Extension from KAYAKING THE GLACIER ROUTE (3D/2N): Trekking in Southern Patagonia, W-TREK TORRES DEL PAINE (5D/4N) (WNAT)

Day 1 Starting from Puerto Natales at 12 PM or from Cerro Castillo at 1PM, we drive all the way to Torres del Paine National Park. We will drive through open pampas and huge ranches (estancias), and chances are we will be able to observe one of the most typical animals in this area, the ñandu, (rare South American ostrich). We will follow an unpaved road heading to Refugio Las Torres to spend our first night. Upon entering the park we will have excellent photographic and birding opportunities as we drive alongside lagoons frequented by Chilean flamencos and black-necked swans. Today’s hike is on a gentle trail following the border of the park and offers opportunities to see guanacos (Llama family) and the Andean Condor.
(2 hours by private transfer, 2 hours soft hike) (D) (Night at Refugio Las Torres)

Day 2 We will start our first day trekking to the base of the Towers, following the Ascencio River to enter the Ascencio Valley. Our walk will be 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 (900 M), excellent for picture taking. At this point we will be surrounded by three giant granite towers (2850 M) and a lagoon with slurry waters due to erosion produced by glaciers. This amazing view will be accompanied by lunch to add to the enjoyment. After being awed by the towers we’ll start our descent, following the same path back to the hut.
(7-8 hours round-trip, 18 KM) (B-BL-D) (Night at Refugio Las Torres)

Day 3 We will start early morning to enjoy, weather permitting, a magnificent dawn filled with orange-pink colors. As we leave the campground we will arrive at Inge lagoon. Chances are, on this path, we may see the flight of an Andean condor or eagles hunting hares or small rodents. We follow a well mark trail ascending around (200 mts.) from the base of Almirante Nieto Mountain (2750 mts.), crossing the Bader River to arrive at Refugio Los Cuernos where we will stay overnight.
(500 mts. difference of level, 5 hours, 11 kms.) (B-BL-D) (Night at Refugio Los Cuernos)
(You can update to private cabins with two beds and sharing bathrooms in between the cabins only and a free Hot tub access for USD $ 80 per single occupancy or USD $ 40 per double occupancy)

Day 4 We will start our day with a 2-hour walk going to an undulating path until reaching the French River for our first glimpses of the hanging glacier. Then we will ascend (300 M) for one hour through a surreal Japanese garden landscape, crossing beech forests, to reach the French valley viewpoint gifting us with a magnificent view of both mountains and lakes. We will lunch here with good possibilities of seeing avalanches from the hanging glacier or simply observe the west side of the Cuernos (2600 M), Espada (2400 M) and Fortaleza (2800 M). Our way back will be the same until we reach the entrance of the valley where we will continue on a different path around the South-West side of Paine Grande, the highest peak in the Park, through native forests of Chilean fire bush and evergreen beech (Nothofagus Bethuloides), up to the shore of the Pehoé Lake.
(6 hours hiking, 18 KM). (B-BL-D) (Night at Refugio Paine Grande)

Day 5 We will begin early morning with our hike to the Grey Glacier. Initially ascending 200mts up a winding narrow path leading us to Laguna Negra, a place where we will observe the first glimpses of the South Patagonia Ice Field with its many unclimbed mountains. We will advance through forests and rivers, with possible sightings of spectacle and flying steamer ducks, up to the glacier viewpoint. We will have lunch at this place to see, if we are lucky enough, ice calving from the huge glacier wall. Right after lunch we start an exciting adventure by boat. We will navigate for a while in front of the glacier in the hope of seeing icebergs calve. Our return journey offers views of Paine Grande with its impressive ice mushrooms and we sail through icebergs of different tones of blue. Then we will take a transfer back to Puerto Natales.
(4 hours walking, 12 KM, 2 hours sailing on Lake Grey, 2 hours by transfer) (B-BL)

