If you're an avid hiker and hybrid-travel lover like we are, you must go explore the mountains of Patagonia - both in Chile and Argentina! I'm working on a review of the incredible lodges we based from and will link it to this post when they're ready. But in the meantime, I'm hoping to inspire you to start planning this trip by sharing some of our photos and mapping out the itinerary for how we made it happen. Southern Chile and Argentina are a bit of a haul from the USA - I won't lie about that. But man, oh man is it worth it! If it tells you anything, this was second time to the Chilean side of Patagonia. And after adding the Argentinean side to this trip, we're already talking about another future return. Yah. It's that good.
We limited this particular trip to 14 days once we got to Argentina, leaving a few days in San Francisco at the end to see some friends. So in total, the trip took 18 days including travel time. I recommend staying a few extra days in Buenas Aires and el Calafate. So for planning purposes, you can substitute those cities into this itinerary in lieu of our stay in San Francisco.
There's a lot of information packed into this post. But my hope is that it takes some of the headache out of planning the logistics around a big trip like this. It does take some effort to get there. But it really is worth it. Remember to read our detailed review of Explora's Torres del Paine lodge. And check back later when I'll have a more detailed review of the El Chalten Explora lodge that we added to this trip.
The Active
Patagonia is sensory extravaganza! And although experiencing it on any type of tour is encouraged, hikers will be blown away by the reward they'll get from their physical efforts. Although both Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares National Parks are gorgeous from vehicle seat, hiking any of their numerous trails within the parks will get you a far more intensive experience. There are many options for lodging in or near both parks. But we have a long love relationship with Explora Lodges as they're the epitome of what we love most - hybrid travel. This lodge company specializes in mixing incredible hiking with oh-so-comfortable accommodations. So any time we plan to hike in an area where one of their lodges is located, we find a way to stay there. Check back for a review of their El Chalten lodge. But you can get a feel for the way they operate and the treks they offer by checking out my reviews of the Salto Chico lodge in Torres del Paine, their Sacred Valley lodge in Peru and our Chilean Atacama desert and Bolivian Altaplano itinerary.
The Leisure
Both National Parks have both upscale and moderately priced lodges fairly close to trail heads. In addition to Explora lodges, here are a few other accommodations we saw in each area that looked pretty nice.
In Torres del Paine:
In El Chalten / Los Glaciares area:
Estancia Bonanza - a unique farm stay/B&B experience at
OVO Patagonia - if you want a real thrill and have some cash to throw around, stay in one of these for a night! ( and let me know how it goes...LOL)
In Buenas Aires, there are several very beautiful 5 star hotels in the Recoleta neighborhood / Historic district. We opted for Alvear Palace for its (relatively) moderate price, for it's location to local attractions and for its authentic Argentinean decor. And we had a fabulous stay! Other grand hotels in the area include Palacio Duhau ( a Hyatt ), Four Seasons and Mio Buenos Aires.
How to Connect
There are several nature conservancy programs in Chile. But after watching the documentary Wild Life, we were incredibly amazed by what the Tomkins Conservancy has done for this country. I encourage you to check out both the documentary and their site.
In Argentina, there are programs to stop deforestation, freshwater conservation and protecting its wildlife. So if you're able to, these organizations always welcome financial support.
Trip rating - L2-3 Both El Chalten, Calafate and the areas within and around Torres del Paine are international. English is spoken widely but it helps to know some Spanish in smaller towns. The food is this area may be different than what you're used to. And although vegetarian offering exist, red meat/ steak is plentiful. Argentinean pesos differ from Chilean pesos. But we didn't need to use much cash (mostly for tipping) and were able to use our credit card or Apple pay almost everywhere we went. We felt both areas were very safe for travelers. But of course, that's assuming you take standard travel precautions like not leaving your backpack unattended at trailheads.
Length of trip - 18 days total. We stayed a night in Buenas Aires on the way in. And we stayed 3 nights in San Francisco on the return. I highly recommend staying a few more nights in Buenas Aires ( maybe 3 nights? So you have 2 full days) and I would also recommend staying 2 nights in Calafate so you can check out Perito Moreno Glacier. We didn't, and wished we had. Calafate has become quite a lively, adventure town. And we'll definitely spend more time there on the next trip.
Month of travel - December. This is Summer in Patagonia. Although weather is unpredictable in the mountains whenever you go, December and January in Torres del Paine sees less rain and has the warmest temps. But this time of year can also be really windy. In the Chalten region, it's not quite as warm, and it still gets its share of misty, rainy days. But we were able to hike in a t-shirt on sunny days. This time of year is also the most expensive time to go. TIP - If you don't mind cooler weather, the Fall (April) sees few people and far lower accommodation prices.
