Patagonia: Finding our feet on the W-Trek

The 5-day long W-Trek in the Torres del Paine National Park in the Patagonia region of southern Chile was our first planned adventure and we wasted no time getting stuck into it.

From New Zealand to Patagonia

We had a busy work wrap-up that included some late nights from Max courtesy of the 31 March end of financial year. We both finished up work on Friday 4 April and celebrated duly into the early hours of Saturday morning, leaving our sorried-sevles the monumental task of saying our goodbyes and undertaking the final pack-up on what was left of Saturday before flying out on Sunday morning.

We had a few hours' stop-over in Auckland, allowing enough time for lunch with Henry to catch up about his recent rocket-launching endeavours and upcoming travel to Japan.

We got to back to Auckland airport early to allow for a few hours' of final pre-travel admin before finally leaving the tarmac at 7pm on Sunday 6 April.

Touch down South America - Santiago, Chile

Flying through the night, and courtesy of a favourable time zone change, we touched down on South American soil at 7pm local time, Sunday 6 April.

NOTE: Chilean immigration will hand you a little paper "TDI" receipt. Laura will attest that this little receipt is indeed a very important immigration document and should not be lost or, in Laura's case, thrown away. If so, not having a PDI can lead to significant difficulties leading to emotional stress and also punitive fines and penalties. Luckily, Laura managed to get herself a new one at the local police station in Puerto Natales.

A short transfer from the international to the domestic terminal and we were on our next flight further south to the small township of Punta Arenas. Punta Arenas is as far south as we would be during our South American travels and it was noticeable close to the Antarctic continent, with temps in single digits and fresh breeze blowing in from the coast.

Puerto Natales: doorstep to the Torres del Paine National Park

Despite arriving at our hostel after midnight, we were on a bus north to the smaller-again township of Puerto Natales the next day. Arriving into Puerto Natales in the early evening, we set about getting food and re-packing for 5-days of hiking the next day.

After many hours (days?) of travel, we then just had a short 2-hour bus transfer from our hostel in Puerto Natales to the Torres del Paine National Park. We were finally on the trail head and walking by 9am on Tuesday 8 April. Indeed, a very quick turnout having walked out of the office at 4pm on Friday 4 April.

The W-Trek

The trek is 5-days long and due to its "W" layout, includes several different out-and-back days, which cumulated in the total 92km distance and 5,000m of vert covered over the 5-days.

Our first and last days were short, 10km and 11km, respectively. That meant that our middle three days were quite large (25km-ish). The tracks were not as well maintained by New Zealand Great Walk standards as we may have expected, lending towards many hours on foot and some highs and lows.

Horns, towers and glaciers

Our expectations for spectacular views on the W-Trek were set deliberately low due to the generally abhorrent weather the Patagonia region regularly experiences due to its southern location and proximity to the coastline right across the channel from Antartica. Most visitors experience inhibited views and bad weather and are often left a little disappointed. However, we got very lucky with the weather system rolling through and had 5-days of crisp, clear blue skies providing for spectacular vistas across the National Park - we simply could not believe our luck.

It is currently autumn in the Patagonia region, so we were blessed by the popping autumnal oranges, yellows and reds that made for a truly spectacular experience.

W-Trek highlights included:

• Sunrise at the Torres (towers) which is a special phenomenon for the region where the granite towers are momentarily (less than 1min) lit up in a bright orange haze.
• Vistas as far as the eye could see where the towering granite Torres, horns and snow-capped mountains were cast in the reflections of the surrounding lakes.
• Watching the cascading avalanches caused by falling seracs from the Frances glacier.
• Being surrounded by the panoramic granite walls atop Britanico, the most remote section of the W-Trek (the inner-point of the "W").
• Crossing the structurally-dubious swing bridges perched high above the Grey Glacier.
• Hot showers at the campsites.
• The emergency NZD$6 snickers bar purchased from the on-trail mini mart.

Tips, tricks and things for next time

• Don't lose (or intentionally throw away) your PDI receipt!!
• The W-Trek is not cheap, but doing it self-sufficient helps keep the costs manageable. We brought all our own food, freeze-dried meals and tent. Costs are hidden everywhere including the National Park entrance fee, bus, shuttle bus, catamaran and campsites.
• The Patagonia region more generally is also not cheap, but we knew this, and it can be managed. Prices are comparable to New Zealand so buy your food from the supermarket, limit eating out and be deliberate with your selected activities.
• April is the shoulder season, just before the National Park closes for winter (the O-Trek was already closed), so generally campsites are more readily available and cheaper.
• While we booked ahead, we met people on track who just turned up at the campsites with no booking and managed to squeeze in (certainly not recommended unless shoulder season and you're happy to run the risk of hiking all the way back out again - freedom camping is strictly enforced and monitored).
• Due to large forest fires that have previously devastated vegetation and wildlife, the National Park is very strict on fire usage. The Park's solution is the provision of large hot water boilers at each campsite and the prohibition of camp cookers anywhere but inside the designated kitchen cooking areas. Therefore, you can save on weight and cost and leave your cooker at home.
• If you find yourself peckish or run out of food, the on-trail mini mart will sort you out (for a small fortune), or you could indulge in a cocktail, Patagonia lager or cafe-style empanada.
• The Patagonia region is very similar to New Zealand in terms of climate, so layers are your friend. Bring many of them, you will constantly be switching between wearing all of your layers and a t-shirt. It gets very cold once the sun leaves for the day.

Back in Puerto Natales now, recovering from the trek and also a very busy first few months of 2025, finally enjoying some proper R&R.

Up next; El Chaltén and Fitzroy - it just keeps getting better!