Patagonia, W trek and a stretch of the Carretera Austral

December, January, February, March

The southern hemisphere summer. Days are long (16+ hours of light), wind is the most predictable variable, and the trail-side refugios are operating.

Tradeoffs: December–February is also when bookings fill out months in advance. November is shoulder, colder, fewer crowds, some refugios partially closed.

16 days ideal, 12 minimum

The W trek alone is five days. Add Calafate or El Chaltén across the Argentine border (3–4 days) and the Carretera Austral north (5+ days) and you're at 16. Less than 12 and you're rushing the W or skipping the rest.

Flights

~£1,200

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Accommodation

~£1,300

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Activities

~£380

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Ground transport

~£720

Food

~£380

Buffer

~£220

Total~£4,200

Refugio half-board pricing (~£100/night), one lodge night, mid-tier hotels in Puerto Natales and Coyhaique. Bus + ferry combo for the W; rental 4x4 for the Carretera Austral half.

Estimate only. We don't see live prices.

1. 1

   Santiago, then south

   • Land Santiago, evening flight to Punta Arenas

   • Overnight in Punta Arenas

   Sleeping in Punta Arenas mid-tier hotel

2. 2

   Bus to Puerto Natales + Torres del Paine entry

   • 0700 bus to Natales

   • Lunch + last gear top-up

   • Afternoon bus into the park, ferry to Paine Grande

   Sleeping in Refugio Paine Grande

3. 3

   Grey Glacier and back

   • Day hike to Mirador Grey

   • Optional ice walk if the weather is right

   Sleeping in Refugio Paine Grande

4. 4

   French Valley

   • Cross to Italiano camp

   • Half-day climb to the Mirador British

   • Continue east to Refugio Los Cuernos

   Sleeping in Refugio Los Cuernos

5. 5

   Cuernos to Chileno

   • Long traverse along Lago Nordenskjöld

   • Late afternoon at Refugio Chileno

   Sleeping in Refugio Chileno

6. 6

   Towers at sunrise

   • 0330 start for the Mirador Las Torres

   • Sunrise on the towers

   • Descend, bus back to Puerto Natales

   Sleeping in Puerto Natales hotel

7. 7

   Cross to Argentina + Calafate

   • Bus to El Calafate (5 hours, border crossing)

   • Slow afternoon

   Sleeping in El Calafate boutique hotel

8. 8

   Perito Moreno

   • Half-day at the glacier

   • Optional mini-trek on the ice

   Sleeping in El Calafate boutique hotel

9. 9

   Bus to Coyhaique

   • Long border-crossing day back into Chile via Chile Chico

   • Arrive Coyhaique evening

   Sleeping in Coyhaique mid-tier hotel

10. 10

    Pick up the 4x4, drive south

    • Coyhaique to Cerro Castillo (paved)

    • Afternoon Cerro Castillo viewpoint walk

    Sleeping in Cerro Castillo guesthouse

11. 11

    Queulat hanging glacier

    • Drive north to Puyuhuapi, 20 minutes south to the park gate

    • 1.5-hour hike to the Ventisquero Colgante viewpoint

    Sleeping in Puyuhuapi hot-springs lodge

12. 12

    Pumalín

    • Drive into Pumalín National Park

    • Day hikes around Caleta Gonzalo

    Sleeping in Pumalín cabin

13. 13

    Slow day

    • Pumalín, choose your hike, take it slow

    Sleeping in Pumalín cabin

14. 14

    Drive back south

    • Long drive back to Coyhaique

    • Drop the 4x4

    Sleeping in Coyhaique mid-tier hotel

15. 15

    Fly to Santiago

    • Morning flight north

    • Slow Santiago evening

    Sleeping in Santiago hotel

16. 16

    Fly home

    • Long flight

    Sleeping in Plane

• Add El Chaltén (Fitz Roy)

  From Calafate, three nights in El Chaltén gives you day hikes to Laguna de los Tres and Cerro Torre. Patagonia's most photographed massif. Adds 3 days.

• Cut the Carretera Austral

  If 16 days is impossible, stop at El Calafate and fly home. You'll have done the W and the big glacier in 9 days. The Carretera is the dessert.

Hard trip. Five days of trekking with weather that doesn't care about your itinerary. Cooks at the refugios are friendly but the food is functional, not memorable. The pay-off is the towers at sunrise, a different category of view.

Visa

Chile and Argentina are visa-free for most Western passports up to 90 days. You'll cross the border twice; keep boarding stamps.

Vaccines

No special requirements. Standard travel kit.

Safety

Trail itself is well-marked and busy enough that you're never alone. The main risk is weather (hypothermia in wind + wet). Carry layers and a real shell.

Money

USD cash useful at remote refugios and the borders. Chilean pesos / Argentine pesos via ATM in larger towns. Cards work in Coyhaique and Natales.

1. 1

   W trek refugios from Las Torres Patagonia and Vertice fill within days of their May to early-June booking window; book three to six months ahead.

2. 2

   December conditions on the trek rotate quickly, accept that two of every five days will be hostile and the other three will be perfect.

3. 3

   Coyhaique to Puyuhuapi is a full day of driving on Route 7; Queulat National Park is the centrepiece, with a 1.5-hour hike to the Ventisquero Colgante viewpoint.

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