This is post 7 in a series of a 7 day/6 night guided hike in Torres del Paine National Park with Dittmar Adventures. We followed the modified O Trek which connects camps Japones and Dickson over the Oggioni Pass. As this part of the trail is not marked, it can be only done with a guide. If you are looking for something a little more challenging with fewer trekkers and spectacular views this may be the route for you.
Day 7 –Refugio Los Cuernos to Hotel Las Torres
Total Distance: 12 kilometers/7.5 miles
Average Time: 4.5 hours
Quiet night with only a gust or two of wind – the Milky Way is brilliant against a clear dark sky. I woke at 6:30 to catch the sunrise. Great show with 360° color constantly changing as the clouds dance and the peaks light up. Layers of dark gray over white fluffy clouds and blue sky beyond.
Breakfast at Refugio Los Cuernos is divided into 2 seatings. We had the 8AM second seating. The dining room was a chaotic mess with a simple buffet in one room and most of the seating in the other and a narrow doorway in between.
Simple buffet – yogurt, cornflakes, hot milk, cheese. Toast and scrambled eggs are served to the table. They kept running out of things and not putting out more until they were asked. They even ran out of brewed coffee at the start of the second seating, did not replenish it and we were left with only instant.
The walk back to the welcome center mostly follows the ridge along the lake and was the least dramatic of the 7 days. Although a gentler walk to the end the trip, there was still a lot of up and down to cross the many creeks.
One by one the landmarks disappear – first Paine Grande, then Los Cuernos, and finally Nordenskjold Lake.
We reach the welcome center just after 1PM for the 2 PM bus.
Be sure to check out the model that shows the terrain of the W route.
Again we need to change buses at the park entrance.
February 19, 2018
For links to all the posts in this series see the Hiking in Patagonia page.
Nice series. Thanks for sharing. I’m doing this hike in a few weeks. Hoping for dry weather!
Good luck to you. Outside the peak summer season should bring you fewer other trekkers as well.