Few places in the world can rival Easter Island when it comes to capturing the imagination of travelers.

Known locally as Rapa Nui, this small speck of land—sitting smack in the middle of the wild Pacific—is like no other places on Earth. The island’s wild beauty and mysterious history have inspired dreamers, enthralled travelers and baffled historians.

Easter Island is Polynesia at its best—still untouched by the masses, still untarnished by overdevelopment and still clinging to a slow-paced lifestyle that runs on island time. Forget cruise ships, mass tourism and eyesore hotels. Here, tourism is on a much smaller scale. Guesthouses and boutique hotels abound. Chain restaurants are nonexistent. And only one daily flight (LATAM’s 787 from Santiago) connects the island to the outside world. 

Rapa Nui National Park

Located nearly 2,000 kilometers east of the Pitcairn Islands and about 3,700 kilometers from the coast of Chile, Easter Island is the most remote inhabited place on Earth. The island‘s windswept cliffs are rugged and unspoiled. The island’s colors—its black volcanic rock, its vibrant green grasses and its cobalt ocean—are unlike any I have ever seen. Yet, the island’s wild scenery is not the primary reason that travelers are drawn to its shores. In fact, before I visited Easter Island, I knew little about its stark beauty.

I, like nearly ever other traveler to Rapa Nui National Park, flew thousands of kilometers over the ocean, in hopes of seeing the island’s UNESCO-listed moai statues.

Easter Island’s claim to fame are the nearly 1,000 moai that litter its verdant landscapes of the Rapa Nui National Park. Some stand erect on ceremonial platforms. Others lie toppled on the barren earth. Some are impeccably preserved. Others lie half-finished and partially submerged underground. Though all different, the moai statues of Rapa Nui reveal a rich civilization of master craftsmen and engineers.

How to Spend 5 Days on Easter Island

We spent four and a half days in Rapa Nui and rented a car for two of them. Having nearly five days on Easter Island, gave us ample time to explore the island’s attractions on foot and with a car.

On our first evening of our Easter Island itinerary, we meandered around the town of Hanga Roa and headed to Ahu Tahei  for sunset. On the following days, we hiked the island’s trails and circled its perimeter with our rented Jeep—letting Rapa Nui envelop us in its beauty from sunrise to sunset.

Easter Island Day 1: Around Hanga Roa

Hanga Roa is Easter Island’s largest (and only) town. With a population of over 3,000, it contains just about all of the island’s guesthouses, tourist amenities and eateries.

After checking into our guesthouse and reserving a rental car for the final two days of our visit, we set out to explore Hanga Roa. We acquainted ourselves with the layout of our surroundings, ate empanada’s at Tia Berta’s and spent the afternoon strolling around its small downtown. 

Hanga Roa itself has few tourist attractions, but its main church is an interesting sight. Blending Christian motifs with Polynesian elements, this unique place of worship makes for a brief, yet interesting, visit.

The moai statues of Ahu Tahai are a short walk from downtown Hanga Roa. Restored in 1974, they sit on a grassy field that serves as an open air museum of Rapa Nui culture. A few fully restored and painted moai near Ahu Tahai give an impression of what the sculptures must have looked like centuries ago.

Though smaller and less dramatic than some of the other sites on the island, Ahu Tahai is undeniably Easter Island’s best sunset location. 

Day 2: Orongo Village and Rano Kao Volcano

Day two of our five day Easter Island itinerary consisted of a hike up to the Orongo Ruins along the dramatic Easter Island Coastline.

Entrance to the Orongo Ceremonial Village and the Rano Kao Volcano is included in the national park fee. The fee, payable at the airport upon arrival, is valid for six days. Though these tickets grant unlimited access to Rapa Nui’s highlights, the Orongo Ceremonial Village can only be visited once with each ticket purchase.

• Rano Kao Volcano

The pleasant walk to the summit of the crater takes roughly two hours each way. From town, we followed the shoreline south, past the Hanga Piko Harbor and the airport. Once past the airport, we cut inland and followed a well-groomed path up to the summit of the Rano Kao Volcano.

Rano Kao has a crater lake that houses one of the island’s only freshwater reserves. It is among the island’s most impressive geological landmarks and a must-visit Easter Island attraction.

The Orongo Ceremonial Village sits perched precariously between the lip of the Rano Kao Volcano and a cliff that plunges into the cobalt ocean.