REGARDING THE SCHEDULE
The schedules indicated above are subject to change due to weather conditions or unexpected circumstances beyond our control, but we will try our best to keep them unaltered

NOTE ON DEPARTURES:
Due to some limited availability in the Refugio’s, some departures will use Chile Nativo camp accommodations instead of regularly planned refugios. Our camp sites use North Face VE 25 - 4 season tents (3 people tent, use as a double), and we provide sleeping bags with liners and camping mattresses. The camp has access to modern facilities and hot showers. Unless noted, meals will be taken in the refugios where camping accommodations are added. There is no extra cost associated with this and all equipment necessary will be provided by Chile Nativo, including porters to carry the camping gear. According to our experience, usually the space at the refugios open up when we get close to the departure dates, and we have access to book the night we need. You will be notified upon booking when camping accommodations replace a refugio night.

The "W" hike was great from start to finish.

The "W" hike was great from start to finish. The scenery was spectacular, hiking covered very diverse terrain, refugios were comfortable and the food plenty. Can't say enough about our guide Eduardo. He was very knowledgeable, always concerned how the group was doing, very good command of the english language and very importantly, a good sense of humour. We found that the "W" hike was well planned out from the first day where we hiked a couple of hours on the outskirts of the park (to get our legs used to hiking) and every other day, including the boat trip of Lake Grey on the last day. Would definitely recommend "Chile Nativo" to our friends. A great experience"

Claire Logan

February, 2010

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A wonderful experience with wonderful people in a wonderful country.

This was an experience that surpassed my expectations. The hiking was challenging but very rewarding and the scenery was magnificent. All of the accommodations either met or exceeded expectations and every day bought new surprises! I would highly recommend this trip and cannot think of one thing that I would change - even the weather was fantastic!

Gonzalo was an extraordinary guide in every respect. He was patient, kind, humorous and knowledgeable. He went above and beyond the call of duty to make special arrangements for some of our group who had trouble hiking and could not complete the trek. He was the ultimate professional in handling all requests, never giving any indication that it was a burden or inconvenience for him. He was undoubtedly one of, if not the best guide we have had in our many years of traveling worldwide. He made a trip a real joy!

Dorothy Knox

January 2010

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It is a trip we will long remember!!

Gonzalo, Mom and I wanted to thank you again for taking such good care of us while we were on our Patagonian hike. We had a fabulous time with you as our guide and wanted you to know that having you along with us made the trip all that much more special! Our trip to Antarctica was amazing!
We just got home on Wednesday and are getting caught up on everything here at home. It has been great fun going through our photos and reliving all our great memories of our time in Patagonia with you!!! Thank you again for taking such great care of us and for sharing your love of the area with us. It is a trip we will long remember!!
Best wishes, Karen Enriquez and Sandy Conrad

Karen Enriquez and Sandy Conrad

January 2010

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regalo de 15 años para mi hija!

Hice este viaje (la ruta W) con mi hija adolescente como regalo de sus 15 años, la experiencia resultó simplemente maravillosa. El esfuerzo físico resultó un reto para ambas, pero el imponente paisaje y una gratificante sensación de logro hicieron de este viaje una experiencia única.
Tuvimos la fortuna de tener un guía experimentado, gentil y muy profesional, André, para él nuestro especial agradecimiento. El interés y la gentileza de todo el equipo de Chile Nativo al resolver por nosotras toda clase de pequeños y grandes inconvenientes me hacen recordarlos sonriente y agradecida. Conocer la Patagonia es un privilegio, si tiene la oportunidad de hacer este paseo no lo dude, la grandeza del paisaje y la experiencia del cambiante clima, te hace sentir la pequeñez del humano ante la naturaleza. Esta experiencia de alguna manera reubica en la cabeza el sin sentido de tantas preocupación inútil en nuestras vidas de ciudad. Me sentí tremendamente viva y definitivamente ....quisiera repetir!!!

El desempeño de André se puso a prueba en varias ocasiones durante el viaje, en cada una salió adelante con muy buen talante. Se manejó maravillosamente con un grupo de excursionista bastante heterogéneo, fué un buen lider, mostró un excelente conocimiento de la zona, mucha paciencia y mucho entusiasmo. Una característica especialmente me agradó de él: sabe darte espacio. Es una persona muy intuitiva.

Luz Thomas

Noviembre, 2009

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Rain or no rain, fierce winds or no, I vow to see you again.

A superior introduction to the Torres del Paine region! Doing just the "W" circuit simply whetted my appetite to want to cover more territory, SOON! My map shows so many more trails to explore. Rain or no rain, fierce winds or no, I vow to see you again.
Gonzalo and Víctor (Viti) and their killer smiles won our hearts! We placed our trust in them, and they delivered: shepherding us down and up trail, through ferocious winds up el Valle francés, offering their special sweetened tea during the day to warm the soul and keep our spirits alive (as if the terrific scenery couldn't have done that in and of itself).

As well, wild Patagonia has made an impression upon me which I shall treasure for a long while. While serving as an introduction to the region (we followed it up with two weeks trekking in the Aysén region - Puerto Bertrand, Lagos Bertrand and Plomo, Ventisquero Nef, Lago Cachet 2, Ventisquero Colonia, Lago Colonia - and rafting the Ríos Claro, Colonia and Baker all the way to the Pacific Ocean), as mentioned earlier SO much of the Torres del Paine area remain for me to discover and enjoy. I only hope to be able to cross paths with you at Chile Nativo again. Que Dios los bendiga.

Janice & John Le Pouvoir

March 2009

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Our Guide was excellent!

We had an amazing trip. We were extremely lucky to have an excellent guide who was very good at educating us about the features found inside the Torres Del Paine national park. He was exceptionally kind and good mannered, and very entusiastic which ultimately had a positive effect on our whole trip. The accomodations that were booked for us (the refugios in the national park) were very good. On the whole i thoroughfully enjoyed the trip and would recommend Chile Nativo to everyone who is planning a holiday to Chile and South America.

Yannis Mavromatakis

January 2009

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Chile – Wanderung in Patagonien

Im November 2008 gingen wir, meine Frau Eva-Maria und ich auf eine einmonatige Chile-Reise. Da zu unseren Bekannten und Freunden keine Chile-Erfahrenen zählen, haben wir für die Planung der Reise die Hilfe vom Reisebüro ChileInside in Anspruch genommen, was im Nachhinein betrachtet für uns sehr wertvoll war. Wir trafen auf unserer Reise viele Individual-Reisende, die ihr Tourenprogramm „vor Ort“ und operativ festlegten; doch im Gegensatz zu unserer 4-wöchigen Reise hatten die Leute 1 Viertel Jahr oder mehr Zeit zur Verfügung. Der erste Teil unseres Programmes war eine „Kleingruppentour“ mit ChileNativo im Paine-Nationalpark. Wir waren überrascht, aber nicht böse, als uns Gonzalo, unser Guide, mitteilte, dass unsere Gruppe nur aus ihm und uns beiden besteht. Bei sonnigem Wetter konnten wir die Paine-Türme über dem Lago Sarmiento betrachten und bewundern. Die Einführungstour brachte uns die Schönheiten der Natur sehr nahe. Das Rot der gerade erblühten Feuerbüsche kontrasierte sehr gut mit dem Weiß der schneebedeckten Paine-Gipfel. Die Guanakos und auch die Nandus ließen sich durch unsere Anwesenheit kaum stören. Als Genuß für den Magen bereiteten uns Gonzalo und Carlos, der uns von Puerto Natales zum Nationalpark gebracht hatte, ein farbenfrohes und wohlschmeckendes Lunch zu. Wir entdeckten hier für uns die Verwendung von Avocado.

Am zweiten Tag war uns das Wetter nicht mehr so gewogen. Doch wir waren ja von Gonzalo schon darauf eingestellt, dass das Patagonische Wetter an einem Tag 4 Jahreszeiten bereit hält. Der Winter erwischte uns leider am Mirador. Bei Schneetreiben hatten wir Nullsicht auf die Paine-Türme. Der Frühling kam dann noch rechtzeitig, so dass wir die Spitzen der Türme von Ferne in der Sonne sehen konnten. Nach durchregneter Nacht führte uns am 3. Tag der Weg mitsamt unserem Gepäck entlang des Lago Nordenskjöld. Unterwegs machte uns Gonzalo – wie immer - mit den Pflanzen und Tieren bekannt. Wir kosteten von der Winterbeere und entdecken den Kondor. An der „Refugio Los Cuernes“ zeigten sich über uns die Berge im Abendlicht. Für das Abendessen verdiente sich der Koch ein Lob. Das Wetter auf dem Weiterweg am Folgetag zeigte uns eine weitere eindrucksvolle Seite: Eva-Maria und ich waren gerade bei der Betrachtung der aufschäumenden Gischt auf dem Lago Nordenskjöld, als uns eine Windbö erfasste und uns in die Steine warf – Die Stürze gingen für uns glimpflich aus und wir konnten späteren Windböen mit unserer gewonnenen Erfahrung trotzen. Leider hatten wir mit den Aussichtspunkten im Valle Frances erneut kein Glück: Der starke Schneefall machte uns die Sicht zunichte. Den Lago Pehoe erreichten wir durchnässt und wir waren froh, uns unter der warmen Dusche in der Refugio am Lago Pehoe aufwärmen zu können. Am letzten Tag unserer Tour stellt das Wetter an uns hohe Anforderungen und es erforderte schon große Überwindung, bei ununterbrochenem Regen ins Freie zu gehen. Bald hatten wir uns an den schlammigen Weg gewöhnt, der teilweise ein fließender Bach war. Unser Durchhaltevermögen wurde belohnt: Den Lunch konnten wir in einer Mulde einnehmen, wo es windstill und fast regenfrei war. Aber die größte Freude für uns brachte die Nachricht, die Gonzalo per Mobiltelefon (das hier nun auch wieder aktiv ist) erhielt, dass unser Schiff auch bei heutigem stürmischen Wetter fährt - entlang des Grey-Gletschers. Auf dem letzten Wegstück beflügelten wir unsere Schritte und erreichten rechtzeitig die Landestelle für das Boot, das uns zum Schiff bringen sollte. Obwohl es auch auf dem Schiff stürmte und der Regen wieder einsetzte, nahm uns der Anblick des wild zerklüfteten Grey-Gletschers gefangen. Das Schiff brachte uns hautnah an das blau-schimmernde Gletschereis heran.

Diese abschließende Gletscher-Fahrt war in unserem ursprünglichen Tourenprogramm nicht enthalten. Gonzalo hatte diesen Höhepunkt auf unseren Wunsch und auf seine Anregung hin während der Tour organisiert. Am anderen Ende des Lago Grey konnten wir abschließend - von einem warmen Platz aus - die blauen Eisberge bewundern, die vom Gletscher abgebrochen und über den See geschwommen waren. Auf der Rückfahrt nach Puerto Natales zeigte sich uns die Berglandschaft sogar noch in der Sonne. Unser abschließender Dank gebührt Gonzalo: alles hat geklappt (auf das Wetter hatte er leider keinen Einfluss); er ist uns auf dieser Tour ein guter Freund geworden.

Dieter und Eva-Maria Mehnert

November 2008

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Patagonian weather

The trip was for us very infomative especially because Gonzalo has a big knowledge. The timetable was correct so that we had enough time for viewing the landscape an the plants and animales. But the trip was also demanding especially because we had a typical "Patagonian weather" with rain and storm. Gonzalo was variabel in the planning of the hiking tour so that we had at least a trip by boat under the glaciar - this was excellent !

Dieter Mehnert

November 2008

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