So you want to visit Patagonia, but have a limited amount of time to work with? No problem, because there’s still a way to see the highlights even in limited time.
I traveled through Patagonia from February through March and took it slowly, trying to explore as much of the region as possible while working simultaneously. Some people I met had even longer in Patagonia than I did, but most were on shorter trips and had to pick and choose what they saw.
That got me thinking about what I would have prioritized had I been working with less time, and with that in mind, I put together three different Patagonia itineraries for those with one week, two weeks, or one month to travel with.
(Note: If you have more time and want to retrace my journey, start with the archives or Bariloche in the Argentina guide and follow the chronological blog posts, all of which have directions and advice.)
This information is for those who want to self-guide their own tour of Patagonia, since I’m all about independent travel and take tours only when they offer a glimpse into something I can’t access or understand as well on my own.
As Patagonia is all about the outdoors, these itineraries prioritize hiking and camping, two must-dos in Patagonia. Before you go, be sure to read my camping and packing guides before you go as well, because certain weather-resistant equipment is essential when in Patagonia, even during their summer!
Jump to:
ONE WEEK
One week isn’t a ton of time in Patagonia, but if you maximize it right, you can hit many of the highlights.
This itinerary is packed to the brim and will have you constantly on the move. If you want to take it a bit easier, I have some alternative suggestions at the bottom of the itinerary to help you pick and choose how much you want to see and move around. If you can swing it, though, don’t miss Torres del Paine National Park!
Here’s a map with all of the important stops for one week in Patagonia:
Day 1:
Fly into El Calafate from Buenos Aires (or do this itinerary in the reverse and fly into Punta Arenas if you’re already in Chile).
Take 3-hour shuttle directly to El Chalten (order ahead of time if high season). A ticket should cost you AR $600. Here are some of the bus companies available and their schedule:
- Chalten Travel everyday at 8AM, 1PM, and 6PM
- CAL-TUR everyday at 8AM, 1PM, and 6PM
- Tasqa everyday at 7:30AM, and odd days at 6PM
(Click for places to stay in El Chalten).
Day 2:
Hike to the Cerro Torre – an 18km, easy hike to one of the most dazzling rock formations in the park.
Dinner at B&B burgers or order Cordero Patagonico (local lamb on a spit), dessert at Domo Blanco ice cream.
Day 3:
Wake up before sunrise and hike to the Condor Lookout, 20-minute hike.
Hike from town to the Fitz Roy, dinner in town.
Day 4:
Early morning bus to El Calafate. Again, a ticket costs AR $600, and here are the bus companies available and their schedule:
- Chalten Travel everyday at 7:30AM, 1PM, and 6PM
- CAL-TUR everyday at 8AM, 1PM, and 6PM
- Tasqa everyday at 6PM
(Click here for places to stay in El Calafate).
Buy onward ticket to Puerto Natales. Bus ticket should costs about AR $1100 – AR $1300
Check in and visit the Perito Moreno Glacier. If in a duo or group, it’s cheaper and more convenient to order a taxi for a flat fee. Ask your guesthouse to call for you. Otherwise, busses depart from the bus terminal in town from 8am to 4pm.
Day 5:
Early AM bus to Puerto Natales (the journey takes about 5 hours). Book bus to Torres del Paine National Park at the bus terminal following AM (book ahead if high season).
(Click for where to stay in Puerto Natales)
Day 6:
Early AM bus to Torres del Paine National Park. The journey should take less than 2 hours. Alight at Hotel Las Torres² and hike up to the Torres. Hike back down to take the bus back to Puerto Natales in the afternoon (note: this is a challenging hike to do in one day, consider taking a horse partway if needed).
Day 7:
Full Paine tour departing and returning to Puerto Natales. Bus next AM back to El Calafate and fly out from there, keeping in mind that the border crossing will take time.
*Optional changes:
- Stay in El Calafate and take a day tour to Torres del Paine to see the highlights without traveling onward to Puerto Natales. Spend more time in El Chalten to make it less rushed.
- Stay at the Hotel Las Torres, which includes tours (like the Full Paine and horse transport partway up to the Torres in Torres del Paine) and transport to and from El Calafate when you choose the all-inclusive package.
TWO WEEKS
Here’s a map with all of the important stops for two weeks in Patagonia:
Day 1:
Fly into El Calafate from Buenos Aires (or do this itinerary in the reverse and fly into Punta Arenas if you’re already in Chile).
Take 3-hour shuttle directly to El Chalten (order ahead of time if high season). A ticket should cost you AR $600. Here are some of the bus companies available and their schedule:
- Chalten Travel everyday at 8AM, 1PM, and 6PM
- CAL-TUR everyday at 8AM, 1PM, and 6PM
- Tasqa everyday at 7:30AM, and odd days at 6PM
(Click for places to stay in El Chalten).
Day 2:
Rent in the town or carry your own camping gear up to the base of the Fitz Roy and explore the surroundings. Spend the night camping.
Day 3:
Hike to the base of the Fitz Roy, come back down and pack up your tent, and then hike to the Cerro Torre. Either camp at the base of the Cerro Torre or walk back into town (it’ll be a long day!) for the night.
Day 4:
If back in town, wake up before the sun rises and check out the Condor Lookout for the sunrise on the mountains, the famed rocks from the Patagonia brand label.
Bus in the afternoon to El Calafate. Again, a ticket costs AR $600, and here are the bus companies available and their schedule:
- Chalten Travel everyday at 7:30AM, 1PM, and 6PM
- CAL-TUR everyday at 8AM, 1PM, and 6PM
- Tasqa everyday at 6PM
(Click here for places to stay in El Calafate). Buy onward ticket to Puerto Natales.