• Orongo Ceremonial Village

The Orongo Ceremonial Village consists of circular houses that have walls of horizontally overlapping stone slabs. The houses have grass-covered roofs and appear partly subterranean. Near the houses, a cluster of boulders contain petroglyphs with depictions of the birdman.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Orongo was the focus of an islandwide birdman cult. The birdman competitions took place on the fall equinox every September and consisted of competitors climbing 200 meters down a cliff wall, swimming out to the islet of Motu Nui and retrieving a sooty tern egg. The first competitor to retrieve the egg and return it to the village intact, was declared birdman for the year.

As legend goes, the new birdman would shave off his hair and live in seclusion for a year. During this time, he would achieve god-like status and his kin would join the highest ranks of society. On an island with rapidly-disappearing resources, winning the birdman competition would ensure prosperity for one’s tribe.

By the time we finished visiting the Orongo Ceremonial Village and returned to Hanga Roa, the sun was already beginning to descend toward the horizon.

So we headed back down to Ahu Tahai and watched, once again, as the sky transformed into a palette of yellows, oranges and reds.

Day 3: Hike from Hanga Roa to Ahu Akivi

The third day of our Easter Island itinerary consisted of more walking than the last. We chose to hike along the coast to the north of Hanga Roa, toward the impressive inland moai of Ahu Akivi.

The 17 kilometer loop from Hanga Roa to Ahu Akivi affords scenic views of the island’s wild and rugged coastline. For the first half of the hike, the path runs parallel to the island’s windswept shores–passing a series of subterranean caves and toppled moai. Set against the sapphire ocean, the colors of the landscape are incredibly vibrant. I felt as though I were looking at the world through tinted glasses. 

• Ahu Akivi

The moai statues of Ahu Akivi are unique for many reasons: the fact that they lie inland rather than along the coast, the fact that they are the only moai that face the ocean, and the fact that they stand in astronomically precise alignment.

The seven identical statues face sunset during the Spring Equinox and have their backs to sunrise during the Autumn Equinox. For this reason, it is believed that this sacred ahu was the observatory of Rapa Nui. 

• Stark Coastal Landscapes

Aside from the occasional hiker, we saw few other tourists on the trail to Ahu Akivi. On this remote corner of the island, we found we were far more likely to share the trail with cows and wild horses. 

Rapa Nui’s barren landscape has very little shade. Even though a lovely ocean breeze lapped our faces during the hike, the piercing sun drained our energy. For there are few places to find respite in this harsh and uncompromising terrain.

Easter Island was not always treeless, however, and there are various theories as to why the island lost all its vegetation. Some people attribute the deforestation to Rapa Nui’s growing reliance on agriculture. Others argue the trees were chopped down to transport moai. Yet others attribute the loss of trees to invasive rats that were brought from surrounding islands. Perhaps Easter Island’s loss of vegetation is a combination of all three theories. Or perhaps the island lost its forests due to another reason entirely.

Whatever the cause of deforestation, however, the island’s current lack of trees has created an uncompromising and stark landscape that reminded me more of Iceland, than of a Pacific Island. 

Days 4 and 5: Drive around Rapa Nui

While we were able to access some of Easter Island’s highlights on foot, we soon found that renting a car for a few days was an absolute necessity. Yes, Easter Island is small. But it is far too large to circle on foot and its hilly topography makes cycling less than ideal. 

We rented a car from our guesthouse for a daily fee of $50, and chose to spend two days driving around Easter Island. Each day, we circled the island once. Driving around the island twice ensured that we were able to soak in as much as possible–from the main sites, to the lonely moai, to the stunning ocean views. 

• Rano Raraku Quarry

On our first day driving, we stayed primarily along the southern coast. We visited more obscure statues and meandered our way to the rock quarry of Rano Raraku–stopping by the smaller sites of Ahu Vinapu and Ahu Akahanga along the way. 

Like the Orongo Ceremonial Village, Rano Raraku sits on a volcanic crater and can only be visited once with a ticket to the national park. The archeological site is one of Rapa Nui’s most iconic locations and is known for being the island’s main quarry. For about 500 years, it supplied the rock from which most of the island’s known monolithic sculptures were carved.

On the hill sloping down from the quarry, dozens of moai lay scattered about.  Many of these moai are unfinished. Almost all of them still lie partially submerged.

A short trail leads visitors past the ancient quarry’s moai. A secondary path from the ticket control booth wraps around the back side of the mountain into the Rano Raraku Crater. Inside the crater, too, incomplete statues stand half-burried in the ground.

