DESTINATIONS LATIN AMERICA | PATAGONIA
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Grey Glacier and Lake Grey; hikers rest on the W Trek route; horses and hikers in Torres del Paine National Park PICTURES: Danielle Marie Lister/Intrepid Travel; Annie Ure
I also opted for a guided tour with Intrepid Travel, exper expert ASK THE Rosario Wevar,
Torres del Paine guide, Intrepid Travel
“September, October,
March and April are seasons of transition – spring and autumn, respectively. The days get shorter, summer and vacations are over,
temperatures drop, and so do the number of visitors. The
fast pace slows down, making it an ideal time for those
travelling for the experience, not just the destination.”
which organised everything from entry permits and transfers to accommodation and meals. As well as hassle-free arrangements, I was seeking the camaraderie of being with like-minded travellers. Leading our group the entire way was local guide and park expert Rosario, offering novice hikers like me some much-needed support and reassurance, as well as fascinating insights into the region’s history and geography. One of the first facts I learnt from her was that paine means ‘blue’ in Tehuelche, a critically endangered Indigenous language.
GLACIAL WONDERS Day one might have been our shortest hiking day with just six miles (10km) to cover, but it was our earliest start. We left our hotel in the nearest town of Puerto Natales at 6am, driving in the pitch black, until, by 8am, the morning light finally revealed the looming mountains of Torres del Paine across the plains. After entering the park, we boarded a catamaran that carried us across Lake Grey. The water’s murky, bluish- grey colour is from melted particles of Grey Glacier, our starting point for the trek. After getting off the boat, it didn’t take long to reach our first viewpoint of the magnificent landscape: a chance to gaze at the glacier’s towering blue ice cliffs that can reach up to 30 metres high. Giant icebergs floated in the water in front of the glacier, evidence of past calving events. We’d barely taken our first steps and I’d already had my first ‘wow’ moment.
34 4 JUNE 2026
Following a breezy five-hour hike along the
shoreline of Lake Grey, we reached our first night’s accommodation. Dotted along the trail are several large shelters called refugios, where hikers can refuel and rest for the night – usually bunking with around six people in a room. This first refugio had communal areas with log-burning stoves, offering us space to socialise and share a game or two of Uno, before heading to the dining hall for a warming buffet dinner with soups, pasta and chicken dishes.
IN AWE OF AUTUMN My quads were put to the test on the second day: after setting off under a glowing pink sky, we headed for French Valley – what would be the centre of the ‘W’ on a map. The day’s lengthy 15-mile section had a series of tricky inclines along uneven boulder paths, with autumn leaves fluttering down on us like confetti. However, it was all worthwhile when we emerged out of the forests to Mirador Frances – our lunch spot. Here, I could appreciate how the valley’s forest of native lenga trees created a mosaic of red, yellow and orange, sweeping all the way down towards the turquoise water of Nordenskjöld Lake. To the east were the charcoal-black ‘horns’ of Cuernos del Paine, another one of the park’s recognisable landmarks. On the opposite side of the valley was Cerro Paine Grande, the highest mountain in the park: its distant rumbling avalanches stunned us into silence as we munched on our sandwiches. ²
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