Whenever I saw a picture with “Patagonia” in the caption, I was immediately drawn to the blue lakes, mountain peaks and beautiful glaciers. It was a place that seemed so far away but I was determined to visit. As you can imagine, planning a trip to this region took some extensive research. Patagonia is not a specific place, rather an area that encompasses the southern tip of Argentina and Chile. There are several national parks, small towns and attractions within the region.

I spent many hours looking for a guided tour that visited all of the places I had found in my research, but was never able to find one that satisfied my desires. Still being nervous to book the entire trip on my own (and maybe a bit lazy), I decided to use the tour company Say Heuque. They are a local tour company that has an option to plan your own itinerary while they actually book the trip. Although they gave a few tips and pointers, the majority of our trip was the specific itinerary I gave them.

Day 1- Santiago, Chile

After a long overnight flight from the USA and only one day to spend in Santiago, I opted for a private guided tour. We were picked up from our hotel in the afternoon and given a brief overview of the city. It would have taken much longer to use public transportation and figure out how to get to the popular locations so this turned out to be a great option. We were happy to have relaxing afternoon in the sunny, warm weather!

In the evening, we were able to walk from our hotel to a very nice tourist area for an amazing seafood dinner.

Day 2- Fly to Punta Arenas

We were happy to be able to sleep in a little the next morning before our 3 hour flight to Punta Arenas, Chile. This is a charming town and we had a relaxing afternoon walking along the coast, drinking coffee and exploring the very large cemetery in the center of town. If you are looking for a great dinner option, I definitely recommend La Cuisine, a French restaurant where my husband said he had the best duck of his life 🙂

Day 3- Magdalena Island Penguins and Drive to Puerto Natales

As soon as I found out the largest penguin colony in the southern hemisphere was located on a island near Punta Arenas, I knew I had to visit. This tour lasted 6 hours and included the boat ride to and from the penguin colony on Magdalena Island. There are about 60,000 Magellanic penguins on the island and this is their primary breeding ground. The all gray penguins are the newly hatched chicks and the huge groups of penguins playing by the water are the adolescents. There is a marked path for tourists to walk and we were given specific instructions to allow the penguins to cross in front of our path and to not touch or bother them in any way. I couldn’t help taking way too many pictures since they are absolutely adorable!!

After returning from our penguin excursion, we were able to grab a quick lunch before heading to Puerto Natales on the public bus. Even though I wouldn’t say taking public transportation is always glamorous, it is an inexpensive way to get to the next city. Just remember to bring a book, take a nap or just enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Day 4- Guided Hike in Torres del Paine

This is by far the most famous national park in the Patagonia region and there are several hotels in or near the park. I had originally planned to spend two nights in the park to do more hiking but it is very expensive!! The town of Puerto Natales is the closest town to the park and a lot of day trips leave from there. Because I wanted to hike to to the base of the three towers (see picture below), I chose the only tour I could find that included this 19 km hike. As you can tell, it was a little cloudy and was actually snowing by the lake. We were feeling unlucky until our guide informed us that the day before it was snowing so hard you couldn’t even see the water. Be aware that this is a pretty tough hike that includes a significant amount of elevation change. Several of the members of our group did not make it to the top, so I suggest choosing a different tour of the park if you are concerned.

Torres del Paine is well known for its constantly changing weather conditions and we definitely experienced this. Between rain, snow, sunshine and wind, we took on and off layers of clothing more often than we could count. Even if you visit during the summer, be prepared for any type of weather!

Day 5- Travel to El Calafate

We were thankful to have a day of traveling after our long hike in Torres del Paine. We once again boarded a public bus to say goodbye to Chile and cross the border into Argentina. I’m not sure if I underestimated how long this trip would take or if our bus driver was just driving slowly, but we were on the bus for over 6 hours! We did have to get off the bus twice to go through passport security but don’t forget to bring snacks!

Once we found our hotel in the town of El Calafate, we set of to explore this cute little city. It was probably the largest city in the area and is set on the shore of the beautiful blue Lake Argentina. We attempted to walk to the Reserva Laguna Nimez, a bird sanctuary, but we eventually gave up because it was sooo windy!