Physical training - Altitude is not much of an issue here because most trails start close to sea level and max out at 5-6000'. Some of the best hikes are 12-15 miles long and will have you on your feet 8-10 hours a day. So be prepared for that. The two famous 'base of towers' treks in each national park have very steep, strenuous sections at the end that require some scrambling. It's very do-able if you have some basic fitness. But it can be slow-going both directions. Don't let that intimidate you! You can do it. And the views are worth the sweat equity.
THE DETAILS
How to get there:
Flights - we flew AeroMexico from LAX to Buenas Aires, Argentina, with a layover in Mexico city for 2-3 hours. We stayed one night in Buenas Aires (I'd recommend 2-3 if you have the time), then flew from Buenas Aires to Calafate, Argentina the next afternoon on Aerolineas Argentinas. We looked into flying through Santiago to Puerto Natales, but couldn't find flights further down south on the days we needed.
NOTE - There are 2 airports in Buenas Aires - the International airport is Ezeiza (EZE) and the domestic airport is Jorge Newberry (AEP). At the time we traveled, there were no direct flights that went all the way through to Calafate, Argentina. So we had to book the international and domestic flights separately. The two airports are 45-60 minutes drive from each other. So plan your flights with this in mind so you have plenty of time to get from one to the other.
TIP - With non-direct, 2-airline flights like this, we intentionally plan to stay a night in the city where the international flight ends, and then continue to our more remote destination the next day (or later). This not only breaks up the travel, but gives some leeway if our checked bags missed a connection.
Ground transportation - In Buenas Aires, we used Welcome Pickups to schedule 4 taxi rides throughout the trip and all were timely and very well communicated via email and their app. Uber wasn't present in Buenas Aires when we were there. And after a long international flight, we like having someone waiting in the arrivals hall with a name card when we arrive. The cost was only a few dollars more than if we had hailed a taxi curbside.
Once in Calafate, we used Civitatis for a scheduled taxi pickup from the airport, which is located a solid 20 minutes drive from the town. There is also a local bus that runs every 30 minutes if you're willing to wait and stop at different hotels along the route.
SPECIAL NOTE - For this itinerary, we stayed at both the Torres del Paine Explora lodge ( 4 nights ) and the El Chalten lodge ( 6 nights ). They are in two separate countries. Since we arrived in Argentina (Calafate), this required transportation across the border into Chile - a 6-7 hour experience including immigration / customs check. You can do this border crossing three ways:
1) On your own by renting a car in Calafate and driving through Esperanza and then continuing west to the border.
2) Taking a public bus that runs from Calafate to Puerto Natales (it can take several hours at the border depending on how many people are on your bus. But its a cheap ticket) or
3) Hiring a private driver - the most direct, but also the priciest option.
This cross-border transfer is more expensive because it's a long drive between National Park areas and the driver has to go both directions, staying overnight at the end before returning. Explora covers this border-crossing drive in one-direction when you stay at both lodges. But if you fly in and out of Calafate and plan to see both regions of Patagonia, you'll have to do the drive a second time. Explora can arrange this ( for a fee ). Or there are several other companies in Calafate who can also drive you.
Day 1 - Arrival into Buenas Aires
Our flight landed in the morning and our Welcome Pickups taxi driver was waiting in the arrivals hall and took us to our hotel. Although our room wasn't ready yet, we stored our bags and used the time to grab a coffee at a local cafe, have some lunch and explore the Recoleta neighborhood.
Recommended explorations - Recoleta cemetery, Grand Splendid Book store, check out the grand hotels in the area, catch a tango performance in the evening
Recommended restaurants/ cafes - Don Julio ( book far in advance, voted best steak in Buenas Aires! ), El Sanjuanino (casual lunch spot, great empanadas) , La Biela ( classic coffee house and great people watching), Alvear Grill, Alvear Rooftop bar, Pony Line at the 4 Seasons ( popular for its burger!)
Accommodation - Alvear Palace.
Other grand hotels in Recoleta: Palacio Duhau ( a Hyatt ), Four Seasons and Mio Buenos Aires.
Day 2 - Travel to Calafate
After a wonderful evening of rooftop sundowners and classic Argentinean steak dinner, we slept in this morning and redistributed some of our luggage weight for the inter country flight.
NOTE - check the weight allowance for your domestic flight and type of seat you purchased. The domestic weight allowance (per bag) may be less than the international allowance you arrived with. This just means you may need to redistribute some weight between all your bags to meet individual bag limits. And you may have to pay for any extra weight overall.
Our Welcome Pickups drivers picked us up promptly and took us the short distance to the domestic airport for our afternoon flight to El Calafate. NOTE - we heard rumors that on occasion Aerolineas will change airports. This didn't happen to us. But be sure to check your flight the day of departure to be sure.
