How To Spend 1 Week Hiking Argentine Patagonia Itinerary
Where Is Argentinian 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. Below I am going to show you how to best spend 1 week in Argentine Patagonia.
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. We made a list of our favourites here.
Because Patagonia is such a vast area it is really important to have a good plan and itinerary before you go. I am going to help you out with this below. We are going to focus on the Glacier and hiking capitals of El Calafate and El Chalten.
What to expect from Argentinian Patagonia
Argentinian Patagonia is a broader area with more varied terrain than its Chilean neighbor. Around the town of Calafate you have epic plains leading to a massive lake and 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.
Lago Torres one of the many fabulous views in El Chalten. Expect Lots of This!
When To Visit Argentine 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 versa.
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 Argentinian Patagonia
The major hub for Argentine Patagonia is El Calafate. From here you can bus or fly to Chile, as well as the Argentine towns of Cordoba, Bariloche and Ushuaia.
Flying to El Calafate
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. The Argentine towns of Cordoba, Bariloche and Ushuaia also connect direct to El Calafate.
If you are coming from the west coast you are probably going to want to get to Santiago. From Santiago you can fly direct to El Calafate the main hub for the area. Its here you will find the most options for car rentals, tours, banks, stores, restaurants and gas stations. Yes finding gas stations is a thing or at least something you need to pay attention to. Whichever direction you are coming from sometimes the flights are cheap one way and expensive another so I always recommend checking with Kayak here. And once again flights don’t always make sense with pricing so make sure you check!
El Calafate Airport to town
There are mixed reviews on whether Uber works here. Some people had luck others haven’t. Its not all bad though cabs are about $30 and easy to get. You also have the option of pre booking these shuttles that meet you in the airport and take you straight to your hotel for $23. We did not take it but apparently this company Ves also runs a shuttle service you can message them for times and cost here.
Bussing to El Calafate
El Calafate is well connected to the north of Argentina and to Puerto Natales in Chile. Bus Sur is one of the regional providers, and Recorrido is a site that searches and allows you to book all of them. From here its easy to bus to El Chalten or further on to El Bolson and Bariloche. If you are heading to or from Puerto Natales book in advance as this route gets quite busy.
How To Spend 1 Week Hiking Argentine Patagonia Itinerary
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 AccomWake 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.
As you can see this area is absolutely incredible
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 and it let us stop at viewpoints like this.
Chalten has kind of a lost cowboy old west town feel
Central area of town to stay in
Anywhere around this part of town has a great mix of walkability and dining options.There are several can’t miss hikes in the El Chalten area, 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.
Laguna De Los Tres is the equivalent of the Base Towers in Torres Del Paine but possibly more impressive. This hike was absolutely incredible and should not be skipped for any reason. It is worth the 20+km grind!
This is legitimately one of the best views I have ever seen. Absolutely mind blowing in person!
Torres Lagoon
This lake is famous for Icebergs but unfortunately we arrived after a hot spell. The warm weather caused a lot of run off and the brownie blue water. This lake is sometimes spectacularly blue with lots of icebergs.
Fitzroy Viewpoint Patagonia Logo viewpoint
This is the famous Patagonia logo viewpoint!
The Secret Waterfall
The secret waterfall and the trail views heading up to the lagoons
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. 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.
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.
have more time for patagonia?
If you still have some days left in the itinerary check out our Perfect 2 week total Patagonia itinerary. El Calafate has lots of great bus connections to Puerto Natales and the drive isn’t bad either. Why not explore the incredible Torres Del Paine National park while you are here!
