Torres del Paine’s
“W Trek”
but with a Toddler

When we first considered the possibility of taking a young child to Torres del Paine, we quickly discovered that there wasn’t much public info specifically on hiking it with a toddler or baby. The trip became our greatest adventure, in that we were walking into what felt like the unknown…an exhilarating yet terrifying feeling. At any moment, our plans could have been foiled by a single unforeseen hiccup. While our trip was wrought with problems, WE DID IT! If you are here, you clearly might have an interest in doing it as well…hopefully this page will give you more confidence and success than we had!

  1. What is the W Trek?
  2. The Itinerary
  3. How We Booked
  4. The Story of OUR W Trek
  5. Taking a Toddler
  6. What We Got Wrong
  7. Trip Options
  8. Our (exhaustive) Pack List
    1. Our Toddler’s Things
    2. Gear & Things
    3. Clothing
    4. Tech
    5. Food Stuff
    6. First Aid
    7. Toiletries

What is the W Trek?

The W Trek, W Circuit, or sometimes just “The W,” is a trek in Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park (Parque Nacional Torres del Paine). The trek takes you on an approximately 45 mile/70 km path resembling the letter “W” from one side of the park, up the middle, and across to the other side of the park.

While highlights on this Patagonian itinerary are numerous, the most advertised destinations on the trail include:

Base Las Torres
Mirador Británico
Grey Glacier

Our Itinerary


December 20		✈️ Santiago to Punta Arenas
🚌 Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales
December 21🚌 Punta Arenas to Laguna Amarga
🚌 Laguna Amarga to Refugio Torre Central
December 22🥾 Refugio Torre Central to Mirador Base Las Torres & Back ~12 miles/20 km
December 23🥾 Refugio Torre Central to Los Cuernos ~9 miles/13 km
December 24🥾 Los Cuernos to Mirador Británico then to Refugio Paine Grande ~15 miles/24 km
December 25🥾 Refugio Paine Grande to Refugio Grey ~7 miles/11 km
🚢 Refugio Grey to Hotel Lago Grey
🚐 Hotel Lago Grey to Puerto Natales
December 26🚌 Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas
December 2022

How We Booked

On the W Trek, two private companies own all of the refugios and camps. While you can book through a tour operator, we chose to book directly with each location rather than through a 3rd party to save a few bucks. On their websites, you can book any and all meals, tents, campsites, sleeping bags and pads, and beds at the refugios. Paine Grande (and Refugio Grey if you choose to stay there) is booked through Vertice. All the other sites (including Frances and Chileno) are booked through Las Torres. Spoiler alert!: We messed up our bookings BIG TIME because the system was confusing, difficult to use, and had frequent errors. Looking back, the booking system makes sense, but in the moment, for some reason we were a bit lost.

The Story of OUR W Trek

Taking a Toddler

How will they sleep?

We did not book any sleeping arrangements for our 23 month old son and it was not an issue anywhere.

Tents: Some of their 2 person tents are bigger than others. When you arrive request the biggest one and then cross your fingers. If you plan to sleep 2 adults and 1 child in a tent, you will need to bring a sleeping pad for your child. If your child is too small for an adult bag, you will also need to pack your child’s sleeping bag.

Refugios: In the refugio, will you co-sleep, or will you carry a light-weight crib? When we did the Tour du Mont Blanc, we carried Phil and Ted’s old model lightweight crib…the sleep was great but the weight was awful. This time, we ditched the crib and co-slept…the pack weight was great but the sleep was less than ideal. The refugios were all very warm and we were provided blankets. I mostly used to blanket to fill in the quite large gaps between the bed and wall so my son wouldn’t fall through. This (mostly) worked 🙂

Finally, at Paine Grande, we had a room with 2 beds (1 bunk) to ourselves. At Central, we were in a room with 6 beds (3 bunks). Be considerate to those you are sharing a room with. Our little man sleeps through the night very well and did not cry once…but we were prepared for the worst. If you are sharing a room, people will likely be coming in after you put your child down to bed…and who knows who will wake up first? Be prepared to sacrifice your sleep a little out of respect for those you are sharing the trail with.

What will they eat?

We brought 2 servings of Nido powdered whole milk per day, a Bobo or Lara bar for each day, and a sandwich bag of Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies. For our son’s meals, he ate off our plates and it was never an issue that we didn’t book anything for him. Midday at most places, you can order a la carte hot food…we got our son a quesadilla one day while we indulged in Pringles and beer. (A note regarding dinners at the refugios: they are pre fixe meals…your only alternate option is a vegetarian option.) They did not allow us to order any of the a la carte items during dinner service, so if you have a picky eater, you might want a couple options on hand.

