Travel - Patagonia Recommendations

Patagonia

Area shared between Argentina & Chile

I spent 3 weeks here

My route was: 

Buenos Aires (flight) >

El Calafate (bus) >

Puerto Natales (bus) >

El Chalten (bus) >

Bariloche (flight) >

Buenos Aires

If you are in South America, make the time to go here 

El Calafate (Argentina)
- Spent 3 nights here - loads, you could stay 2

- I flew from Buenos Aires to el calafate - I bought ticket online with jet smart but if you go to airport and buy ticket with Fly Bondi you could get it with the blue dollar rate (watch insta video under tips below to explain blue dollar)

- Hostel: 

- America del Sur - very boujee they changed their prices every day depending on demand which was annoying but it was such a nice hostel with the best living area and kitchen, but small rooms
- Things to Do: 

- Perito Moreno glacier tour with a one hour boat tour - paid 40€ went downtown to get it don’t book through hostel generally more expensive - if I could go back would do kayaking on Perito Moreno instead

- Did horse riding for 2 hours for 20€ which was class and lovely half day activity, booked through hostel
- Went to bird sanctuary reserve as well - don’t bother going it's shit

- Food:

- I cooked all my meals at hostel here since eating out is more expensive and there’s great supermarkets 

Puerto Natales (Chile)
- Border Crossing is grand, don't bring fruit it will get confiscated :) 

- Starting point for W trek (5 day trek) can do O trek as well (this is 10 days so fcuk that)

- Spent 2 nights here before W and 1 night after 
- You go to el chalten or Puerto natales from El Calafate generally 
- I went PN first, buy your bus ticket at the terminal to get the Blue Dollar Rate - I bought it on BusBud but once again cheaper If you buy cash 

- Hostel

- Hostal Alcatraz before W trek - wouldn’t stay here expensive and you don’t have your own kitchen 

- La Casa De Barro - a bit out of town but cosy and has its own kitchen
- Also saw the Corner House & Wild Hostel in centre - book hostels well in advance because things book out early for Patagonia

- Also stayed in private room in treehouse after - absolutely gorgeous would stay here again, not a hostel just a BNB

- Things to Do
- Not much to do here except for Torres Del Paine National Park

- Go for walk down to port it's lovely

- Got bus back to el calafate with chalten travels and then to el chalten

El Chalten (Argentina)
- Spent 2 nights here - you could def spend a week here doing day hikes 
- Small town but loads of cosy cafes and nice restaurants 

- Hostel:

- Stayed in Refugio Chalten - very basic but absolutely grand

- Things to Do:
- Loads of day hikes you can do here 
- I did mirador condor and mirador águila one day (about 2 hours in total and you can walk from the centre) 
- Did Laguna Los Tres another day - gorgeous Fitz Roy hike defo recommend

- Other hikes in El chalten - Lolo timbado, Laguna toro,

- Food:

- Again cooked all the time in hostel

- Took bus to bariloche from here 100€ - book in person with el chalten travel at bus station in El Chalten

- Stopped in los Antigous to change bus 

- From here you could go to marble caves and do cero castilllo but you need to get bus to chile chico then to puerto río and do caves from there - it’s tricky if you’re doing it via bus because the ones between chile chico and río tranquillo only run 2 times a week

Bariloche (Argentina)

- Hostel:
- Stayed in hospedaje 1004 - 100% stay here - need to book in advance
- Stayed in Cinerama a as well - this was small and kinda shit but v central 
- Things to Do:

- Loads of day hikes here as well 
- Defo do cerro companario - view point with cable car 
- Cerro Otto - another cable car you can take from centre of town
- Circuit Chico - you could do this on bike and stop in Patagonia 24.7km - lovely restaurant with good food and beers 
- I did puerto blest another day - I was very underwhelmed so would leave it off
- Go to Colonial Suiza on a weds day or Saturday for markets 
- Other places to go: cerro tronador, bolsón, lago frías 
- I did kayaking here as well with turismo Bariloche, really enjoyed this 

Tips:

- Do Not pay with card in Argentina, you will be charged the official rate

- You want to use the Blue Dollar rate

- Watch this to understand the Blue Dollar rate - this is a must know Blue Dollar Insta Story

- Take your Argentinian cash out in western union in Buenos Aires, there is a WU in El Calafate but it's usually out of money 

- Some people I knew rented a campervan and spent 5/6 weeks in patagonia, I would defo recommend this if you have the chance

W Trek Tips: 

- How to Book: W Trek Info

- Campsites we stayed in: Grey, Grande, Frances, Chileno

- Don't book a guide, or book with G adventures even if you are on your own you 100% don't need one

- Do this route, people do it in 3 days it's very short, stay in Chileno if you can and not Central on the last night, you will have a longer hike the last morning if you stay in Central

- You want to finish at Torres Del Paine and do a sunrise hike the last morning

- Book W Trek well in advance, campsites book out quick and you need your dates to line up 

- Pay to have your tents set up but bring your own food and rent a stove, pretty cheap this way

- If you don't pay to have your tent set up its cheaper but also heavier carrying it all the ways

- The hostels you can stay in for the W Trek are very boujee, I wouldn't stay here if you want a challenge!

- There are good facilities there like hot showers etc, mini markets, lovely beers :) 

- Rent your trekking gear in Puerto Natales before the trek if you're not bringing it with you

- You can do day hikes to TDP as well if you didn't book W trek or don't want to do a multi day hike, would recommend doing W trek tho otherwise you have to go in and out of the park which is time wasting

Other place in Patagonia 
El bolsón 
Pucan
Cohaiyque 
Chile chico
Parque Patagonia 

Punta Arenas

Ushuaia