What to wear and bring to Grey Glacier
Dress for the deck, not for the forecast in Puerto Natales. The air coming off the ice field is colder than town, and the walk to the boat crosses a beach of sand and shingle. Apart from a welcome drink, no tour here feeds you, so lunch is your job too.
Why the deck feels colder than town
Grey Glacier is an outlet of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, and the wind that reaches you on Lago Grey has crossed a great deal of ice on the way. On the Grey III's outside deck, with the glacier ahead and open water all around, it can feel like another season from the main street of Puerto Natales. Town is not warm to begin with, since summer highs there sit around 57–63 °F (14–17 °C). So pack a hat and gloves even in December, and assume the wind will find any gap in your clothes.
The boat's main cabin holds 98 passengers, so you can always duck inside to warm up. Most of the photos get taken outside, though, and that is where your clothes earn their keep. The season guide has the temperatures for the colder months.
Layers for an open deck
Think in layers you can add and remove, because you will move between the cabin and the deck several times during the sailing.
- A base layer. Thermal or wool next to the skin rather than cotton, which stays cold and damp once you have sweated on the walk;
- A warm middle layer. A fleece or a light down jacket that packs small into a day bag;
- A windproof, waterproof shell. This matters more than anything else in the bag, because the wind off the ice cuts straight through fleece;
- Hat and gloves. Even in summer. Bare hands holding a phone out toward the ice go numb faster than you expect;
- Warm socks and long pants. Pants that dry quickly beat jeans if it rains on the beach.
Sun and glare off the ice
Cold does not mean dark. On a clear day the light bounces off the ice and the milky water of Lago Grey, and the glare is hard on the eyes for the hour you spend along the face. Bring sunglasses and wear sunscreen even when the air feels chilly, since the wind hides how much sun you are taking. A neck gaiter or scarf pulled over your face helps against both the wind and the sun.
Shoes for the beach walk
The Grey III does not leave from a dock beside the car park. From the closest parking you walk about 3 km (1.9 mi) along Grey Beach, roughly 45 minutes each way over sand and shingle, and the operator says the difficulty depends on the weather. Wear closed shoes with proper grip. Hiking shoes or trail runners suit it, while sandals and smooth city soles do not. A traveler who went on Torres del Paine Adventure's sailing with transport, from ~$300, advised strong shoes and waterproofs, and said the walk could feel long for anyone unsteady on their feet.
None of the boat trips suits wheelchair users or people with limited mobility, largely because of this walk. If you want support on uneven ground, Nothofagus Patagonia's sailing and park day lends trekking poles. The boat trip, step by step describes the walk and the boarding in more detail.
Papers and cash
Turismo Lago Grey asks you to bring a passport or ID to the 3-hour sailing, and Go Patagonia asks for the same on its long day from Punta Arenas. Torres del Paine Adventure accepts a copy of your ID. Buy the park entrance ticket before you go and keep it on your phone. Torres del Paine tickets and rules explains the fee, which the listings put at roughly $35–50 a person.
Carry some cash for tips, which one listing calls customary for drivers and guides, and for the Milodon Cave entry of about $10 if your park day stops there. Smoking is not allowed on Turismo Lago Grey's boat, and neither are drones, so leave yours at the hotel.
Food and water for a long day
The only thing the boats hand out is a welcome drink with glacier ice in it, either a pisco sour or a calafate sour, and no food comes with any sailing on this site. On the day tours, pack lunch in Puerto Natales and carry more water than you think you need. Torres del Paine Adventure's listing tells you to bring a packed lunch, and reviewers on Nothofagus Patagonia's day say the second half of the sailing, on the way back from the face, leaves time to eat it.
Plan for bathrooms as well. Reviewers on the early pickups found none between Puerto Natales and the park entrance, and the next ones were at Hotel Lago Grey. The road from Puerto Natales covers the rest of the drive.
Poles in the van, lunch in your bag
Nothofagus Patagonia's 12-hour day takes five people at most and lends trekking poles for the walks that follow the 10 am sailing, from ~$300. Bring your own food, since the price covers the boat ticket and the guide but not the park entrance.
Extra kit for the ice and the river
On the Grey ice hike, Howlanders supplies crampons and ice axes. The listing mentions no other gear, so ask about footwear when the operator confirms your booking, and remember the age limits of 14 to 65. On Paddlegonia's Grey River kayak, from ~$670, you get a dry suit for the cold water. Its catch is the price, the highest of any day trip on this site, for a listing nobody has reviewed yet.
Trekking to Grey is a different packing job. Paine Travel's five-day W Trek Express, from ~$1,190, includes a Grey Glacier hiking day, but you share a tiny-house room in Puerto Natales with two others and spend one night camping. A guide comes only on the first day, and the park entrance, about $49, is extra. Grey on foot covers the trail to the glacier.