Unfortunately, within minutes of us reaching Rano Raraku, it began to rain. Soon, water pelted down from the skies so ferociously, that it soaked us to the bone. Reluctantly, we returned to our car for cover.

We left Rano Raraku and zoomed around the remainder of the island in counterclockwise fashion–stopping only briefly to snap photos of Ahu Tongariki and Anakena Beach on the way back to Hanga Roa.

• Ahu Tongariki

On the final day of our Easter Island itinerary, we started out where we left off. Our first objective was to see the megalithic statues of Ahu Tongariki at sunrise. Ahu Tongariki is one of the most breathtaking sights on the island. Set against a backdrop of sea cliffs and crashing waves, the twelve moai of Easter Island’s largest ahu are a sight to behold.

Luckily, over night the clouds parted and gave way to patches of blue sky–making for a dramatic sunrise behind the silhouetted moai.

After watching the drama of the sunrise behind Ahu Tongariki, we returned to town for breakfast and a short nap. Then, in the late morning, we retraced our steps from the following day and continued on toward Anakena Beach.

On our counterclockwise circle of the island, we stopped periodically to take in views of the azure sea, the galloping wild horses, and the crumbling moai.

As of 2023, regulations now require you to have a guide to visit Ahu Tongariki at sunrise.

• Anakena Beach

Anakena Beach lies at the north end of Rapa Nui. It is the island’s only white sand beach and among the most photogenic spots on the island.

The idyllic Easter Island beach has two ahu. One of them is the picturesque Ahu Nau-Nau which has seven moai statues in various states of restoration. The other—Ahu Ature Huke—has only one moai.

With white sand, sapphire waters, swaying palm trees and regal moai statues, I felt as though I’d entered a dream. This. This must be what paradise looks like, I remember thinking.

Easter Island Entrance Fees and Guides

An entrance fee to Rapa Nui National Park costs $100 for non-Chilean nationals and is valid for up to 10 consecutive days. With the ticket, you have unlimited entry to 12 designated sites within the park (except for Rano Raraku and Orongo, which you can only visit once).

When I visited Easter Island, I didn’t need a guide to access the main archaeological sites. However, it appears that the regulations have changed in the years since.

As of 2003, accredited guides are required for entry to all major sites within the Rapa Nui National Park. Ahu Tahai and Ahu Tongariki are the two exceptions.

Following my itinerary would likely only be possible if you hire a guide and driver. Alternatively, you can visit many of the same sites as part of organized one day,  two day or three day tours.

Where to Stay on Easter Island

Easter Island is not a particularly accommodating destination for budget travelers. In fact, though it is technically a South American territory, I found Easter Island’s prices to be on par with Palau, French Polynesia and many Caribbean Islands.

We chose to stay at Hostal Petero Atamu for the entirety of our five day Easter Island itinerary. The guesthouse–offering basic, yet clean private and shared accommodation–allowed us to enjoy one of the most expensive places on Earth at a reasonable price.

For travelers with a more flexible budget, Easter Island can be much more accommodating. Hare Nua Hotel Boutique and Kona Koa Lodge seem to be great mid-range options, while the Nayara Hangaroa offers a slice of luxury at a higher price point.

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Easter Island feels worlds away from the humdrum of daily life. The island appears to sit at the edge of the world. Its remote location made me feel as though sailing off its shores would cause me to fall right off the map.

Due in part it its remoteness, the island is full of superlatives. It is magical. Mystifying. Spectacular.

And it is so historically, culturally and geographically removed from everywhere else on Earth, that there’s just no other place like it.

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Valparaiso weaves a colorful web of character and charm. Known lovingly as Valpo, the artsy Chilean city sprawls across a series of hills that overlook the sea.

The city is an assault to the senses. It is an artist’s dream; a photographer’s playground. Colors burst from every inch of Valparaiso’s real estate. Art seeps into its every pore.

Perhaps Pablo Neruda, who was inspired by this hard-working city, said it best:

‘Valparaiso, how absurd you are…what a lunatic crazy port…you haven’t combed your hair, you’ve never had time to get dressed, life has always surprised you.’

VALPO: CHILE’S COLORFUL CITY

Whereas Santiago is all about business and government, Valparaiso inspires creativity. This bustling port town is, in many ways, everything nearby Santiago is not. It is syncopated, dilapidated and bursting with flair. Its ramshackle streets are seemingly pieced together at random–often incongruous, yet also harmonious.

Valpo’s beauty lies in this organized chaos.

