One month seeing all of Patagonia’s greats
One month in Patagonia hitting the classics plus some. This month includes time in Tierra del Fuego, the O circuit in Torres del Paine National Park, Puerto Mereno Glacier, Hiking at Mount Fitz Roy, and Regio Frey in Bariloche, plus some little more off the beaten path hikes and activities.
Day 1 - 4: Ushuaia, Argentina
Considered the southern most city in the world this is the gateway to Tierra del Fuego, the take off point for exploring the Beagle Channel or venturing further out to Cape Horn or Antartica, and the home to penguins. It feels wild and remote even if the city is rather large, with great hiking not far from the city center.
Where to stay: I loved staying on the outskirts of town, the city is bigger and more industrial feeling than I thought, I stayed on the outskirts of downtown along the water and loved the location. It was still walkable when I wanted to go out to eat, but it felt more like a nature trip than staying downtown. There are also some great hotels and resorts on the hills overlooking town and the water that have a more mountain feel.
Where to eat: It is a big enough city to have lots of food options, but don’t miss out on General Ramos right downtown, serving up fresh and delicous options for every meal of the day, not to mention its super cute interior. If you only eat one place, this should be it.
What to do:
Four days is not a ton of time in Ushuaia, but it is is enough time to at least hit the highlights. I recommend spending your first day in Ushuaia walking around the city getting your bearings and taking in the views. You can do a short hike up to Glacier Martial for views of the mountains, glaciers and city. It is a great introduction to the area. Then pick out two good weather days during your time there for hiking. I recommend spending one day doing a hike inside Tierra del Fuego National Park and one day doing a hike outside the park such as Laguna de los Tempanos or Laguna Esmerelda. Be sure to also a lot one day for a boat tour in the Beagle Channel to the island with penguins. Cruising through the channel is a beautiful way to see the region differently than you do hiking and if you are from the northern hemisphere you don’t want to miss the opportunity to see penguins. There is a variety of tour options, there is one company that has the permits so you can actually walk on the island with the penguins, others just pull up along the beach, but you have to say on board. Even if seeing penguins doesn’t thrill you taking a boat tour while in Ushuaia is an absolute must.
If you have more than four days consider additional time at Tierra del Fuego National Park for hiking, camping or other forms of exploring, taking the end of the world train, glacier trekking, or even hopping on a cruise to Cape Horn or Antartica.
Day 5 - 6: Work your way towards Torres del Paine via bus
The bus from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas is a long one so this will take all day, but it is an affordable and pretty comfortable way to get from one place to other. They give you breaks to get food and stretch your legs including time to walk around the boat you have take across the channel and you can take in the scenery along the way. You won’t get to Punta Arenas until late in the afternoon or early evening, but you will have time to stroll along the waterfront and visit the beautiful cemetery to stretch your legs after a long bus ride. Then if you are doing a self supported trek in Torres del Paine I recommend heading to the grocery store in Punta Arenas to stock up on food for your hike. You’ll have more options here than in Puerto Natales.
If you have extra time consider adding a day in Punta Arenas to a day tour to Magdalena to see the King Penguin Colony. This is supposed to be an incredible experience. Or do some hiking in the area including the multi day journey to Cabo Froward or the “end of the world”
The next morning get up and you will have to jump on another bus to get to Puerto Natales, but this is only a short bus ride for a couple hours. When you arrive in Puerto Natales be sure to grab a bus ticket to Torres del Paine national park for the next morning, if you do not have arrangements already made. Then you’ll have the afternoon to walk around town, do any last minute preparation for your trek,and if you are doing the treak independently I totally recommend heading to the free talk on trekking in Torres del Paine at the local gear store. They also rent and sell gear if you forgot anything and haven’t picked it up yet, this is your last chance.
