Hiking the W Trek: Everything you need to know (2025)

Nicoletta Dasara
May 25
7 min read

Updated: Jun 2

So, you're thinking about hiking the W Trek in Torres del Paine, Patagonia? First of all - amazing choice. The W Trek takes you through some of the wildest and most beautiful parts of Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. It’s one of the most iconic hikes in South America, and genuinely one of the best experiences of my life.

However, planning the W Trek can be pretty overwhelming. I remember when I first started looking into it last year, I didn’t know where to begin. Which itinerary should I do? How do I book the refugios? What do I need to pack?!

Now that I’ve come back from the hike, I decided to write this article to collect all helpful information and resources in one place, and hopefully help others make this adventure come true! Everything here is based on my first-hand experience - no inaccurate ChatGPT, no outdated information, but all that I wish I had known before going on the hike.

So, here’s everything you need to know about the W Trek.

📍 What is the W Trek?

The W Trek is a 4-5 day hike shaped like a "W" (yes, that's where it's got its name!). It covers about 70-80 km and hits all the park's biggest highlights: the Base of the Towers, the French Valley, and Glacier Grey. You’ll walk from refugio to refugio (mountain lodges or campsites), carrying just what you need in your own backpack!

🗓️ When to Go

The best time to hike the W is during the summer. As we are in the austral hemisphere, this is November through March. This period is favorable, as the days are longer, the weather is generally warmer and sunnier (though it’s still unpredictable), and all services such as refugios and campsites are open.

Shoulder seasons like October or April can work too - you’ll have fewer crowds but more variable weather.

🏕️ Where to Sleep: Refugios or Camping?

You have two main options:

Refugios: Basic but cozy lodges with common areas, dorms, and shared bathrooms.
Camping: You can either bring your own gear or rent a tent through the companies that run the refugios.

My husband and I went for a mix of the two: we stayed 2 nights in refugios, and 3 nights in tents, on alternating days. I think this was a perfect mix, as we didn't sleep very well in the tents, but slept like babies in the dorms! Also, we don't have a lot of experience with camping, therefore we always rented the camping gear from the accommodation companies, and were really impressed with the quality of the tents and gear supplied!

You need to reserve all accommodations in advance, even if you're camping. Make sure to do this in advance as they sell out very fast!

If you want to learn more about where to stay, I wrote all about accommodations and how to book them in this article.

🧭 Which Direction to Hike?

Most people hike East to West (starting at Torres Central, ending at Glacier Grey), but you can also go the other way.

⬅️ East to West means starting with the hardest day (the Towers) and ending with Grey Glacier.

➡️ West to East means you will leave the hardest day for last, but can more easily plan a sunrise hike to the Towers.

Guided or Self-Guided?

The W-Trek is a moderately challenging hike, and it can be done self-guided. If you prefer, you can also go with a guide. Personally, I believe the trek can be perfectly done without a guide. The trails are very well maintained, staff at the campsites are very helpful, and you’ll never hike alone: there is always someone else on the trail (for the better or the worse!), so you can rest assured someone will be able to help should you need it.

🎒 What to Pack

You will be carrying all your stuff with you on your back, so the best advice I can give is: try to stay as light as possible! I carried a 40L backpack - it didn’t include camping gear or cooking supplies, and still, it was full to the limit!

My recommendation is that you bring only the essential:

Layers - merino wool base, fleece, puffer jacket. If you're going in shoulder season, consider packing a thermal as well.
Good hiking boots - tested and broken in!
Rain gear - trust me, you'll need it all: rain coat, rain pants AND backpack rain cover!
Reusable water bottle - you can drink straight from streams!
Snacks and a few treats - chocolate & protein bars are a must.
Trekking poles - these saved my life multiple times during the trek and I can't recommend them more.
Pack everything in travel bags - to save space and ensure everything is easily accessible.