Chilean artists, writers and musicians have long made this beguiling city their home and have drawn inspiration from its cerros and ocean views.

With its vibrant street art and its picturesque streets, Valparaiso is a popular day trip destination from Santiago.

I’d wanted to visit the city since Dan and I flew through Santiago en-route to Patagonia. But time constraints forced us to put a visit to the city on hold.

So when I found myself in Santiago again on my way to Easter Island, I made sure to dedicate a day to the Chile’s colorful city by the sea.

VALPARAISO HISTORY

Throughout the 19th century, Valparaiso was the pearl of South America‘s Pacific Coast and a major stopover point for ships traveling the Straits of Magellan. The city flourished during this time and attracted immigrants from Britain, Germany, Italy and France. In its heyday, Valparaiso was lovingly deemed Little San Francisco for its stately mansions, its hilly layout and its seaside views.

In the twentieth century, however, the opening of the Panama Canal meant ships no longer needed to circumvent South America entirely to travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic. As a result, they bypassed Valparaiso altogether and the city’s economy–once heavily reliant on the ships stopping by–began to stagnate. Wealthy families left the once prosperous city in droves.

Today, Valparaiso has rebounded. Its economy relies mostly on exports, but the city’s revival has also attracted artists, entrepreneurs and tourists keen on seeing the city’s open-air gallery.

THE MURALS OF VALPARAISO

Under the Pinochet dictatorship, street art in Valparaiso emerged as a form of protest. Since it could be expressed anonymously, art was a safe way of resisting authorities and spreading messages.

Today, artists have turned the city into a canvas. Homes, businesses and churches are awash with eye-popping designs depicting Chile’s culture, its history and its humor.

Valparaiso’s streets are like Melbourne’s laneways on steroids. Some murals are funny. Others are ironic. Some are political statements. Others are merely playful decorations.

WALKING TOURS OF VALPARAISO

There are several walking routes across Valparaiso that are great for discovering the local art. I recommend focusing on Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepcion–two hillsides that are particularly colorful and dynamic.

Twisting sharply upwards from the waterfront, the neighborhoods of Alegre and Concepcion offer winding cobblestone streets, sweeping views of the clapboard houses, and some of the city’s most famous street art.

We didn’t join any city tours during our day trip to Valparaiso. Instead, we let our feet guide us and followed our instinct.

If you’re wanting to take in the best of Valparaiso’s murals and views, there are a number of guided tours that will take you to the area’s must-see public art installations.

GETTING AROUND VALPARAISO

Valparaiso is best explored on foot, despite the fact that its hilly topography can make it an exhausting place to visit. The city is spread out across 43 hills called cerros. 

Luckily, weary travelers can take advantage of a series of elevators that are sprinkled throughout the city. These urban lifts, known as funiculars, cost roughly fifty cents to ride and often overlook some of the city’s best views.

There are twenty-two funiculars in Valparaiso, and I’m sure that each boasts worthwhile views. Acensor Concepcion, Acensor Peral (on Cerro Alegre) and the Artilleria Railway are among the lifts that offer the greatest rewards.

WHERE TO STAY IN VALPARAISO

Traveling to and from Valparaiso in one day is incredibly popular. However, if you’re looking to savor the city and its art, you might want to spend at least one night in town.

In my research, I came across a few different properties that I believe offer exceptional value for money. These places are among the best-reviewed in Valparaiso and target different budgets.

If you’re looking to stay somewhere inexpensive, Pontoval B&B offers budget rooms, a pool, and complementary breakfast.

AYCA La Flora Boutique Hotel, located in the heart of Cerro Concepcion, is a highly-rated mid-range option with ocean views and clean rooms.

GETTING TO VALPARAISO

The journey between Santiago and Valparaiso takes roughly two hours and passes by vineyards and rolling hills in the direction of Vina del Mar. From the Pajaritos Station in Santiago, two bus companies–Pullman and Turbus–offer convenient options for a Valparaiso day trip.

Buses leave nearly every fifteen minutes between the hours of 6:00am and 10:30pm. Travel time between the cities is roughly two hours, depending on traffic.

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Before setting out on our Valparaiso day trip, I had a vague idea of the famous murals I wanted to see. I wondered if I should create a map for my journey by pinpointing their locations on Google Maps.

But I decided not to.

Instead, I let my eyes and my feet lead the way.

And I’m  happy I chose to follow my intuition rather than my phone, because I happened across delightful murals that I may have missed, had I stayed along a scripted path.

