r/travel • u/AutoModerator • Jan 09 '20
Advice r/travel Region of the Week: 'Patagonia'
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Jan 09 '20
If you travel to Argentinian Patagonia, a great option for 3-4 day experience is to fly to El Calafate and either stay there or take a bus to El Chalten. From El Chalten you have the option to do several different hikes. Some day and some overnight. The town is completely built around tourism and given its smallness has some excellent restaurants, you also do not need a vehicle as everything is walkable--provided you can still walk after a 15 mile hike. We can recommend the following restaurants: 1. La Cervezeria-lovely alp like atmosphere, beer and food and popcorn to munch while you drink 2. Restaurante Ahonikenk Chalten Fonda Patagonia-great for traditional Argentinian food and very reasonable in price 3. Mafia-amazing homemade pasta 4. La waffleria- pretty obvious but decent waffles
We stayed at Nothofagus Bed & Breakfast, H y, Hensen & Riquelme, El Chalten, Santa Cruz, Argentina.. amazing hosts nice breakfast and very nice packed lunch.
There are a few major day hikes: Fitz Roy and Laguna Torre are what we did, both breathtaking.
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u/dvegas Jan 12 '20
I'm not gonna' comment on all the obvious attractions everyone knows about, but instead will bring up one I've never seen discussed on this subreddit.
I went to Cochamó Valley, in Northern Chilean Patagonia/the Lake District. It was one of my favourite experiences in all of South America. It offers amazing granite domes for hiking and climbing, more waterfalls than you can count, and even natural waterslides. I'd strongly recommend anyone planning a trip through the region to check it out
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u/TheBrowneTown Jan 10 '20
For anyone who knows, I have a question regarding getting between two campsites.
So I am looking at doing the whole 'O' circuit without carrying a tent, sleeping mat, sleeping bag, a lot of food etc.
To do this, I must use the paid camp sites only, booking a tent that is pre-made, including getting the overpriced all inclusive meal plans, but I'm happy with the cost still.
My question is in regards to getting between;
- Los perros (owned by Vertice) and then to...
- Refugio Grey (also owned by Vertice)
So this means skipping the free camp Paso, now the map I am looking at suggests 6 hours from Los Perros to Paso (I believe this section contains the Gardener pass) and then a further 5 hours from Paso (the free camp I will need to skip) to Refugio Grey.
Is this pretty achievable in a day?
Are those times sort of relaxed pace, with a lot of gear?
The reason I ask of course is because everything needs to be pre-booked in advance, but I assume I will be able to do it comfortably enough due to having a lighter weight pack but would love to hear people's opinions who have done it or met others who skipped that camp, it seems like a large day of walking with the Gardener pass there, but I can't see any other way without carrying a tent etc.
Thank you for those who reply :)
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u/dvegas Jan 12 '20 edited Jan 12 '20
For your question about going from Perros to Grey, that section is pretty easy and is mostly downhill. There's a few ups and downs but the overall trend is downhill, depending on your fitness it should be one of the easier sections on the O. This section also contains the 3 suspension bridges, and is very impressive throughout.
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u/TheBrowneTown Jan 12 '20
Tha is for the info, but isn't it Perros to Paso firstly, including the Gardener pass? Then Paso to grey afterwards, all in the one day.
Suggested time is 11 hours, but I'll be travelling light and am reasonably fit. I feel I can make it into the trail from the free camp Paso, towards Grey, before the cutoff time unless there's really bad weather.
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u/dvegas Jan 12 '20
Sorry you're right. For the pass since the weather can get so bad you're supposed to start early (I think they recommend by 10). Then from the pass down my above comment applys
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u/TheBrowneTown Jan 12 '20
I am an early morning person anyway, so would like to be up as soon as the trail opens, that way I have time to work around unforseen circumstances.
Thanks for the info about the second half being relatively easy, that's better than having the hard climb at the end of the day.
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u/Dingens25 Puerto Rico Jan 15 '20
Everyone I met on the trail skipped Paso, even the ones who booked it initially - they just went onwards to Grey. It's a shitty campsite without much to do or any amenities.
It's a very long and hard day. Don't underestimate going downhill - it's less exhausting, but puts a lot of strain on your joints. Bring hiking poles and make sure you're in shape before going on the trail.
Also: You should see that you're out of Perros by like 7 am, the earlier the better - I'd try for first light of the day. 10 is way too late, wind starts picking up on the pass then.
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u/TheBrowneTown Jan 15 '20
This was the plan for me just to avoid nasty surprises and have some leeway.
Cheers for the info, hopefully it all goes well. I'll definitely be hiring hiking poles before I set off, especially for a trek of 7 or 8 days, the benefits will be massive.
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u/theforeignpassport Jan 11 '20 edited Jan 14 '20
I travelled in Patagonia back in March last year, this is one of the most amazing place I've ever been to!! I went to Perito Moreno, El Calafate, hiked the Torres del Paine (5 days hike on the W trek, absolute must do!!).
If you are wondering how it looks like, here is a video I've made of the trip that took me from Buenos Aires all the way down to Ushuaia, through Patagonia:
Patagonia is a major bucket list, enjoy!
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u/swollencornholio Airplane! Jan 14 '20
I think that's the wrong video. It's titled "Diving with Manta Ray Sharks in Indonesia"
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u/Zaza_35 Jan 15 '20
How was the weather there in March?
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u/theforeignpassport Jan 16 '20
We got really lucky, the weather was fantastic! Didn't see a drop of rain. During the trek in Torres del Paine we had mostly sun and were told afterwards it had been the best weekend of the season. As an overall, perfect weather for 3 weeks!!