Day 6- Perito Moreno Glacier and travel to El Chalten

If you are planning a trip to Patagonia, please do not skip the Perito Moreno Glacier. I have visited glaciers in both Alaska and Canada, but their beauty paled in comparison. The Perito Moreno Glacier is the only glacier in the world that is not retreating and it ends in a beautiful glacial lake. Thanks to an extensive network of walking paths, visitors are able to see the glacier up close and from all sides. Plan to spend several hours walking the various trails and just standing in awe of its beauty.

Included in our tour from El Calafate was a boat ride up to the face of the glacier. Although not an absolute must do, it gives you the opportunity to better appreciate the sheer size of the glacier.

In the evening we were scheduled to have private transportation from our hotel to El Chalten, a town well known for its fantastic hiking. This trip typically takes about 3 hours, but our driver got us there in 2 hours. Clearly he was in a hurry but we didn’t mind 🙂

Day 7- Hiking in El Chalten

This little town was basically established because of its close proximity to several amazing hikes. The most famous is the Laguna de Los Tres trail that leads to the base of Mount Fitz Roy. At just over 11,000 feet elevation, it is the high mountain in Patagonia and this hike ends at a lake right next to the peak. The hike leaves from the town of El Chalten so I suggest leaving early in the morning to be the crowds and/or heat. We left our hotel around 6:30 am and reached the lake when only a few other hikers were there. By the time we left the lake, the trail was a steady stream of people for the last several miles. Plan to pack a lunch to eat on the shores of the lake as you will need a much needed break before heading back. Also, don’t miss out on the second lake to the right of Mount Fitz Roy.

Although I would love it if everyone who visited Patagonia could complete this hike, it was one of the more challenging I have done to this point. We hiked a total of 17 miles that day and there is 2300 feet of elevation gain (most in the last mile).

Day 8- Hiking in El Chalten, travel back to El Calafate

Although we were a little tired from our long hike the day before, I was determined to tackle the second most popular hike from El Chalten, the Laguna Torre. This hike leads to the base of Cerro Torre, the tall peak seen in the pictures below. We once again left our hotel around 7 am and were able to walk to the start of the hike. This hike wanders through a valley so there was significantly less elevation gain than the Laguna de Los Tres hike. There is a glacier that terminates in the lake, often resulting in icebergs floating throughout. It is about 13 miles round trip and is easily done in a morning.

Once we arrived back in town, we took advantage of having a few hours before our ride back to El Calafate and had a relaxing (and huge!!) lunch. We simply chose the restaurant that was closest to our hotel because we didn’t want to walk anymore…

Day 9- Fly to Buenos Aires, City Tour and Tango Show

After a 3 hour flight to the smaller of two airports in Buenos Aires, we were taken to our hotel via a private transfer. We had time for a quick sushi lunch before our city tour. Similar to when we were in Santiago, we opted for a guided tour since we just had one afternoon in the city. Our guide was awesome and took us to numerous different districts, including La Boca and and San Telmo. Buenos Aires was full of culture and we would love to visit again someday.

After our city tour, we were treated to a dinner and Tango Show at La Ventana. There are plenty of people who think these shows are geared too much to tourists and although I would agree, it was totally worth it! The dancers displayed just how intricate the tango is and I was mesmerized at the precision needed to execute each dance.

Day 10- Fly home to the USA

Most flights leave Buenos Aires in the evening and land back in the USA the next morning but we chose a flight that left in the morning. Be aware that the international airport is ~1 hour from downtown and we had a very long wait to check in when we arrived.

Tips:

• Because Patagonia is in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are opposite of ours. I highly recommend going during their summer, sometime between November and March, for the best weather. Many places are even closed during their winter.
• There are two main airports in Patagonia: Punta Arenas in Chile and El Calafate in Argentina. Direct flights are common from Santiago, Chile to Punta Arenas and Buenos Aires, Argentina to El Calafate.
• Torres del Paine is the most well known park in the area and definitely beautiful but very pricey! My original plan was to spend two nights in the park but it would have added over $1000 per person!
• I prefer to purchase the local currency of the countries where I am travelling several weeks before we leave. I was able to order Chilean Pesos from our local bank but was not able to obtain Argentinian Pesos. At the time of our visit, the economy of Argentina was unstable enough that the value of their currency was constantly changing. If this is the case, I recommend going to an exchange house, or “Cambio” once you arrive in Argentina. We found one in El Calafate that has reasonable rates, just remember to have your passport with you.