Middle Earth Patagonia
Bader Valley
Get away from the crowds in the Bader Valley of Torres del Paine
2 Days Extension
The Bader Valley (in spanish Valle Bader), is a steep and narrow valley parallel to the most famous French Valley located in the middle section of Torres del Paine W Trek. This area is off-limits to self-guided trekkers and therefore can be hiked and explored only with a Certified Guide of Torre del Paine National Park and with a special permit.
This off-the-beaten-track excursion gets you away from the crowds towards a magnificient amphitater of granitic peaks right in between Los Cuernos and Almirante Nieto mount, making you feeling so small compare to this gigantic vertical walls. It can be organized as a an extension of your W-Trek program by spending 2 nights at the Bader campsite the following day of your trekking to the Towers' Base.
Itinerary
DAY 1: REFUGIO TORRE CENTRAL --> BADER CAMPSITE
15Km (9,5 Miles) - Elevation Gain: +700 (+2500) - Hiking Time: 6-7 hrs
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We meet you at Torre Central Mountain Lodge after breakfast during your second day of the W-Trail itinerary. Leaving the refugio behind and the Towers that you visited on the previous day, we start our trek following the trail which runs along Nordenskjold lake. After approximately four hours hiking along the main trail that leads to Los Cuernos Montain Lodge, we will take a sharp turn towards the north and start ascending through a steep path gaining elevation and magnificient vistas of the southern lakes of Torres del Paine and their turquoise colour. It would take us around an hour-an-half to reach a small patch of woods near the Bader stream, which is where we are going to set up our campsite. From here you can almost touch the granitic wall of the Eastern Horn (Cuerno Este), whereas lookng south the view encompasses the imposing Mount Balmaceda, Chacabuco Range as well as Sierra del Toro and the azure-to-cobalt lakes Sarmiento, Toro, Nordenskjold and Pehoe. Overnight in tent under a starry sky.
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DAY 2: EXPLORING BADER VALLEY --> BADER CAMPSITE
10Km (7 Miles) - Elevation Gain: +/-600m (+/-2100ft) - Hiking Time: 6-7 hrs
On our second day we will venture out for a full day excursion into the Bader valley, leaving all our supplies and equipment at the campsite thus travelling as light as possible. We start ascending on the true left of Bader stream which roars down into the narrow ravine as we gain altitude through screes and granitic boulders. After a couple of hours the trail starts loosing inclination as we approach the hearth of the valley and an amphiteather of spire and granitic orange-to-grey walls welcomed us. On the right we observe the western orange face of Almirante Nieto Mountain, the Southern Tower as it appears from a different angle compare to the previous day, then the Fortress, el Brujo, Espada, Hoja, Mascara and the three Cuernos del Paine with their bi-coloured rock faces. We aim to reach the small Bader lake located in the center of the valley for lunch and then according to our walking time and the weather conditions we might decide to climb up a little further towards the slabs of Cuernos Principal; otherwise we start walking back towards campsite where we can refresh our feet in the river and cook our dinner before slipping into our cozy and warmed sleeping bags.
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According to your program, on the next day you're keeping up with your itinerary back to the main trails of the W-Trek therefore after we descent to the main trail we say goodbye and you'll continue towards the French Domes.
What's Included
Included
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2 Nights in Campsite with shared tents
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All Meals indicated in the program except for Breakfast on Day 1
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Camping Equipment (Tents, Sleeping bags, mattresses, etc..)
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Certified Guide of Torres del Paine National Park
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Permit to the Bader Valley
Not Included
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Any Additional Nights
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Travel Insurance (Air/Ground Evacuation Costs)
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Medical Insurance
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Gratuities for the Guide
SEASON 2019/2020 (Valid until April 2020)
2 Members 190 USD p.p.
3 Members 150 USD p.p.
4-8 Members 100 USD p.p.
Prices
Reviews
Martin, Karen and Howard
DC, United States
If you enjoy learning about the landscape as move through it, the people who live and work in Patagonia, and larger socioeconomic events impacting the region, you'll love trekking with Pelin.
Bader Valley History
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When
Trekking the Bader Valley
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Trekking in the Bader Valley means going off the beaten tracks; in fact after deviating from the main trail of the W trek which connects Torre Central with Refugio Los Cuernos, we will start ascending through a mixture of shrubland and boulders with the trails still quite marked until we reach our campsite.
After Bader Campsite the trail is similar to the previous part for about 20/30 minutes and after that we'll progressively walk on a lateral morraine, that is boulder hiking. We'll have to use cairns to guide us in this maze of granitic boulders and in some part we'll cross small patches of sand products of the erosion of the granite. Good trekking boots are required in here as well as equilibrium and previous experience on this type of terrain.
If the weather is good we'll proceed to climb up till the lake located right in the hearth of the valley from where the view of the granitic amphitheater is spectacular. We might find patches of snow even in summer due to the high elevation and the fact that the valley is mostly in the shade during the day.
Bader Valley Camping
Campamento Bader is basically a place in the woods where we can pitch our tents and get running water from a nearby stream to cook. A small shelter, made out of trunks, branches and a plastic tarp has been built within the last decades to provide cover from wind and rain and was used extensively by many rock climbers who normally camped in here during few nights waiting for the good window for climbing Cuerno Este or peaks like Espada, Hoja or La Mascara. There are no toilette pits, so trees provide a good place for that purpose, making sure you respect the right distance from the water; as well as no shower, although the river does its justice!
We'll spend in here two nights, which means on our second day to explore Bader Valley, we'll leave our camping equipment and stoves in here.