Day 5:
Visit the Perito Moreno Glacier. If in a duo or group, it’s cheaper and more convenient to order a taxi for a flat fee. Ask your guesthouse to call for you. Otherwise, busses depart from the bus terminal in town from 8am to 4pm.
Day 6:
Early AM bus to Puerto Natales (the journey takes about 5 hours). Use the time in the afternoon to rent camping gear if needed, stock up on food, and get ready to hike the W trek, a 5-day trek in Torres del Paine National Park (Everything you need to know to prepare is listed here). Purchase bus tickets from the bus terminal (or online) for the first bus out the following morning.
(Click for where to stay in Puerto Natales)
Days 7-12:
Take the bus from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine National Park in the morning (bus departs from 7AM to 11:30AM, and journey should take less than 2 hours). Trek the W in Torres del Paine, including Glacier Grey, the French Valley, and the Torres. When finished on day 5, take the bus back into Puerto Natales.
Day 13-14:
Take a bus to Punta Arenas and visit the Penguins in the afternoon or early the next morning. Fly out of Punta Arenas to Santiago.
*Optional changes:
- If you want to do the full circuit in Torres del Paine, which is an excellent trek and a great choice, skip the penguins and shave off a day or two in one of the other spots. It will take about 8 days to hike.
ONE MONTH
You have a whole month in Patagonia? Applause! This is enough time to do some of the treks that others don’t often do who are on tighter schedules and want to see the highlights. The lesser-known places in Patagonia are some of the most magical, so with that in mind, this itinerary prioritizes the lesser-known areas along with the more popular ones.
Here’s a map with all of the important stops for one week in Patagonia:
Note: This can be just as easily done in the reverse.
Days 1-4:
More Active: Fly into Bariloche, Argentina, and pick an overnight hike. Two enjoyable ones I tried were the Cerro Tronador and Refugio Frey.
(Click here for great places to stay in Bariloche).
Less Active: Take the bus from town and do a shorter hike to the Cerro Campanario and drive the Route of the 7 Lakes.
Check out my Bariloche guide for the specifics on all of the hikes, how to navigate the area, and where to stay and what to eat.
Days 5-15:
This is where the path can change significantly from the usual highlights which are in both of the one and two-week itineraries, or go for something different. Take a look at the above to see what the usual popular suspects (and rightfully so!) and decide if they deserve a lot of time, because the alternative is a lot of parks mostly locals visit and know about, and it’s pretty darn cool.
Travel down the Carretera Austral, South America’s most remote road, via private rental car (fastest), hitchhiking, or busses (which are infrequent and ever-changing, so leave a time cushion when using this method). It’s also possible to bicycle, but this would most likely take up the entire month.
Sights (Click the links for photos and info on each):
- Puyuhuapi to see the Queulat hanging glacier
- Villa Cerro Castillo to do the day hike
- Puerto Rio Tranquilo for glacier trekking and the amazing Marble Caves
- Villa O’Higgins for the boat ride past the O’Higgins Glacier and over to Argentina
Days 16-18:
Walk from Chile into Argentina.
It’s a total of 22km and you’ll be in no-man’s land for most of it. One of the coolest trails in Patagonia. (Note: You can often hire horses to carry the bags, but it’s not possible to book ahead. In case you have to carry all of your stuff, pack light! Suggestions here.)
Days 19-21:
Do day hikes around El Chalten to the Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, or if you want a challenge and to devote more time to this, check out the Huemul Circuit. While it’s one of the toughest hikes in the area, it’s also one of the least-trekked and most impressive with sweeping views of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.
(Click for places to stay in El Chalten).
Days 22-30:
Depending on how much time you have left, make your way through El Calafate to Puerto Natales and gear up for Torres del Paine.
(Click here for places to stay in El Calafate).
Choose to do the full O circuit or the W, depending on time.
Regardless of the amount of time you have or how much of a hiker you are, the good news is Patagonia is so full of incredible things to see, you can’t really make a bad choice in regards to what to see.
You can, however, make a bad choice regarding prep, so make sure you bring the right gear and clothing along with you!
Patagonia is a beautiful and rugged place. Enjoy every moment of it!
Ijana says
Thank you so much for this post! Patagonia has been at the top of my bucket list for a long time, and I’ll admit I was a bit stymied on how to visit and what to see. You make the planning process a lot easier for me 😀
Crystal says
Just booked my almost 3 week trip to Patagonia and a friend tipped me off to your blog – excellent info! One question though – everything else I’ve read regards Puerto Natales as the base camp of Torres del Paine, with Punta Arenas for penguin sightings. Yours seems to indicate the opposite. Why do you prefer Punta Arenas over Puerto Natales for the base camp? It seems like the bus to PA from El Calafate would be much father than to PN.
Kristin says
Wow you are totally and completely right! I never could get those two straight in my mind. I was confusing the two constantly (and still do, clearly). It’s kind of like when I look at a 24-hour clock and without fail I will read “15:35” as 5:35pm rather than 3:35pm. Ugh! Thanks so much for saying something and I’ve fixed it in the itinerary now!
Crystal says
Thanks so much for letting me know! I was quite confused haha 🙂
Cristina says
If you are going hiking to Torres del Paine I would recommed you to first go to Punta Arenas to buy the food its a 10 minutes drive from the airport. Puerto Natales its really expensive compare with Punta Arenas, from there you can take a bus to Puerto Natales and buy Argentinian pesos believe me you dont want to use an ATM in Argentina they charge you around 10 dollars for use in addition of what your bank charge you
Kristin says
Or just get Charles Schwab and they will refund the ATM fees. How current is your info? The black market for Argentinian pesos is dead now
Matt says
Hi Kristin,
My wife and I are trying to plan a trip using your 1 week schedule as a guideline because we will be doing something like 7-10 days. For the one week trip, would there be camping or does this plan on staying in hostels or hotels?
