1 Week in Argentine Patagonia

How To Spend 1 Week Hiking Argentine Patagonia Itinerary

Park Fees!

As of October 2024 Los Glaciares park is instituting entrance fees. That means the Perito Moreno area as well as the El Chalten area fall under the same park pass. The pass is currently 45,000 CLP ($45 USD) for the first day and 50% off days 2 and 3. You can buy tickets in advance and read more about the program here. There are some 3 day and 7 day options but it seems very expensive for a no facility hiking pass. Despite that the area is incredible and I would not let that stop me from visiting again. I think it would have made more sense to charge a camping fee and leave the day hikers alone.

Day 1 – 2

Fly into El Calafate to see the most impressive glacier in the world!

After your big fly day we elected to stay somewhere simple and found the América del Sur Hostel Calafate to be more than adequate. I have put up a live accommodation map here to help you out. If you are renting a car pick it up today and explore the town of El Calafate. If you are not renting a car this a good time to book your tickets for the bus to El Chalten as well as your tour to Perito Moreno glacier. If you didn’t know Argentina is famous for their barbecue and El Calafate has some amazing steakhouses this is a great opportunity to grab a great dinner.

El Calafate Accom

Wake up early the next day and drive the hour to Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park. There is a ticket booth to enter the park that was charging $29USD pp. At the time they accepted debit but as a rule for the majority of Patagonia always have cash just in case. This park is incredible and the included walking trails around the glacier are amazing you can not go wrong here. There is also a phenomenal boat ride here that is totally worth the $40 it was at the time. It is a pretty drive and there are some great viewpoints heading into the area.

If you have some extra cash these people kayaking looked like they were having the time of their lives. There are also some incredibly cool glacier trekking tours .There are not many spots on the planet where you can glacier trek and this would be AMAZING.

If you don’t have a rental car and would like to day trip from El Calafate there are a ton of options. Here are some of the highest rated tours. As you can see the boat trip was worth evvvery penny. We just did the short government run one but there was an option for a full on cruise with lunch and many hours on the water.

Day 2 – 5

El Chalten + Los Glaciares National Park + Lago Desierto

El Chalten is the undisputed hiking capital of Argentinean Patagonia. I think this may have been my favourite place on the whole trip. It doesn’t matter so much where you stay here as the town is small and most everything is walking distance. This is the only spot on our itinerary where a car doesn’t help at all. We stayed at the El Chalten Suites as it was in a great location and good value. There are tons of place to stay so feel free to shop around here. I have attached a map showing where the best area to stay is. We found the car rentals to be pretty reasonable so we just kept the car the whole time. There was also tremendous views driving into El Chalten so make sure to stop on the road right before the city.

El Chalten has a desert cowboy feel, and is an extremely walkable city. If you are just staying here you don't really need a car, as there are several can’t miss hikes in the El Chalten are. , I will list them and you can prioritize based on weather. This part of the world is famous for its changing climates so make sure you have good rain gear with you and warm layers. I also always have a space blanket, some paracord, a lighter and water treatment tablets on every hike. (More Detail on each hike in Guide)

• Laguna De Los Tres

• Torres Lagoon

• Fitzroy Viewpoint Patagonia Logo viewpoint

• The Secret Waterfall

• Mirador De Los Piedras Blancas Glacier

• Chorillo Del Salto

Day 5-7 Lago Desierto, or Ranch stay and transit back to El Calafate

If the weather was good to you and you have an extra day or several to spare the Lago Del Desierto area north of EL Chalten is spectacular. We particularly enjoyed the Huemul Glacier hike as well as the Vespignani glacier lookout. If you have a healthier budget there is a private trekking lodge there we absolutely loved called Aguas Arriba that includes all these hikes on private land. If you don’t have the time for another stay but still want to see the lake and the glacier there are some tours here.

Lago Desierto had some of the most impressive Sunsets I have ever seen in my life. We wrote more about Lago Desierto here.

Glacier Huemel & Glacier Vespignani

Estancias in Argentina

If Lago Desierto doesn’t interest you this part of Patagonia is famous for Estancias. Estancias are essentially trekking lodges! We chose Aguas Arriba lodge as our Estancia stay because we really wanted to hike around Lago Desierto. Saying that we met tons of people who really wanted to horseback ride the plains of Patagonia and chose the places below.

Estancias are like self sufficient cowboy farm home stays. This is a great way to experience the “gaucho” food and the culture. You can organize horse back rides, mountain biking and hiking and all sorts of experiences. These Estancias can be pricey but they are usually all inclusive and personally, I think they are something you can’t afford to miss. You could also stay at these for all of your El Chalten days and let them organize everything as excursions but it can be a bit pricey. If money was not an option this would be an incredible way to see the El Chalten area. Make sure you are around when they do an Asado. The Patagonian Asado is traditionally an entire lamb roast over fire.

Top Rated Estancias Around El Chalten

By far the most famous is Estancia Bonanza. Bonanza is famous on Instagram for its views from the lodge and incredible hot tub. It has a luxury ranch vibe and great tour options. With views like this I am sure you can see why.

Refugio De Glaciares a little further north of El Chalten is closer to Lago Desierto and allows you to explore that whole glacial area.

Laguna Condor – Refugio De Montana has more of a lost in the forest log cabin vibe. Just 7.5km from Fitzroy this is an amazing place to stay to knock out all the big hikes in the park!

If you don’t have time to stay in a lodge in your El Chalten days there are some other options around El Calafate like.

Estancia Nibepo Aike – Famous for Asados and horseback riding this area of Patagonia doesn’t have the same pointy peaks as farther north but is still magnificent in its own way.