Patagonia
The road to El Chalten
Overview
One of the cornerstones of our trip, Patagonia was a must-visit for us. The mountains, the glaciers, the lakes, the hiking, the wildlife, the activities, the vastness, everything about it appealed to us. Located in the southern regions of both Argentina and Chile, it’s a region unlike any other in the world.
There are highlights galore in Patagonia, from one of the largest and still expanding glaciers in the world, Perito Moreno, to the multitude of hiking and climbing opportunities in and around El Chalten (one of our personal favorite places in Patagonia), to the wildlife viewing opportunities around Puerto Madryn and Trelew to the end of the world in Ushuaia. And that’s only Argentina.
Chile will be the next country focused on here at World Travel for Couples, and Chilean Patagonia is equally as impressive, with one of best national parks for hikers in the entire world, Torres del Paine, plus plenty of other highlights.
Not only a Patagonian highlight, but a world highlight
Highlights/Where to Go
Picking and choosing where to go can be a challenge, as there’s so much to see and do, the region encompassing Patagonia is massive and vast, and sometimes there’s simply not enough time to do it all. My advice to anyone wanting to visit Patagonia is to get organized and budget your time accordingly. Getting around is very slow, and this region is more expensive than the rest of Argentina and Chile, particularly during high season (December-February).
So where are the best places to go while visiting Patagonia? Obviously that is subjective, but here’s our take on where we went and why. Keep in mind this is just a short rundown of the area, and in the coming weeks there will plenty of posts and pages that go into more depth about each of the places listed below.
The hiking mecca that is Torres del Paine National Park
- El Calafate- Travelers flock to El Calafate for one reason, and that’s to see Parque Nacional Los Glaciares (Glacier National Park) and the highlight of the park, Perito Moreno Glacier. The town itself is nothing to get excited about, but the glacier is worth it.
- Perito Moreno- The aforementioned glacier is one of the few in the world that is still expanding, and it’s just as impressive as everything you’ve heard. A day trip from El Calafate, tourists have tons of options when visiting, so make sure you check out the tips and a recap of Perito Moreno (and the picture post with plenty of pictures and videos!)
- El Chalten- One of our favorite places, the surrounding area of El Chalten may be the most naturally beautiful place we’ve been. If you’re a hiker, camper, and outdoorsman, then this is the place for you. Come during the summer and you get 16-18 hours of daylight, and with the plethora of hiking trails all around, you can trek for days or take day hikes and sleep in a bed every night. The options are limitless.
- Torres del Paine- This Chilean national park is a mecca for hikers and is one of the best places for trekking in the world (much more information can be found in the Chile section, including the most comprehensive guide on the web to trekking Torres del Paine).
- Puerto Madryn- The area around Puerto Madryn (and Peninsula Valdes) has seal colonies, penguin colonies, and whale watching. All wildlife viewing is best at different times of the year (whales-June-mid-December; sea lions-December-mid-January; penguins-September-February). NOTE: We did not go to Puerto Madryn, and it’s our policy only to review places we’ve been, but I did think Puerto Madryn was worth a mention to look into–our priority was seeing penguins, so we went to nearby Trelew instead.
- Trelew- About an hour away from Puerto Madryn, Trelew is a cool little town that is close in proximity to Punta Tombo, the largest single penguin colony in South America.
- Punta Tombo- An awesome site to see, massive numbers of penguins are literally everywhere in this nature reserve. Walk amongst these cute little guys from September through February, and see the chicks take their first swims January and February.
- Rio Gallegos- We just passed through Rio Gallegos on our way to Trelew from Chile, but they have the second largest penguin colony in South America nearby, Cabo Virgenes. Rio Gallegos is located about 4-5 hours south (by bus) of El Calafate and about 17 hours (by bus) south of Trelew.
