W Trek

At a glance

Plan your trip

Permits & fees

2026–27 season rules (checked October 2026): buy your park entry online at pasesparques.cl at least 24 hours before you arrive. CONAF's 2026 price list gives 32,400 Chilean pesos for a foreign adult day pass and 48,500 for a stay of more than two days. Every night on the W must be booked in advance at the refugios and campsites run by Las Torres Patagonia or Vértice Patagonia; without a booking you cannot enter the mountain area. The winter rule requiring an accredited guide (April 27 to September 15, 2026) no longer applies.

Getting there

Four bus companies run from Puerto Natales to Laguna Amarga, Pudeto and the park administration, leaving at 7:30 and 14:30. Puerto Natales is 250 km by paved road from Punta Arenas. From Paine Grande at the end, cross Lago Pehoé by boat or walk 17 km to the park administration.

Good to know

• Register at every ranger station you reach; it is mandatory.
• CONAF lists the climb from Guardería Torres to Mirador Base Torres (1.4 km, about 1 hour) as demanding, along a glacial moraine. The 5.4 km from Italiano to Mirador Británico is also rated demanding.
• After heavy rain or snowmelt, rivers rise quickly. Do not try to cross if the water is above your knees.
• There is no phone or internet signal on the park's interior trails, and the weather changes fast, so carry layers for rain, wind and snow.
• The distance here adds up CONAF's official segment lengths for this route. Las Torres Patagonia's accommodation season for the W runs from September 15 to April 26.

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