As for snacking on the trail, there are tons of protein bars sold on trail. We always got them in our pre-ordered sack lunches and our son loved them. We usually shared a bar and bit out any nuts we found hiding inside to avoid any choking hazards.

Torres del Paine Park Permit

(We did not purchase our permits ahead of time…honestly, we missed the part where we needed them!) The park ranger on duty did not require our nearly 2 year old toddler to be registered, however, I do not know the policy, so be prepared either way. For our own permit, we needed to provide our passport info and make a payment online after our trip concluded.

On Trail Considerations

Be prepared to take lots of breaks…hopefully, this is not your first backpacking trip with your child and you have already found your rhythm on trail. Hiking with a young child slows you down!! Be sure to stop to let your child run around, get a fresh diaper, and experience the things you are experiencing up close. We usually plan an extended break every 2 hours. This works for us especially because our son LOVES being in the backpack. On our breaks, we always let him run, collect rocks, smell flowers, and talk to other hikers. We also checked his diaper, offered him a snack and water, and changed his clothing layers if needed.

And on the topic of layers, be prepared for weather with mood swings. In the mornings, it was usually chilly. Late in the day, the sun came out for us and it was flat out sunny and hot. A few days it rained…once it even hailed on us. And finally, the biggest one: it got real real windy in places. So much so, it was literally knocking us off our feet. Aside from it being a danger while on steep grades, the wind did quite a number on our son’s lips and cheeks. Be sure to pack some chapstick and Aquaphor to repair their wind damaged skin. For more info on what layers we packed, see our pack list.

Finally, a quick note on safety in the backcountry: at worst, the closest refugio was a little over 4 miles away. The park itself is incredibly isolated. Be sure to pack children’s medication and, if possible, a GPS like a Garmin inReach mini. There is wifi at the refugios, but there is just about no cell reception anywhere on trail. Hazards include falling rocks, ever changing and extreme weather, steep ledges, wildlife (we met an unexpected puma at camp!), and more.

Please be safe.

What to Bring

A detailed pack list is included at the end, but I want to stress the importance of packing minimally/light. A heavy backpack can easily ruin your trip. My wife carried our 25lb/12kg son, their layers, water, and just a few things in her hip pouch. I carried everything else and we managed to carry about the same total weight. How can you lighten your pack? First, don’t skimp on your child’s needs…your child likely did not choose this adventure, so they should have all the luxuries and comforts they need. Next, go through your list multiple times questioning if you really need each item…do you REALLY need it? Finally, hop onto some ultralight backpacking message boards/groups. To be clear, you will NOT be ultralight while backpacking with a young child, but you can learn so much about how to shave weight here and there.

The refugios prefer you pack out your own trash, and we did…every single piece…except for diapers. At each location, I kindly and humbly asked for permission to leave our diapers behind in their trash can and they were always happy to accommodate the request. And as always, please remember to Leave No Trace 🙂

Likely, you will also have a suitcase or two and maybe even a carseat. If so, every hotel/hostel we contacted in Puerto Natales offered luggage storage while we were gone. Just ask ahead of time to confirm with your accommodation.

What We Got Wrong

Purchase your park permit in advance…is what we learned after arriving permitless. It wasn’t a big deal when we got there, but it was just 1 more thing that slowed us down.

We didn’t book our bus ticket from Lago Amarga (park entrance) to Torre Central. Again, this wasn’t a big deal, but had the bus been full, we could have been in bigger trouble. I still have not found how to book it in advance though…somehow, other trekkers had tickets already, so there is a way!

Now, it’s time for our nearly trip ending mistake…
When we arrived on the first day at the Central Camp, we were informed that we had only booked sleeping bags, pads, and a place to put a tent…but NO TENT. Not only did we not book tents for that day, we didn’t book tents for the first 3 nights of our 4 night trek! After being informed that there were no available tents the first two nights at Central, we headed over to the nearby refugio in search of help. After quite some time negotiating and working with very patient refugio hosts, we were able to secure beds for our first 2 nights! 

Ultimately, the error was all ours...the booking system isn't clear and isn't even always accurate. 
The options were:

"Fully Equipped Campsite," 
"Double Site (1 or 2 person)," or
"Premium Campsite." 

