DESTINATIONS LATIN AMERICA | PATAGONIA
DO & DON’T
DO tell clients about the benefits of shoulder-season
trekking to enjoy less-crowded trails and a higher chance of spotting wildlife. For
Patagonia, this is October- November (spring) and March-April (autumn).
DO inform clients they will need a good level of fitness and are required to carry their personal belongings, including clothing, food and water, as there is no porter service. However, multi-day hiking experience and altitude training is not essential.
ABOVE: Hikers on the W Trek can explore the region’s glaciers PICTURES: Intrepid Travel/Steve Mortimer, Marci; Shutterstock/Strilets We’d found our rhythm by day three. After a night
DON’T promise perfect weather, even if booking in high season (December-
February). Weather is very unpredictable in Patagonia, and clients are encouraged
to read Intrepid’s packing list carefully before travelling.
DON’T sell it as a high-end experience. This W Trek itinerary is best suited to
adventure-loving customers who are happy with basic
food and accommodation – including sharing mixed dorms and camping.
of comfy camping in raised, mattress-bottomed tents, we set off on a more relaxed 10-mile ramble along the shores of Nordenskjöld Lake, although there were still plenty of small ascents and descents to keep us focused. On top of a hill, Rosario picked a giant boulder with views out across the lake for our lunch break. “In January and February, it can be too windy to eat
here. Although it’s high season, it’s also known as windy season,” she told us, as we smugly enjoyed another blissful day in the sun, offering yet another reason why shoulder season can be a great time to hike the W Trek. Once settled into our new refugio for the final night, I took a moment outside to appreciate the clear night sky, with full moon and bright constellations illuminating the park’s glowing, snow-topped peaks. Good weather is never guaranteed in Torres del Paine whatever time of year you visit, so I thanked my lucky stars and wished for one more glorious day.
THE LAST HURRAH
Our luck held – and not just with the weather, which took a warmer turn after we woke to sub-zero temperatures. Shortly after departure on our final trekking day, we noticed a puma across the steppe, stalking a hare through the long grass. Although the park is home to the world’s highest concentration of the big cat, sightings remain rare. This one lingered just long enough for our group to snap some photos before it slipped away in pursuit of its prey. “You’re very lucky,” Rosario said. “They don’t always make an appearance.”
36 4 JUNE 2026 BOOK IT
Intrepid Travel’s six-day Patagonia: Torres del Paine Classic W Trek starts at £1,976, including two hotel nights in Puerto Natales at the start and end of the trip, plus three nights in refugios or full-service camping, plus meals, transport, boat trips and park permits. The price for a December 6 departure, including flights from Heathrow to Puerto Natales (two stops), costs from £3,560.
intrepidtravel.com/uk
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The final 13-mile section proved to be the most challenging of the trek so far, but this is when you benefit from hiking in a group, keeping each other motivated when times got tough. Following the trail through Valley Ascencio alongside a glistening river, we traversed steep mountain paths, crossed wooden-slat bridges and climbed switchbacks under the forest’s dazzling golden canopy. It was the busiest trail so far, with day-trippers also coming to see the famous towers – yet Rosario pointed out there were still fewer than half the people you’d see in high season. There’s no feeling that compares with seeing Torres
del Paine for the first time. Sitting at 1,100 metres above sea level, with a bold blue sky as a backdrop and distant condors swooping around their peaks, the granite giants will remain etched in my memory, alongside the other enchanting landscapes and wild surprises we’d seen throughout our journey. The trek may get its name from the shape of the route, but in my mind ‘W’ will always stand for ‘wow’.
TW
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