Self-guided W Trek Reviews

The W-hike adventure was amazing and challenging in so many ways. For better or worse, the variable weather thoroughly beat us up, but that added to the memories. For joy of beauty, the first reveal of the mountains at Cuernos were spectacular.

The highlight of the trip for me was definitely the riding on the Grey III and getting to experience the Glacier super close up. I also really enjoyed the day hike from Refugio Chileno to Domo Frances. Even though it was one of the longest hikes, it was the most scenic in my opinion. The landscape was just mesmerizing. I literally couldn't stop looking at the granite peaks to the right and the turquoise blue glacier lakes to my right :) I was able to see a few animals. Condor, Guanacos and I spotted a pair of Gray Foxes. We were blessed to meet some really cool people. I ran into a bunch of people ironically that were from San Francisco / The Bay Area. We met a couple of British Couples, a group of Norwegian friends travelling the world together and I met a REI Tour group that had previously visited MachuPichu. I personally documented my whole trip with my iPhone by taking a bunch of 4K videos and using my Nikon D750 DSLR to take a bunch of photos. I also took this opportunity to journal as much as I could everyday and I hope to release everything in a blog :) - Also want to add that thanks to my apple watch. I was able to constantly record my hikes and track the journey of my heart rate throughout the trip. I think it will add a really cool layer of visibility when I share it with my friends and family. The most magical moments for me were split between two scenarios. I was blessed to have to of my very close friends join me and share many of the experiences throughout this trek. They were also much more conditioned than me and at times hiked faster than me which provided me with times of solitude. Being able to experience both of these moments allowed me to truly enjoy the hike at my own pace.

Patagonia was a great place to walk. Lots to see and do. Open landscapes, spectacular mountain ranges and glaciers. We met some interesting people. Some of which were on a similar journey to us, some were more 'local'. Everyone seemed friendly and interested in our lives too! We completed the 'W' trek quite comfortably. We enjoyed the cosy accommodation and comradery of other trekkers. Everyone had their own agenda and were happy to share their experiences.

The trip was great! We liked that we started on the Paine Grande end and got the hardest hike out of the way first. We were lucky to have great weather to enjoy the beautiful landscape, except for some winds and drizzle on our last day. We were surprised at how nice the refugios were and happily pleased with the food.

Arriving at the Torres. Seeing that in person was so different than what one would imagine in photos. And, it felt like a personal accomplishment to have gotten there on such a challenging hike.

The highlight of the trip has to be kayaking next to the magnificent Glacier Grey with giant icebergs floating by. I’ve never experienced anything like that before and the 2 hour flew by as we took in the most incredible views. The staff were very professional and made everyone feel at ease.

The trip was an adventure and to see such beautiful scenery was breathtaking. The people of Patagonia were extremely friendly and helpful and without question getting up close and personal with a Glacier was a truly memorable moment. The shear scale of nature in the raw is a beautiful thing to see

Great trip walking the w route with warm and comfortable refuges. Two long days walking but we were lucky with the weather and the other 2 days gave us longer to rest!

Making new friends and hanging out with them at the paine refugio

Hiking through all the different beautiful landscapes was amazing. After hiking up each different hill, you would come to a diffeeent area with a valley and landscape that was unwise that area. There is such a stunning variety in color of all the lakes, and the trail ranges from dirt to rock and suspension bridges. The W trek was a perfect balance of adventure and beauty. We saw multiple condors flying around the towers and a Fox trotting in one of our campsites. We got super lucky with out weather and would definitely recommend going in March like we did. We only had about an hour of rain the entire hike, and the wind wasn’t strong except during the first day. Otherwise the temperature was between 40-60f and was very comfortable!

My highlight was the trek on day one, to Grey Lake. I think this is because it was the first day, so everything was very 'Wow'. Landscapes amazing, wildlife good - saw some birds and little lizards. The people I met were great, very friendly, energetic and happy. I will tell my family and friends to go. I was surprised the weather was so good - only one morning with a bit of rain and snow. I think a 'magical moment' was kayaking on Grey Lake and getting up close to icebergs and the glacier.

When we got engaged just under Mirador Britanica! We also absolutely loved the mountain passes, lakes and river crossings on La Horquetas. It was a beautiful obstacle course!

The feeling of accomplishment upon arriving at each Refugio after completing the walk for that day. This coupled with being off grid and meeting lots of people from around the world whom all had the same experience.

The highlight was the amazing landscape and how it changed every day. The refugios were more comfortable than expected (didn't expect a bar!) and the staff were friendly. We were pleasantly surprised to get a pisco sour on the boat back across lake grey complete with glacier ice cubes. Personally my most magical moment was getting engaged at the base of the towers, somewhere I've wanted to go for as long as I can remember!!! Thank you for making it happen!

I think my most memorable moment was when I crossed the second suspension bridge and made it to the lookout of the glacier and Lago Grey. It was absolutely breathtaking and I can replay the first time I saw that view almost perfectly in my head.

Hiking into the French valley

The landscapes of Patagonia are literally other-worldly. When we left the park, my nephew said it was like leaving Jurassic Park--it was so unreal. We saw grey foxes, condors, guanacos, and hawks (not to mention many other birds). The weather is as INTENSE as the beauty...every minute, it changed. The trail, though well-traveled, is not for the faint of heart. As times it was difficult. But never once did we regret the strain or aches. The people we met along the way were diverse and friendly. If we said "hola" one time a day, we said it fifty. it was truly a spirit-lifting trip!

Every 5 minutes we had a completely different view. You could have a cloud a gale force winds hitting a mountain top from one side, but clear blue skies on the other. The people we met who had also booked through Dittmar made the trip particularly brilliant.

The moment I finally reached Las Torres

We had a wonderful time hiking, sightseeing, and eating in Patagonia. Our old bodies hiked like we were 30 years old. We especially loved hiking the W. It was so beautiful, with dramatic mountains of towers and glaciers, and hillsides in prime flower blooming season. We met lots of other travelers and shared stories, and ibuprofen for our sore muscles, at the dinner table. The biggest surprise for us was actually the relaxing bus trip from El Calafate to Puerto Natales. The buses are extremely comfortable and you get to view the vastness of Patagonia and spot a lot of guanacos and rheas along the way.