With the suffocating regulations and impressive glaciers that are melting away faster than you can say “cachái?” information on the best trek of Torres del Paine National Park (TdP) is constantly evolving. I have yet to meet an individual who has been able to escape the distress and contradiction when trying to reserve campsites and buy food in the limited shops of Puerto Natales (PN). Exiting the trail less than a week ago as of March 2018, I decided to throw out some updated details regarding campsite rules, weather, gear, and meal prep that cannot be found elsewhere on the internet. Please note that this post is for those who are planning and already have a good understanding of the campsite system and how to kill it on the ‘O’ because they have read more complete articles such as this one and this one.

 

 

General

• I’ll start with a major public service announcement: PN had no sleeves of regular sized Oreos. Anywhere. Trust me, I looked.
• Another PSA: as someone who hates to commit to dates and didn’t learn how to reserve campsites until weeks before my trek, I was tortured by attempts to line up my camping among the three organization sites (Conaf, Fantastico Sur, and Vertice). I emailed the companies two weeks in advance and with the help of Paypal, I magically had exactly what I needed when I needed, despite the websites saying there was no space available. Crazy.
• Many backpackers prefer to show up in PN and visit the booking offices in person to get all their reservations, and this worked well in March (not so high season).
• Erractic Rock, the preferred spot for gear rental among backpackers, gave a daily free information talk at 3pm two blocks down from their hostel, which is the best way to meet those with the same hiking dates as yourself to quell any last-minute anxiety. The talk details what to expect for each day of the trek, and talks about exactly how to meal prep and weather prep. Especially important for solo travelers, you’ll find potential trail partners and friends to share gear and split costs with. It’s optimal to hear the talk two days before you head into TdP. Bonus: free coffee.
• Taken from the talk, don’t use your backpack’s rain fly because 90kph winds are no joke. Line the whole inside of your pack with a trash bag. Use an extra bag for clothes and one for electronics for double protection. Also line the inside of your sleeping bag compression sack and your tent, especially if these are attached on the outside.
• Never check the weather. It’s actually meaningless.
• When bussing from PN into TdP, sit on the left for better views.
• You’ll need Chilean pesos to pay for TdP entry , and the short bus ride to the trailhead ($5/3,000 CLP). Cards accepted for extra food or drink at all refugio minimarkets.
• There were orange tags labeled “TRAIL” at the end of the first day as we approached Serón. It must be some sort of sick joke. Stay on the extremely wide road.
• Our reservations were checked the second day at Coirón, for proof of Dickson and Perros, where there were also porta potties and easy spots to get water.
• Serón and Dickson have some mosquitoes.
• Dickson is the prettiest campsite. We slept in, had lunch on the pebble beach tucked behind the campsite with a view of a glacier, strolled along the shore, and didn’t leave until 2pm. This still gave us plenty of time to reach Perros with the generous daylight hours of Patagonia.
• When leaving Paine Grande, most people were asked to prove a reservation of a subsequent campsite before they were allowed to hike. One friend was held back a day. To avoid being checked, leave between 6:00-700am.
• Apparently people actually consider skipping Mirador Britanico. Unless you are actually stuck in a snow blizzard, do not ignore what makes the ‘W’ part of the ‘O’ circuit an actual ‘W’ and not a ‘U.’ It’s a highlight.
• Other optional viewpoints I was aware of were located between Dickson and Perros, Paso and Grey, at Grey, and at Paine Grande.
• Some of the most stunning views of Glacier Grey occur when crossing very large hanging bridges.
• Trash could be tossed at Serón, Grey, Paine Grande, and Central.
• Italiano had rats.
• No cooking with camping stoves was allowed at Cuernos.
• Water was so abundant that hikers only needed a 1-liter sized bottle. No filters or pills needed.
• It was common for campers to show up and leave Central without reservations or paying.
• I met plenty who have had success with faking reservations by changing names and dates on an old reservation document.
• When hiking to Britanico leave your big pack at Italiano with rangers, and when hiking to Los Torres, leave it with your tent wherever you slept.
• Bring a towel and slides/crocs/flip flops if you want to shower. All campsites had showers, most had hot water. I didn’t shower for six nights and multiple people claimed they couldn’t smell me, but who knows.
• You’ll want a book or things for journaling on shorter days.
• You’ll want a Snickers or three for long days. They’re just under 1,000 pesos in PN but 2,000 ($3.50) in TdP, but just do it. Seriously.

 

Where To Get What

• Most bus companies with from PN to TdP sell for $25/15,000 CLP, but a few sell for $21/12,000 CLP. These cheaper companies include Juan Oreja (sold by Cafran gear shop where I also found a camping mug with a carabiner as a handle <3) and Maria Jose (sold at Maria Jose hostel, also said to be a good price with no reservation needed).
• Accommodation: Puerto Natales is so expensive, and while HostelWorld or Booking.com show high prices and low availability, I found Backpacker Nataly on O’Higgins Street to have the one of the cheapest dorms, hot showers, and good wifi (all three are quite rare in PN). No reservation necessary, just walk in.
• Tent and sleeping bag: Erratic Rock was popular but had none left when I inquired, so I rented a one-person tent and sleeping bag from Yagan House for $3.50 and
• Laundry: Last Hope Hostel and the lovely Diego, where I stayed before my trek, does not charge by weight and offers guests a flat cost of $12/11,000CLP, which I split with a friend.
• Unimarc: annoyingly always out of stock of everything, the only consistent things about PN’s largest supermarket besides long ass lines were powdered milk and cookies (try Toddy classic). The only affordable items appeared to be bread, Asian pears, boxed mixed vegetables, eggs, tomato, zucchini, chorizo. The only affordable size of Nutella was 140g for $4, which wasn’t there by the time I mustered up the strength to splurge for it.
• Frutos Secos Itahue: everything sold from bulk by weight, this gem had the cheapest oats in town by a long shot, and also had nice walnuts, trail mixes, raisins, apricots, spices, and chia seeds.
• Don Bosco: Snickers, Ziploc, and a wider variety of instant soup options.
• La Sureña: Directly across from Don Bosco and to the immediate left of a butcher shop, I found the best quality dates, banana chips, carrots and fresh bananas (both of which were a joke in Unimarc), apples, and kiwi. They also have queso de campo, which was surprisingly good shelf-stable cheese.
• Free piles: In various hostels I was able to pick up sugar, honey, sleeping pad, tarp, Ziploc bags, and some leftover gas.
• Raw eggs can be purchased 3 for 1,000 CLP at Paine Grande.
• Beer was $6.60/4,000 CLP for a can at most campsites.
• A round for your trekking friends when returning to civilization: Some TdP workers were drinking beers in the bathroom at the welcome center so I trust their recommendation of Slowly Bar (open until 5am), though I never went myself. Last Hope Distillery is the southernmost distillery in the world, but more importantly, it maintains a nice atmosphere. An Australian couple came to do the ‘W’ three years ago and never left. They served, with excellent service and presentation, $6.60/4,000 CLP cocktails, many of which were with their own gin, beers available too. They officially opened in 2017, and their own whiskey will be ready in April 2018. I recommend the Southside for mojito lovers like myself, and the cocktail that was a ginger beer.