Introduction: W-Trek Day 1
Today, we will leave from Puerto Natales by bus for Torres del Paine (TdP), take a catamaran from Pudeto to reach Paine Grande and then hike 11km to Grey where we will be staying overnight.
Table of Contents
Buying the bus ticket
We arrived in Torres del Paine, the day before the trail around 1:30pm. At this time, we got straight to the ticket office in the bus terminal and ask Bus Sur for the next day bus to TdP.
Bus Sur has 2 services in the morning, one at 6:40am that goes from Puerto Natales to TdP Pudeto (for Paine Grande) and another at 7am that goes from Puerto Natales to Laguna Armaga (for central)
We got 2 seats for the 6:40am one and directly bought our return ticket for 6 days later. We opted for the return bus at 6:30pm or so.
It costed us 30 000 CLP so 7 500 for each ticket. There are lots of other company as well going there, but we didn’t ask for their schedule and price.
Getting to Torres del Paine
Bus
We woke up around 5am, to finish packing our bags (we left what we didn’t need where we stayed), got breakfast and left at 6am to walk to the bus terminal.
We made it to the bus terminal 20min later. It was still closed but other people were also waiting. After a while, the terminal opened, and we got in and boarded our bus. Bus sur was the first bus to leave and were on the left side of the platforms.
Bus sur office opened at 6:30am and the bus left around 6:45am. The road was mostly a dirt road and a bit bumpy. Otherwise the bus was comfortable, had WC and USB.
At 8:10am, we made a 5min quick stop to take some pictures. And at 8:25am we were at the ticket office where we had to buy our entrance ticket and register. The process is quite clear, and you just follow the step:
- Fill the form
- Pay 35 000 CLP per person (stay longer than 3 days)
- Get a map and an approval stamp
Got back on the bus and once everyone is on it, it departed again. By 8:40am, we were at administration, and 9:05am at Pudeto where we just saw the 9am ferry left in front of us.
Ferry
What a shame… We just missed the 9am ferry that left in front of us. We then waited 2h for the 11am ferry. We took this time to chill by the lake, snack something, used WC.
There were supposed to be a store or coffee shop at Pudeto but it was closed.
The ferry arrived around 10:15am, some people got off and around 15min later, they started boarding. By this time, the line to get in was huge as at least 4 other buses arrived.
We were on the ferry by 10:30am, we dropped our bags in front and just sat. You can either seat there or on the upper deck. But lower one is covered and inside.
The ferry left on time at 11am and during the ride you have to buy your ticket. It cost 23 000 CLP each or 35 USD each (Only cash accepted)
We arrived at 11:35am at Paine Grande and while going out of the ferry, they controlled our tickets.
First day - W-Trek
Trail to Grey
Now that we are in Paine Grande, we need to hike 11km to Grey.
The first day trail was easy, a few up down trails but mostly down. What made it sometime hard was the backpack with all the food. Bananas are yummy but heavy.
On the catamaran the views are beautiful, but the first part of the trek wasn’t much and most of the trees are dead due to fire a couple of years ago that destroyed most of this area.
The view of the lake is stunning with the Glacier behind, but we didn’t really enjoy the trek.
We made it by grey shelter around 3:45pm, at this time it started raining, so we decided to stay in and get to the viewpoint the next morning.
Grey shelter
We are staying in the shelter tonight. When we arrived, we had to checked in, gave our passport and PDI card. Check-out is 9:30am the next day. Electricity and hot water till midnight
We then went to our room, and took a nice hot shower, put our electronics to charge and headed to the bar area where we had our dinner (Japanese peanuts and soya tomatoes cheese sandwiches).
Later, we headed to our room and enjoyed the really comfy bed. We were lucky as our room was made for 6 but we ended up with another couple. So, 4 altogether.
Check the next article for the full review of the shelter and camping in Grey.
Conclusion
The 1st day was fine, not hard but also not the most amazing. At this point we were looking forward the rest of the trail.
If the weather allows it (it was pouring when we arrived at the shelter), you can get to the glacier viewpoint from Grey shelter, 15min walking further the shelter. We did it the next morning, but it can be done at this time easily.
“You don’t have to be rich to travel well.” – Eugene Fodor
Looking where to Stay before and after?
Unique Stay near the Park
- Lodge: Cabañas Lago Tyndall
- Tiny House: Torres del Paine
- Lodge: Konkashken Lodge
Or in Puerto Natales:
- Budget: Puma House
- Mid-Range: Toore Patagonia
- High-Range: Hostal Boutique Factoria Patagonia
