Logistics of Hiking in Torres del Paine: O-Circuit and W-Trek

This is part of a three entry series, click here to see the entire collection on Torres Del Paine

Hiking in Torres del Paine is a surreal experience, filled with glacial ice fields, rolling green and gold hills, and Andean Condors flying over head. When we were planning our trip and comparing options, we were completely overwhelmed with information and how to see the park. So I've put together a super-easy guide for all the planning logistics for hiking the O-circuit in Torres del Paine. This can also be applied to the W-trek, which is the last four days of the O-circuit.

The walk into Dickson campsite on day 2 of the O-circuit.

Table of Contents:
1. Decide When You Want To Go and What You Want To Do
2. How To Reserve Your Campsites
3. Book Your Flights
4. Camping Gear Checklist
5. Planning Your Camp Menu
6. Last Minute Preparations In Puerto Natales

decide when you want to go and what you want to do

Summer, shoulder season – when are those? And which hike do you want to do? For a full run down on those, check out my post which compares ways to see Torres del Paine.

how to reserve your campsites

If you've decided to do the W-trek or the O-circuit, you'll need to get your campsite reservations. This should be done at least six months in advance if you want to get the best campsites and optimal route. This is kind of a pain in the butt, as there are three companies who run the campsites – and none of them are linked. When you book, you’ll need to do it quickly to ensure you get the reservations you need on the right dates. If you fail to do this, you'll end up hiking longer, harder days. The three companies are:

CONAF (government national parks agency)

Fantastico Sur (private agency)

Vertice (private agency)

Campsites and their booking agency

O-circuit campsites and their corresponding booking agency.

The above map shows the route of the O-circuit, which is hiked in an anti-clockwise direction. It starts and finishes at Torre Central. The booking agency responsible for each campsite is noted in the call-outs (i.e. "Reservas en Fantastico Sur/Vertice/CONAF").

For more details on the O-circuit and our experiences on the trail, refer to my post detailing the O-circuit and logistics.

The W-trek is made up of the second-half of the O-circuit. It involves hiking between Grey and Torre Central campsites (including up to Chileno campsite).

book your flights

The main airport to fly into is Punta Arenas. SKY Airlines, Jetsmart, and LATAM service this airport (the first two usually have flights from Santiago for $50-80 USD).

From Punta Arenas, book a bus from the airport to Puerto Natales on Bus-Sur.

camping gear checklist

I'm brand loyal to a lot of my camping gear, so I've included my trusty favorites where applicable!

• Insect repellent – Sawyer Picaridin Repellent

• Water bottle or bladder – CamelBak 3L

• Hat

• Sunglasses

• Sunscreen – Alba 45 SPF Pure Lavender Lotion

• Passport, with immigration receipt for Chile

• Printed campsite reservations

• Cash – there are no ATMs in the park

• Moisturizer and lip balm – the wind dries your skin SO MUCH

• Soap

• Face wash

• Micro fiber towel

• Baby wipes

• Paracord Rope – all purpose lifesaver for laundry to tent securing

• Ziplock bags

• As many Snickers bars as you can fit in your bag (see camping menu below)

• Camping backpack (at least 65L capacity) – Gregory Deva 70

• High-quality tent. Bring a repair kit or at least some duct tape, as everyone we know had their tent break in some way from the wind (mainly bent/broken poles) – REI Quarter Dome 3

• Sleeping bag – 30°F bag (Marmot Trestles 30) with a +25°F liner (Sea to Summit Thermolite Reactor Extreme)

• Sleeping mat

• Camping cooking set and applicable fuel – Trangia stove

• Headlamp & extra batteries – Black Diamond Astro

• Thermals (tops and bottoms)

• Hiking pants

• Hiking shirts

• Hiking socks – Smartwool

• Sports bras

• Hiking boots

• Light-weight cup – use to scoop water out of streams to drink! No filtration needed.

• Water filter – Sawyer Squeeze Filter

• First-aid kit – Mountain Series First Aid Kit

planning your camp menu

This is the menu we used for eight days on the O-circuit. It's a lot of food to carry in your backpack, so we opted for energy-dense, light-weight foods. 

For the W-trek, you can use a shortened version of the below.

Day (Campsite)	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Day 1 (Seron)	Eat before departure	Lunch Type A: Cheese Wrap Cheese Salami Tortilla	Dinner Type A: Couscous Bowl (serves two) Couscous (190g, about 3/4 of 250g bag) 1 soup packet (make couscous in this liquid) Salami Sauteed Vegtables: 1/2 Onion 1/4 Zucchini 1/2 Carrot Oil
Day 2 (Dickson)	Breakfast Type A: Cereal Cereal Milk (milk powder + water)	Lunch Type B: PB&J Wrap Peanut Butter Jam Tortilla	Dinner Type B: Ramen (serves 1) 1 Ramen Packet 1 egg, whisked into hot ramen at the very end (think egg drop soup) Salami
Day 3 (Los Perros)	Trail mix: eat on-the-go Because you have to start early over the pass)	Lunch Type A	Dinner Type A
Day 4 (Paso)	Breakfast Type A	Lunch Type B	Dinner Type B
Day 5 (Paine Grande)	Breakfast Type A	Lunch Type A	Dinner Type A
Day 6 (Italiano)	Breakfast Type A	Dinner Type B	Dinner Type B
Day 7 (Torre Central)	Breakfast Type A	Lunch Type A	SPECIAL TREAT: Dehydrated Meal brought from home
Day 8	Breakfast Type A	Lunch Type B	TREK CELEBRATION FEAST WITH NEW FRIENDS: Pizza at Mesita Grande in Puerto Natales

All our food for eight days of hiking!

In addition to the above meals, snacks are equally important in providing energy.

Snacks per person for the O-circuit:

• 2.5kg (5.5 lbs or about 1.5 gallon ziplock bags) of trail mix

  • Suggested ingredients: salted peanuts, walnuts, raisins, dried apricots, banana chips, granola, white chocolate, dark chocolate

• 3 apples

• 3 Snickers

• Milo (for those not in the know, it's a "healthier" hot chocolate that I grew up on in Australia!)

• Cookies - Roblon are a Chilean cookie that is pretty darn tasty.

For the W-trek, I advise splitting the above in half as the hike is half the duration of the O-circuit.

last minute preperations in puerto natales

There is a decent supermarket in Puerto Natales called Unimarc where you can buy all your camping food. For dried fruit and nuts, head to Super Fruit which has the best range and ridiculously cheap prices for the area (1kg of walnuts for $10 USD!).  If you plan on using freeze-dried meals (e.g. Backpackers Pantry), purchase them before you leave home as options are scant in Chile.

Gas canisters for camping stoves can be purchased at various outdoor stores in Puerto Natales. Alcohol for alcohol burning stoves can be purchased at any pharmacy in Chile – ask for “alcohol puro”.

You can rent camping equipment from outdoor stores in Puerto Natales.

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Explore the complete Torres del Paine series:

Post updated on August 9, 2018.