We want to do some camping but I was not sure if it was part of the plan or if the plan is more stay in a city and do hikes from the base.
Thanks,
Matt
P.S. My wife loves your site.
Matt says
Thought I should add that I like your site too.
Kristin says
You can camp if you want to! These aren’t cities, per se. They are tiny towns and all have campsites. You can also do overnights out on the trails – there are campsites all over the ones in El Chalten, for example.
Matt says
Thank you for the response. I took a little bit of the 1 week and 2 week itinerary notes and came up with a plan in el chalten for some camping on trails and some staying in town. It’s good to know that camping close to town is also an option.
I really liked the pictures of the glacier hike you did in chile but don’t think we can make it there in our timeline. Did you hear much about the glacier tours for the glacier by El Calafate?
Kristin says
I also went to Perito Moreno in El Calafate and you don’t need to take a tour unless you want to. You can bus in, then hire a taxi for a fixed rate who will take you and wait for you then bring you back to town when you’re done. It’s a better option as long as there are 2 or more of you. It was super impressive!
Ash says
Hi Kristin!
Thanks for the great post! I am a female solo traveler and will be heading to Argentina in January. I was originally planning on 19-20 days in the Patagonia, but am considering shifting some things around to only spend 16 there. A friend of mine recommended spending a weekend in Punta Del Este to get some beach time in (should be fun over NYE). I will be in Buenos Aires studying Spanish for the month prior to going to the Patagonia, so I have some flexibility on when I go to the Falls. I will have everything I need to hike before flying south so I won’t need to spend a day preparing before hand. However, if you think this schedule will be too rushed, I could go to Iguazu earlier in trip and possibly skip punta del este, which would give me several more days in the Patagonia. What do you think?
Day 1: Fly Calafate (5am flight), bus Torre Del Paine
Day 2 – 9: O circuit
Day 10: Relax
Day 11: Bus Calafate
Day 12: Big Ice Trek
Day 13: Early Bus to El Chalten, day hike
Day 14: Day hike
Day 15: Day hike
Day 16: Bus Calafate, Fly Iguazu
Day 17: Falls- Brazil
Day 18: Falls
Day 19: Falls
Day 20: Fly BA
Also, I plan to camp the whole time in the Patagonia except for two days at the end of the O circuit, in which I’ll stay in a hotel. Do I need to reserve a spot at a free campsite if I am carrying all of my gear?
Thank you!!
-Ash
Kristin says
Give the O a solid 8 days, and that’s if you’re fit. Otherwise that looks pretty good to me! Yes if this is in January definitely book ahead of time as it will fill up.
Graham Neray says
Hi there,
My wife and I are going to Patagonia for our honeymoon in the last 2 weeks of December. We are using your 2-week itinerary as a rough guide: flying into El Calafate, then straight to El Chalten for 2 days, then back to El Calafate for 1.5 days, then to Puerto Natales as a launching point to Torres del Paine to hike the W trek for 5 days. After that, we have about 5 days left and we’re debating what to do:
1. Go up north to Bariloche and/or Puerto Rio Tranquilo; or
2. Go down south to Ushuaia, maybe stop in Punta Arenas on the way.
After we do (1) or (2) above, we need to get back to El Calafate, where we fly out of in order to head home.
We are more into hiking vs. tourist attractions; being on our own vs. being with the crowd. It’s a bit hard to tell how doable it is to get from Puerto Natales to either of those destinations. Which do you think we should do – (1) or (2)? Are both feasible in terms of travel? If so, how would you recommend we get from Puerto Natales to (1)/(2)?
Thanks in advance for you advice!
Kristin says
I would give El Chalten more time instead of trying to book it to one of the other spots. Puerto Rio Tranquilo can take a while, but you can fly into and out of Bariloche. Why do you need to go back to El Calafate from there? I assume you’re flying in and out of Buenos Aires?
Kristin says
Awesome! 🙂
Haley says
This is so helpful! I am going to Chile with my boyfriend in March. We want to send 4-6 days camping or hiking in the patagonias. We will becoming from Santiago and flying into Punta Arenas. Would you suggest we spend the whole time in Torres del Paine hiking and camping here or try to make it to
El Chaltén as well. my concern is it will be hard to get from Chalten back to santiago the flights are expansive and 5 hours. Thanks for your help
Kristin says
I’d pick one spot with only a few days or you’ll be rushed and stressed.
Kelly says
Thanks for this, Kristin! I have fourteen days with two travel days and am struggling to choose between northern and southern Patagonia. Which do you think? Or is there a way to see some of both in that time?
Kelly
Kristin says
You could do Bariloche for a bit then fly down to El Calafate. I think down south is more impressive.
Kat says
so helpful thank you! How much money would you suggest budgeting for the one-week itinerary (buses, meals, lodging, any entrance fees)?
Kristin says
Here’s my breakdown: https://www.bemytravelmuse.com/patagonia-trip-cost/
Kristen says
Thank you for posting such helpful information! We’ll be spending 7 nights (6 full days) between El Calafate and El Chalten. We’re planning to just do a day tour of Torres del Paine from El Calafate as we won’t have enough time to do a long hike. But, would you recommend we spend a night at Hotel Las Torres to give us another day in the park?
We are also debating if we should spend more time in El Calafate vs. El Chalten. Do you prefer one over the other?
Thanks again!
Kristin says
Definitely prefer El Chalten over El Calafate, by far! I think another day in the park is a good idea too if you can do it. It’s so beautiful.
