French Valley Hike (Valle Frances) in Torres del Paine

Pickup and Journey to Torres del Paine We start the day in Puerto Natales, where we board a van headed for Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile. To reach the starting point of our hike, we take a catamaran across the lake to the Paine Grande refuge.

From there, we grab our trekking poles and begin hiking along the northern shore of Lake Pehoé. With the dramatic Cuernos del Paine peaks overhead, we follow the central stretch of the W Circuit for about three hours until we reach the French Valley viewpoint. At the top, we take a well-deserved break to enjoy the incredible views, take photos, have lunch, and rest.

After a one-hour break, we retrace our steps along the same trail back through the French Valley. We return to the Paine Grande refuge and board the catamaran to Pudeto. Once we complete the 12.5-mile (20 km) trek, our van takes us back to Puerto Natales, bringing our French Valley Trek in Torres del Paine to a close.