Patagonia FAQs

Where Is Patagonia

Patagonia is a vast region located in the southern ranges of South America. Stretching from the central plains and mountains of Argentina and Chile all the way to Ushuaia “the southernmost tip of South America. It is one of the most amazing place I have ever visited and should be on everyone’s bucket list. Being from Canada I am not easily “wowed” by hiking but Patagonia definitely wowed me. The landscapes are mesmerizing and the area legitimately has some of the best hiking in the world.

The region referred to as Patagonia spans across both Argentina and Chile. Most people when they think of Patagonia are referring to the Chilean national park of Torres Del Paine. This area is just a small part of the greater area. There are actually many other parks in Chile and Argentina. I think Los Glaciares national park in Argentina was one of my favourite destinations I have ever been to. If you have a higher budget some of the hotels in this area are legitimately some of the nicest in the world

Chilean or Argentinian Patagonia?

Depending on the amount of time you have you may not be able to see both. If you have 7 days or less you want to pick one or the other. If you have 10 or more days I would recommend doing both as a busy but fun highlights trip. Remember the area is massive you could easily spend months exploring here and never get bored. There are two very famous hikes you have probably seen, The base towers, and Laguna De Los Tres. The base towers are in Chile and the Laguna hike is in El Chalten Argentina. Chile is a bit more developed and feels more like a North American nation. Argentina on the other hand feels a bit wilder and has a much stronger Latin/ European vibe.

What to expect from Chilean Patagonia

In south Chile the main highlight is Torres Del Paine National park. The park is the golden plains and the famous mountain range that houses the W and O trek. The world famous base towers trek is also in these mountains. Torres Del Paine is one of the best places in the world for Puma and condor sightings. The park is incredible and these are some of the most beautiful and wild mountain ranges in the world. There are also several incredible glaciers you can hike drive or boat trip too.

The Stunning Base Towers In Torres Del Paine

Outside of the park in the town of Punta Arenas there are also several penguin colonies where you can see the bigger King, or cuter Magellanic penguins on a tour.

What to expect from Argentinian Patagonia

Argentinian Patagonia is a broader area with more varied terrain. Around the town of Calafate you have epic plains leading to the most impressive glacier we have ever seen. Further north in the hiking mecca of El Chalten are pointy peaks with dramatic lakes and waterfalls. The famous Patagonia logo is based on the view of these peaks. There is also a very famous hike to a lake lookout below the mountain called Laguna De Los Tres.

One of many fabulous views at the lake Laguna De Los Tres in El Chalten

Which Patagonia To Choose

This is nearly impossible to answer for me. My favorite single view was the Laguna De Los Tres hike in El Chalten Argentina but I thought the prettiest area was the park of Torres Del Paine Chile. Wherever you go you will not be disappointed so try not to stress it, and just pick some highlights you like from our pictures and plan accordingly.

One thing to think about is El Chalten is a small town surrounded by many days of epic hiking. Torres Del Paine is a big park area with many areas to check out. If you want to stay in one place and not worry about driving everywhere choose El Chalten. If you have the time to explore Torres Del Paine is very rewarding.

When To Visit Patagonia

Patagonia is a very southern destination on the world scale. Because of this the weather can be wild and unpredictable. To give yourself the best shot at a good weather window for views and hiking I recommend going in high season. Remember this is the southern hemisphere so your normal winter is summer and vice versas.

Spring November to early December – This can be a great time go with flowers starting to bloom and the whole area starting to warm up. It can also still be cold and snowed in and make trekking difficult. Do you feel lucky? – temp 0 – 15C

Summer Late December, January, and February – This is when we recommend going to Patagonia. There are exceptionally long days (16 hours +), the best chance of good weather/views and no issues with snow clearance. – temp 5 – 25C

Fall March and April – This can be a magical time to visit. Fall colours are starting to set into the famous lenga trees, and there are far less visitors. The famous winds are lower than in spring. Temperatures are starting to drop at night but the weather could still be good. Same weather risks as Spring. – temp 0 -10C

Shoulder season is less windy but it’s more prone to rain and the cold. Because of this we recommend high season. It can still be unpredictable and windy but it gives you the best chance at having views. After all you don’t want to fly to the literal end of the earth and not get to see anything! For your best chance at warm clear days (15-22C) you want to be there peak season December to February. There is going to be a bit more traffic in this time but if you follow our plan you it won’t be to bad at all.

How to Get To Patagonia

There are two major hubs for Patagonia. Buenos Aires for Argentina, and Santiago for Chile.

If you are coming from the east coast or Europe you are going to want to fly to Buenos Aires and then to El Calafate. From El Calafate you can easily do this itinerary in reverse.

If you are coming from the west coast you are going to want to get to Santiago or Puerto Montt. From Santiago you have a couple options. The most Convenient for Torres Del Paine is Puerto Natales as its closest to park. However the town is smaller so the flights are less frequent and more expensive. There are also less car rental options here but that doesn’t matter if you are bussing. The main hub for the area is Punta Arenas. Punta Arenas has the bigger airport, more car rental options, the penguin tours and great restaurants. Generally most people fly to Punta Arenas due to the difference in flight and car rental costs so we are basing the trip from there. Whichever direction you are coming from sometimes the flights are cheap one way and expensive another so I always recommend checking with Kayak here.

Weather

Patagonia is at the extreme south of the world and is famous for its unexpected weather. We highly recommend looking at your itinerary for the various areas and picking your favourite hikes and views.

When you get good weather windows go do the hikes and viewpoints that are most important to you. You definitely want to do this for the big Base towers hike in Torres Del Paine and Laguna De Los tres if your going to El Chalten. They are both long hard hikes with such amazing views it would be a shame to miss.

Plan at least one extra travel day to account for these weather changes!