Modified Patagonia W Trek Guide: How We Turned It Into the “U Trek”
A realistic, flexible Torres del Paine itinerary with fewer miles, epic views, and way less stress
If you’re dreaming about hiking the W Trek in Torres del Paine National Park but feel a little intimidated… this is exactly the guide I wish I had.
We ended up creating our own version of the W—what we jokingly called the “U Trek”—and honestly, it turned out to be the best decision we could’ve made.
Heres more information on the W Trek refugios and how to book them
Also heres my full 12 night itinerary including W Trek, Perito Moreno Glacier and Ovo Pods cliffside stay.
Why We Changed Our Plan Last Minute
We planned this Chile + Argentina trip about 10 months in advance (our travel dates were March 21 – April 2)… and somehow still changed our itinerary a million times.
Plans changed from:
- Full W Trek
- Doing the W Trek from East → West and then West → East
- Wanting to take the shuttle buses everywhere to then wanting a rental car
- Feeling confident in carrying ~20 pound backpacks for the whole W trek with minimal training to deciding to reduce the trek down by 13 hours and lightening our packs to ~10 pounds
Then reality hit… on the plane to Chile.
We checked the forecast and saw:
- A full-on blizzard predicted for our third day of the W trek (March 25th)
- High winds + rain/snow all week
That, plus the fact that we’re not hardcore hikers, made us rethink everything.
What Is the “U Trek”?
Instead of doing the full W, we:
- Skipped the middle section (French Valley)
- Cut ~13 hours of hiking
- Still saw:
- Grey Glacier via Grey III Catamaran
- Base Towers (sunrise hike!)
- Stayed in 3 refugios (Camp Grey, Paine Grande and Chileno)
- Added a luxury reset night at EcoCamp which was an experience in itself
And here’s the wild part…
French Valley actually closed due to the blizzard the exact day we would’ve been there.
So this pivot? Absolute no-brainer.
Our 5-Day “U Trek”: A Modified W Trek Itinerary (Day-by-Day)
Day 1: Arrive in Puerto Natales
- Fly into Puerto Natales
- Hotel transfer (~$25 cash)
- Stay at Hotel Vendaval (perfect for 1 night and included breakfast)
Dinner:
- Ate at a local spot called Nandu (burger + beer)
- There was also a souvenir shop on the bottom level of the restaurant
Pro Tip:
Pack your trekking gear and get organized tonight and leave anything extra that you don’t need for the trek in your rental car. Try to make your backpack as light as possible.
After a very long travel day we were asleep by 7pm… completely done.
Day 2: Drive to Pudeto + Grey III Catamaran to Camp Grey
- Walk 5 minutes from Hotel Vendaval to pick up the rental car early (Sixt Rental Car — get there right at opening, the line got pretty long)
- IMPORTANT: Get your border permit at least 7 days prior to the trip with the rental car company if you plan to cross the border (cost is ~$116)
Drive:
- ~2.5 hours to Pudeto where you will leave your rental car in the parking lot (the drive was all gravel roads and potholes but manageable)
From there:
- Pre schedule a private car transfer to Hotel Lago Grey which was about a 1 hour drive (we used Stomping Ground Car service who was very nice and flexible – highly recommend)
- We arrived at the hotel around 2pm and had drinks + food while waiting for the catamaran (pisco sours = mandatory)
Catamaran to Grey Glacier (~$100):
- Check-in: 3pm at the hotel lobby
- Walk ~30 min to the boat
- **4pm departure: this departure time is the only time slot that brings you up close to Grey Glacier
- Includes a welcome drink (pisco sour)
This ride allowed us to get amazing views of Grey Glacier —even in the rain.
We arrived at Grey Camp around 5:45pm…
…and we were the ONLY people getting off the boat 😂
Felt like being dropped off on a deserted island. Everyone else on the catamaran was just on it for the scenic ride. They all waved to us as we departed and were honking the horn. One of the staff members on board even said “And that was the last time they were ever seen”. Very comical departure.
Stay:
- 6-person dorm at Camp Grey (didn’t sleep great, not gonna lie)
- Had our 7pm buffet diner
Day 3: Camp Grey → Paine Grande Hike
Woke up to:
- Blizzard warnings
- Trail closures (including French Valley)
Still decided to hike to Paine Grande:
- 6.8 miles | ~4.5 hours
Surprisingly:
- Light rain for only about 10 minutes
- Some strong wind gusts
- Even blue skies and sunshine at times
Lesson: Patagonia weather makes no sense. We were expecting horrible weather this day but it turned out to be completely fine.
Stay at Paine Grande:
- Private bunk room
- Wine + pizza + made friends
- Played a dice game called Zilch with our camper friends in the upstairs bar area
- VERY windy night. Book a hostel bed for this refugio rather than a tent if possible!
