UKC

Has anyone been to Torres del Paine backpacking? Any thoughts, advice, suggestions on anything - route, places to camp, tents, etc. Hoping to spend six weeks from Mid November to end December ... just assembling thoughts and getting an idea of what stuff I actually need to advance book (refugios), and what I'm already too late to book!

In reply to AlisonSmiles:

all the info is pretty readily available in Puerto Natales
6 weeks is quite a long time, as no facilities in the park other than refugios & one small shop

Do the circuito & walk the valley on silence (behind the torres)

It rains... alot!
Dont remember booking to camp, but think in peak season you'd need to book refugios

In reply to AlisonSmiles:

Been a couple of times. Trekked the W Circuit last time, just the Ascensio valley to the mirador lookout the time before that. W trek was in February, OK weather, dozens and dozens, literally, of Israeli backpackers all hanging together en masse. Made for quite a scrum getting on the hydrofoil across the lake.

We used tents, no refugios. Basically they get booked up by groups well in advance but sometimes you can can get a late spot. 2nd night of the W trek it rained more than I've ever known in a tent and lots got washed away or soaked. We were off climbing later so had good rain gear and a good tent - anything less would have had us in trouble.

We didn't book ahead for a hostel/hotel in Puerto Natales and found a place OK but plenty of places were booked up. November might not be so bad, but in my 8 or 9 summers based in Punta Arenas I only saw the tourists season get earlier and busier each year.

My first time there for the Ascensio/Mirador overnight trek was years ago, but it really was as windy as they say, probably the windiest inhabited place I've ever been. I'm 95kg and it nearly blew me over sideways.

Note that the park had bad bushfires a couple of years ago and some sections were badly burnt and closed off. Might be fine now.

In reply to AlisonSmiles:

Been, it is amazing - but 6 weeks is a long time. You need to think about resupply. The hostels and facilities are expensive (was on a budget after being in Chile for two months), we found it sometimes difficult to get around if you didn't want to use (i.e. pay for) the facilties and I think public transport within the park is non-existent unless you are staying at one of the over priced hotels and hitching was not that easy as there is little public traffic at times of the day. Ended up walking 15 miles along roads to get back to our car when we finished. We mainly camped at the refugios - good camping facilities -which tookaway the worry about whether we would get a place ( central area is very busy). Enjoy. I'd be back in a moment if I could take time off.



D

In reply to AlisonSmiles:

I assume you mean 6 weeks in patagonia? Unless climbing you may struggle with 6 weeks in torres. We did the full circuit in mid november, saw hardly anyone for 4 days. Huts were barely open (we camped anyway) and had no stock of food. But masses of folk on the front doing the W.

We had a book about trekking by lonely planet which i recommend. Without your own transport you are more limited in what you can do. We said that f we went back we would hire a car.

Campsites were about £5 per night. Go to Fitz roy too as that is also some great trekking.

In mid nov it was still very cold, it snowed quite a few times and the pass on the circuit had waist deep snow, it was ok route finding but winter bags were definatly needed and maybe boots. We didnt use crampons as the snow was soft but a guide we met had crampons with him.

Its an amazing place, enjoy it but be prepared to spend plenty of $ as its not cheap!

In reply to AlisonSmiles: We did the Full circuit (plus the french valley) a few years ago. Superb, the initial (northern?) part you will be pretty much on your own - lovely. Once you get round to where the 'W' trek starts then suddenly you meet loads of people - culture shock after the previous 4 days.

Weather is 'special' as is the wind over the John Garner pass! The descent from the John Garner pass is unique as it involves sliding dowwn a wood on fixed lines. Would be character building in the wet.

We stayed at the Patagonia hostel in Puerto Natales. Really nice showers and they'll look after your stuff whilst your in the park. The hostel will also organise your bus into the park too which parks right outside the hostel. There are loads of hostels in Puerto Natales but this had been recommended by friends so we booked ahead.

There are enough shops in Puerto Natales to get your food for your stay, including a great shop which just sells dried fruit and nut etc. We called it the "Trail Mix Shop".

In reply to all:

I guess the Torres is my main hit. Generically hoping to figure out buses to travel elsewhere in Patagonia.

In reply to AlisonSmiles:

I'd fly to San Martin de Los Andes and work my way south via Bariloche etc. There is some great trekking south of there in Nahuel Huapi national park. Got to go up to Refugio Frey. We drove, but there are some buses. Fly back to from Punta Arenas or Ushuaui? It's along way down.

