Patagonia: South to North (Itinerary)

Rickety river bridges abound on the ‘W Trek’ in Chilean Patagonia [Image: The Backpack Library, 2017]

Trying to see all of Patagonia in one trip is a near-impossible task – unless, that is, you have forever (which sadly most of us don’t).

This vast area covers huge regions of both Chile and Argentina, stretching the breadth of the South American continent from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific, and far enough south to be within touching distance of the Antarctic. Its terrain, meanwhile, ranges from luscious flat grassland prairies to the rugged wind-beaten peaks of the southern Andes. For these reasons, there is not only lots to see but lots of routes you can take to do so…

Choosing a route for Patagonia

Your starting point will obviously affect the general outline of your route. Logic would dictate that you either fly to Santiago de Chile and head south from there, or start in Ushaia (ARG) and head north; but another option is to begin in Buenos Aires, head south down the Atlantic coast and enter Patagonia from there.

We ended up doing a kind of circular route during out time in Patagonia, spending just over 5 weeks total in the region. It was exciting, we covered a lot of ground, it allowed us to get off the beaten track a little, and it’s a good solution if you’re coming from Chile in the north but you want to end in Argentina.

Beginning our Patagonian adventure in Puerto Natales, here is the route we took after our flight from Santiago landed (main towns/stops only):

Puerto Natales (CHI) > Parque Nacional Torres Del Paine (CHI) > El Calafate (ARG) > El Chalten (ARG) > Chile Chico (CHI) > Puerto Rio Tranquilo (CHI) > Coyhaique (CHI) > Parque Nacional Queulat (CHI) > Futaleufu (CHI) > Trevelin (ARG) > El Bolson (ARG) > Bariloche (ARG)

Detailed itinerary

Puerto Natales, Chile

In Patagonia — a must-read piece of travel writing by Bruce Chatwin — opens with talk of the mylodon (a huge prehistoric ground sloth native to Patagonia), early remains of which were found just outside the quaint town of Puerto Natales. When we spotted a cheap flight from Santiago, we thought why not start there, just as Chatwin’s book had?

Think fishing boats rocked gently by the wind on the lake, cosy tin-roof hostels serving warm bread and jam for breakfast, and friendly locals selling everything from pastries to hiking gear to art and crafts. Puerto Natales was our first taste of Patagonia and we enjoyed every moment, taking a few days to relax and prepare our packs ahead of a last-minute attempt to hike the Torres Del Paine ‘W’ trek. (We say ‘attempt’ because until a couple of days before we set out we hadn’t actually secured all of our camping spots!)

Mountain views from the lakeside in Puerto Natales (CHI)

El Calafate, Argentina

For many travellers, the Argentinian town of El Calafate is the jumping off point for seeing the Perito Moreno glacier. In fact, the town has been built purely on tourism, steadily growing since the 1980s; there are expensive shops and restaurants, but for backpackers there isn’t too much to do. Deciding to see the glacier will depend on how much you want to experience it, and how much money you have to spend. We decided not to, opting instead to go glacier trekking later on in our Patagonian adventure in Puerto Rio Tranquillo, Chile. We did however find a cool and reasonably affordable campsite, where we cooked up our first Argentinian asado! After taking an hour to get the BBQ lit, even our charcoaled steaks tasted like perfection…

El Chalten, Argentina

We tried and failed to hitchhike out of El Calafate in the direction of El Chalten. As the last light began to fade, we headed to the bus station and took the last service of the day. This is the place to come if you’re looking for some of the best free hiking that Patagonia — and South America in general — has to offer. Our memories of this town are some of the best we have: camping with beautiful views down the valley; frosty mornings giving way to stunning sunshine for a different trail each day; eating soup and bread in the warm and cosy campsite common room; and our first lake-side view of the unforgettable Mount Fitzroy.