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The craggy peaks of Torres del Paine National Park dominate the landscape of Chilean Patagonia. They soar toward the sky like outstretched fingers, concealing glistening lakes, transparent rivers and a host of wildlife in their shadow.

Adventure lovers from around the world flock to Patagonia during South America’s summer months in order to experience some of raw nature at its finest. The region is a backpacker’s wonderland and and an adventure-lover’s playground.

Hiking is the best way to explore Patagonia. As a result, trails criss-cross the landscape and bring travelers face-to-face with its majestic scenery. Among this vast network of trails is the W Trek—Patagonia’s most popular trek and one of the most beautiful multi-day hikes in the world.

TORRES DEL PAINE W HIKE: PLANNING & LOGISTICS

Torres del Paine National Park is one of the highlights of Patagonia, alongside Mount Fitz Roy, Perito Moreno, and Tierra del Fuego.

The park’s most famous hike—the W Trek—is a multi-day backpacking adventure that is as challenging as it is rewarding, and as beautiful as it is wild.

Hiking the W Trek in Torres del Paine requires a fair amount of planning and coordination. In preparation for the journey, I scoured forums, read blogs and made multiple trips to REI for gear. And yet, as Dan and I boarded our flight to Punta Arenas and the prospect of hiking in Patagonia suddenly became very real, I realized that I still had little more than a vague idea of our plans.

Luckily, we had scheduled a day in Puerto Natales to figure out the logistics of our itinerary, rent trekking poles and camping gear, plan for emergencies, and attend an information session conducted by the Erratic Rock Hostel.

The Erratic Rock Hostel was our best planning resource for the W Trek. The popular backpacker’s hangout in Puerto Natales holds an informative overview of the W and O circuits ever day at 3pm. The session is open to the public and covers everything from equipment rental to transportation and from campsites to suggested hiking itineraries.

• GETTING TO TORRES DEL PAINE

In order to reach the park, we took a 7am bus from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine National Park. Buses Gomez and Buses Maria Jose both operates two daily departures from the Puerto Natales bus station—one early in the morning, and one at 2.30pm. Both bus companies charge roughly $16 one way.

At the park’s administration center, we registered for the hike and reserved a campsite at the popular Torres Camp for the final night of our trek. Then, we hopped back on the shuttle and continued to Pudeto, where we caught a ferry to the Paine Grande trailhead. 

TORRES DEL PAINE W TREK

I would have loved to hike the entire O Circuit in Torres del Paine, but the loop takes about nine days to complete and would have eaten up nearly all of Dan’s accrued vacation time. Instead, we settled on the Torres del Paine’s W Trek—an abbreviated and popular five-day version of the longer circuit that covers many of the park’s most notable highlights.

Heeding valuable advice from the information session, we decided to hike the W Trek from West to East—starting out with the park’s easiest terrain and moving gradually to the more challenging sections of the trail. This would allow us to acclimate to the feeling walking hours on end, with our homes on our backs.

W TREK DAY 1: PAINE GRANDE TRAILHEAD TO GLACIER GRAY

With our bags packed high and the wind at our backs, we began the first leg of our hike from Paine Grande to Glacier Grey.

The trail is lined with craggy mountain peaks on one side and the placid Lake Grey on the other. As we neared Camp Grey, we were afforded spectacular views of the ice field in the distance.

Low-lying cloud cover partially obstructed our views of the mountain peaks and muted the colors of our surroundings. Still, we counted ourselves lucky in terms of weather and marveled at the beauty around us. Most of what we had read about Patagonia warned us of the temperamental and unpredictable forecast. We’d heard of strong winds and heavy rains often posing obstacles to hikers and we’d come prepared for the worst, hoping for the best. Yet, aside from sporadic gusts of strong wind and occasional low-lying clouds that obstructed our view, the weather remained pleasant throughout our hike. 

When we reached the Glacier Gray campsite, Dan and I quickly set up tent, put down our heavy packs and continued walking along the trail in order to get an up-close view of the glacier. We hiked an additional 4km each way, across a suspension bridge and toward the now-defunct campsite between Refugio Grey and Paso Camp.

At one point, we heard the thunderous sound of a calving glacier and saw a massive chunk of ice plummet into the lake below. We were awestruck and giddy with excitement. I couldn’t believe how fortunate we were to witness the forces of nature at play and to have found ourselves at the exact right place, at the right time (little did I know how many calving glaciers we would witness one week later, at the Perito Moreno Glacier).

