BEST OF PATAGONIA – 13 Days

Start your journey visiting the most famous glacier in Patagonia  

In the morning, we’ll drive you to Glaciers National Park to begin your 6-hour Perito Moreno Glacier tour. Get prepared to play with the giants! 

Glaciers National Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981 and is home to approximately 200 glaciers. Half of this park is occupied by the campo de hielo patagónico (Patagonian ice field), the largest ice field in the world, after Antarctica.

You will travel about 25 miles from El Calafate to the park, enjoying the views of the Patagonian steppe. Once inside the park, you will take walkways to explore the different viewpoints, and you’ll feel unbelievably close to Perito Moreno Glacier. If you’re lucky, you may even get to see a piece of ice break off and fall from the glacier wall, sinking forever into the lake below.

Over the course of about one hour, a bilingual guide will provide you with all the information you might want to know…and things you may have never thought about. After this visit, you will take a boat ride that will bring you close enough to fully appreciate the 262-foot ice walls of Perito Moreno! You’ll never feel closer to this gigantic and impressive natural masterpiece.   

Say Hueque tips

Have you ever imagined walking across the surface of a glacier? Well, this is your chance! Take a look at the Mini Trekking tour, which allows you to trek on Perito Moreno Glacier… This is one of our favorite Patagonia outings; we’re sure you won’t regret it.  

Take a bus to El Chaltén and start your hiking experience

Today, you will take a public bus to start your 3-hour trip to El Chaltén. You’ll travel along the famous Route 40, surrounded by the Patagonian steppe, and pass through La Leona River, which connects Lake Argentino and Lake Viedma, and where you’ll get to see La Leona Road house, where the famous thieves Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hid for a while. After discovering some other gems along your journey, you’ll reach El Chaltén and we’ll drop you off at your hotel.

El Chaltén is the top-rated hiking destination in Argentina. This charming little village sits at the foot of Mount Fitz Roy and is surrounded by glaciers, lakes, rivers and forests. It’s also the jumping-off point for most hiking trails in the area. A paradise for sun-seeking walkers and trekkers alike. Enjoy your first afternoon of leisure by relaxing in the local brewery or strolling around a little waterfall…

Say Hueque Tips

Take a look at some of our favorite hikes in the Chaltén Travel Guide, and take note of our travel advice on how to make the most of your time here.

Take the bus back to El Calafate 

Enjoy an early walk around town or a quick hike this morning. We recommend that you walk to El Chorrillo del Salto, 1 hour away from the village, and reach its little waterfall encircled by native trees and flora, like the Patagonian Orchid. 

Bear in mind that in the afternoon you will board your bus back to El Calafate, so you need to be back in time. The 3-hour drive back will be a good opportunity to relax while enjoying the passing landscapes out your window.

Once you arrive in El Calafate, the bus will drop you off at your hotel. Now is your chance to take another Patagonia day trip around the area or to try some tender Patagonian Lamb, or maybe a heavenly Calafate ice-cream. In Calafate, food options are varied and plentiful; from veggie delicacies to the best demonstration of national steaks, there really is something for everyone. You can choose a fancy restaurant for dinner, or a more traditional local tavern to spend an unforgettable night.

Discover the famous “Towers” del Paine

Today we’ll pick you up really early in the morning (around 7 am!) to drive you to the sector Las Torres and take you to Cerro Paine Ranch, the jumping-off point for our hike, where you’ll have an informative talk about this high-difficulty, amazing outing.

We’ll take the road heading into the valley and after 10 minutes walking, we’ll get to an old rope bridge which crosses the Ascencio River. You’ll see a fork in the road about 500 feet ahead; take a left at the fork to get to the Base Towers!

After following a winding, green slope for about an hour, you’ll pass by a Chilean campsite on the opposite bank of the river. We’ll continue walking for another 45 minutes until reaching Almirante Nieto Hill. Your next stop: the ‘mirador’ (viewpoint) and the foothill of the moraine!

We’ll continue hiking for an hour, and the path will become steeper and steeper as you approach the most amazing view of the three towers: Central, Monzino and Dagostini. Prepare to see some condor nests and the great Peineta Hill!