Kristin says
You might have more success in Chile when you’re getting ready to do the Torres del Paine circuit. The backpacker accommodation are used to keeping bags there and didn’t charge me to do so.
Kristin says
I didn’t do anything but the glacier and didn’t love the town either. It’s really touristy!
There could be hikes I wasn’t aware of, though. If you find some please let me know!
Matt says
Great site! Thanks for all the information…
I may have missed it in the comments or actual post but, Do you have a general budget for the iteneraries?
Kristin says
Got it here: https://www.bemytravelmuse.com/patagonia-trip-cost/
Kate says
Hi,
I’ve a very short period of time on this trip. From 29th oct to 1st nov. I’m thinking to fly to Punta Arenas.
1st day
do day tour trekking to the base Torres,
2nd day,
Will do full day (easy hike) tour Torres Del Paine.
Do you think we re really need to get a tour for my second day? Both tour exclude the park entrance fee. Do you think I need to pay twice for both day or one time?
3rd day
Will take a bus from Puerto Natales to El Calafate.
4th day
May I know if I’m going to the Perito Moreno by myself, NO tour, how much is the boat ride? I heard it’s a must and impressive.
Thank you.
Kristin says
1st day looks good, the second day I would do a full paine bus tour to see the beautiful and iconic stuff in the park. Most of it would require multiple days to trek to otherwise. They usually return you to town as well. I don’t know about the park entrance fee. I’d ask the tour company that you book with.
I also don’t know how much the boat tour is, I didn’t do one.
Danilo says
Hi Kate
You only pay once to Torres del Paine National Park Fees, when you leave the park the first day saves the ticket and will serve you for the next day
scott says
We are a couple 61 and 58 who travel with our 20 year old son. We are big hikers but thinking would prefer not to camp and carry all the needed gear. (Backpack camping gets less appealing as we get older.) Staying in hostels/private rooms with an occasional nice hotel. Say 80% hiking and 20% culture/small town tourism. We would rent a car when it makes sense to be time efficient. No hitch hiking, bus is fine if it goes where/when we want. Thinking 3 weeks including travel time. Probably looking for a little more granular trip planning advice than you give away on your blog (but not to the booking level). Suggestions on travel reading…Loved reading about your trip and watching the video’s.
Kristin says
Hey Scott, I wrote everything about my trip and everything I know on here! I gave it all away! 🙂
Since I didn’t rent a car I don’t have that info but it is a bit expensive, I do know that, but probably worth it for your trip. Where you go and how you spend that time will depend on how long you want to devote to each place and that’s something you’d have to decide for yourself, but El Chalten seems like a perfect fit given it has plenty of day hikes. You might like Steve’s guidebooks as well: http://amzn.to/2oNLn7R, http://amzn.to/2nrWFyf
Cat says
Hi, loved your article huge help for planning my trip! Just wondering where your opening photo is from?
Thanks
Kristin says
The Huemul Circuit: https://www.bemytravelmuse.com/huemul-circuit-argentina/
Kristin says
Hi Connie,
Thanks for asking. Torre just means ‘tower’ so it’s a name that a few rock formations down there have. However thank you for calling my attention to it because I think that only the one in Argentina has a ‘cerro’ in front of it. These names are endlessly confusing for me! Made a change in the post now to reflect that.
The reason why I suggest flying into Puerto Natales is the airport in Punta Arenas is much smaller and probably super expensive if it’s even doing flights atm since they only do in high season, but check with SKY airlines to make sure. The demand is high to get to Torres del Paine lately so maybe they’re doing more flights.
El Calafate is just the most logical place to fly into because it’s in the middle, between Torres del Paine and El Chalten, plus you have the perito moreno glacier there and lots of day trips to Torres del Paine too. That said, you will pay a lot more to fly from Santiago into El Chalten because flights within the country are reasonable but as soon as you cross a border they tend to triple. Can you fly into Buenos Aires from Canada instead? It’s also a super cool city!
Connie says
Hi Kristen:
Thank you so much for you detailed reply. Yes Buenos Aires is in my plan but it turns out flying to Santiago from Canada is much cheaper than flying to Buenos Aires. That’s why I thought I can see the Patagonia on the Chile side before heading to Buenos Aires. And yes the names are very confusing to me and thanks for clarifying. I guess you meant hiking in the Torres del Paine on Day 7 instead of hiking to the Cerro Torres? I have approx 3 weeks (more or less) for my trip to South America and here’s my tentative plan:
1) Fly into Santiago, stay there for 4-5 nights.
2) Fly to Buenos Aires, then fly El Calafate on the same day (is it possible?)
3) Stay in El Calafate overnight take the shuttle bus to El Chalten next AM.
4) Hike to the Cerro Torres next day
5) Condor Lookout next day
6) Day tour to the Torres del Paine
7) take a shuttle back to El Calafate next day and fly back to Buenos Aires on the same day (possible too?)
8) Stay in Buenos Aires for 4-5 nights
9) fly back to Santiago and then fly back to Canada
Is this a realistic plan? In a nutshell my plan is in about 3 weeks I would visit Santiago, El Chalten, and Buenos Aires. Santiago will be my base for flying in and out of South America. I’m just unsure if I should attempt the above itinerary or do Santiago –> Buenos Aires –> El Chalten instead. Would you mind sharing your 2 cents?
Many thanks again.
Kristin says
Looks good! If you can psych yourself out enough to do Condor and Fitz Roy on the same day then do. I have no idea about the flights that just depends on what’s available. Have fun! Let us know how it goes for you.
Connie says
HI Kristin:
Haha thanks for the tip about Condor and Fitz Roy! I’ll definitely keep that in mind if I’m not super tired from moving around. (I’m relatively fit but flying up and down and moving around is another story.) Will definitely keep you posted if I eventually make it there.