It isn't quite clear, but "Double Site (2 person)" is just the ground! And now, hopefully you won't make the same mistake we did 🙂

But this problem was not completely fixed, as our 3rd night at Frances was still tentless. After many trips over 2 days to the Central front desk asking for updates on the availability of tents at Frances, we decided to march on for 11 miles to camp and hope for the best. We broke for lunch at Cuernos, about 2 miles short of Frances, and we were surprised to learn that Cuernos in fact had available tents! After much deliberation, we decided not to risk going to a potentially tentless Frances and we stayed at Cuernos.

Cuernos Refugio on left, Camp in Center

While we learned later that Cuernos is (in my opinion) a better, more beautiful location than Frances, we also discovered that our 3rd day would be epically longer and more brutal. By choosing to stay at Cuernos, our following day became a 15 mile, 12 hour day to Mirador Británico then back down to Paine Grande.
I would not recommend.

After celebrating Christmas at the most wonderful refugio, Paine Grande (with a killer Christmas buffet), we ended our trip with a ferry from Refugio Grey to Grey Glacier, then finally to Hotel Lago Grey…and just when we thought we were out of the woods, we made our final, most unforgiving mistake. We had booked bus tickets from the ferry back to Puerto Natales…and it turned out that this bus, the last bus of the day, either left before its scheduled time or never came at all. We waited hours after its scheduled departure time, continually being reassured by the local cafe employee that it’s always late. After consulting the hotel concierge, we had learned that we were stuck. The hotel offered to cut us a deal (as this was the ONLY place to stay): a 1/2 price hotel room for a total cost of $400 USD. Later, after much help and deliberation, we somehow arranged a private transfer for a fraction the cost. 2 hours later over winding dirt roads in a speeding transit van, we finally made it “home.”

Trip Options

The biggest change you could make to the trip would be to opt for the “O Trek” instead. The O not only completes the W, but also encircles the mountains as well. This itinerary is one way (counter-clockwise), requires the use of tents instead of refugios in some places, and increases the trip length to 7+ days.

Also, instead of trekking from the East, many opt to complete it from the West. With this option, you would either need to take a ferry to Paine Grande or Grey to begin your itinerary. This itinerary will save the towers for a grand finale.

The W can be completed with only refugios, only tents, or a combination of the two. You can rent tents/sleeping bags/sleeping pads or you can bring your own.

The W can also be completed with ALL food provided/purchased on trail (breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner) or brought from home. There are plenty of shops in Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales to supply any food you’d need on the trail…and it will likely be cheaper than purchasing on trail.

Our (exhaustive) Pack List

Our Toddler’s Things

  • Morrison Outdoors 40º Sleeping Bag (affiliate link…if you make a purchase with this link, I make a small commission to help fund more adventures!)
    • Not needed in refugios
    • Note: we do not co-sleep at home, but we managed to co-sleep in the refugios. In the tent, he had his own bag and pad next to us.
  • Z Lite Sleeping Pad (cut in half)
    • For sleep in tent, break sit pad, and changing pad
Chileno Campsites
  • 2 Sets Wool Base Layers
    • We used Woolly Tots and Iksplor and are happy with both
  • Fleece Pants
  • Hiking Pants
  • Patagonia Fleece Jacket
  • Patagonia Puffy Jacket
  • Thick Wool Socks
  • Sunhat
    • Be sure you use a neck strap or else your hat will belong to the wind
  • Beanie
  • Crocs
  • Columbia Rain Suit
  • Fleece Gloves
  • Merrell Trail Quest Hiking Shoes
  • 34 Diapers
    • We usually budget 7/day and that usually leaves extras at the end.
  • 1 Package Baby Wipes
  • Dog Bags
    • For the stinky ones
  • Dirty Diaper Zip Lock Bag
  • Tooth Brush
  • Tooth Paste
  • Lotion
  • Baby Hand Sanitizer
  • Comb
  • Snot Bandana attached to Pack
    • With occasional cool temps and lots of wind, be prepared for a very boogery, snotty child.
  • Sippy Cup
  • Snack Cup
  • Cheddar Bunnies
  • Powdered Whole Milk
    • Enough for 2 cups/day
  • Dr. Bronners Fragrance Free Soap and a Small Piece of Brillo Pad
    • To clean his cup
  • Busy Baby Bottle Bungee
    • Essentially a leash for his snack and sippy cup
  • Smart Water Bottle w/ Hose Attachment
    • He doesn’t share his water tube well, so we got him his own.
  • 5 Snack Bars
  • Small Stuffed Penguin
  • Christmas Stocking/Stuffers 🙂