If you're staying in refugios, bed sheets and pillows are included. If you're renting a tent, Las Torres provides a mat, sleeping bag, and pillow, whereas with Vertice, you must add these items to your reservation. More on that here.

When it comes to food, make sure you always carry snacks with you. Walking 20km per day will make you hungry! Meals and additional snacks are available for purchase at the refugios' minimarkets. Opting for full board will provide you with a packed lunch that includes extra snacks.

Other things that I recommend you bring are:

Phone charger: There are outlets in the common areas at every refugio, so you can charge your phone at the end of the day. If you’re a heavy user or your phone battery is not so good, you can also bring an extra portable battery with you.
Satellite phone: During the whole trek, you won't be getting any phone signal. As such, a satellite phone can be a good idea if you want reliable communication and the ability to call for help in case of emergencies.
Pharmacy bag: With first-aid medicines such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, band aids and a blisters pack.
Toiletries: Essentials like a soap bar, wipes, and tissues are important. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that all showers in the refugios provided bath soap, but it's still wise to bring some just in case!
Duct tape: I know, this may sound a bit weird, but hear me out: you don’t know you need duct tape… until you need it! In my case, halfway through day 2 I noticed in horror that my hiking boots were broken - the sole of hiking shoes was coming off! Fortunately, I managed to borrow some duct tape at the refugios and taped the shoes together, and they held up quite well until the end of the trek. But ideally, having some duct tape to use between the refugios would have been handy. So if you have space in your bag, pack some just in case!

💡 Pro Tips

Make sure you book your Torres del Paine park tickets in advance! Park rangers will check your tickets when you arrive in Laguna Amarga or Pudeto. You can buy your entrances here: https://www.pasesparques.cl/en/parks/torres-del-paine
Book everything early, especially if you’re going during high season (Jan-Feb). Bookings for accommodation open in July, so make sure you’re planning ahead of time! We booked ours in September and most options for January were already sold out.
Weather changes constantly, so be flexible and don’t obsess over the forecast. Even when the most accurate forecasts say there will be rain, there is a chance that it won’t. Make sure you are flexible so you can adapt your plans accordingly.
You can pay with credit cards at all refugios and campsites! We had read online that cash would be needed for any payment, so we brought some with us. And that wasn’t needed at all! We could pay with a credit card in all refugios and never had a problem with it!
There is Wi-Fi, which you can pay for at all refugios and campsites. While I believe going internet-free is one of the aspects that make the W Trek a truly special experience, having WiFi available is a handy benefit that can be useful to connect with family and friends.
Always, and I mean *ALWAYS* bring your PDI - this is the paper receipt you received upon entrance in Chile. It’s very important that you keep this paper with you at all times! As a tourist, you’re granted VAT exceptions on all your accommodation bookings in Chile. So, if you don’t have your PDI, you’ll have to pay VAT taxes for your booking - that’s ~20% on top, and refugios on the W Trek are not cheap! I know the PDI may look like just a useless piece of paper that is better suited for the trash than your pockets, but we met a couple of people on the trek who unfortunately didn’t have it with them and had to pay extra for their accommodation.
Start training if you’re not used to long days of hiking. A reasonable level of fitness is necessary, as you'll be carrying your backpack, and particularly if you plan to explore Frances Valley and go up to the towers. That being said, no hiking experience is needed, and while it's moderately challenging, it's entirely achievable with the right preparation.
Download a map of the trail on your phone. You won't have signal throughout the whole trek, so having a map downloaded on your phone can be useful. It's even better if it's on an app like AllTrails or Maps.me where you can access the map offline and check your GPS position so you always know where you are. For the hike, I got a free trial of AllTrails so that I could download the map, and I was so glad I did! The trail is well marked and it's very unlikely you'll get lost, but it was helpful to check my position and learn distances, how far I was from the next checkpoint, and whether there were any big uphills and elevation gains coming up. While AllTrails was great, I later found out that maps on Maps.me can be downloaded for free so I particularly recommend this app!