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W Trek in 3 Days
The shortest and cheapest way to walk the W trek in 3 Days





Walk the W Trek from the Central Sector to Paine Grande or to the first viewpoint of the Grey Glacier in only 3 days with this self-guided tour.
The W Trek in 3 Days includes transfers from Puerto Natales, entrance fees to the Park, and a welcome kit with everything you need to enjoy this experience in Patagonia. In addition, it also includes 2 nights of lodging with full board to choose between equipped CAMPING or REFUGIO. You will sleep the first night in the Central Sector and the second night in the Francés Sector.
If your visit to Puerto Natales is short, this tour is what you need to get to know the Torres del Paine National Park and walk almost the entire famous W Trek in only 3 days.
With this express version of the W trek, you won't be able to walk the entire route due to lack of time. On the third day, you will have to decide between the French and British viewpoints or the first Grey Glacier viewpoint. If you want to book a tour that covers the entire W route you can find it here.
Tour details
Included
- Park access ticket
- Transfer by bus from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine (round trip).
- Catamaran ticket (Paine Grande - Pudeto)
- 1 night of lodging in Central Sector
- 1 night of lodging in Francés Sector
- Full board (2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners)
- Welcome Kit (towel + liner + refillable bottle + notebook + map)
Not included
- Lunch day 1
- Breakfast day 1
- Dinner day 3
- Beverages
- Guide
- Luggage porter
Important information
Early booking for the 2023-2024 season now available 👉 Secure your place!
Lodging
- CAMPING accommodation is private in double tents.
- REFUGIO accommodation is shared in rooms with 4 to 6 beds.
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation!
If you cancel at least 60 days before the start of the tour, you will receive a 100% refund of the amount paid. If you cancel between 59 and 45 days before the start of the tour, you will receive a 50% refund of the amount paid. After this time or in case of not doing the activity, no refund will be made and it will not be possible to modify the reservation.
Reservation modifications are subject to the cancellation policies indicated, applying the corresponding penalty in each case depending on how far in advance the cancellation is requested.
Tour itinerary
Welcome Kit Torres del Paine - Puerto Natales
Welcome Kit W Trek in 3 Days
We know that when planning the W Trek in 3 days many doubts may arise, that is why we have made a video that we will share with you together with your reservation confirmation so that you can enjoy your adventure to the fullest.
In addition, a few days before your arrival in Puerto Natales you will receive an email with instructions on how to pick up your welcome kit and resolve any last-minute doubts you may have.

DAY 1 Puerto Natales - Trekking Base Torres del Paine
Difficulty: Medium - High
Distance: 13,67 mi. (22 km)
Total approximate time: 9:00 hours
Positive elevation gain: 3517,06 ft. (1.072m)
Lodging: Central Sector
✨ Highlights: Base Torres Lookout Point
Access to Torres del Paine National Park
The first day of the 3-day W Torres del Paine trek starts early. You will have to go to the bus station in Puerto Natales, where you will take the bus to the park departing at 07:00 in the morning.
The bus will take you to the Laguna Amarga welcome center. There you will register as a visitor and enter the park.

Torres del Paine Base Trekking
Once inside the park, you will take a minibus to the Welcome Center, and from there you will start the Base Torres del Paine trekking.
The route of the first day will be the iconic ascent to the Base Torres viewpoint. 13.67 mi (22 km) of the route is divided into 3 parts: initial slope, descent, and final ascent.
The trail will start flat for 1.24 mi (2 km). You will cross the Ascencio Valley until you reach the first steep stretch. This will be followed by a 1.86 mi (3 km) of trail until you reach the Paso de los Vientos.

Lenga Forest - La Morrena - Base Torres Viewpoint
You will continue along a flat stretch of 2.48 mi (4 km.) that passes through the area of the Chileno Sector. You will enter an entirely different ecosystem when the trail crosses a lenga forest and ends at the beginning of the third section. We recommend you stop here and refill your water before facing the final stretch.
For almost 1.25 mi (2 km) you will find your own path between big rocks. The slope is hard but the reward is even better: you will reach the viewpoint Base Torres del Paine.

Torres del Paine Base Viewpoint
From this viewpoint you can enjoy views of the famous granite towers that give the national park its name and the Torres del Paine Lake.
Central Sector
After the break, you will start your way back along the same trail, until you reach the Central Sector, where you will have to check in at the reception of the refuge and you will be assigned your time for dinner and breakfast the next day. Afterward, you will have free time to rest, shower, have a drink at the bar, and have dinner.

DAY 2Francés Sector Trekking
Difficulty: Medium
Distance: 10,5 mi. (17 km)
Total approximate time: 6:30 hours.
Positive elevation gain: 1706 ft. (520 m.)
Lodging: Francés Sector
✨ Highlights: Lake Nordenskjöld
Breakfast Central Sector
If you are staying in CAMPING or REFUGIO, you will have breakfast at Refugio Central at the time assigned at check-in (between 7:30 AM and 8:30 AM). At the end, you will pick up your lunch box.
After breakfast, you will start the second day's trek, one of the least demanding of the 3-day W circuit.

Lake Nordenskjöld
After breakfast, the second day of the express version of the Torres del Paine W trek begins. This will be the least demanding day. You will encounter very little elevation gain and the trail is in very good condition. You will walk along the Nordenskjöld Lake, cross a small river, and walk some stretches along the beaches that form next to the lake.
Almirante Nieto Mountain - Cuernos del Paine
During most of the day the background scenery will be Cerro Almirante Nieto and the Cuernos del Paine.

Francés Sector in Torres del Paine
When you arrive at the Francés Sector of Torres del Paine National Park, you will find yourself in one of the most welcoming refuges of the W route through Chilean Patagonia.

