Torres del Paine Classic W Trek

Torres del Paine, the W Circuit

Tour Description

Torres del Paine National W

With awe-inspiring scenery including stunning views of the dramatic Cordillera del Paine, magnificent glaciers, dense Magellanic forest teeming with bird and animal life and rainbow-coloured lakes scattered with floating icebergs, this outstanding tour takes you to the highlights of the Torres del Paine National Park, one of the wildest places on the planet. Starting out from the edge of the Grey Glacier, you’ll walk along the shore of Lake Grey up the beautiful Frances Valley. Bordering Lake Nordenskjöld towards the north, you’ll then ascend the Ascencio River Valley, arriving on the dramatic final day of the trek to the base of the three Torres that gave this extraordinary Park its name. On the second day of our trip, there is time for an optional trekking and climbing session on the Southern Ice Cap, one of the world’s biggest glaciers.
This exciting trek surrounds the worldly renowned Torres del Paine circuit.

An experience of a life time!!

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Day by day itinerary

Day 1 Punta Arenas – Puerto Natales. A KL Expedition Guide will meet you at the airport in Punta Arenas, the largest, most southern city in the world, located on the famous Strait of Magellan. You’ll be transferred to Puerto Natales, a centre for Patagonian tourism located on the eastern shore of the Seno Ultima Esperanza, a three-hour drive across the pampa. We’ll settle into Hostal Concepto Indigo or Aquaterra Lodge, have a rest, and then meet to overview the trip program. Dinner and overnight at our Hotel.

Transfer distance 152 miles - 246 km / Transfer time 3 hours / Hotel

Day 2 Puerto Natales – Hostería Lago Grey – Camp Grey. Transfer by van to Torres del Paine National Park. This 2.5-hour journey through ranching country includes a quick stop in Cerro Castillo, a hamlet east of the Park that is built on a former ‘estancia’, or ranch, which was the principal site of wool and meat exportation to Europe from Chile during the 1960s. We arrive to Hosteria Lago Grey, situated on the southern border of beautiful Lake Grey, where we’ll board a boat to take us across the lake. On our three-hour trip to the Grey camp, we’ll enjoy splendid views of the impressive Grey Glacier. In the afternoon we’ll take a short hike up to two different viewpoints to have a closer look at the glacier and see the Southern Ice Cap.

Transfer distance 85,5 miles - 138 km / Transfer Time 2 ½ hours / Navigation time 3 hours / Trekking distance 1,5 miles - 3 km / Trekking time 2 hours / Tent

Day 3 Camp Grey – Camp Pehoe. In the morning, before setting out for Pehoe camp, we have the option to do an easy short trek on the Grey Glacier—an extraordinary experience! In the afternoon we’ll reach Camp Pehoe following an undemanding three to four hour hike, with splendid views over Lake Grey and its Glacier.

Trekking distance 6 ¼ miles - 10 km / Trekking time 4 hours / Tent

Day 4 Camp Pehoe – French Valley – Camp Los Cuernos. This morning we’ll hike up the French Valley, the most beautiful valley in the park and one of the most unique in the world, surrounded as it is by hanging glaciers and an amphitheater of granite walls and spires. We’ll continue our trek to the extraordinary turquoise-coloured Lake Nordenskjold and stop to rest at the delightful Los Cuernos Refuge for dinner. Overnight at Camp Los Cuernos.

Trekking distance 15.8 miles - 26 km / Trekking time 9 hours / Tent

Day 5 Camp Los Cuernos – Camp El Chileno. This morning we’ll trek along Lake Nordenskjold, passing below the hanging glaciers on Mount Admiral Nieto. We’ll walk up the lovely Ascencio Valley to the rustic El Chileno Refuge.

Trekking distance 8 ¾ miles - 16 km / Trekking time - 5 hours / Tent

Day 6 Camp El Chileno – Hostería Las Torres – Puerto Natales. This is our last morning on the circuit. We’ll hike up to the base of the three spectacular granite Torres or Towers that are the centerpiece of the Park. These are Torre D`Agostini (2,850m), also known as Torre Sur, Torre Central (2,800m), and Torre Norte (2,600m), also called Torre Monzino. On our way down to the Hosteria Las Torres, we’ll make a stop at El Chileno Refuge to have lunch, rest, and enjoy the spectacular scenery of the Ascensio valley. From Hosteria Las Torres our private transport will take us back to Puerto Natales, to Hostal Concepto Indigo or Aquaterra Lodge. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Trekking distance 7.3 miles - 12 km / Trekking time 6 hours / Transfer distance 85,5 miles - 138 km / Transfer time 2 ½ hours. Hotel

Day 7 Puerto Natales – Punta Arenas. You’ll be transferred to the Punta Arenas airport to catch your flight. And the Torres del Paine National Park Highlights—The W Circuit comes to an end!

Transfer distance 152 miles - 246 km / Transfer time 3 hours.

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To see a topographic map click here

To order a topographic map : click here

BOOK NOW !