- Ushuaia- Dubbed as the southern-most city in the world, Ushuaia is the capital of Tierra del Fuego. A beautiful area that is heavily touristed and pretty expensive, even by Patagonian standards, this is also a jumping off place for cruises to Antarctica. NOTE: We did not visit Ushuaia. We heard great things about it, but it just wasn’t in our budget. It’s a popular place in Patagonia, so I at least wanted to mention it.
When to Go
December to February is summertime in Patagonia (but not summer as most people think it), and thus the most popular time to visit. Crowds are biggest during this time, accommodations, buses, and flights most expensive, and planning is necessary. Crowds are obviously thinner in spring and fall months, and weather is going to be colder, but weather at any time in Patagonia is unpredictable. October/November and March/April are good times to visit, but be prepared to possibly deal with delays and really cold temperatures. Skiing isn’t the most popular of pasttimes, but it is catching on. Winter months (June-October) are best for enjoying the snow.
Weather
The wind in Patagonia is strong and constant
Patagonia is a massive, vast area of Argentina and Chile, and weather here is quite fickle year-round. Ridiculous winds are common in summer months, where temperatures are warmer than the rest of the year, but still cooler compared to most other areas of Argentina. Shorts and t-shirts are not the norm during the summer. Precipitation can come at any time year-round, so be prepared, especially when hiking.
Getting Around
Bus travel in Argentina can be absolutely amazing, and while travel by bus is fine in Patagonia, it’s not nearly as nice as other parts of the country, and it’s typically more expensive. If you can afford a flight or two, it’s quite nice to avoid the 20+ hour bus rides in this part of the country, where roads are worse than elsewhere in Argentina. Here are the journeys, times, and cost of our journeys in Patagonia.
- Buenos Aires > El Calafate - Flight/3 hours /$165US/person
- El Calafate > El Chalten - Bus/4-5 hours/$19US/person
- El Calafate > Puerto Natales (Chile) - Bus/7 hours/$19US/person
- Puerto Natales > Rio Gallegos - Bus/4-5 hours/$18US/person
- Rio Gallegos > Trelew - Bus/18 hours/$80US/person
- Trelew > Bariloche (Lakes District) - Bus/~12 hours/$90US/person
Costs
It is more expensive in Patagonia, plain and simple, especially if you’re traveling during summer months. We ended up staying in 4 or 6 bed dorms for some of the time (both in El Calafate and El Chalten and parts of our hike in Torres del Paine in Chile). Some of the private rooms we had left a lot to be desired, while others were fantastic and amongst the best places we stayed. In Argentine Patagonia, we averaged $99/day for the two of us, and in Chilean Patagonia, we averaged $117.85/day total.
One of our “top of list” goals is to do some hiking in the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. We have sailed around the Cape and through the Straight of Magellan. We've even visited the “cities” along the way, but we have not spent any time in the interior. It looks AMAZING! Great tips.
Thanks guys! The hiking in Patagonia is spectacular, particularly around El Chalten. I'll have a lot more in depth hiking information in the region in the coming weeks, with tons of pictures. It's really a magical place. Thanks for the kind words as usual!
'The Road to El Chlaten' just looks absolutely amazing. Well, words don't do it justice really, do they?! You must feel privileged to have seen it!
South America is on our radar – although when that will happen….
Thank so much! That picture was actually taken on the way to El Chalten. The bus pulled over on the side of the road and let everyone out to snap pictures. We later found out that we were pretty lucky to get that view as clouds obscure the peaks more times than not. That one is honestly one of my absolute favorite pictures of our entire year-long trip. Sometimes it pays to be lucky.
And I can definitely say the same about Turkey. Firmly on our radar – although when that will happen….
Thanks again for stopping by and commenting!
I loved Patagonia! Are you going to take the Carreteral Austral while you're in Chile? While I was in Patagonia some friends and I rented a car from Bariloche and drove all throughout the south of Argentina and up along the Carreteral Austral in Chile. It was a totally amazing experience! Of course, we were so broke we had to sleep 3 in the small car, with me halfway in the trunk, and ate nothing but bread and peanut butter… but hey! It was an experience I will never, ever forget!