Day 7- 15: Trek the O circuit in Torres del Paine National Park
Spend the next eight days hiking and soaking in the beauty of Torres del Paine by completing the entire 68 mile (110 km) O circuit. The back side of the park is only visited by those doing the O circuit and gives you incredible views and a feeling of remoteness you do not get in the rest of the park. If you aren’t up this long of a hike or don’t have this much time a popular alternative is the you the W trek which takes only 3-4 days and visits the Torres, Francis Valley and Gray Glacier, the park highlights, but I highly recommend doing the full circuit if you are able. To do either of these treks you MUST have reservations at campsites or refugios for every night necessary to complete the trek. The park rangers are very strict about this and they will check your permits and reservations often, so do not try and get around this. You can do both treks independently, if you have the patience to book campsites through a rather combersome process online that involves several different companies websites. Or you can sign up for a tour, which is more expensive, but takes a lot less coordinating on your part. There are tours which include porters to carry your stuff, nights in refugios (not camping), and a guide, if you are interested in doing the hike, but the actual backpacking part sounds less appealing. There are really options for anyone able to do riguous day hikes to complete this trek.
Do not show up in Puerto Natales thinking you will be able to complete a trek in Torres del Paine if you do not have reservations. You may get lucky and get a night or two in the park somewhere, especially if you are only one or two people, but campsites and refugios get booked up well in advance. To trek in Torres del Paine you will need to do quite a bit of pre planning, unless you want to just go for a day.
Day 16: Puerto Natales, Chile
Puerto Natales is considered the gateway to Torres del Paine and most visitors only spend enough time to visit the park here. Whether you are just trying to relax before or after a trek or interested in exploring the area it is a great little Chilean shoreside town with beautiful nature and lots of great cafes and restaurants.
Where to stay: After spending a week in the park you will want to just get a nice place to stay right in the city. You can do some much needed laundry and take advantage of all the restaurants. The downtown is cute, cozy, pretty quiet, and where all the tours and excursions leave from so it is the best place to base yourself. I enjoyed my time before and after trekking at Vinnhaus.
What to eat:
Vinnhaus: A cafe, restaurant, and bar this place has a great cozy vibe and delicious food and drinks in addition to being a great place to stay.
Baguales Brewpub: Great beer and food. Come here for a great burger post hiking, you won’t be dissapointed.
Restaurante los coigues "jechef": A small cozy place with upscale food and super high quality meat.
La Guanaca Pizzeria: Great pizza and beer this is another great spot for a big meal after a number of days of trekking through Torres del Paine.
Chocolatería Patagonia Dulce: A great spot near the waterfront serving up good coffee and baked goods.
What to do:
After days of hiking you might just be interested in relaxing and that is totally fine, Puerto Natales has great cafes, restaurants and a brewery to spend your day relaxing, eating and drinking. It is also nice to spend some time walking along the coast line checking out the fishing fleet, muelle historico, and other sculptures along the waterfront. But if you have the energy, it is worth getting out and exploring the more of the area. You can rent a bike or hire a taxi or tour to go to the Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument, about 25 km from town. The parks highlight is a massive cave you can walk through, but there are also trails to explore more smaller caves and interesting rock formations. Be forewarned if it is super windy, as it often is in Patagonia, the bike right might not be very fun. I tried this with friends, but we ended up hitching a ride in the back of a dump truck because it was miserable trying to bike in such strong winds. It was however, great to have bikes at the park so you could easily explore the trails and area outside the main cave.
If you have more time consider a tour to Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers, a day hike to Mirador Cerro Dorotea, a horseback riding tour, or a trip to see the Condor nesting area.
Day 17 - 18: El Calafate, Argentina
A small tourist oriented town located on Lago Argentina in the middle of the Patagonia desert. It is the gateway to Los Glaciers National Park and the UNESCO Hertiage site Puerto Moreno Glacier and therefore an important stop on any Patagonia itinerary.
