7-Day Torres del Paine Circuit

Day 1: Trek to Las Torres (The Towers) lookout; Camping at Refugio Las Torres

At 7.30am we pick you up at your lodging in Puerto Natales. Our transfer takes us along an unpaved road heading to Torres Del Paine. When entering the park, we will have excellent opportunities to photograph guanacos (llama family) and Grey foxes, driving alongside lagoons where you can spot Chilean flamencos and black-necked swans.

We will begin our trek to the base of the Towers, following the Ascencio River to enter the Ascencio Valley. We will walk uphill for one hour before stopping to observe the first glimpses of the valley surrounded by unbelievable beech forests (Nothofagus family), glaciers and waterfalls.

We'll continue through the valley for another hour and a half before ascending a huge terminal moraine to a lookout (900m), the perfect photo stop. At this point, we will be surrounded by three giant granite towers (2850m) and a lagoon with slurry waters due to erosion produced by glaciers. This amazing view will be accompanied by lunch, adding to the experience.

After being awed by the towers we'll start our descent, following the same path back to our camp at Refugio Las Torres.

Private transfer: 2hrs

Length of hike: 8-10hrs, 21km

Meals: Picnic lunch, dinner 

Accommodation: Camping at Refugio Las Torres

Day 2: Trek to Séron; Séron Campsite

We will have an early start and, weather permitting, enjoy an impressive view of the Tower's peaks lit up in orange at dawn. We will start our walk through an ancient, tall deciduous beech forest with the chance to see woodpeckers or fresh puma tracks. We follow a well-marked trail on a gradual incline that will lead us to an excellent viewpoint of Paine Chico Mountain in the distance.

Continuing on further, we arrive at the Serón Campsite, which is situated in the more gentle northeastern part of the national park. Here, we will set up our camp and enjoy a good dinner together.

Length of hike: 4-5hrs, 13km

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner 

Accommodation: Séron Campsite

Day 3: Trek to Dickson Lake; Dickson Campsite

Today is the most relaxed stretch of our journey and especially interesting for flower lovers who, depending on the season, will see orchids, calceolarias, violets and oxalis. We will trek around Paine Lake along a flattish path with views of many mountains, including Cerro Escudo (The Shield) and Cerro Cabeza del Indio (Indian Head Mountain - the profile of an Indian is observed in the rocks).

As the hike goes on, we will arrive at the beginning of the Paine River, from where we will be able to see the incredible Cerro Cubo (Cube Mountain) and Dickson Lake. We'll spend the night at Dickson Campsite, a refugio campsite with pre-pitched tents.

Length of hike: 6-7hrs, 18.5km

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner 

Accommodation: Dickson Campsite

Day 4: Trek to Los Perros River; Los Perros Campsite

At this point we will start our adventuring in one of the most beautiful sections of the park, navigating some of the oldest beech forests, along an undulating path, following Los Perros River, with breathtaking views of mountains, waterfalls and lush vegetation.

We will cross a hanging bridge over Los Perros River to arrive at the terminal moraine of a hanging glacier that feeds a crystalline lagoon at its base. Half an hour from this point is Los Perros Campsite where we will stay overnight. Tonight's campsite is the most basic camping on the whole trek.

Length of hike: 5hrs, 13km

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner 

Accommodation: Los Perros Campsite

Day 5: Trek to Grey Glacier; Grey beach camp

This is the most difficult day of the whole circuit, but the dramatic beauty of the scenery is more than enough to keep you going. We’ll begin along a clear trail through forests, then make our way through a swamp-like section before beginning our ascent. As we make our way up, we may come across some snow and eventually reach the John Gardner Pass at 1200m above sea level. From here we have an outstanding view of the Grey Glacier and the Southern Ice Field, with its many unclimbed peaks.

We will journey alongside the glacier on an undulating path through fallen trees which contrast against the vivid Nothofagus forests. We also walk beneath the huge thick granite walls of the Cordon Olguín. If we're lucky, we may see ice calving from the front wall of the Grey Glacier, before we reach our beach camping location for the night.

Length of hike: 10-11hrs, 17km

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner 

Accommodation: Grey beach camp

Day 6: Free morning or optional activity; Trek to Lake Pehoé; Paine Grande Campsite

Today we enjoy a leisurely morning, around the camp or in front of the Glacier Grey watching for some ice calving from the huge glacier wall.

Optional excursions that you may like to participate in are a 5-hr ice hike on Grey Glacier, or a 2.5-hr kayak excursion on Lake Grey.

The ice hike on Glacier Grey starts with a safety briefing. Following this you'll take a boat ride, then hike for an hour to safely reach the glacier. From here your guide will check the equipment provided to you - ice axe, crampons, helmet and harness. You must have your own hiking boots with ankle support, gloves and sunglasses - without these you will not be permitted to take this ice hike. The hike on the glacier lasts for 2.5hrs, with the whole trip taking about 5hrs. You must be in very good physical shape for this excursion as the hike to the glacier is challenging.

The 2.5-hr kayaking excursion allows you to paddle around the huge floating icebergs that have calved from the glacial wall. You'll first receive a safety briefing from a specialist guide covering the kayak, paddling, route and conditions. All necessary equipment will be provided - neoprene suit, waterproof jacket, gloves, boots, kayak skirt and life vest.

Advance booking and payment is required for both of these excursions - please see the 'Additional Notes' section below.

We'll have lunch in the Refugio before we start a hike to the Pehoé Lake and the Paine Grande Campsite.

Length of hike: 3.5hrs, 11km

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner

Accommodation: Paine Grande Campsite

Day 7: Trek to the French Valley; Puerto Natales

Today's hike is a round-trip, so we'll be able to leave our packs at Refugio Paine Grande and hike lightly. We'll start by skirting the south-west side of Paine Grande, the highest summit in the Park. This will take us through native forests of fire bush and evergreen beech (Nothofagus Bethuloides), up to the hanging bridge over the French River to observe the first glimpses of the glacier.

As we take in these sights, we will ascend further (300m) for one hour in a surreal Japanese garden landscape, crossing beech forests, to reach a viewpoint where we get jaw-dropping views of granite peaks and hanging glaciers. In this stunning location we'll stop for lunch.

We will then follow the same path back to Pehoe Lake, pick up our packs, cross the lake by catamaran and take a private transfer back to Puerto Natales; where we will end the trip.

Length of hike: 7-8hrs, 21km

Catamaran duration: 35mins

Transfer duration: 2hrs

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch