Here’s a few photos from Torres del Paine’s O Trek from December 2022. It was a great few days.
Walking to the start (not recommended…)
We didn’t realise you could get a bus to the very start, so walked from where the first bus dropped us. It’s not a good idea, but it does make for good views.
It frequently feels on the trek that every type of landscape on earth has been scattered in the Torres del Paine.
The Torres are surely best left until last? And it’s worth it getting up early to see them at daybreak.
For tips on the trek I’ve got another blog coming up soon…
At the end of December my partner and I completed Torres del Paine’s famous O Trek, or to give it its proper name, the ‘Circuito Macsimo’. A few photos from our trip are here. We’d done plenty of research before our trip but this is some things we wish we had known before doing it, from a UK backpacker’s perspective.
Do it your way. The trek can be done plenty of different ways, even though the route for everyone will be essentially the same. You can do it fully supported in basically holiday mode – for a ton of cash – or you can backpack it in a conventional manner carrying all your own kit. You can stay in huts, get your meals prepared for you, or hire sleeping bags, mats, and tents. Some people hire kit at every camp site and get full board meals prepared for them. Others are fully self sufficient throughout. Some people seem to employ what are basically local porters to carry their kit! We did it over 6 days carrying all of our food and kit, and that was the most enjoyable way for us, but we were staggered to find out all the other options available to people! There are a couple of optional Mirrador extensions too, but they’re very worth doing, and surely seeing the Torres themselves isn’t optional?!
Bring your own tent, stay in a pre-erected tent, or stay in the luxury lodge just out of shot.
Book early This was a tip from some friends and it was vital. The campsites book up very early and so you will need to book them many months in advance. Book on bookingpatagonia.com – this is the most flexible website and allows you to choose exactly which camps to go to and when, though it is a bit of a faff so set aside some time to do it.
There is a bit of a racket that runs between the campsite operators that encourages you to stay at every camp and that means some fairly short days along the way. It initially seems like that is your only option, but it is possible to double up distances or have rest days and stay at a camp twice if you’re savvy with your booking.
The camp grounds are not what you’re used to The camp grounds are not like the UK. You won’t arrive to a soggy field with a pub opposite and a shack with a basin in and be expected to fend for yourself. The facilities at the camps are incredibly good but that means it doesn’t feel like wilderness. Some people will be buying beers, there are campsite shops selling all sorts, there are big buildings where you can cook your food… it’s insane compared to any UK campsite and as far away from wild camping as you can get. The term Mild Camping was invented for treks like this.
The people on the trek are a varied bunch We expected everyone on the O Trek to be experienced hikers. After all, it’s a pretty long way to walk and in a remote area. But, we actually encountered a lot of novices and some people had too little experience to realise what they didn’t know (something I discussed a long time ago in a blog here). So expect to overhear some bizarre observations and recommendations. We heard comments like “this is a really good campsite – it’s got Wi-Fi” when surely its primary benefit was the breathtaking views in all directions, and at another camp a swarm of bros were backslapping and felating each other at typically deafening volumes. We heard enough garbage to start and fill a whole #overheardontheotrek thread.
UK camping is pretty special I hate the term wild camping but camping without a campsite in the UK and particularly in Scotland is really special, and I hadn’t realised quite how special until I went on this trek. The Paine Circuit forbids camping apart from at the designated spots and this is absolutely the right thing to do in a landscape that is vulnerable but also incredibly busy with trekkers, many of whom aren’t experienced enough to know what’s right and wrong. But, it also takes away from the feeling of wilderness. Some people treat the campsites as places to socialise and make new friends and they’re perfect for that, but if you want to get away from it all then the Paine’s campsites aren’t good for it. The UK’s (or England and Wales’ at least) direction of wild camping with the recent Dartmoor news is really scary and must be strongly condemned.
There’s admin You will need your reservations and your passport with you at all times. The trail is like parts of the USA with lots of ranger posts and people checking up on where you are going. Again, this seems weird to someone from the UK but perhaps not to others. The rangers are really friendly and very helpful with for example bird identification, but they will also want to check your passport!
The trail The trail is incredibly well maintained. It is very easy to follow at all times and we only checked the map once or twice (more on that later). In terms of technicality it’s mostly easier than the terrain you’d get on, say, Catbells in the Lakes. The only exception is coming down from the John Gardner Pass, which is steep but nothing technical by any means.
The weather isn’t necessarily what the reputation suggests In midsummer we experienced incredibly good weather. It rained for about 30 minutes in the 6 days we were on the O Trek and it was never cold. It was very windy for a few days though, and the UV was exceptionally high for long periods. It was very hot in some of the afternoons. Torres del Paine is in a rain shadow and so is very dry, which you will see plenty of evidence of on the trek. The best forecast for the area is windguru.cz.
