If you have 10 days
If you have 10 days for this trip, i recommend starting in Chile. You could fly to Punta Arenas airport (PUQ) – but there’ll be 1 or 2 layovers along the way. At the very least, you’ll have a layover at Santiago (SCL). Once you land in Punta Arenas, get a rental car and stay for the night, if necessary. The drive to Patagonia national park takes less than 4 hours if you don’t make any stops. When it comes to hiking in Patagonia, you’ll need to figure out what kind of trip you want – in advance. If you’re looking for multiple day hikes, i highly recommend staying in the park. If you just want to hit viewpoints while doing some easy hikes, you can save yourself some money and stay outside the park. And finally, if you’re adventurous, you can camp or glamp in the park. But be quick, because reservations run out quickly.
Ok, so that’s accommodation. When it comes to hikes, it just depends on what you want. I recommend the following day hikes:
- Mirador Las Torres : See the 3 towers, tough, will take the whole day
- Salto grande: short hike to see the Salto Grande falls
- Condor Lookout : 4 km hike – you can see condors at the end
- Mirador Ferrier: Steep 8 km hike to an amazing viewpoint with mountains and lake.
After this – head to Puerto Natales and catch a bus to El Calafate, Argentina. From El Calafate, you can get a guided tour to the Perito Moreno Glacier. I recommend the extended tour – they take you walking on the glacier!
if you have 7 days
If you have 7 days, i still recommend starting in Chile. The only change i would make is – skip Argentinian Patagonia. There is stuff to see in El Chalten, Mt. Fitz. Roy – but, Chilean Patagonia is simply breathtaking and I suggest you spend more time there, mixing hikes and viewpoints. Because with just 7 days, you’ll need time to recover from the hikes as well.
I don’t care about time – i just wanna hike!
Then i recommend the W trail. Unless you’re an experienced hiker, i would suggest paying one of the following guided tours for a good time.
Helpful tips
- Keep the next day light, if you’re hiking to the 3 towers (Mirador Las Torres)
- Get these hiking sticks, if you’re doing long day hikes / multi-day hikes.
- Get good hiking shoes! These will prevent your foot from being twisted over uneven paths,. The hard protective sole will help decrease soreness the next day. Finally, if the shoes can prevent water from getting in, it’s very useful while crossing waterfalls and other shallow water crossings. You do not want to be injured in beautiful Patagonia, it’ll really mess with your plans and health!
- Have a grasp over basic Spanish – it will help communicating with the locals.
- Buy a local sim card with data and use google translate when all else fails.