I’ve just returned from Patagonia, where I had the unforgettable experience of completing KE’s Classic Paine Circuit, otherwise known as the ‘O Trek’. I went with high expectations and the Patagonian scenery more than exceeded them!  Pictures just don’t do it justice and it’s a region I’d recommend visiting at least once in your lifetime to experience it for yourself.

If you’re planning a trip to Patagonia, or you’ve already booked it, you’re in for an extraordinary adventure. That said, it can feel slightly overwhelming when you start thinking about what to pack and how to prepare for such an experience. After returning from this incredible region, I’ve put together some helpful tips and practical advice to make your planning a little easier.

On the Paine Circuit trek there are 8 consecutive trekking days covering a distance of 130km with a total of around 5700m of ascent and descent. The longest trekking day is the crossing of the John Gardner pass, which is a 10-12 hour day. Therefore, this trek requires a good level of trekking fitness. The trek covers a variety of terrain with a mix of good trails, some rocky ground, roots and mud in the forests and even some suspension bridges on the descent from the John Gardner pass.

The John Gardner pass is probably the most difficult day of the trek, but the hike into the spectacular French Valley and the walk up to the Torres del Paine viewpoint are also big days. The rewards for your efforts are some of the most awe-inspiring mountain vistas on Earth. One of the great things about this trek is that it is structured so the longer walking days are followed by shorter, easier days giving a chance to recover. 

The best way to prepare for a trip like this is by doing as much walking in the hills as possible! Try and do some ‘back to back’ walking days to get used to the nature of trekking. Doing other cardiovascular activities including running, biking and swimming are great if you’re unable to get into the hills regularly.

As you’ll be carrying all your own equipment and clothing for the duration of trek, I’d recommend carrying a heavier backpack as part of your training. This will give you a chance to fine-tune your backpack as well as getting used to carrying a heavier load than normal.

I’m fortunate to live in the English Lake District and before my trip I made sure I spent as much time as possible walking and running in the mountains. The fitter you are before a trek like this, the more you’ll enjoy it.

On the Paine Circuit, we stay at the refuges and their adjacent campsites. The refuges are situated in beautiful locations and have all the facilities you could want and more, for a comfortable stay.

They all have a communal dining area, where restaurant quality, 3 course meals are served on an evening and fantastic buffet style breakfasts served on a morning. There’s always a bar area serving soft drinks, local craft beers and tasty Chilean wines, all with great views of the surrounding mountains, lakes and forests. There was a real buzz in the restaurant and bar areas with trekkers from around the world sharing their stories. We kept crossing paths with the same trekkers each day, and spending time with them at the refuge bar in the evenings was a great way to get to know them better.

Each refuge has a shop selling snacks, drinks and toiletries. There are shared bathroom facilities with hot showers (usually afternoon and evenings only) and the tap water at all the refuges is drinkable. If you need to connect with the outside world, each refuge provides 30 minutes of free, low bandwidth WiFi. However, you can pay extra for longer time online and a better WiFi connection. There are plug sockets and charging facilities available at the refuges, but these are limited and there can be a lot of competition for them! I’d recommend taking a power bank with you just in case. 

Each of the refuges have fixed tents in adjacent campsites. Some of the refuges have raised 2 person ‘roof box’ style tents which you enter via a ladder and contain a comfortable mattress and sleeping bags. Others have roomy 2 person mountain tents pitched on wooden platforms also with mattresses and sleeping bags. The sleeping bags at the refuges are regularly aired and laundered, but I would still recommend taking a silk sleeping bag liner to use with them.

The food on the Paine Circuit trek was fantastic! It was restaurant quality food, but in a remote mountain setting. All meals are included on the KE Paine Circuit itinerary.

The breakfast were usually a buffet style spread of tea/coffee, juices, muesli/cereals with milk and yoghurt, bread, spreads, scrambled eggs, ham, cheese, sometimes fruit, and occasionally pastries.

Packed lunches are provided by the refuges and consist of a large sandwich with various fillings, chocolate, snack bar, mixed nuts and dried fruit and often accompanied by an electrolyte mix for your water and an energy gel! In the unlikely event you need to buy any additional snacks, you can buy these at the refuge shops.     

Dinner was the main event with a 3-course meal. The starter was usually a soup with croutons and bread. The main courses varied, but were always delicious dishes often accompanied by a salad, then followed by tasty desert. Vegetarian diets are well catered for at the refuges. The food at the remote Los Perros refuge was the most basic, but still tasty and filling and gave more than enough fuel for the crossing of the John Gardner pass the following day.

The highlight meal for me on trek was at the Cuernos refuge after our day walking into the French valley. It probably tasted extra special after such a great days walk, but the pumpkin soup, aubergine bake and fruit and pannacotta desert washed down with a complimentary glass of Chilean red wine was a winner!

The Classic Paine circuit is an unsupported trek, therefore you will need to carry all of your own equipment for the trek. However, you don’t need to bring along a sleeping bag and camping mattress as these are provided for you at each of the refuges. For this reason, you should be able to keep the weight of your backpack to around 8kgs including water and your daily packed lunch. A backpack of 45-55 litres should be big enough to take all you need for the trek. Be careful not to take too big a backpack, as there is a tendency to fill the additional space if you have it!

Here’s a guideline packing list which worked well for me:

• Trekking poles – really helpful to take the strain off your legs and knees on the ascents and descents whilst carrying a slightly heavier pack than normal.

• Silk sleeping bag liner – to use with the sleeping bags provided at the refuges.

• Waterproof jacket and over trousers – it can and does rain in Patagonia! Although, I was fortunate to have settled weather for a lot of the trek, the weather is changeable and it was great to have a good waterproof jacket and over trousers to keep me dry and comfortable when the rain swept in.

• Waterproof backpack cover and dry bags – useful to keep the contents of your backpack dry

• Sun hat, sunglasses, sun cream, lip balm – the mountain sun can be strong!

• Power bank and leads – charging points are limited at the refuges and competition can be fierce.

• Water bottles and/or water bladder – I’d recommend 1 ½ to 2 litres of drinking water carrying capacity. All the tap water on this trek is drinkable and it’s also possible to fill up at many of the streams on route without purifying.

• Merino wool trekking t-shirts - Cool, fast drying and you can wear them for a few days without them smelling too much! I took 3 t-shirts with me for the 8 day Paine Circuit and kept one to wear in the evenings when we got to the refuge. A long sleeve base layer could be useful for additional sun protection.       

• 2 fleece tops (although you could get away with one)

• 1 pair of shorts, 1 pair lightweight trekking trousers, 1 pair mid weight trekking trousers

• Warm hat, lightweight gloves, mid weight (waterproof) gloves

• Head torch

• Personal first aid kit

• Travel towel, toothbrush, travel size toothpaste, soap and travel size shampoo.

• 2 pin Type C plug adaptor for Chile

• Camera – of course I couldn’t go to Patagonia without this!

Optional items:

•  I took a kindle with me for evening reading.

• A lightweight, insulated puffer jacket to keep you warm when you get to the refuge/camp. I didn’t take one preferring to layer up instead, however other people in my group wore theirs daily. You can always pop into the refuge bar/restaurant to warm up.  

• A buff or hooded fleece is useful to pull over your head to stop your hat getting blown off in the Patagonian wind! 

• A lightweight comfortable pair of shoes to wear in camp e.g. lightweight trainers, crocs or even neoprene water/aqua shoes. 

KE’s Tim has travelled Patagonia on both KE’s “The Classic Paine Circuit” and “Spires and Ice – Trekking Patagonia.” If you have any questions about these trips, he’d be more than happy to help. Feel free to contact the office and ask for Tim.