Thank you so much for all your posts – very helpful and reassuring for a fellow female traveller who loves to go solo. You’re definitely one of my fav travel bloggers.
Connie
Connie says
Hi Kristin:
So I did make my trip happen and I’m leaving for South America soon! (Peru and Argentina – I gave up Chile because I caught a super cheap flight deal to Peru by fluke.)
I have a random question I hope it’s the right place to ask you here: I just bought Pacsafe bag protector, after reading your travel resources on your blog. In your experience, do airlines accept the protector for check-in backpacks?
Many thanks,
Connie
Imogen says
Hi Kristin
Have enjoyed reading your blog. I’m an Aussie solo female traveller planning a trip to Patagonia mid Nov – mid Dec. I’ll have a month.
I have a couple of questions:
– Were there lots of people on the route from O’Higgins, boat ride and hike to El Chalten? ie if I’m travelling solo will there be people to hike with? If I fly into Bariloche I’d be keen to take that route, but reading different posts some people say it’s v isolated, so I was just wondering what you think.
– I’m keen on the Huemul Circuit: would you recommend organising it with a guide/group rather than doing it solo? The river crossing with the harness and that steep drop look fun but not sure I want to do that on my own!
– Have you been down to Ushuaia? Would you recommend it? I was maybe thinking of flying into El Calafate and out of Ushuaia instead of exploring further north.
Thanks
Imogen
Kristin says
Not that many from O’Higgins but it’s more of a dirt road than a treacherous hike and you might meet people at the farm or in town before you even go.
I would not do the Huemul circuit solo but I wouldn’t do a guide either because I usually prefer to go at my own pace. I would look for people at hostels in town and see if they want to come 🙂
I have not been to Ushuaia sadly.
Anonymous says
Thanks Kirstin
Yeah, I think I’ll be fine. Reading more about the Carreterra Austral – I get the feeling I won’t be the only one doing the crossing 🙂
It’s good to see there are still places you can hitch-hike! My last hitch-hiking adventure was around Newfoundland in 2009. I had THE best time.
Just booked the trip – from Esquel to Ushuaia for a month. Very excited.
Cheers
Imogen
Attila says
Hi Kristin,
Your site is pretty amazing. It gives me many ideas to plan our holiday.
We are planning to do some trekking in Patagonia late November – early December (I hope not too cold) this year. We will try to do something like you wrote in your one-month-itinerary. It sounds amazing as we are relatively experienced trekkers and looking for remote areas to avoid the crowd but still don’t want to miss the typical Patagonian landscapes. I’m little bit worried about the costs, though. We will be on low budget because the flight from and back to Europe takes a lot of money.
We would really love to take this car trip on the Carretera Austral, but I think a car rental could make the whole trip too expensive. If we hitchhike or wait for busses it could take too long and there is a great risk that we have to skip some beautiful treks or we miss our flight back.
What do you suggest? Do you know any car rental companies that allow us to pick up and drop the car in different places? In which cities would you rent and return the car? I thought about Puerto Montt and O’Higgins. Do you know the approx. daily rental cost? Are there any other costs like tunnels or ferries between these cities?
After we dropped our car and we are already in Argentina: Which is the best way to travel between El Chaltén and El Calafate and how to get from there to Torres del Paine?
Thank you in advance!
Attila
Kristin says
You’re right that it will be expensive to rent a car on the Carretera Austral, especially if you drop it off in a different location than you pick up. I don’t have any idea how much since I didn’t do it or where you can drop off but these are tiny towns so options are probably pretty limited. There are buses now and then but they aren’t daily and sometimes they are full when they pass by. Unfortunately that’s just how it is, though you can bypass the Carretera Austral and take a bus through Argentina down to El Chalten instead. The bus directions are noted in the itinerary for how to get from place to place, including TdP. When I didn’t hitchhike I took buses. Have fun!
Bhavna says
Hi Kristin,
I am also a female solo traveler. Just started travelling solo couple years ago. I am planning to go for 2 week trip in Patagonia. I was wondering if it is possible to do multiple day hikes in Torres Del Paine from a hotel in that region. I am not a camp person so not planning to do O or W trek. Not planning to rent a car either. Are there buses from hotels that go to TDP park?
Thanks,
Bhavna
Kristin says
In that case I’d suggest staying at a hotel within the park. The Hotel Las Torres is great. The hotels aren’t cheap, but otherwise, you’d kind of have to learn to be a camp person. It’s not so bad!
Kate says
Hello,
I was planning to do Patagonia on my round the world trip- I’m a 25 year old solo traveller- however since it is going to be my first time there I don’t think I’ll be able to manage hiking or camping by myself? Any ideas on how to keep costs lower when travelling there? I’d like to have a guide for hikes:-\ I haven’t gone camping before and the idea of being left alone somewhere intimidates me. Tours even independent ones are crazy expensive – so if I follow the 2 week itinerary you’re mentioning above how easy i s it to find someone to hike with etc?
Thanks,
Kate
Kristin says
Honestly there were so many other people on the trails that I mention in the 2-week itinerary, you won’t be alone at all. I also made friends with plenty of people in town and during the hikes, which was a pleasant part of the journey! I was there with Steve, but I met a solo female traveler who had hitchhiked all the way down the Carretera Austral (mentioned in some of my other Patagonia posts and in this one in the longer itinerary) and I kept running into her, having meals with her, and camping with her. The trails are really obvious so I don’t personally believe a guide is necessary. You can always show up and see what you think!
RE Flores says
Kristen, how did you handle airline tickets from Buenos Aires to El Calafate? After I booked, I noticed some text about fares applying only for residents. Will I need to pay extra at the airport? Thanks!!!
