Patagonia Torres del Paine 9 Day Circuit - Temporary Modified Itinerary

 

 

The trip begins with you being picked up from your hotel in Punta Arenas or Punta Arenas airport in the morning and driven to EcoCamp Patagonia, located in the world-famous Torres del Paine National Park. Alternatively you can start your trip in Calafate (see Prices and Facts section) En route we make a couple of stops - First in Puerto Natales, a small, lively town on the shores of "Seno de Ultima Esperanza", where we enjoy a hearty local lunch, and second at Cueva de Milodon, a massive prehistoric cave where the remains of a giant ground sloth were discovered in the 1890’s. The whole journey is very scenic, with plenty of wild birds and wonderful landscapes to be seen.

The day ends with our arrival and overnight stay at EcoCamp Patagonia, nestled in the heart of the park with a view of the Torres. During summer the sun sets around 11pm, so upon arrival there's plenty of light to admire the Patagonian steppe with its guanacos and snow-peaked mountain horizon.

 

The day will start at EcoCamp with a long trek heading to Dickson Lake. The trek follows North along the eastern bank of the Rio Paine. We stop at a lookout point with a wonderful panoramic view of Lago Paine below, before descending to lakeside level and continuing West across open grasslands along the Rio Paine to Refugio Dickson. Our stunning campsite will be in the Dickson Valley surrounded by towering snow-capped peaks and the pretty waters of Lake Dickson. In the distance we enjoy a spectacular view of Dickson Glacier and part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. We spend the night camping here at Dickson Campground with a replenishing dinner and hot showers.

 

Today we follow a trail which goes alongside Los Perros river, in the wildest and least accessible section of the trek. We pass under the Los Perros Glacier, which falls into a small lake, and cross a virgin beech forest leading the way towards Laguna Los Perros. Upon arrival at Los Perros campsite we settle in and enjoy a hearty dinner.

 

Today we reach the highest point of the circuit at 1300 mts (4000 ft) with an awe-inspiring view of Grey glacier, an enormous fractured mass of ice dominating the valley. The John Gardner pass is one of the most famous points of Torres del Paine and a must do for any serious trekker. It is a hard but spectacular day! Descending from this point, the route continues south along forested slopes with beautiful views of the enormous Grey Glacier (more than 28km in length). We spend the night camping at Grey Campground on the shores of Lake Grey.

 

Today we spend the morning relaxing after yesterday's John Gardner feat and at 1.45pm we take head to the shore of lake Grey to await our boat ride to the lake's southern end. We sail through the icy waters past the towering blue walls of Grey glacier, passing by floating calved icebergs. After this incredible sight of the glacier up close, we are driven to Laguna Azul campsite for our evening meal.

EcoCamp trek accommodation in Laguna Azul is cozy and well-positioned with a beautiful view of the surrounding park vegetation. There are 15 tents which comfortably sleep two people and one storage dome to keep equipment. Trekkers dine in a ‘quincho’ (a roofed outdoor eating area) and enjoy the view of Las Torres and the lagoon over an evening cocktail and a hearty meal. 

 

After breakfast we're driven to Hosteria Las Torres next to EcoCamp and from here we set off on foot towards Los Cuernos trail, located beside beautiful Lake Nordenskjold. The route leads to a magnificent view of Los Cuernos del Paine and a panoramic view of Nordenskjold lake. During this walk we admire the view of the lake and the park’s exquisite flora and fauna and the magnificent views of the Los Cuernos, majestic black horn-like peaks of slate atop gray granite which crown the center of the Massif. A few kilometers before our destination we enter Bader Valley. The valley is very steep and leads up to a spectacular view of Lake Nordenskjold. A beautiful river runs along the steep ravine and its banks are lined with vegetation. After Bader valley we retrace our steps back to Hosteria Las Torres from where we are driven back to Laguna Azul campsite. 

 

We have an early start today, driving approximately 40km to Pudeto Dock for our 9am crossing to the other side of Pehoe Lake. From the other side of the lake we start trekking to the beautiful Valle Frances (French Valley), on a picturesque trail that heads into the heart of the Paine Massif. We pass by the hanging bridge over the French River, located at the foot of the south east face of the Massif, and continue up the trail walking past Campamento Italiano up to Mirador Italiano (Italian viewpoint). The entire group of geological formations of the valley can be admired here: Hoja (Blade), Máscara (Mask), Espada (Sword), Catedral (Cathedral), Aleta de Tiburón (Shark’s Fin) and the magnificent Fortaleza (Fortress). Here we enjoy our picnic and recover from the walk, soaking up the surrounding views. After lunch we descend through an undulating terrain of mixed grassland and light forest until we reach the base of valley, from where we head south to Lake Pehoe to take the catamaran back across the lake. Once we've disembarked at Pudeto dock we're driven back to EcoCamp where our evening meal awaits us. 

 

Time for a big breakfast and lots of enthusiasm - Our goal today is to complete the most famous trekking trail in Torres del Paine NP! We walk from the camp site towards Hostería Las Torres and join the uphill path to Ascencio Valley on the Tower's eastern face. Mountain ridges, beech forests and small rivers line the scenic walk towards the valley. Our big challenge comes as we climb the steep moraine, a mass of boulders leading us to a view of the Towers - Three gigantic granite monoliths, the remains of a great cirque sheared away by the forces of glacial ice. After an uphill slog, the Towers eventually come into full view, rising majestically before us, with the glacial lake visible below. Is there any better place in the world to have lunch? After feasting on the view and our picnic, we backtrack along the same trail through Ascencio Valley and return to EcoCamp/Las Torres for a well-deserved dinner.

 

We board an early morning vehicle, sit back, relax, and enjoy a scenic ride back to Punta Arenas in time to catch the evening flight to Santiago.