Paine Big Circuit

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Paine Big Circuit

duration: 7 days

difficulty: Strenuous

group size: 6

experience: Beginner

Overview

The Paine Big Circuit, also known as the O Circuit, is for bold trekkers searching for a truly entrancing Torres del Paine experience. On this 7-day endurance trekking and camping adventure, you’ll camp in remote areas and hike more than 100 km along one of the world’s classic trails, continually accompanied by granite mountains, countless glaciers, untamed weather, otherworldly lakes and spectacular views of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.

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Trip host

Matias G

Matías, husband of Marina and father of Rosa Emilia and Martín, has been working as a head guide & tour organizer for over 6 years with a wide variety of different hotels and local operators in southern Patagonia. A tireless lover of the Patagonian landscape, its wild and its solitude has made the place his home. He is based in the city of Puerto Natales, the entrance to the famous Torres del Paine National Park, where he guides groups along the famous "W" trails and other off beaten tracks in the area. He defines Patagonia as his "muse", his favorite place, traveling it from north to south and from the Pacific to the Atlantic on a few occasions. But it is never enough, he says in his own words.

Itinerary

Day 1: 2 hours by private transfer / 8-10 hour round-trip (13 miles) / night at camping torres (BL-D).

We’ll pick you up in Puerto Natales at 7.30 am and travel to Torres del Paine National Park via unpaved roads and past lagoons and pampas; accompanied at times by the guanacos (relatives of llamas), grey foxes, flamingos and black-necked swans that call them home. Our first challenge is the ascent to the Towers base lookout point, following the Ascencio River into the Ascencio Valley. After our first hour’s trek we’ll pause to observe how the valley’s beauty unfolds with rich beech forests, glaciers and waterfalls. We’ll then continue uphill for another 90 minutes and prepare to ascend a gigantic terminal moraine (a ridge formed at a glacier’s end point). At the top, we’ll be rewarded by the arresting sight of the Towers themselves. At this lookout point 900 meters above sea level, the three granite spires appear to burst dramatically out of the rocky landscape, while at their base a green-blue lagoon provides a counterpoint of stillness. Here, we’ll have lunch and take pictures before beginning our descent down the same path and to our first campsite.

Day 2: 4-5 hours (5.5 miles) / night at serón campsite (B-BL-D).

Day 3: 6-7 hours (11.4 miles) / night at dickson campsite (B-BL-D).

Day 4: 5 hours (5.6 miles) / night at los perros campsite (B-BL-D).

Day 5: 10-11 hours (13.6 miles) / night at grey campsite (B-BL-D).

Day 6: 3,5 hours (6.8 miles) / night at paine grande campsite (B-BL-D).

Day 7: 7-8 hours (10.5 miles) / 35 minutes by catamaran / 2 hours by private transfer (B-BL).

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Accommodations

On day 1, for 6 days

Tent camping

Pricing

Included:

All meals

Transfers

Accommodation

Admission fees

Guide fees

Excluded:

Alcoholic beverages

Gratuities

Flights

Porter

Visas

Travel insurance

Personal gear

Luggage transfers

Airport transfer

International flights

Domestic flights

Local guide

Some meals

Do not forget to arrange for the requisite passport, visa and travel insurance, if you are booking an international trip.

We try our best to ensure accurate and up-to-date guide information, but in some cases this may change due to emergencies or other unforeseen guide scheduling challenges. In any case, another highly-rated, certified guide with similar experience would lead your trip and you will be kept informed of any such case.