Kristin says
I didn’t have any issues, personally, when I did the reverse.
mohit verma says
On the off chance that you are going climbing to Torres del Paine I would recommend you to first go to Punta Arenas to purchase the nourishment its a 10 minutes drive from the airplane terminal. Puerto Natales its truly costly contrast and Punta Arenas, from that point you can take a transport to Puerto Natales and purchase Argentinian pesos trust me, you dont need to utilize an ATM in Argentina they charge you around 10 dollars for use moreover of what your bank charge you
Anne Weiss says
This is great information! We are considering a 1-2 week trip with our young adult daughters. Can you give me any sense of what kind of costs we could expect for these itineraries? Also is it possible to do it without any camping if we don’t want to haul a full pack? Thank you!!
Kristin says
Here you go! Some campsites do have tents set up that you can rent but most will not https://www.bemytravelmuse.com/patagonia-trip-cost/
MATTHEW KATZ says
Good Afternoon Kristin,
I have a long trip not at all planned in Patagonia and I’m looking for some advice. I’m flying into Puerto Arenas and then doing the O circuit at Torres del Paine.
I am on my own and after the Torres del Paine trek I have around two weeks. Do you think it is worth making my way up the Carretera Austral or is that not quite enough time? What would you advice in terms of renting a car in the area? Thanks,
Matthew
Kristin says
Hi Matthew,
I spent two weeks doing it myself. It would be hard if you hitchhike but if you rent a car it could work out well! I didn’t rent a car myself but I found this forum and this looks like good advice: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294291-i1357-k10066750-Renting_a_car_to_drive_Carretera_Austral-Chile.html
MATTHEW KATZ says
Thanks for the response! Where did you finish/start your trip, Puerto Montt?
Kristin says
Bariloche then took a bus to Puerto Montt from there, yes!
Solo D says
Hello – I am a solo female traveler that will be going to Patagonia. I will have my own sleeping bag and tent and carry my own food and plan to do the O circuit at Torre del Paine. What size back pack do you recommend? I really like the feel of the Osprey Aura which is 50L but not sure if it may be slightly small (maybe a 55 or 60L would be better). Really trying to keep light weight. Thanks for your help and post. Very helpful.
Kristin says
That’ll be too small because you really want to be able to fit everything inside your pack in case there’s rain, plus there are very heavy winds and anything hanging outside of your pack just makes you easier to blow over. My 75 liter was just barely big enough. For the O you need 8 days of food and that’s what takes up the space.
Bryan Lenz says
I just discovered your blog as my wife and I are considering a Patagonia adventure next winter…you’re a rockstar!
A few questions for you if you don’t mind…
-Do you think we can fit the W track into a 10 day “greatest hits” of Patagonia itinerary? …Or is it worth it for that length of trip?
-My wife isn’t too keen about camping, but we’re in Patagonia, right?! I’m thinking the “pre-set” camping options might be our best bet with prepared dinners and showers. I’m not wanting to drop $300-$500/night for a hotel. Is that a good option?
-How did you handle laundry while trekking?
Any insight would be appreciated. Thank you!
Kristin says
Hi Bryan,
– Sure, the W can be as short as 5 days
– I love camping so it seems like a waste to me to spend the money on the dinners and showers but I do understand not everyone is like me. Seems like a good compromise!
– LOL, brace yourself: You wear the same thing every day and then change into your other pair of clothes every night so that you’re not drenched in sweat in your sleeping bag. Then each morning you have the fun task of putting the cold wet clothes back on. If you’re carrying all of your gear you kind of have to do that. No laundry. I’m totally serious.
Steph says
Hi! I am flying into Punta Arenas and flying out of there too. How would you adjust the one week timeline to fit that? Thanks!
Kristin says
Skip Argentina and go to Magdalena Island to see the penguins!
Alina Ivanova says
Hi Kristin!
My name is Alina and I’m one of your IG followers. I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed your Patagonia posts. I’m going there this November and was wondering if you could give me any recommendations? We are planning to spend around a week-week and a half hiking the W trail and maybe El Chalten or go to Fitz Roy. Are there any camping grounds other than the major ones like Italiano and camp Gray? I’ve read a lot of reviews and everybody is saying that it’s hard to book those sites. The reviews were kind of old though from like 2014-2016. I contacted the Vértice website and they recommended to get back to them in April. But that’s the only response I’ve got. I haven’t heard from Conaf or Fantasticosur. I’m also wondering if you took a boat trip to the Antarctica?
Thank you so much in advance! Any information would be greatly appreciated!
Best regards and happy travels to you!
I really enjoy your IG page
Alina Ivanova
Alina Ivanova says
Hi Kristin!
I just wanted to say how happy I am to find your blog about Patagonia and that I really enjoyed it. I’m going there this November and was wondering if you could give me any recommendations? We are planning to spend around a week-week and a half hiking the W trail and maybe the O. Are there any camping grounds other than the major ones like Italiano and camp Gray? I’ve read a lot of reviews and everybody is saying that it’s hard to book those sites. The reviews were kind of old though from like 2014-2016. I contacted the Vértice website and they recommended to get back to them in April. But that’s the only response I’ve got. I haven’t heard from Conaf or Fantasticosur. I’m also wondering if you took a boat trip to the Antarctica? Is it worth doing if we only have 2.5 weeks in South America?
Thanks in advance! Any information would be greatly appreciated!
happy travels to you!
Alina
Kristin says
I would have loved to go to Antarctica but haven’t yet. I don’t think you can squeeze it in if you only have an extra week and a half for it, though. I do know that these days you either have to book campsites ahead or, like I did, go after the high season. I went at the end of March and it was a good call. I think Italiano is a free campsite, no?