Hike for free to the stunning Mount Fitzroy, El Chalten (ARG)

Puerto Rio Tranquillo, Chile

Hitchhiking north from El Chalten was a success; we were picked up by a Spanish couple driving a beat-up Ford camper van. They ended up taking us along with them for three days, crossing the border into Chile and eventually leaving us in the tiny town of Puerto Rio Tranquillo. WiFi is scarce, ATMs are non-existent, and the hosterias are basic. Our advice would be to have your shit together before you arrive: know what your plan is, the schedule for the buses out (if you aren’t hitching), and have some cash in your pocket. There are a number of excursions you can do from this town; we recommend glacier trekking on Exploradora — the views are breath-taking, there aren’t hundreds of tourists, and it’s half the price of Perito Moreno.

Coyhaique, Chile

A supermarket! And a huge one at that… This is the biggest town you’ll encounter while traversing the Carretera Austral, so if you need to stock up, this is the place to do so. It’s a working town, not a tourist town, so the prices aren’t too bad. You’ll find a market selling local food and crafts in the pretty central square, but other than that most of Coyhaique’s highlights lie outside of the town. Pick from a variety of hikes, or do as we did and recharge your batteries for a day or two before moving on!

Ice-trekking on Glacier Exploradores, Puerto Rio Tranquilo (CHI)

Parque Nacional Queulat, Chile

We took a bus heading north from Coyhaique and jumped off at Parque Nacional Queulat, which is famous for the Ventisquero Colgante (hanging glacier) and waterfall. As always in Chile, we were welcomed to the campsite by a friendly ranger, who gave us his personal recommendations for camp spots. As we were early, we decided to hike to the waterfall the same day; the trail isn’t too difficult, and it’s more than worth the effort for the incredible views you get from the top!

Futaleufu, Chile

It was a tiring few days of hitchhiking that took us from Queulat to Futaleufu, the last Chilean destination of our trip. Futaleufu is a pristine little place, best-known for the white-water rafting opportunities offered up by the river that runs through the town. We looked into rafting, but most companies had closed for the season, while the remaining operator was still charging full price. Instead, we did a beautiful free hike to Eagle Rock.

Josie makes a new friend while hitchhiking north from Parque Nacional Queulat

Trevelin, Argentina

We walked across the Chilean/Argentinian border, treated to some beautiful views of an autumnal wilderness. Eventually, through a series of short lifts from kind strangers, we managed to make it to Trevelin, a small town known for its Welsh heritage. By this point in our travels, we were dying for a slice of home, so Welsh Tea (not too different from English Tea) sounded good to us. For a pretty penny, we dove into a spread of scones and cakes and washed it all down with a proper cuppa. Yeah, it’s the tourist thing to do, but who cares? It’s what a trip to Trevelin is all about!

Anyone for tea? A traditional Welsh spread at Casa de Té La Mutisia, Trevelin (ARG) 

El Bolson, Argentina

We’d heard a lot about El Bolson; the excellent hiking trails, the vibrant music scene, a healthy selection of local beers, and the anti-authority hippie culture. A stroll through the daily market tells you that the latter three of these traits still ring true; the scent of cannabis is pungent, the beer is exceptional, and live music appears on every street. Enjoy everything the town’s creative community has to offer, but make sure you leave some time for hiking too! Up in the mountains, a circuit of trails is linked by comfortable and affordable refugios. We hiked up to the sculpture park and spent the night at Refugio Piliquitron, where we cooked in the communal kitchen, played cards by lamplight and watched the flickering streetlights of El Bolson beneath a clear, starlit sky. The next morning we hiked up to the summit, accompanied by the refugio’s dog.

Bariloche, Argentina

Technically still part of Patagonia, Bariloche is a lake-district city with a rich German heritage. In all honesty, our arrival in Bariloche felt like a return to civilisation and, by extension, the end of our Patagonian adventure. The hostel was more like those we’d been staying in pre-Patagonia, the weather was warmer, and there were supermarkets and shops everywhere. But that’s not to say that Bariloche doesn’t offer tons of great outdoor pursuits. You can hike in the summer, ski in the winter, and spend the rest of your time filling up on free chocolate samples on the town’s main high street.

The chocolate is to die for, the Patagonian lamb is delicious, and the lake views at Refugio Frey are some of the most stunning we saw in all of Patagonia. In our opinion, there’s a lot of hype surrounding Bariloche, but it’s still an important stop on any Patagonian itinerary.

Have you explored Patagonia? Got any stops to add to our itinerary? Let us know down the comments.