Where to stay: I recommend staying up on the hill above the downtown area slightly. You just get fantastic views from there of the lake and surroundings and its an easy walk to downtown. I loved my time at American Del Sur Hostel, which has private and shared rooms, as well as a beautiful common room with good food and even better views. But there are a number of other small hotels and guest houses nearby, if you are looking for something a little more upscale.
Where to eat: Morrison is a cute neighborhood dinner spot above downtown, La Chacrita de Nimez across the bird reserve for great views and lunch, and numerous great little cafes to pick up coffee and pastries. There are also a number of nicer restaurants right in the city, Mi Viejo was great when I tried it.
What to do:
Two days in Calafate will give you time to explore the lakeside town and see the famous UNESCO heritage site the Puerto Moreno Glacier. The trip from Puerto Natales by bus is only a half day, so it gives you time for exploring on arrival, stroll downtown and go birdwatching at Laguna Nimez Nature Reserve along the lakeshore. On the day you arrive book a tour to the glacier if you do not already have one planned. There are several options including just viewing the glacier, boat tours on the lake, or “ice tours” which give you time doing some guided walking on the glacier. There are many options for visiting from just viewing, boat tours, and glacier walks.
When I was there I opted for the “big ice” tour which allows you a couple hours of walking around the glacier with a guide. It is the most expensive option, but I thought it was worth the money to spend so much time on the glacier itself. You get to see views of the glacier you would not see otherwise and checking out all the little rivers of ice melt was beautiful. There is also a little ice tour which is cheaper and you get to spend about 30 minutes on the ice.
Calafate is often used just as a jumping off point to get to Puerto Moreno Glacier and passing through the El Chalten, but there is lots of great nature nearby, if you have more time there is plenty to explore. Consider a tour to an Estancia, visiting the Glaciarium Museum, a kayak tour at one of the glaciers or lakes in the area, doing a hike at La Leona Petrified Forest, or do some additional exploring around Los Glaciares National Park to see more glaciers.
Day 19 - 23: El Chalten, Argentina (Mount Fitz Roy)
El Chalten is the gateway to Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre. There is lots of great hiking and camping in the area. You could easily spend a couple weeks here especially if you wanted to give yourself lots of flexibility with weather or if you have climbing or longer treks in mind. However, if you are more limited on time five days will give you the opportunity to do the main hikes and camping.
Where to stay: The small downtown area of El Chalten is loaded with tons of casual, but nice places to stay form hostels to more formal hotels or little guest houses. Many of the trails start right on the edges of town, so downtown is a good base even for access to trails. For a more upscale experience right in town there is the Los Cerros del Chalten Boutique Hotel. For a remote experience consider stay at one of the refugios out of town, some can be accessed without hiking, or the eco dome lodge with views of Mount Fitz Roy.
Where to eat: There are a surpsing number of restaurants in El Chalten for its size. Stop by El Parador for some good Argentinean food. If you are craving burgers and beer after a hike, try B&B Burger Joint or Cerveceria Artesanal or gorge yourself on every flavor of ice cream at Heladeria Domo Blanco.
What to do:
You will want to give yourself a day to camp below Mount Fitz Roy, so you can easily wake up and hike to the lake to see the sunrise on the mountain. You’ll also want a day to hike to Cerro Torre lake, which does have a campground if you are interested in spending the night so you have more time for exploring the area and catching the sunrise/sunset without much trekking in the dark. Another great half to whole day hike is to Loma del Pliegue, which is lesser known, but has sweeping views of the mountains including Cerro Torre and Mount Fitz Roy. There are also many shorter hikes around down to different viewpoints, waterfalls and nice paths along the river. Its great to have a few days here, so you can time your Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre hikes for the clearest days and then add in additional hikes as the weather allows. Patagonia can be windy, rainy, and foggy even in their summer (December - March).
If you have additional time consider hiking the Hemeul circuit a four day remote hike that requires some experience (if you are not on a guided tour), climbing and ice trekking near Mount Fitz Roy, bike riding on Route 40, rock climbing, or even trekking to the Chilean border.
