Patagonia Expedition: Torres del Paine O Trek & Fjord Packrafting

Airport pickup: Please arrive at Puerto Natales Airport before 3:00 PM. We’ll meet you there and bring you to our accommodation in town.

Today is intentionally easy. Long-haul travel and ambitious outdoor decisions are rarely a brilliant combination.

Once everyone is in, we’ll settle down, share a welcome meal, and introduce the expedition properly. We’ll go through the plan, answer questions, and make sure everyone—and their luggage—arrived in the same country.

Accommodation: Shared accommodation in Puerto Natales

Today is everything that happens before the beautiful photos.

We’ll complete a full gear check, organize food, divide tents and group equipment, and remove a few things you were emotionally committed to carrying but absolutely do not need.

We’ll also head out for a short warm-up hike to stretch the legs, test layers, adjust packs, and meet the Patagonian wind before it meets us properly.

By evening, everything will be ready for Day 3, when we actually start walking.

Accommodation: Shared accommodation in Puerto Natales

Now we walk.

Over eight days, we’ll complete the full Torres del Paine O Trek, carrying our own equipment around the Paine Massif.

We begin on the quieter northern side of the park, moving through remote valleys, lenga forests, mountain terrain, and the exposed crossing of John Gardner Pass.

Later, we join the famous W route, which means we still experience Grey Glacier, the French Valley, and the iconic Towers—plus the wilder northern section most visitors never see.

Life becomes simple out here: walk, eat, set up camp, check the weather, discuss snack supplies, repeat.

We’ll carry personal equipment and a share of the group gear, cook together, adapt when Patagonia has different plans, and earn every viewpoint along the way.

After completing the circuit, we return to Puerto Natales for showers, a proper meal, and one very welcome night indoors.

Accommodation: Seven nights camping and one night in Puerto Natales

Today is for sleeping in, finding good coffee, doing laundry, eating something fresh, and remembering what it feels like to walk without a backpack attached to you.

Later, we’ll reorganize our equipment and meet our local paddling partner for a full briefing on the route, weather, tides, cold-water safety, rescue systems, and emergency procedures.

Most O Trek itineraries end here.

Ours just changes shape.

Accommodation: Shared accommodation in Puerto Natales

The backpacks get a well-earned break.

We'll travel to our launch point, complete a thorough paddling and rescue briefing, and set off into Patagonia's remote fjords by packraft.

Over the next 3 days, we'll explore glacier-fed waterways, sheltered bays, remote shorelines, and mountain scenery that feels completely different from Torres del Paine. Packrafts allow us to travel quietly through landscapes few visitors ever experience, reaching wild campsites that can only be accessed from the water.

The exact route will depend on the weather, wind, tides, and local knowledge. Patagonia has a habit of rewriting the plan, so we'll work with the conditions rather than against them.

We'll spend two nights camping beside the fjords, cooking together, sharing stories around camp, and soaking in one final chapter of this expedition before paddling back on Day 14.

Accommodation: Two nights of wilderness camping

We’ll wake beside the fjord, break camp, and return to the water for one final paddle before reaching our take-out point.

From there, we travel back toward Puerto Natales.

By now, we’ll have completed the O Trek, crossed John Gardner Pass, stood above Grey Glacier, reached the Towers, and explored Patagonia’s fjords by packraft.

A reasonably productive two weeks.

We’ll drop everyone at Puerto Natales Airport at approximately 3:00 PM.

Please book departing flights for 6:00 PM or later.

This is a physically demanding expedition designed for hikers with strong fitness and previous multi-day backpacking experience. Over eight consecutive days, you'll complete the full Torres del Paine O Trek, carrying a loaded backpack containing your personal equipment, a share of the group gear, and food for the trek. Expect long hiking days of up to 20 km, significant elevation gain and loss, exposed mountain terrain, rapidly changing weather, and the challenging crossing of John Gardner Pass.

After completing the trek, the adventure continues with a multi-day packrafting expedition through Patagonia's remote fjords. While paddling is less physically demanding than the trek itself, you'll still be camping in the backcountry, helping with camp setup, and spending full days outdoors in variable weather.

This expedition requires excellent endurance, good balance, and the ability to stay positive during consecutive days of physical effort. You don't need technical mountaineering or paddling experience, but you should arrive comfortable carrying a loaded backpack over multiple days and ready to embrace the challenges—and rewards—of true expedition travel.

A 25% deposit is required to secure all bookings.

Cancellation Schedule

• More than 90 days before departure: Full refund less a 4% payment processing fee and $100 CAD administrative fee
• 90 to 61 days before departure: 25% of the total trip cost is non-refundable
• 60 days or less before departure: 100% of the total trip cost is non-refundable

If you are unable to attend your trip, please contact us as soon as possible. Subject to availability and operational considerations, we may be able to offer a trip transfer, participant substitution, or trip credit.

Please Note
Trips operate in remote wilderness environments where weather, wildfires, transportation disruptions, medical emergencies, or other unforeseen circumstances may impact itineraries or trip operations.

Yusquatch Mountain Adventures reserves the right to modify, delay, reroute, postpone, substitute activities, or cancel trips when necessary for safety or operational reasons.

We strongly recommend purchasing comprehensive travel insurance, including trip cancellation, trip interruption, emergency medical, and evacuation coverage.

For full details, please refer to our complete Cancellation & Terms Policy.