The UV was higher on this trek than anywhere else I’ve been at similar altitudes.
Bring the right clothing We overcooked it on our clothing and took more warm clothing and wet weather clothing than we really needed. Because there are inside cooking areas you don’t need to be prepared to cook outside when it’s cold and wet. Because the UV is incredibly high – the highest I’ve ever experienced at sea level – bring tons of sun cream, decent sunglasses and some full coverage clothing. Bring a windproof so you don’t have to wear a waterproof when it’s dry but windy, which is frequent. Bring some spare footwear to wear in the camp (this was biggest thing I wish I’d brought with me).
At the Torres at sunrise. The only time in the whole circuit (in midsummer at least) that we needed warm clothing.
Don’t rely on the maps We spent ages trying to find a map of Torres del Paine in Santiago and it was impossible, so don’t bother trying. In Puerto Natales there are plenty of maps to buy, of varying quality, and none of them are very good. They aren’t all that detailed and with 50m contour intervals you can’t work out accurately how far each day’s ascent is. Some guidebooks’ figures aren’t necessarily a lot more accurate either, and each day’s ascent could be double the trail’s ‘official’ figure. The sector distances are roughly right but most are five percent less than the actual distances, as measured by two gps watches, and one day was actually about 15 percent shorter than the stated official distance. Some of the paths are not on the maps and some of them are nowhere near where they are shown to be. The signs on the trail showing distances are completely worthless and are sometimes in the wrong place altogether so literally ignore them. In conclusion, bring a map so you know what’s around you but be aware of its limitations.
It’s mostly dry Just to emphasise, approaching the trek in midsummer with UK style rain protection is overkill. Tons of dry bags and heavyweight waterproof clothing is not needed, but obviously you have to bring waterproofs just in case. If it does rain then the wind and sun dries things very quickly. Almost everyone was using rain covers even in light drizzle, which was hilarious when the wind picked up, so maybe don’t bring them either…
Don’t rush On some days if you stick to the recommended distances per day there’s a good chance you’ll set off at a camp’s checkout time and find yourself at the next camp before check in time, which is a bit awkward. One day we arrived 90 minutes before we could check in despite setting off later than almost everyone else on the route. If you’re doubling up days then you need to be a bit more speedy, but the cut off times (rangers won’t let you go beyond certain points at certain times) are very easy to meet.
Know The Pass The John Gardner Pass gets a bit of a reputation. It could certainly be incredibly windy up there but it’s completely non-technical and is easy walking on a good alpine track. If the wind is exceptionally strong then the rangers may even close the Pass, so ask at the campsites about the wind forecast. It’s about 700m of ascent so not loads. You won’t hear anyone fearful of the descent but the way down is harder than the way up with a bit of steep ground through the trees, but the path is well maintained and there’s some fantastic suspension bridges to take you to the next camp.
Looking back down from the John Gardner Pass.
It can be quiet… If you want to walk in solitude then it’s very possible… all you have to do is set off at different times to other people or walk at a different speed. On some days, especially the two which we doubled up, we saw fewer than ten people on the trails all day. The only day where we saw plenty of people was going over the Pass. However, if you want to be part of a big group then that’s possible too.
Prepare to be amazed The trek is incredibly scenic. It’s absolutely mind blowing, in fact. Bring something good to take photos on and a backup in case you drop/drown/drain it. The landscape has ever-changing views and tons of interesting flora and fauna. It is like cheat-mode on a God Sim computer game where every type of terrain imaginable has been thrown into one walk. It makes for an unforgettable trip and one that exceeded all of my expectations. I wasn’t particularly enammoured with the Mild Camping between the trekking, but the actual route is unbelievably good and once I’d got used to the unexpected niceness of the campsites they were pretty good too.
A few other tips Stay at Camping Guino in Puerto Natales before/after your trek. It is possibly the best campsite I’ve ever stayed at. It has lockers, very friendly staff, excellent facilities, plays great music, and and is right next to the bus station.
If you want to camp, take a tent that will stand up to some wind. Most of the campsites are sheltered but some moreso than others, and if you get to a spot late-on then most of the shelter might be taken. Make sure you can pitch a tent in 50kmph winds.
Regarding footwear, most of the trail is very tame and so trainers might seem a good choice but with a heavy bag they can get tiring to wear over a few days and boots might be better. Wearing trainers with a heavy bag will destroy them in no time too, whereas boots will last many times longer. Then again, trainers are lighter and better if it’s really hot. If I did it again I’d wear boots again, unless I were looking to do the O in 4 days or fewer. We regretted not taking a pair of sandals or flip flops to wear around camp and I’d definitely recommend doing that.
Gear and Mountains 