Day 24: Travel El Calafate to Bariloche
This is definitely a place where you will want to get a plane ticket and not take the bus if it is at all in your budget. They do have a bus, but it is over a 24 hour ride, usually 28 hours to be exact, which frankly sounds pretty miserable and still costs almost 100 US dollars. There are multiple flights a day from Calafate to Bariloche that if purchased in advance cost less than 200 US dollars. In my oppinion it is worth it to spend the money and get to Bariloche so much faster. If you have the time, renting a car and making the drive yourself from El Chalten to Bariloche would be an incredible journey with tons of great hiking and camping along the way. Take an early morning bus to Calafate and then hope on a later in the day plane or spend the night in Calafate the night before your flight. There is no real airport in El Chalten.
Day 25 - 30: Bariloche, Argentina - The Lake District
Barlioche is the main city in the Lake District of Argentina. It is part of northern Patagonia and probably not what most people think of when they picture Patagonia, but that doesn’t mean it should be left off your Patagonia itinerary. The lake district is one of my favorite areas in Argentina and Chile because it really offers something for everyone. Since it is further north it also has warmer weather than southern Patagonia, so it gives you more of those warm sunny vacation vibes.
Where to stay: I recommend the downtown hotels/vacation rentals if you want to be able to walk shops and restaurants and easy public transportation access. If you want more of a nature feel there a tons of lakeside or hillside resorts with great views all around the lake, but unless you have a car access is more difficult. I enjoyed staying at a nicer place along the lake for my last nights when I just wanted to lounge and not so focused on seeing all the sights. I also highly recommend building in a few nights at various refugios in the moutains into your itinerary. They are usually pretty basic accomodations, but have good food and you can’t beat the mountain views.
What to eat: Bariloche has some of the best meat in Argentina, a lot of the high end steaks served in Buenos Aires actually comes from ranches near Bariloche, so make sure you go out for a good steak while you are here. There is also a great micro brewery scene here. I am not sure you can go wrong on food in Bariloche the list of good restaurants is pretty endless, but here are a couple places I went and enjoyed.
La Casita Restaurante Bariloche: This place will draw you in with its cute and homey vibe, the food also feels like a delicous home cooked meal. They have great Argetinian stews.
Konna Microcerveceria: A small brewery with great beer, burgers and other food.
Canero: Argentinian restaurant with a great meat selection and some items cooked over the fire, this place has interesting twists on classics, with just a little bit different flavors than your typical steakhouse.
Berkana Bar de Lago: Great drinks and bar style food located right along the lake, the venue is what really makes this place special.
L'Italiano Trattoria: An Italian spot with great pastas and some peekaboo lake views as well as a nice deck for dining outside.
What to do:
You could spend your entire month in Patagonia just in Bariloche and its surroudings and still have a lot more to see and do. There is tons of amazing hiking, numerous refugios to spend the nights in the mountains so you don’t have to only camp in the backcountry, endless lakes for swimming, kayaking, and lounging next to, great biking opportunities, and great food, wine and beer. In a week I recommend spending one to two nights at Refugios or camping. Refugio Frey is not to be missed, and is great at as a day hike or spend the night for incredible sunset colors and rock climbing/scrambling in the peaks nearby. Luguna Negra is another great Refugio hike that is not too far out of town. You’ll also have time for other day hikes to explore nearby lakes and much needed lounging time. A trip out to Chao Chao is also a must.
If you have additional time consider going to El Bolson for day hikes or a multi-day refugio trek, going to the Otto Meiling glacier and refugio, renting a car and driving through the various lakes, or spending a couple days visiting the Uco Valley (Patagonia’s wine country).
Day 31: Depart for home or your next adventure
From here head to northern Argentina for time in Mendoza and/or Salta, visit Igazu Falls, or go spend some time in Buenos Aires if you aren’t ready for your trip to be over.