D

In reply to AlisonSmiles:
Did the W trek a couple of years ago. We just used campsites, no refugios, and there wasn't any need to book (late Feb/early March so end of the season). We stayed at the only campsite in Puerto Natales which is an 'interesting' place, there are plenty of hostels too. The campsite owner booked us on to a bus into the park, I can't remember how much it was but not too crazy. Included a return ticket, which was from anywhere in the park, so we trekked out to Possado Serrano after finishing rather than pay for the boat, and took the bus back from there. Even late season the park was incredibly busy. Honestly, I found the rules and regulations oppressive (e.g. you can only stay in each campsite for one night), the park overcrowded and too 'sanitised' and the trek not that amazing. I'm glad we went, but we were also glad to finish and get outta there! (and this was in nice weather, late season - I dread to think what it would be like peak season in bad weather!)

Much preferred the Fitz Roy area, there are some beautiful treks there too. Get the lonely planet Trekking in Patagonia guidebook for more ideas, such as the circuit of Cerro Cathedral - not done it but meant to be lovely.

Feel free to message me if you want to know more/see photos/whatever - spent 3 months in both Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia climbing, trekking and travelling.

In reply to maria85:

Oh yes indeed there are lots of rules. Cerro Cathedral or Cerro Castillo?

D

In reply to Damo:


Why is that? There are dozens of Israelis on the Tour du Mont Blanc too.

In reply to jon:

Known as 'the wave' they like to travel in large groups. India, Thailand, South America.

D

In reply to Dauphin:

My point was that there are far more than previous years. Is their economy stronger than usual or something?

In reply to Dauphin: Castillo, thankyou. Momemtary brain fart and didn't look at the map/guide.

In reply to jon: The large groups of Israelis seems (from the ones I've spoken to) to be due to the fact that they still have compulsory military service, for which they are paid. So they leave the army 2 years later, tons of cash, no job to go to, still young, and all go travelling. This also explains why the groups are predominantly male.

In reply to maria85:

If anyone is travelling all that way down there I recommend doing the Cerro Castillo trek. Bit tricky to get and needs a bit of planning without your own transport but easily the best 3 or 4 days I spent. Spartan Hospedajes in the small town when we finished the trek - good drinking games with a couple of Israelis in the local Bodega.

D

In reply to AlisonSmiles:

Went there with a mate a long time ago... Jan/Feb 1991 (flew out to Santiago via Miami on the day the first Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm) started....plane was empty!)

I'm assuming things have changed quite a bit infrastructure wise in last 22 years.

We had a day going up to the towers, then 4/5 days doing the circuit (camping), trek was near enough deserted. We were very lucky with weather. Six week there seems long given all the other areas you could get to and explore on a six week trip.

We then hitched/bused into Argentina and back into Chile at Coyhaique (was a beautiful Alpine setting), then across to Chilean Lake District & Chiloe Island.

Total trip was 3 weeks ish.

In reply to maria85:

Yeh, that's about it, from what I know. In 2011 in Peru was the same, though Peru and Bolivia have always been popular with young Israelis. There used to be visa issues years ago for them that made some countries more accessible than others, but this may have changed. Cusco is so crowded they mostly blend in, but en route to Macchu Pichu etc they dominated the buses by a factor of four or five, made even more notable by how they move together, stay together, talk and socialise together etc. I think the more people do it, the more it becomes a cultural thing at home to have 'done it' so it feeds on itself. I was talking about this with a couple of Israeli walkers I met in NZ last year, who were uncharacteristically there and not in Bolivia or Nepal.

Like any big mob of youths they could be quite intimidating en masse and get a bit rowdy etc, but overall I've found them friendly, good kids and relatively competent outdoors. Better behaved, less drunk and violent than plenty of British or Australian youngsters. I suppose my main complaint, if I had to look for one, is they're so tight-arsed cheap they really screw the locals for every little cent, so I can understand why they're not so popular in some places. I have seen them be quite rude to lodge owners in Nepal etc but I've seen all nationalities be rude to locals in various ways, so in that regard they're not necessarily notable.

I know I'm talking about 'them' like they're another species and that's a bit ugly, but it's more that they really are quite distinctive on the travel circuit by being all together in such large numbers, in certain places and so homogenous.

In reply to maria85:

OK thanks, that sounds reasonable.

Damo, it's almost impossible to refer to groups of any type as anything other than 'them'! But it usually comes across badly, doesn't it?!

In reply to Damo: I met Israelis in NZ too in numbers. Never met such mature and interesting blokes in early twenties. As an old bird used to British youth it was refreshing to be treated as an equal conversation partner not as a dinosaur.