Alina Ivanova says
Oh I’m not sure about italiano. They haven’t posted the rates on either of the three websites. They r waiting for the end of this season and told me to get back to them at the end of April. I might be able to get three weeks off and try to stretch it into 4 in November so I can take a boat to Antarctica! I’m soooo excited about this trip. I can’t wait!!!
Thanks a lot for your reply. Stay safe. Great pictures from Asia by the way ???
Kristin says
Let me know how it goes for you!
Alina Ivanova says
Oh I’m not sure about italiano. They haven’t posted the rates on either of the three websites. They r waiting for the end of this season and told me to get back to them at the end of April. I might be able to get three weeks off and try to stretch it into 4 in November so I can take a boat to Antarctica! I’m soooo excited about this trip. I can’t wait!!!
Thanks a lot for your reply. Stay safe. Great pictures from Asia by the way ???
Brooke says
My husband and I are planning a trip to Patagonia come this fall 2018. We are planning to do the W in Torres Del Paine. We are having a hard time finding out when we need to book our backpacking campsites or who to book with… Are you able to give us some information on this?
Kristin says
Yes you can find the companies on this post. Book as early as possible! I think that might be in May. https://www.bemytravelmuse.com/torres-del-paine-circuit/
Morgan says
Fantastic content!! You have a picture of you in an ice cave, looks to be glacier trekking on this article. Can you tell me what the name of that glacier or trek is, please? Thank you so much and keep dominating!
Kristin says
Yassss that’s on the Carretera Austral in Chile 🙂 https://www.bemytravelmuse.com/exploradores-glacier-trekking/
Tami says
As others have said, Kristin, your blog is super informative! Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I am going to Buenos Aires last minute, and booked an extra 10 days to hopefully go see Patagonia. I’m a veteran solo traveler, fluent Spanish. I would go by your one-week itinerary. But we’re talking about July 26- Aug 3. It’s winter!
I know you didn’t travel Patagonia in that season, but do you think that most things can be arranged once I get there? I figure it’s low season so (1) stuff shouldn’t be full, but (2) stuff might not run at all. Booking in advance is so hard from 7K miles away…and in a rush.
—> Do you think if I book a round trip flight to El Calafate, and hostel for the first night, I can sort things out once on the ground, even though my time is a bit limited?
Also, I’m a good hiker but not a mountaineer. —> From what you saw, do you think with winter conditions, I would just need a local guide anyhow? For example, I’m familiar with New Hampshire: totally fine in the summer, but in the winter people do actually die from avalanches and unstable snow even though you wouldn’t think 400-foot mountains would do that.
With much appreciation for your work,
Tami
Kristin says
Hey Tami, even in high season I booked nothing ahead of time except for guesthouses, sometimes. Even then I often just showed up because so many aren’t online, or weren’t 3 years ago. I think you’ll be alright!
The other thing is the season. In winter most trails will be impassable or very difficult/dangerous. I’m guessing you can still go see Perito Moreno – no problem, but the hiking trails might not be as available. Could you also go to Bariloche? Driving around the lakes is awesome and gorgeous and I’m guessing that’s still possible. More on that here: https://www.bemytravelmuse.com/things-to-do-in-bariloche/
Teresa Beirio says
I would like know the cost of a trip to Patagonia including Buenos Aires. Thank you
Kristin says
Totally depends on where you stay and how long you go for. More here: https://www.bemytravelmuse.com/patagonia-trip-cost/
Karen Stewart says
Hi…I am doing research on a trip 4 women are doing into the Northern Chilean Patagonia area the last week of January.We are visiting a friend on the island of Chiloe and thought a side trip a doable. The plan is to fly into Balmaceda, pick up a rental vehicle and head off to see as much as we can. Thus far Glacier San Raphael, the marble caves (I have heard that you can kayak to them) and a hike or two in the Parque Patagonia. We have six and a half days. We do not plan to camp but hope to find relatively inexpensive accomodation and food on our travels. Two of our number will be flying out of Balmaceda to Santiago at the end of these days.
Do you have advice or suggestions re:this plan? Any other recommended sites. Etc. At this point other than the dates we are flexible.
Thank you
Kristin says
A lot of what you mentioned are places I didn’t visit, however I can confirm that you can find decently priced hospidajes if you don’t want to camp — it’s what I did.
Emily Rae Taylor says
Hi Kristin,
Firstly, your blog is freaking amazing!! I have loved reading all about yours trips so thank you for everything you’ve shared.
My husband and I are heading of on a ten month trip next year to South America and Europe. We love meeting new people and experiencing the local culture. We’re 28 and 29 and don’t mind roughing it a bit. We plan on flying in Buenos Aires, doing five nights there, then busing to Mendoza for four nights then bariloche for three nights with the possibility of more. We have a few set dates we need to be in places but are pretty flexible.
I have checked out your itineraries and am wondering how long we should stay in Bariloche for? At the moment we’ve got the three nights and thought we might do some overnight hikes…
Then I thought we would bus to El Calafate and El Chalten. How long would you recommend in El Calafate and El Chalten? We enjoy hiking and I love the look of all the holes you’ve posted so we’d hope to do some of them.
I’m also not sure whether we should cross the border into Chile and then back into Argentina or work down Argentina and then just go up Chile?
Anddddd… another question haha. Buses… did you book them when you got there or should we pre book them? I’m planning to try and book our accommodation before leaving due to peak time but can cancel for free if needed.
Anyway, so sorry for the mega long post!!!
Thanks again for such an awesome blog!