Tour Details

Duration	7 days
Difficulty	Participants must be in good shape
Departures	KLT001-01 November 27, 2011 – December 03, 2011. KLT001-02 December 11, 2011 – December 17, 2011. KLT001-03 January 8, 2012 – January 14, 2012. KLT001-04 January 22, 2012 – January 28, 2012. KLT001-05 February 5, 2012 – February 11, 2012.
Expedition cost	US $ 2.300 per person, minimum 6 clients
Private porter	US $ 270 per person, minimum 2 clients
Hotel single supplement	US $ 300
Reservation Cost	US $ 700
Balance payment date	75 days prior departure
Space available	12 clients

Service Include

Professional Bilingual Trekking Guide.
Ratio Guide to Clients: 1-6.
All local organization and supervision by KL Adventure staff.
Airport assistance at Punta Arenas.
Private transfers during the entire tour including airport pick-up and drop-off.
Two nights in a Hotel based on double occupancy with breakfast, in Puerto Natales.
Entry fee to Torres del Paine National Park.
Camping fees.
Full board on the trekking and camping days, box lunch included.
Top-level climbing and camping equipment: The North Face, Mountain Hardware and Marmot tents, isolate mattresses, stoves and Gaz.
Porters for carrying common equipment (tents only).
Radio communications equipment, VHF 2 mt.
First aid kit. Professional Bilingual Trekking Guide.

Optional Service

Walking and Climbing on the Southern Ice Cap, US $ 100 per person.

Service does not include

All personal climbing equipment.
Porter for personal gear.
Any costs involved in an early or late departure.
Any drinks (soda, beer, or wine) in the cities and during transfer days.
Cancellation, accident, and rescue insurance.
Cash for extra expenses.
Gratuities.
Any other service not mentioned above.Personal trekking equipment.

Important

All itineraries are subject to change due to changes in the weather, group dynamics, and the guide’s criteria.
Any departure can be re-scheduled with a minimum of 6 persons.
A service for a Private Porter to be shared between two expedition members (carrying 10kg each) is available upon request at an additional cost.
KL Adventure reserves the right to upgrade the tour by using huts instead of camps each night, at NO additional cost.

Physical conditioning for your trip with KL Adventure

Whether your trip involves trekking, mountaineering, or technical climbing, your training program should involve the following:

Alpine-specific training (via hiking with a pack and specific skills development pertaining to your trip)
Strength training (via free weights, a weighted backpack, bodyweight exercises, or gym machines)
Cardiovascular training (via spinal-loading aerobic training)

Alpine specific training - During your training, progressively ramp up your speed, duration (time or mileage), and pack weight of weekly training hikes to give you alpine-specific conditioning that cannot be matched by any other type of training. Hike steep outdoor trails, gradually increasing your pack weight with each outing until you are at your target trip pack weight. A reasonable target for multi-day trips would be to ascend 3,500 feet in a 2-2.5 hour period, or roughly 1,750 vertical feet in an hour, with your target trip pack weight. In early season, you might start out with a 15# pack on hikes that gain up to 1,500’ elevation over 6-8 miles round trip; each hike try increasing the total elevation gain, distance, and/or speed, then begin adding several pounds per trip until you are comfortable with your target trip pack weight. When you can gain 3,500 feet with your target pack weight, start to decrease rest breaks and increase speed. Include overnight trips in your training regimen to get accustomed to successive days of sustained work with little to no recovery time.

Strength training - Training with free weights, a weighted backpack, bodyweight exercises, or gym machines will help you build overall strength, particularly in the core (lower back and abdominals), upper back, and legs. Developing strength in your upper back and shoulders will help you with such tasks as carrying a pack and using ice axe, ice tools or trekking poles effectively. The calves, hips, quads, hamstrings and glutes are all involved in ascending and descending alpine routes, and strength endurance is required in all areas of the legs and hips. Technical climbing will require a solid foundation in upper body strength training as well. Training primarily with free weights will give you the functional, alpine-specific strength that will help you most in the mountains. In early phases of strength conditioning, focus on building a foundation for harder workouts, starting with 2-3 sets of each exercise for 8-10 repetitions. As you continue to train, you will shift focus to building strength through lower repetitions (5-8) to build maximum strength. Finally for the last 4-6 weeks before your trip start increasing the repetitions to build strength endurance and mental and physical stamina; each phase varies the weight used, repetitions completed, number of sets, and rest interval. Most important in strength training is to be sure you maintain proper form at all times in order to prevent injury or strain.

Cardiovascular training – Activities you can add several times per week to supplement your alpine-specific pack carrying training include spinal-loading exercises such as trail running, walking on an inclined treadmill, doing stair stepping or stepmill training, working on an elliptical machine, or walking up and down hills or stairs with a weighted pack. In early season, include at least 3-4 sessions of 30-45 minutes of sustained activity at a moderate intensity, and gradually build to 4-5 aerobic sessions of sustained effort for an hour or more as you approach your trip. If you will be at high altitude for portions of your trip, include interval training in your weekly program. To do this, find a steep hill or sets of stairs that will allow you to climb steadily for several minutes. Push as hard as you can while you go up, then recover coming down, and repeat for anywhere from 30-45 minutes. For hill walks, add weight to your pack on a regular basis until you can carry slightly more than your target pack weight (referred to as over-weight training) the whole time. Participate in as many hikes or climbs that take you above 8,000’ as you possibly can, in order to learn how your body responds to high altitude.

This training information brought to you by KL Adventure conditioning partner, Body Results. For more conditioning information, products and services and special pricing for KLA’s clients go to www.bodyresults.com/kla

Code	From	To	Status	Price
Torres del Paine Classic W, 7 Days
KLT001-01	Sunday, November 27, 2011	Saturday, December 03, 2011	available	2,8002,300
KLT001-02	Sunday, December 11, 2011	Saturday, December 17, 2011	available	2,8002,300
KLT001-03	Sunday, January 08, 2012	Saturday, January 14, 2012	available	2,8002,300
KLT001-04	Sunday, January 22, 2012	Saturday, January 28, 2012	available	2,8002,300
KLT001-05	Sunday, February 05, 2012	Saturday, February 11, 2012	available	2,8002,300