Torres del Paine Full Circuit Trek

Torres del Paine National Park Full Circuit

Tour Description

This incomparable trek is a 10-day circuit through awe-inspiring landscapes dominated by immense glaciers, emerald-colored lakes, lenga forests, fields of wildflowers, and, of course, the Park’s remarkable centerpiece, the other-wordly Cuernos and Torres of the Paine Massif. The trekking experience of a life time in the world-renowned Torres del Paine National Park!

 

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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 ranching and 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 Las Torres – Camp Seron. 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 historic 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 at Hosteria Las Torres and set out on our initial 4-hour trek to the Serón Camp. Our route takes us across meadows blanketed in a kaleidoscope of wild flowers and with breathtaking views over the Laguna Azul (Blue Lagoon) to the east of our destination. Common and personal gear is carried by horses and/or porters. Reaching our camp, we’ll settle in, have dinner, and rest.

Transfer distance 85.5 miles - 138 kms / Transfer time 2 ½ hours / Trekking distance 8 ¾ miles - 16 km / Trekking time 4 hours / Tent

Day 3 Camp Serón – Camp Dickson. This morning we set out towards Lake Dickson. Our route is dominated by marvelous views over Lake Paine. We stop for a picnic at the Coirón Camp. The terrain is mostly easy, allowing us to admire the middle Torre in the background, and stunning views of the spectacular granite wall of the Paine mountain range. As we approach our camp, we can see the impressive Dickson Glacier flowing into Dickson Lake.  Reaching our camp, we’ll settle in, have dinner, and rest.

Trekking distance 11 ¼ miles - 18 km / Trekking time 6 hours / Tent

Day 4 Camp Dickson – Camp Los Perros. Today's trek takes us through a vast forest leading to our next camping site, Los Perros, (The Dogs) some four hours away. The trail follows Los Perros River with stunning views over Dickson Lake and Glacier, and towards the North Face of the Paine Massif. Approaching our camp we catch sight of the wonderful Los Perros Glacier. Reaching our camp, we’ll settle in, have dinner, and rest.

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

Day 5 Camp Los Perros – Gardner Pass – Camp Grey. Today's hike is by far the most difficult and tiring of the entire circuit. Just after starting out we cross swampy terrain that can take as long as an hour.  We then cross the Paso River and hike up to the John Garner pass at 1,241m (4,071 feet). Descending from the pass, we make our way to the Grey Camp through a forest of lenga trees with spectacular views towards the Southern Ice Cap and the Grey Glacier. Reaching our camp, we’ll settle in, have dinner, and rest.

Trekking distance 8 1/4 miles - 13.5 km / Trekking time 9 hours / Tent

Day 6 Camp Grey – Camp Pehoe. Before we continue our journey to Pehoe Camp, we have the option to make an easy mini trek on the Grey Glacier in the morning.  This is an extraordinary experience! In the afternoon we´ll reach Pehoe Camp following a three- to four-hour walk on easy terrain with splendid views of Lake Grey and its glacier. Reaching our camp, we’ll settle in, have dinner, and rest.

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

Day 7 Camp Pehoe – French Valley – Refugio Los Cuernos. Today we trek up the famous French Valley, the most beautiful in the park and unique in the world, surrounded as it is by hanging glaciers and an amphitheater of granite walls and spires. Afterward, we will hike to the extraordinary turquoise-coloured Lake Nordenskjold and stop at the delightful Los Cuernos Refuge to relax, have dinner, and rest.

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

Day 8 Refugio Los Cuernos – Refugio El Chileno. Today our route takes us along the shore of the beautifully-coloured Lake Nordenskjold.  We pass below the impressive hanging glaciers of Mount Admiral Nieto, arriving to Refugio El Chileno in Valle Ascencio where we’ll have dinner and rest.

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

Day 9 Refugio El Chileno – Hosteria Las Torres – Puerto Natales. Today we finish the circuit with a hike to the base of the spectacular three granite towers that made the park famous around the world: Torre D`Agostini (2,850m / 9,350 feet), also known as Torre Sur; Torre Central (2,800m / 9,186 feet); and Torre Norte (2,600m / 8,530 feet), also called Torre Monzino. On our way down to Hosteria Las Torres we will make a stop at the Refugio El Chileno to have our 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.

Trekking distance 7.3 miles - 12 km / Trekking time 6 hours / Transfer time 85.5 miles - 138 km / Transfer time 2 ½ hours / Hotel

Day 10 Puerto Natales - Punta Arena. Early transfer to Punta Arenas Airport to catch our flight back to Santiago Airport, and international connections. And the Torres del Paine Full Circuit Tour 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	10 days
Difficulty	Participants must be in good shape
Departures	KLT002-01 November 27, 2011 - December 06, 2011. KLT002-02 December 11, 2011 – December 20, 2011. KLT002-03 January 08, 2012 – January 17, 2012. KLT002-04 February 05, 2012 – February 14, 2012.
Expedition cost	US $ 3,000 pers minimum 6 clients
Private porter	US $ 375 pers minimum 2 clients
Hotel single room	US $ 500
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.
• Two nights in a Shelter, with common-room sleeping arrangements.
• Entry fee to Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares National Parks.
• Camping fees.
• Full board on the trekking and camping days, box lunch included.
• Top quality common gear and equipment: The North Face, Mountain Hardware, and Marmot tents, inflates and isolate mattress, stoves and fuel.
• Porters to carry common equipment (tents only).
• VHF Radio communications equipment.
• First aid kit.

Optional Service

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

Service does not include

• All personal climbing equipment and gear.
• 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 services not mentioned above.

Important

• All itineraries are subject to modification 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 providing a Private Porter, to be shared between two expedition members carrying 10kg each, is available upon request at an additional cost.
• Walking and climbing on the Southern Ice Cap, US $ 100 per person.
• KL Adventure reserves the right to upgrade the tour by staying overnight at Huts instead of at Camps 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 Full Circuit, 10 Days
KLT002-01	Sunday, November 27, 2011	Tuesday, December 06, 2011	available	3,5003,000
KLT002-02	Sunday, December 11, 2011	Tuesday, December 20, 2011	available	3,5003,000
KLT002-03	Sunday, January 08, 2012	Tuesday, January 17, 2012	available	3,5003,000
KLT002-04	Sunday, February 05, 2012	Tuesday, February 14, 2012	available	3,5003,000