DAY 3 👆💬 To be noted
🔴OPTION 1: Trekking French & British Lookout Point
🔵OPTION 2: Trekking 1st Grey Glacier Viewpoint
The third and last day of the W Trek in 3 Days you will have to choose between one of the two treks proposed below. Being a reduced version of the W route, it is not possible to reach both viewpoints due to lack of time.
Leaving from the Francés Sector, OPTION 1 will be the French Valley Trek to the British Viewpoint. From here, you will start your way down to Paine Grande, where you will take the catamaran that will take you to Pudeto.
With OPTION 2, you will leave the Francés Sector, and passing through Paine Grande, you will reach the first viewpoint of the Grey Glacier. Then you will return to Paine Grande to take the catamaran.
⭐ If you want to do both treks and reach both viewpoints it is necessary to take a longer tour. Here you can see all the available options.

DAY 3 🔴 OPTION 1 Trekking French & British Lookout Point
Difficulty: Medium-High
Distance: 14 mi (23 km)
Total approximate time: 8 hours.
Positive elevation gain: 2624 ft. (800 m.)
✨ Highlights: French Lookout + British Lookout.
Italian Camp → British Lookout
After breakfast, the day begins with a gentle hike from the Francés Sector to the Italian Camp. From the Francés Sector, you will take a 0.87 mi (1.4 km.) trail that will take you to the intersection where the trail splits, one trail ascends to the French and British viewpoint and the other continues to Paine Grande.
You will take the ascent to the viewpoints, and walk 0.62 mi (1 km.) to the "Campamento Italiano". This camp is for the exclusive use of CONAF park rangers and offers a "nursery" service, where many travelers leave their large backpacks so as not to carry them during the hike up to the viewpoints.
From there, the hike to the French lookout begins, a 1.55 mi (2.5 km) walk with 984 ft (300 m) of elevation gain.

Torres del Paine British Lookout
When you reach the French viewpoint, you can continue to the British viewpoint. The route is 1.86 mi (3 km) long with 920 (280 m) of elevation gain. When you reach the viewpoint, you will find a rocky area where you can climb to take the best picture of the British viewpoint and enjoy the best views.

Skottsberg Lake
To finish the route of the fourth day of the circuit, you will return by the same path and pick up the backpack from the "nursery". Afterwards, you will continue walking the remaining 9 km to the Paine Grande refuge with a slight negative slope that your legs will appreciate. You will cross a sector that suffered a fire a few years ago where the tree trunks create a somewhat gloomy landscape.
Paine Grande Refuge
You will skirt part of the lake until you finally reach the Paine Grande Sector.

Paine Grande 🚢 Pudeto 🚌 Puerto Natales
Once in Paine Grande you will have to go to the pier to take the catamaran that will take you to Pudeto (the catamaran ticket is included in the tour price). In Pudeto, you will board the bus that will take you back to Puerto Natales, where you will arrive at 21:30.
🚨
It is important that you calculate your walking time well and that you arrive at the pier at least 20 minutes before the departure of the catamaran. The exact departure time will be confirmed at the briefing.

DAY 3 🔵 OPTION 2 Trekking 1st Mirador Grey
Difficulty: High
Distance: 19,57 mi. (31.5 km.)
Approximate total time: 8-10 hours.
Positive elevation gain: 885,82 ft. (270 m.)
✨ Highlights: 1st Mirador Grey
Francés Sector → Paine Grande Sector
After breakfast in the dining room of the Refugio Francés and picking up your lunch box, you will start the route along the Skottsberg Lake until you reach the Paine Grande Sector.
This first stretch will be calmer, as you will hardly find any slope. Upon arrival at the Paine Grande Refuge, the real challenge will begin: climbing up to the first Grey Glacier viewpoint.

1st Grey Viewpoint
You will skirt around Cerro Paine Grande, enjoying the spectacular hanging glaciers. You will walk among Nirres, Coigües and Notros. When you leave the grove, you will reach the end of your path: the first viewpoint over Grey Lake. From here you will be able to admire the magnitude of this glacier and see its ice floes floating on Lake Grey.
Take advantage of this idyllic location to enjoy your lunch box, and after the break, you will start your way back to Paine Grande.

Paine Grande 🚢 Pudeto 🚌 Puerto Natales
Once in Paine Grande, you will have to go to the pier to take the catamaran that will take you to Pudeto (the catamaran ticket is included in the tour price). In Pudeto, you will board the bus that will take you back to Puerto Natales, where you will arrive at 21:30.
🚨
It is important that you calculate your walking time well and that you arrive at the pier at least 20 minutes before the departure of the catamaran.

What to bring to W Trek in 3 Days
- Passport
- PDI: Migratory card (foreign travelers not residing in Chile)
- Accommodation reservation ticket
- Hiking pants: thin or short.
- Long hiking pants for extra warmth
- First layer: thermal T-shirt
- Middle layer: polar fleece or similar
- Outer layer: waterproof jacket
- Warm jacket or fleece
- Cap or hat
- Mountain footwear (waterproof boots if possible)
- Resting slippers
- Sandals (for showers)
- Personal hygiene products
- Flashlight and battery (especially useful in campgrounds)
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Walking sticks
- Cash (USD or CLP)
- Medium trekking backpack (40 liters approx.)
- Small trekking backpack (15 liters) for use in the sections with return to the same sector.
- Long/short sleeve T-shirts
Where does the tour W Trek in 3 Days start
The tour starts in the city of Puerto Natales. If you are traveling from Santiago de Chile the best option is to take a flight to Punta Arenas, and from there you can take a bus that in only 3:15 hours will take you to the bus station in Puerto Natales or hire a private transportation service with us.
If you are traveling from El Calafate (Argentina), there are buses that connect directly to Puerto Natales in a 5 hour trip or you can book a private service with us.