Gear & Things

  • Backpack
    • Gregory Baltoro
      (included daypack)
    • Kelty Journey PerfectFit
  • Rain Covers
    • If too windy and not installed correctly, the cover acts as a parachute and can easily fly off.
  • Contractor Trash Bag (pack liner)
    • Handy to buy time and keep the contents of my pack dry when I was helping get the rain suit on my son and the cover on his pack.
  • Sleeping Bag Liner
  • Pillow Case
  • REI Flash Carbon Trekking Poles
  • Duct Tape (a little wrapped on trek pole)
  • Hand Warmers
    • It never got cold enough for us to use these. My wife’s hands get cold quickly so we brought a couple for emergencies.
  • Carabiner
    • For snack cups, towels, freshly cleaned underwear, make shift beer bottle opener, and what ever else we needed it for
  • Passports
  • IDs/Credit Cards
    • Every place we went on the trail took credit card

Clothing

  • Sunglasses
  • Hat
  • Sun Shirts x2
  • Hiking Pants/Tights x1
    • Wife was happy with tights. I hate hiking in pants but thought it would be too cold for shorts…I regretted not bringing shorts.
  • Bra x1
    • I chose not to wear one, but my wife did
  • Undies x2-4
  • Socks x2-3
  • Trail Runners
    • Her: Topo MTN RACER 2
    • Me: Altra Lone Peak 6
  • Crocs
    • For showers and camp
  • Jogger/Cozy Pants x1
    • For camp
  • Rain Jacket
  • Rain Pants
    • Wife always brings them…I hate them. Neither of us needed them this time.
  • Down/Synthetic Down Jacket
    • Wife brought her Patagonia R1 Midlayer as well…I’m happy hiking a little cold and warming up in my puffy.
  • Gloves
    • Wife brought them and only used them once or twice.
  • Buff
  • Silicone Wedding Band
    • Because it’s cheap, we like having a band on, and because we would be devastated to lose or break our real ones.

Tech

  • Nitecore NU25 Headlamps
    • It was summer in the extreme southern hemisphere…it was light out past 10pm. We did not need these at all 🙂
  • Garmin inReach Mini
  • Micro usb
    • To charge our headlamps and Garmin inReach
  • Phone Charger Cord
    • We never had an issue finding an outlet in the refugios
  • Cell Phone
  • Charger USB Brick (dual outlet)
  • Type C Outlet Adapter
  • Garmin Watch

Food Stuff

  • Water Storage
    • 1L Water Bottle x2
      • We like having bottles for when we are at camp and for making a single bottle of electrolytes on trail.
    • 2L Water Reservoir
      • Wife prefers the accessibility of a tube
  • Katadyn BeFree Water Filter
  • Ziplock Bags for Trash
  • Knife
    • We did not bring a knife but there were a couple instances when having one would have been great.
  • Gatorade Powder
    • They did not sell this on trail…if you wanted electrolytes, you had to buy a bottle of gatorade.
  • Clif Bloks Electrolyte Gummies
    • This has always been our special treat when the trail gets tough
  • Bars
    • There are protein bars, candy bars, and snacks available on trail, so we only brought a couple bars.
Refilling our water in the Valle del Francés

First Aid

  • Ibuprofen
  • Tylenol
  • Gauze
  • Band Aids
  • Benadryl
  • Neosporin
  • Leukotape
  • Tums
  • Immodium
  • Antiseptic wipes
  • Aquaphor
  • Baby Tylenol
  • Naproxen
Our Quart Size
First Aid Bag

Toiletries

  • Sun Screen
  • Chapstick
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Tooth Brush
  • Tooth Paste Tablets
  • Deodorant
  • Emergency Ration Toilet Paper
    • All bathrooms had TP
  • Nail Clippers
  • Tweezers
  • Face Wash
  • Pack Towel
  • Razor
  • Body Wash
  • Shampoo Mini Bar
  • Conditioner Mini Bar
  • Makeup/Makeup Wipes
  • Women’s Hygiene Things
  • Hairbrush & Hair Ties
  • Masks
    • In December 2022, masks were not enforced on the trail/in any buildings…they were seldom even seen.

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