Kelly, all this was from our trip back in 2009, so unfortunately we won't be going through Carreteral Austral anytime soon.
Your adventure sounds fantastic. What a cool experience. We only spent time in Torres del Paine in Chilean Patagonia. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting.
Love the pics and the tips. Patagonia is definitely on my bucket list.
Thanks Norbert. I would definitely urge you to keep it on your bucket list. It's an amazing area of the world.
I hiked for a month about 2 years ago in Fitz Roy and Torres del Paine. I saw some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen in my life. I remember drinking as much stream water as possible, getting an overdose of the freshest tasting water I've ever tasted and breathing in the incredible air. Beautiful pictures, this article brings me back to these amazing places! What hiking route are you guys taking in Torres del Paine?
It is simply stunning, isn't it? We did the exact same thing with the stream water. We were so bummed to leave the region because the water was just so, so, so good. Just loved it, which is funny to think of because it's just water. But if you've had it before, you know.
We actually did this back in January/February 2009, so we've already been to TDP. We did the W trek while there, and we did 4 different long day hikes while in the Fitz Roy area. How 'bout you?
Great info, very comprehensive! Patagonia is very high on my list of places to go!
It's an amazing place! Good luck on planning a trip there some day.
we visited puerto madryn and did the whale/seal/penguin/testicle biting llama type animal tour. it was amazing! i think there must have been at least 15 whales all around our boat. one of the best tours i have ever done.
another place i liked down there was el bolson. super chilled out town and a good base for hiking or even paragliding.
have to agree on perito moreno, it really is a world highlight.
great post!
That's awesome! We bypassed Puerto Madryn simply because it wasn't during whale season when we were there. We did make it to the nearby penguin colony, which was amazing. And we were fortunate enough to get see a bunch of seals during our time in New Zealand. So amazing. And we also made it to El Bolson, which we LOVED. Bariloche and El Bolson were some of our favorites. I'll be getting to those by the end of December/early January. Thanks for the comment as always!
Wow – it looks amazing!!! I'm really counting the days until I leave for Argentina now (6 days to go…). How far in advance would you recommend booking hostels and buses if you are in Patagonia during the high season?
Great post as always
Line, we had an apartment in BsAs for about a month before we headed into Patagonia, and we made some of our bookings from there a week or so in advance. It's not like you have to plan months in advance, and in most places you probably could just turn up and find somewhere to stay, but it's going to be a lot harder than just booking in advance. Now if you plan on going to Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia, you have to plan at least a few weeks in advance, if not more. I'll have tons of info on that in the coming weeks. Enjoy your time in Argentina, it's an awesome country!
Great oveview and incredible shots”
This one I must keep. When I'm done with the Middle East I'm heading to South America and I won't bypass Patagonia. Love the pictures too.
Thanks Inka! It is a great region, one where we spent a lot of time, so don't hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have when you make it that way. I know I'll be getting a hold of you whenever we make it over to the Middle East! Thanks for commenting.
I love the second photo on the page. Way cool – literally and figuratively.
Thanks Ben! I actually have a post going up tomorrow that is an all picture post from Perito Moreno. Even have a few videos. It was a very cool place to visit, both literally and figuratively.
[...] Patagonia [...]
[...] Patagonia [...]
[...] Patagonia [...]
[...] Patagonia [...]
[...] Patagonia [...]
[...] Patagonia [...]
[...] Patagonia [...]
[...] Patagonia [...]
[...] Patagonia [...]
[...] Patagonia [...]
[...] Patagonia [...]
[...] Patagonia [...]
Hi Adam – great to read adventures of another traveler from the Lou! I’m going to start my RTW trip in Patagonia and am wondering about securing my computer/camera gear and other gear I don’t need while trekking the W and in other various parks where I’ll be camping or in a refugio. How did you do it? Are lock boxes available at hostels? Thanks!
Beth