r/Patagonia

Hi all!

We're planning our honeymoon in Patagonia (14 full days). We love hiking, backpacking, fishing, kayaking, rafting, rock climbing, caving, seeing animals, and experiencing other cultures. We want this to be a big adventure since we plan on starting a family after and know it will be several years before another epic trip. Thank you for everyone who posts since I have gotten a lot of ideas and tips here! Here's what we're thinking:

Option 1:

- Friday fly into Punta Arenas

- Rent a car & drive to El Chalten (Saturday)

- Sunday through Tuesday in El Chalten

- Wednesday & Thursday in El Calafate

- Friday through Monday in Torres Del Paine

- Tuesday in Punta Arenas

- Wednesday return car, fly to Puerto Montt, fly to Chaiten, rent car to drive to Futaleufu

- Thursday & Friday in Futaleufu (possibly drive back to Chaiten tonight depending on home flight)

- Saturday fly home

Option 2:

- Friday fly into El Calafate & rent car

- Saturday through Monday in El Chalten

- Tuesday & Wednesday in El Calafate (return car)

- (transfer via bus) Thursday through Sunday in Torres Del Paine

- (transfer via bus) Monday & Tuesday in Punta Arenas

- Wednesday fly to Puerto Montt, fly to Chaiten, rent car to drive to Futaleufu

- Thursday & Friday in Futaleufu (possibly drive back to Chaiten tonight depending on home flight)

- Saturday fly home

Are these schedules too packed realistically or leaving too little time to travel between places? We want to do the classic Patagonia hikes but also rafting in Futaleufu sounds too good to pass up (if possible). And we both would love to do a glacier hike!! (Glacier Grey &/or Perito Moreno)

Would it be easier to just opt for the bus instead of losing a day driving N (and enjoying the scenic drive), or is it way nicer to have the independence of a vehicle vs a bus schedule? If we rented, we'd want to return to the same location given the cost for a one-way rental.

A lot of people have said it's nice to have flexibility in case one town has better weather. Any tips on how to do so with these points of interest or is that not really possible given our short time? I also wasn't sure if it's too risky not to book lodging etc. in advance (both for availability or price)

If we tried to save on flights and booked the legs separately (e.g., US to Buenos Aires then same day to El Calafate etc.) is that too risky for flights getting delayed/cancelled or taking too long to re-check baggage? We're bringing our trekking poles & crampons otherwise I'd try carry-ons only.

Are there any caves we could explore/tour? The kind without actual walking trails and railings

Thank you all for any tips, advice, and help!!

Hello, I’m planning to visit Patagonia this year from Dec28-Jan11. I don’t know where to start my planning. I plan to fly out from Ecuador. My budget is around 3k with flights included. What’s the best way to go about planning the trip? Where do I make reservations for accommodation like hostels or other places ? Would it be recommended to do the W trek? Would a tour be simpler? Gear isn’t an issue I have experience camping and own a lot of gear. Thank you for any suggestion and advice that you may have!

I might be stupid but I am trying to book for November, just a plain campsite with my own tent and gear and I can not find anywhere that isn't trying to sell me accomodation for a hotel or a pre-setup tent. Please help!

Saludos Cordiales voy en diciembre a las torres del Paine a hacer el circuito W, ocupo recomendaciones de sacos de dormir ya que acamparemos en dos lugares y también que zapatos me recomiendan. Tengo experiencia cargando el peso pero el la selva de Costa Rica el terreno es muy diferente, me parece que el de alla es mas rocoso. Todos los tips los acepto.

Hello!

My husband and I will be honeymooning in Argentina in early November and I am trying to plan/budget any tours now. While in Patagonia we plan on staying in El Chalten and hiking Laguna de los Tres and when in El Calafete we want to do one of the long tours to see the penguins and, of course, see the glacier.

I am being enticed by a lot of the tours (such as kayaking and trekking) but wondering if it’s worth it? The big trek looks incredible, but most tours are close to $500, and the mini treks are mostly over $300. Just wondering if it’s worth the splurge or if we should stick with a generic tour. We are pretty active and energetic people! Thanks in advance :)

Day 0 Fly Denver to Santiago 🇨🇱

Spend 2 nights in Santiago, simple city exploring and recover from long flight

Day 3 Fly Santiago to Punta Arenas

Rent car drive to Puerta Natales.

5 night stay at Hotel Simple Patagonia, Natales.

Day trips to Torres Del Paine National Park.
(Will for sure do Base Torres hike on best weather morning)

May take 1 recovery day and not drive into park if necessary

Day 8 drive back to Puerta Natales

Here’s where I do something different

Yaghan, ferry to Puerto Williams 30 hours

Day 10 very little time in Puerto Williams
Take Ferry to Ushuaia 🇦🇷spend 2 nights

Day 11 Piratour Penguin tour on Martillo Island

Day 12 Fly to El Calafate Argentina

Rent car 4 nights in El Chalaten

Day hikes from town! Haven’t picked all

Day 16 Fly El Calafate to Panama City Panama 🇵🇦

3 nights Panama City. Panama Canal, explore city.

Day 20 Home to Denver

We are looking for a stress free transfer from El Calafate to Puerto Natales airport for a mid afternoon flight on 19 January. The private transfer on Howlander is well beyond our budget. There are only 2 of us. Any reliable private operators you can recommend?

I know the answer is probably in this subreddit somewhere, but it's not jumping out based on first few searches.

We want to do the O-Trek for both aesthetic and crowd-avoidance reasons. Looking at a map, it seems like we could finish at Paine Grande and then take the ferry to Pudeto and bus it back to Puerto Natales. But I see little to no mention of this on various websites about people's experiences, which makes me leery. Any guidance out there on this idea?

I have always wanted to go to Patagonia. I’m 41, single, female. I have a high-stress job that has given me an insane amount of decision fatigue so the thought of trying to coordinate it on my own feels overwhelming. I want to go this year and I’ve heard November is a good time to go. Can anyone give me suggestions or input on groups I can go with, how to do this trip on my own??

For Next year I’m planning trip Argentina to Alaska solo . Most likely using public transportation. Any recommendations or suggestions. Specially how I can cross Darien gap because in this trip I don’t want to use aero plane. Only land transit and waterways.