- Had our 7pm buffet dinner
Day 4: Escape the Storm + EcoCamp Reset
With French Valley closed, we pivoted:
- Took the 9:20 am catamaran from Paine Grande back to Pudeto
- Picked up our rental car
- Drove about 45 minutes to EcoCamp
Stay: EcoCamp Patagonia
This was SUCH a good decision.
- Cozy dome pod
- Fireplace heater
- Snacks + pisco sours at the bar
- 3-course dinner included
- Breakfast buffet included
- Nice warm showers
Cost: ~$780 (worth it for the reset)
Day 5: Hike to Chileno Camp
Woke up to clear skies (finally)
Could see the Base Towers from our Eco pod!
- Drive 4 minutes to the Welcome Center and leave the rental car in the parking lot
- We arrived on a Thursday at around 11 am and there was plenty of parking spots available
- Hike ~2.5 hours of mostly incline to Chileno Camp
- Hung out in the Cafeteria and ate pizza and drank wine. They even passed around a song request sheet so we could all play a song of choice.
- Had a 3 course dinner at 8pm (soup, burger patty with sauce, gelatin dessert)
- Stay in tent-on-stilts, the mattress was not comfortable at all (sleep = 2/10 lol)
Day 6: Base Towers Sunrise Hike (Mirador Las Torres)
3:45 AM wake-up
Headlamps on. Pitch black. No one else around.
The hike:
- We left our big backpacks in the cafeteria area which is always open and took small light backpacks with extra layers and snacks
- ~2.5 hour difficult hike uphill in darkness
- Snow + ice (we REALLY wished we had crampons)
We reached the towers at 7:20am…
At Base Torres
- Completely alone
- Just us and the mountains
- We put on extra layers we brought in our small backpacks since it was pretty cold up there
- Sunrise glow lasted maybe 2 minutes… but WOW
- Only 3 other people showed up so the entire 2 hours we spent admiring the towers we basically had it all to ourselves
One of those moments you don’t forget.
After hiking back down:
- 2.5 hour hike back down to Chileno camp where we stopped to rest and get pizza and donuts
- Then another 2.5 hour hike to the welcome center parking lot
Then… 4.5 hour drive to El Calafate
We accidentally:
- Missed the border stop
- “Entered Argentina illegally” (oops 😅)
- Had to drive BACK to get stamped
Lesson learned: Pay attention at borders lol
*Important Route Tip*
Try to avoid route 7 (which is a gravel road that is known to cause flat tires and that google maps automatically has you go on) when driving from Torres Del Paine Park to El Calafate. In order to stay on route 40 and skip route 7 we put in Esperanza as a stop before El Calafate, where we needed to go anyway to fill up on gas since gas stations are very limited in this area.
Make sure to download offline maps in Google Maps prior to the trip!
We left the welcome center at 3pm and did not get to our hotel in El Calafate until 9pm. WHAT. A. LONG. DAY.
Why the “U Trek” Was the Right Choice
We don’t regret skipping the full W at all.
What we loved:
- Saw all the highlights
- Avoided dangerous weather
- Had time to rest (EcoCamp was key)
- Less exhaustion = more enjoyment
What we avoided:
- 13+ extra hours of hiking
- Closed trails
- Forcing ourselves through misery
Key Tips for Patagonia
- Weather is completely unpredictable
- Try to have a flexible itinerary
- Book refugios early
- Plan ahead to make sure you have enough gas in between long drives as gas stations are limited
- We filled up in Puerto Natales, Esperanza, El Calafate and El Chalten during the 12 night trip
- Download offline maps on Google maps ahead of time!
- We had no service during our drives between each stop and these offline maps saved us
- Download Netflix movies and music
What to Pack for the W Trek, Patagonia
- Waterproof or resistant hiking boots
- Comfy campsite shoes we brought: North Face Thermoball booties
- Base layers (merino wool long sleeve shirt and leggings)
- Fleece jacket
- Packable down jacker
- Waterproof jacket and pants
- Hiking pants to put over leggings
- Waterproof gloves
- Merino wool beanie
- Pajamas
- Polarized sunglasses (I actually never used mine on the trek)
- Water bottle with filter
- Snacks- beef jerky, granola bars etc.
- Extra ziplock bags and plastic bags came in handy
- Sleeping bag liner for the tents
- Body wipes
- Hiking backpack (we used the Osprey Renn 50 liter pack)
- Small backpack for Base Towers hike and French Valley hike
- Crampons (this would have made us feel so much safer hiking in the ice to the Base Towers)
- Hiking poles
- Head lamps
- Dice or cards to play games
- Type C or L power adapter
- Portable chargers
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Overall: Thoughts About the W Trek
This trip pushed us way outside our comfort zone—and that’s what made it so memorable.
The Grey Glacier views, the camping experience in the refugios , the people we met… but especially that sunrise at the towers with no crowds—that’s something we’ll be talking about forever.
If you’re on the fence about doing the full W Trek…
You don’t have to.
This “U Trek” version gives you the experience without the burnout, it might just be the better way to do it.
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