W Trek Alternative

The day before the beginning of the Alternative W Circuit in Torres del Paine we will make the informative briefing in the commercial office of Puerto Natales.

There we will explain everything necessary to carry out the Circuit. We will also give you the welcome kit together with the maps, and all the necessary documentation to enjoy the activity.

The Patagonian adventure begins!

Today will start early, but don't worry, sometimes getting up early is worth it. You must be at the Puerto Natales bus station at 6:30 a.m. where we will take the 7:00 a.m. bus to Torres del Paine National Park.

After 2 and a half hours, we will arrive at the Welcome Center of the Torres del Paine National Park where we will register as visitors with the help of our guide and enter the Park. And let the route begin!

Our goal today, one of the most impressive viewpoints of the Torres del Paine National Park located at 1,508 meters high: the Cerro Paine Viewpoint.

We will start the walk through the lush forest of the Ascencio Valley. The trail will then ascend by Agostini's route, where explorer and documentary filmmaker Alberto de Agostini took the famous photo of the Towers in the 1940's. Prepare your camera, with luck we will be able to take the same snapshot ;)

And as every effort has its reward, we will arrive at the Cerro Paine Lookout!

From the Cerro Paine viewpoint, we will see how the Mirador Base Torres through which the classic W passes will be at our feet. Travelers who are not doing the Alternative W Circuit will look like ants from here!

Below us will be the Towers to the west, the Paine River Valley and the Blue Lagoon to the east, and Lake Nordenskjöld and Lake Sarmiento to the south.

A unique panorama that includes granite towers, glaciers, lakes, forests and pampas in a single 360° view. Only by going through the Alternative W Circuit we can access the Cerro Paine Viewpoint.

In front of these impressive views, we'll make a rest stop for lunch. Full belly, happy heart!

With a full belly and charged batteries we'll start our way back to Central Sector, where we'll have dinner and spend this first night.

Good morning from Torres del Paine National Park!

The second day of the route, will undoubtedly be the most complete of all. The day will start early. We will have breakfast with the rest of the travelers in the common dining room of the Refugio.

Breakfast will be served between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. every day. When we finish our breakfast we will pick up our lunch-box and, together with our guide, we will set off.

In the morning, adventure awaits. To start this second day of the alternative route to the W Trek you can choose between two activities included in the tour.

*If you don't want to do the activities and prefer to take advantage of the morning to recover your strength, don't worry! Take your time and rest in the common areas of the Refugio Sector Central, take a little walk in the surroundings, and enjoy this unique landscape.

The first, an unusual Horseback ride on the shores of Lake Nordenskjöldby professional riders.

This sounds like a postcard scene, doesn't it?

The second, for lovers of adrenaline, is a rock climbing session in the Puma Cave with professional instructors.

The Puma Cave has magnificent climbing walls with 4 routes of 3 levels of difficulty.

Do you know which of these two activities you'll take? We can't decide!

After this first part of the day, and with the adrenaline levels recharged, we will take a break to eat the lunch-box we picked up at breakfast. And now, let the second day's route begin!

In the afternoon, we will make a 11 km trek along the Nordenskjöld Lake and the Almirante Nieto Hill until we reach the impressive Cuernos del Paine.

During the journey, the views of the Cuernos del Paine will accompany us in the background at all times. But that's not all! We will also observe hanging glaciers, lakes and corners where we will appreciate the flora and fauna of the area.

Until we reach the Cuernos Sector, where we will have dinner and spend the night. We’re going to sleep like babies tonight, aren’t we?

We will wake up in the Cuernos Sector, in the heart of Torres del Paine National Park. What a view to start the day!

We will have breakfast in the common dining room of the Refugio along with the rest of the travelers and pick up our lunch-box. Since we are going back to sleep at the same refuge today, you will only have to carry in your backpack what you need to spend the day, the rest of the luggage you can leave here.

During this third day of the Alternative W Circuit, we will explore one of the less visited corners of Torres del Paine National Park. Get ready to feel the real tranquility of nature far from the crowds with this alternative to the W Trek.

The route will start from the Cuernos Refuge, from where we will turn to the Bader Valley in Torres del Paine.

Along the route we will cross forests and a base camp for climbers. The path will become more difficult as we advance further.

Coming up a rather loose and sloping stone moraine. At all times, we will be accompanied by our mountain guide who will give us the necessary directions to follow the Alternative W Circuit.

If the physical and climatic conditions of the day allow it, we will reach our peak today: the viewpoint of Valle Bader Torres del Paine.

A glacial lagoon with an incomparable landscape. Did you know this unusual place in Torres del Paine National Park?

We will make a stop for lunch and enjoy the lunch-box we will have picked up in the morning at the Refuge. And we will return by the same way we came until we arrive again to the Cuernos Sector.

Where we will also have dinner and spend the night. It's time to recharge the batteries, the circuit is still going!

After having breakfast with the rest of the travelers, we will start our way with our professional mountain guide by the alternative route to the W Trek.

Today we will reach the third milestone of the Alternative W Circuit, the unforgettable postcard of the Park: the wonderful Glacier Grey.

The route will start passing a big waterfall where we will be able to fill the bottle with the purest water of Patagonia. How fresh!

Afterwards we will border the beautiful beach of the Nordenskjöld Lake where we will be able to observe the tranquility of its water. We will continue the way having a beautiful view of the French Glacier in the background.

We will follow the trail along the Cerro Paine Grande, the highest point of the Massif with 3,050 meters high, in front of incredible views towards its hanging glaciers.

Walking between Ñirres, Coigües and Notros, we will reach the viewpoint of Grey Lake, where we will observe numerous ice floes floating as if it was magic. You won't know which one to photograph for your Instagram!

The Alternative W Circuit will continue with the impressive view of the Grey Glacier in front of us, until we reach the Grey Refuge, where we will have dinner and sleep.

Have you ever imagined spending the night on a stage like this? We may come to live here for a while…

Last breakfast in the mountain paradise.

On this fifth and last day of the Alternative W Circuit, we will have breakfast once again in the common dining room of the Refuge, with our friends and our guide. With our stomachs full, we will prepare our things and start our way.

During the morning we will walk to the Hanging Bridges of Torres del Paine National Park that will offer us an impressive view of the southern ice fields. Selfie moment!

And now, if you are looking for a more extreme adventure to culminate this experience, we have something for you!

Complete this experience by adding an extra activity that you will enjoy during this fifth day of the circuit.

You can choose as an extra the kayak excursion in Grey Lake or the ice walk on Grey Glacier. The Kayak activity has a duration of 2 and a half hours, while the Walk activity has a duration of 5 hours.

Will you keep charging the adrenaline counter by adding any of these two activities to your reservation?

If you don't want to add any of the extra activities, we will keep walking quietly with our guide through the W Trek alternative.

Both those who have added the extra activity to their reserve, and those who prefer to enjoy the last day of the route in a more relaxed way, in the afternoon, we will all arrive together with our guide to the Paine Grande Sector.

From the Lake Pehoe pier we will take the catamaran that will take us to Pudeto. There our bus will be waiting for us to take us to Puerto Natales.

We will arrive at the Puerto Natales bus station around 9:00 p. m. And we will put an end to this adventure through the most unusual Chilean Patagonia.

Undoubtedly, the Alternative W Circuit, the alternative to the classic W of Torres del Paine, will be a unique way to know the Torres del Paine National Park through its still unknown trails.