I am after some advice on trekking in Patagonia.
Me and my girlfriend will be in Chile in September and we want to do some trekking in Patagonia, we're thinking Torres Del Paine. I was wondering if anyone could answer our questions. Do we need to book treks in advance or will we be able to book one on arrival? How do we get to the park? How much is the entrance fee and how much does a 4/5 day trek cost? Will camping equipment be provided? Any help or advice on where to go would be great.
Thanks
Reply to this We've done some research and now understand that we don't need to book a trek, we can just turn up and do the 'W' trek on our own. We've also learned that September will be winter time in Patagonia. Has anyone done this trek at that time of year? Is it a good idea? Any advice would be appreciated.
Reply to this Hi,
I was there in December and it was awesome! great xp. September might not be the right time to go there - but who knows.
you need to check if the national park is open.
Fee is about 15.000 peso (approx 30$), on our last night at one of the camp sites we had to pay extra ~6$
Reply to this The park will be open but not all the trails will be clear of snow. Not all the refugios are open until mid to late November so lodging is a problem. I would definitely stay a day or two in Puerto Natales at either Casa Cecilia or Erratic Rock as both will be able to advise you on present conditions and logistics.
Reply to this I was just there a few weeks ago and did 4 days/3 nights in Torres. The circuit trail (goes around the ¨W¨) is closed already adn so is the ferry that drops you off at one of the Refugios. And as for Refugios....there were 2 open when I was there but the one is closing right away. From what I understand, the only one that stays open all winter is the one that is on the right side of the W....on the Torres hike (can´t recall the name of hte Refugio). For my trek there....I saw a total of about 15 ppl in 4 days which is totally awesome cuz apparently there are normally 100s. I camped outside the Refugio which is 3000 pesos (about $6) per night cuz i had a friend staying in teh Refugio. But most campgrounds are free. You need to get your own gear but you can rent it from Puerto Natales if you want. If you are renting...the costs add up. I only rented a stove which costed 5000 pesos for the 4 days so you can imagine how much it would add up with other gear. The entrance to the park is 8000 pesos and the bus to take you there and back is 15,000 pesos (about $32) (in total). YOu just hire a bus through your hostel (I hired mine through Erratic Rock) or you can ride the public bus...I think they cost about the same bu tyou have more options with the private one. I don´t know what the conditions will be like when you go so you may want to email someone before committing. The weather was beautiful for my trip...outside of one 2 hour snow blizzard. And the right side of the W...the Torres trail...is about waist deep in snow so it was advised to not even bother going that way (in which I didn´t). If you stay at Erratic Rock, they will give you the full run down....they are straight forward Americans that give a talk at 3pm daily regarding Torres. You can go even if you don´t stay at their hostel. They also rent gear but I wouldn´t recommend it very much...eveyrone i spoke to had complaints (run down gear). If you do rent it....check it over carefully before taking it. A friend had a tent full of holes. 😞
Hope that helps! Happy trekking! Torres is awesome!!
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