Time to rest and eat (your boxed lunch is included): this is the reward for courageous Patagonia travelers! You’ll have a moment to enjoy your lunch with this amazing backdrop before returning via the same road to the fork where you started, and your driver will be waiting to take you back to Puerto Natales.

 Welcome to the southernmost city of your journey in Patagonia

In the early morning, you will get to the bus station to embark on a full-day bus trip to Ushuaia, the last destination of your 13-day trip in Argentina and Chile. Take into account that you’ll be crossing borders again today!

This is a 12-hour trip in a comfortable bus, equipped with reclining seats, where you’ll cross the Patagonian steppe. Look out the window and you’ll see yellow and green grasslands with Chilean gauchos riding into the wild and grazing unbothered sheep, until you reach the ferry crossing. It will take around 45 minutes to cross the mythical Strait of Magellan and hit the road again to cross the Chilean border, finally entering Tierra del Fuego Island on Argentine soil.

As the famous end-of-the-world city approaches, grazing sheep will turn into wild guanacos and horses, with snow-capped mountains and evergreen woods arising at the entrance of Ushuaia. Once you get your “Southernmost City” passport stamp, you’ll realize that this intrepid journey through remote Patagonian roads was absolutely worth it.

Upon arrival in Ushuaia, you will journey to your hotel (taxis to and from the bus station should cost less than $10 US dollars). Ushuaia is a small town, and it is really easy to get around on foot. The Yamanas, the region’s first inhabitants, named the area ‘Ushuaia’, which means “protected bay” in their language. Ushuaia was officially incorporated into the Republic of Argentina in 1884, and it soon became a penal colony, in order to establish a permanent Argentine settlement.

Take the afternoon to explore the town, learn about the region’s rich history at the Prisoners’ Museum, or visit the Galleria of Fuegian History (it has a lovely restaurant as well!). Please, don’t forget the local gastronomy! Ushuaia has the best seafood in Argentina.    

*This bus trip allows you to see the landscape of other, lesser-known parts of Chile, and will give you a much more complete perspective of the area. However, we understand that it is a long journey, and can be a very tiring day. For an additional cost, you can choose a quicker option; from Torres del Paine, you can drive back to El Calafate and then fly to Ushuaia.

Say Hueque Tips

You’ve arrived to the edge of the world… and there are two seafood dishes that you absolutely MUST taste: the Blake Hake and King Crab. Our Ushuaia Travel Guide will point you in the direction of the best restaurants in town and the best day tours in Ushuaia. 

Tour Ushuaia’s famous islands while sailing the Beagle Channel

In 1833 Charles Darwin sailed the Beagle Channel and found something great. Today it’s your turn: become another explorer of this channel, primitively named Onashaga Channel since the Onas where its first discoverers.

Make your way to the tourist pier (located downtown) to embark on a 4-hour Beagle Channel navigation in a fully equipped boat with a capacity for up to 26 people. With Argentina on your left and Chile on your right, you’ll sail this natural border until reaching the iconic Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, which is still in operation.

On the way, enjoy uplifting panoramic views of Ushuaia Bay, crowned by the Martial Glacier’s diverse marine wildlife, such as cormorants (flying birds, closely related to penguins) and fur seals. Hop off on Bridges Island to explore its vegetation, and visit the archeological remains of the Yamanas (the native inhabitants) accompanied by a specialized bilingual guide. 

During the trip, enjoy bottomless hot cocoa and cookies, or try the maté (loose herbal tea), which is every Argentinian’s favorite drink. Once we get back to the port, you can make your way back to your hotel or stop in a local cafe or brewery to enjoy an amber craft beer paired with a traditional Patagonian appetizer.

Say Hueque Tips

Have you ever walked amongst penguins? If not, Ushuaia is your chance to fulfill that bucket-list dream… you can add to this day the Magellanic Penguin Rookery Tour on Martillo Island (available from October to April at an additional cost). On Martillo Island you will also see a very rare type of penguin that is typically only found in Antarctica: the yellow-crested penguin.