additional services
When the services of a tent, mattress or sleeping bag are requested, the user or the guide, as a representative of the travel agency or tour operator, must deliver in custody some official document proving their identity, for as long as they do use of the service or, failing that, a Transbank Voucher as a guarantee with an amount withheld through the credit card.
In the event that the tents, sleeping bags or mats are damaged or destroyed, the user will be responsible for each of them, and must pay the company the following amounts:
Replacement values of damaged goods*
- Tent: CLP$400.000
- Pad: CLP$20.000
- Sleeping bag: CLP$100.000
Repair of goods*
- Tent: CLP$20.000
- Sleeping bag: CLP$20.000
*Unit values in Chilean pesos with IVA included
At the time of check-out, the administrator, sub-administrator or person in charge of the campsite will assess the state of the property, according to which they will determine if it is destroyed, has been lost or damaged and to what degree, and will report the total value to cancel by user.
Check the Terms and Conditions of our website.
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