Our flight arrived in El Calafate in the early evening. Then our scheduled Civatatis driver met us in the arrivals hall and took us to our hotel.
Recommended Explorations: we did not plan time in El Calafate this trip and wished we had! its a super cute town and the deserved highlight of the area in the Perito Moreno glacier.
Accommodation: Mirador del Lago Hotel
Day 3 - Travel to Torres del Paine
By now we were eager to get to our lodge destination! But to be honest, because we broke up the travel with overnight stays in Buenas Aires and Calafate, it really wasn't that bad. Plus the views on the drive were terrific. We kept pinching ourselves realizing where we were and how far we had come! Our anticipation was building.
We considered renting a car, but we were glad we hired a driver. We started our long road trip at 8am, stopping in Esperanza for a break and some snacks. Crossing the border into Chile isn't difficult, but it was sure nice having a local driver go ahead, wait in line for us, and then come get us when it was our turn. You'll need to stop on each side of the border to clear your bags through customs and check your passport. We finally arrived at the lodge around 2pm.
Our room was ready early and we were promptly settled into our room. And as you can see from the photo above, it's got to be one of the best hotel room views in the world! We were also informed there was a short hike starting that afternoon if we wanted to join. I think you know our answer - of course we did!
Accommodations : Explora Salto Chico
Day 4 - Hiking to the Towers
Since this was our second time to this area, we had 2-3 hikes we knew we wanted to repeat on this trip - one of which was hiking to the base of the towers. This is a long day hike. We first drove and hour to the trailhead. And then it was 7-8 hour roundtrip of hiking up, up, up through a very windy pass, and ending with a steep scramble up to the final destination. It's a challenging hike overall, but the most strenuous section was the last mile or so up to the lake. Don't let this intimidate you. Yes, it's a hard hike. And ..you can do hard things! Just hike your own pace and pack plenty of food and water.
Other recommended long day hikes in Torres del Paine: French Valley, Grey glacier, Toro Lake
Accommodations : Explora Salto Chico
Day 5 - Nordenskjold Lake and some spa time
The second hike I really wanted to repeat was to Nordenskjold lake. This is short hike but it can be VERY windy. You'll pass by a gorgeous waterfall (Salto Grande) and meander back through some eye-popping scenery to a glacier-fed lake. This was one of our favorite hikes. And on our previous trip, we did this hike in the morning and then went to the gaucho BBQ lunch followed by horseback riding in the afternoon. On this trip, I opted to go the spa and soak in the outdoor hot tubs instead, while Nic worked on his photos.
Other recommended short day hikes/ activities in Torres del Paine: Lake Sarmiento, horseback riding, gaucho BBQ, Condor lookout ( leaves directly from lodge), get a massage or soak in the outdoor hot tubs at the spa!
Accommodations : Explora Salto Chico
Day 6 - Rest and take in the views
We had planned for another long day hike on this day but both of us were starting to come down with head colds. Yuk. So knowing that we had many long hiking days ahead in El Chalten, we opted to sleep in, enjoy the hotel and do some laundry.
Accommodations : Explora Salto Chico
Day 7 - Travel to El Chalten
Because we were staying at two of their lodges, Explora included the transfer to get from one to the other. This was another long, border-crossing day. But we rested our legs, read and enjoyed the scenic drive.
The El Chalten lodge is really extraordinary and an upcoming review will go into more detail. But the room again, had a splendid view and the entire staff was extraordinary.
Accommodations : Explora El Chalten
Day 8 - 12 - Exploring the Fitzroy area
The weather plays a big role in determining which hikes you'll do the next day. We saved the two best (and longest) hikes to the end of our stay when skies were clear and sunny. And we did shorter hikes on days it was a bit drizzly. No matter what time of year you come to this area, I highly recommend staying at least 5- 6 nights to allow for weather variance.
Recommended long hikes : From El Chalten: Laguna de los Tres hike ( to the base of Fitzroy) and Loma del Pliegue ( will give you views from a different angle) are by far two of the best hikes in the area. These are both long 8-10 hour day hikes. But both are so worth it.
Recommended shorter hikes: Glacier Heumule, Rio Electrico ( can also be a full day hike based on where you start/end) and Laguna Azul
Accommodations : Explora El Chalten
Day 13 - Travel back to El Calafate, then back to the states
The drive back to Calafate took only a few hours and we could easily catch an early afternoon flight back to Buenas Aires. Then we had another Welcome Pickups taxi drive us to the international airport where we boarded a 11pm flight back to USA.
Day 14 - Overnight flight, arriving in San Francisco
Day 15-17 - San Francisco
Day 18 - drive home