And yet the glory of our first day on the trail did not end there.

After we returned to camp and fixed up a dinner of dehydrated Pad Thai, we were rewarded with one of the most incredible sunsets I have ever seen. Lenticular clouds formed over the mountain peaks, making the sunset striking not only because of the reds, oranges and purples of the sky, but also because of the unique shapes of the clouds.

DAY 2: GLACIER GRAY TO CAMPAMENTO FRANCES

On our second day of hiking the W Trek, the trail took us from the Glacier Gray campsite to Campamento Frances. Campamento Frances is the newest camp in the park and offers an alternative stopping point to the free and often booked-up Campamento Italiano. The path between the two camps returns to Paine Grande, before continuing along the shores of Lake Pehoe and Laguna Scottsburg. As we hiked, the clouds lifted a bit, revealing mountaintops that had been largely concealed the day before.

We were exhausted when we arrived at camp. Dan’s knees hurt from tendonitis and the bottoms of my feet were sore from hiking another 20km under the weight of my pack.

DAY 3: DAY HIKE TO THE FRENCH VALLEY FROM CAMPAMENTO FRANCES

On the third day of our trek, we explored the scenic French Valley as a day hike from Campamento Frances. We had elected to stay at the same campsite for two nights, so that we wouldn’t have to worry about taking down and re-mounting our tent. Staying put for two nights also allowed us to leave our heavy packs at the campsite and climb up to the Mirador Britanico with just our cameras and a small pack of essentials.

The French Valley is the middle leg of the W and many consider it to be the most beautiful area of the park. A trail leading to the Mirador Britanico cuts through forested terrain and is flanked by tall, granite spires on either side. As we scrambled up the uneven path, each step revealed views more spectacular than the last–stratified columns of granite reaching toward the clouds, sheer cliff faces plummeting to the valley floor and hanging glaciers lying delicately between the mountains’ crevices.

Behind us, views of Lake Nordenskjold and the sculpted, windswept hills took our breaths away.

DAY 4: CAMPAMENTO FRANCES TO TORRES CAMP

In addition to being the longest day in terms of distance, our fourth day of hiking was made more difficult by the beating sun and constant uphill climb.

But despite the fatigue we felt, we were propelled forward by the promise of beautiful view upon beautiful view. 

The path led us past the Cuernos towers, across bubbling streams and along the shores of sparkling lakes.

During the penultimate day of our hike in Torres del Paine National Park, the sun had decided to peak out from behind the clouds and paint the mountains and lakes in vivid shades of brown, green, blue and grey.

That is, until we reached the base of the towers and the clouds began to form in front of us—muting the landscape’s vivid colors once more.

The famous towers are the crown jewel of Torres del Paine National Park and are considered to be the highlight of  the W Trek. They are Chile’s answer to the jagged peaks of Argentina’s Mount Fitzroy.

The last stretch of the climb to the towers was grueling, especially after such a long trek from Campamento Frances. For the last mile or so, we had to scramble up a steep moraine that shot straight up the mountain with few switchbacks.

The views, of course, were worth every ache and pain in our legs.

As Dan and I sat at the base of the towers and tried to shield ourselves from the fierce wind, we ogled at the remote and wild beauty around us.

Then—exhausted from the longest stretch of our multi-day trek—we hobbled back down the mountain, toward camp.

DAY 5: COMPLETING THE TORRES DEL PAINE W TREK

By the beginning of day 5, we had made it to the pinnacle of the trail. From the towers, it was all downhill, both in terms of difficulty and elevation. With a mere 8km to go on the fifth and final day of our hike, we relished the fact that we had conquered the W Trek in Patagonia and successfully completed our first multi-day backpacking trip together.

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The rugged tip of Chile is home of sweeping vistas, jagged granite towers and a host of Patagonia animals like the adorable wild guanacos (South America‘s answer to a camel and the largest mammal in Patagonia). It is also home to unpredictable weather; strong winds, relentless rains and, at times, sweltering heat.

Hiking the W Trek in Chilean Patagonia left us tired and sore and battered and bruised. Despite the agreeable weather, the elements had peeled a whole layer of skin off my face and the steep downhill portions of the trail left Dan with a crippled knee.

But hiking the Torres del Paine W Trek also left us invigorated and inspired. The reward of completing the hike washed away any semblance of pain and exhaustion that we might have otherwise felt.

And the views and photographs that we gathered from our five days on the trail, were worth every punishing step.

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