Em
Kristin says
Hey Em,
Glad you like what you’ve found! If you want to do an overnight hike in Bariloche then 3 days might not be sufficient, unless you’re not including the hike in those days. You could spend a bit less time in Buenos Aires (but that’s coming from a girl who just doesn’t like cities much). You could fly down to El Chalten and save yourself some time, but not money, obv. Since you have ten months why not give yourself some flexibility and stay places for as long as you feel like it and leave when it feels right? You might end up doing that anyways. I spent about 6 days in each El Chalten and Bariloche, crossing between Chile and Argentina frequently, however I went down the Carretera Austral. You could stick on the Argentina side then bus over to Chile from El Calafate for Torres del Paine. That’s what I’d probably do in your situation. Enjoy!
Emily Rae Taylor says
Thanks so much for your quick reply 🙂
Awesome. Yeah when we are in Bariloche that time doesn’t include the hike I just thought we could book a few nights, do some day hikes and figure out some over night hikes to do while we’re there.
You’re right, we were planning on seeing how we go but I was sure with peak time how much to book or do you think we’ll still be able to find accommodation in Jan and not stress too much about booking it prior.
And yeah due to our time we’re happy to bus as it’s cbeaper, are these easy enough to book as you go? Or should we book those early due to peak time?
Thanks for the suggestion of busing over too 🙂 was the Cerretera Austal another bigger hike?
Em
Kristin says
I tended to book the next ticket as soon as I knew I was moving on, which was a day or maybe 2 before, and that worked out well for me. It was in February – April which was not AS much of a peak time, but still high season. Hope that helps! The carretera is a long, gravel road spanning the more rural part of Chilean Patagonia. Far fewer people go there, and it’s amazing! https://www.bemytravelmuse.com/patagonia-hitchhiking-guide/
Emily Rae Taylor says
Thank youuu 🙂 I’m sure I’ll have more questions as we plan more.
Nathan Goddefroy says
Hi thanks for this awesome post, website,…
Do you have some tips how to book your campsides when you are doing a full month Patagonia experience?
Some website, prices, timings when to book,…
We will bring our own camping gear/food/…
Thanks!
Kristin says
Hi Nathan, you do need to book ahead for Torres del Paine but otherwise I showed up and found all of my accommodation in person.
Torres del Paine info: https://www.bemytravelmuse.com/torres-del-paine-circuit/
Maddy says
Hi! Is it possible to get from Villa O’Higgins down to Torres del Paine/Puerto Natales without crossing into Argentina? Thanks!
Kristin says
Nope.
Chris says
Hey Kristin,
I am more of a silent reader normally, but since I love your tips and I’ll be going to Chile for 4 weeks mid october to mid november I am commenting.
With your knowledge could you give me a thumbs up or down for this itinerary?
6-7 days Santiago, Valparaiso, maybe Pucon surroundings down to Purto Montt
7 days Puerto Montt – Coyhaique with a rental car (we can only afford it to this point)
~8 days Coyhaique – O’Higgins – Argentina – Punta Arenas (hitchhiking/ public transport)
(I thought we’ll have plenty of outdoor/ hiking options before so no need for doing the W trek for example, maybe a day tour in Torres del Peine)
~6 days surfing/beach time in Pichilemu (after flying back north)
Esspecially for the Coyhaique – Punta Arenas part I am not sure if it is realistic to get there without stress in this time…
All the best!
Chris
Kristin says
Hmm, I would give Santiago less time, give Puerto Montt almost zero time if you can, and give more time to the Carretera wherever you can, especially if you like backpacking. Looks pretty good, though!
Anna says
Hi Kristin,
Thanks for your help guide. Quick question – You recommend after Torres Del Paine going back to El Calafate before heading to Punta Arena the next day. Is there a reason you wouldn’t want to go directly from Puerto Natales to Punta Arena? Seems like you could save a few hours of traveling!
Best,
Anna
Kristin says
If you don’t care about seeing the Perito Moreno glacier than you could skip El Calafate. Most people want to see it, though!
Kristin says
If you don’t care about seeing the Perito Moreno glacier then you could skip El Calafate. Most people want to see it, though!
Anna says
Hi Kristin,
On your two week Patagonia itinerary Day 12, you write heading back to Puerto Natales from the Torres del Paine before heading to Punta Arenas the next morning. There seem to be buses that can take you straight from the Torres del Paine to PUnta Arenas. Is there any reason why one would not do that (would save us a few hours of travel). We were hoping to make sure there wasn’t another reason. Thank you!
-Anna
Kristin says
Hi Anna, as far as I know the buses always go to Puerto Natales first, but maybe they offer ones to PA during the highest season? If so, go for it. However since Puerto Natales is on the way to Punta Arenas, I don’t think it adds several hours to stop there, unless you’re mixing up the two places? I do that all the time, lol.
Penny says
Really helpful post Kristen! Thanks for all the tips.
I’m so annoyed at myself as we’ve left it too late to do the W trek this November (unless guided and we don’t have that kind of money!) so I think we’ll try do your one week itinerary in reverse and fly into punta arenas and out of el calafate.
Might be a stupid question, but for the day hikes from el Chalten, I assume they’re easy to get to by bus/without a car i.e. getting to the starting point of cerro Torre, condor and Fitz Roy? Also is Fitz Roy ok to do on our own as I met another traveller who said she almost had a deadly experience hiking it!
Also if we just turn up to the Perito Moreno Glacier, can we do a glacier walk without pre booking/being on a tour and if so is it worth it?
Thanks so much!
Kristin says
You can just walk to these trailheads from town. I guess for Fitz Roy, the trail up to the top is pretty steep and rocky. If it gets crowded, I could see it being difficult. I don’t think a guide will change that, it’s just the trail conditions.
I just showed up to Perito Moreno and self guided. It was great!