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u/Zaza_35 Jan 16 '20
But was it cold? That’s my main concern 😅
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u/theforeignpassport Jan 17 '20
Well, temperatures go from around 3ºC or less in the night to somewhere around 20-25ºC during the day. So you need warm clothes for evenings and early morning and more of a windproof jacket that you can take off during the day when it gets warmer.
In Torres del Paine you can go through 4 seasons in one day, so be equipped to go from summer to winter with some eventual showers.
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u/northern_redditor #vanlife Jan 12 '20
Any recommendations on where to go after el chalten/el calafate if working north? I see Bariloche is a 20 hr bus ride.
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u/oharabk United States Jan 12 '20
Any suggestions on when to visit? A quick google search says October through November and December through February. But what about outside those times - is it terrible? Thinking about visiting in April/May but not sure if I'll still get the nice Fitz Roy views.
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Jan 13 '20
We went in April and it was spectacular. Nice crisp fall weather, and for a place notorious for cloudy or fickle weather we had three beautiful sunny and blue sky days. We did go when a bunch of stuff in El Chalten was closing (even the week we were there) for the winter but we had no problem finding great places to eat anyway.
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u/Signs25 Jan 16 '20
In April/May starts to be rainy and you have less hours of sun, temperature drops below zero at night and the worse of all it’s that tend to be cloudy so you have less chance of nice views. Also if you don’t have your own transport need to plan ahead or be flexible.
Best time, at least for me, is definitely November to mid December or March, lots of hours of sun, weather start to improve and less people.
Some places tend to be crowded between late December to February because of Chilean holidays (but you have more transport and accommodation), specially Torres del Paine.
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u/theforeignpassport Jan 17 '20
I went in March/April and it was fantastic! The weather was epic and conditions optimal. Minus the tourist crowd.
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u/oharabk United States Jan 17 '20
would you happen to have any pictures so I can see what it looks like during that time of year?
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u/theforeignpassport Jan 18 '20
I made a video of my trip, that should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect :)
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u/swollencornholio Airplane! Jan 14 '20
This awesome trip review of Torres del Paine vs El Chaltén was just posted by /u/quaintplanet. Lots of detail if you are trying to visit either place (or both).
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u/Yennikcm Jan 12 '20
Hi all! I'm heading out to Patagonia in mid-February with a friend. We're spending a couple of weeks in the south and around Torres Del Paine and El Chalten. The plan is to then work our way north up to Puerto Montt to catch a flight to Santiago, to fly out to Easter Island giving us 12 days to get from El Chalten to Puerto Montt.
We've mapped out a rough route and itinerary which seems do-able on paper, but I'm struggling to find clear information about buses/public transport online. Does anyone know whether we're being a bit too ambitious with our timescales and having to rely on public transport? I've worked out a couple of other routes cutting out O'Higgins and Cochrane to save time if needed.
- El Chalten to Candelario Mancilla
- Candelario Mancilla to O'Higgins
- O'Higgins
- O'Higgins to Cochrane
- Cochrane to Puerto Rio Tranquillo
- Puerto Rio Tranquillo to Villa Cerro Castillo
- Villa Cerro Castillo to Puyuhuapi
- Puyuhuapi
- Puyuhuapi to Futaleufu
- Futaleufu to Chaiten and overnight ferry to Puerto Montt
- Puerto Montt
- Puerto Montt flight to Santiago
- Santiago to Easter Island
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u/moderatelyremarkable Jan 13 '20
If you visit El Calafate don't miss a lesser known attraction - Laguna Nimez Bird Reserve. It's a very nice and relaxing place where you can spot flamingoes and some of the other 70 bird species in the area.
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u/IAmMexico United States Jan 14 '20
I’m working on my Patagonia itinerary and the last decision I have to make is wherever to spend two days before or after the W Trek taking day trips/excursions from Puerto Natales or spend those two days in Ushuaia. If I choose to do excursions from Puerto Natales, I will not go to Ushuaia at all. I will be in Patagonia for two weeks. Is Ushuaia worth it? Or should I spend more time around Puerto Natales/Torres del Paine?
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Jan 16 '20
Any concerns with passes around November. My girlfriend wants to go to the eclipse and I'm not finding good info on snow levels off the bat.
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u/Signs25 Jan 16 '20
Which part in particular? You have some places where you can see the eclipse with no snow all year around (it’s not in the Patagonia itself, but it’s Lake District in Chile)
Be in mind that even if you don’t have snow, the chance that be cloudy are not particularly low.
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u/Signs25 Jan 16 '20
If you go to Torres del Paine National Park, and you wants to save some time, know that you have an airport closer to the park. It’s Puerto Natales airport (IATA code: PNT). You have plenty of flights between December and February even from low cost (JetSmart and Sky Airline). LATAM also flights there. Outside high season you have Punta Arenas airport (IATA: PUQ)
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u/BaysidePanthers Jan 10 '20
Just returned from a trip here on the Argentinian side. 2 days in El Calafate, 3 in El Chalten. Many posts I read said El Calafate wasn’t worth more than a day. After the Puerto Moreno glacier big ice hike (absolute must do) there isn’t much in the sense of traditional hiking. But the town itself is awesome and a deserves a day in itself to relax and enjoy some food and drink (try mako for good food), before heading to El Chalten, which is ONLY a hiking town.
Don’t get me wrong, some of the best day hikes I’ve ever done, these were amazing. But don’t expect anything out of the town, it’s all tourists that are there for the hikes while Calafate has some personality.
Also do not take any of the hikes in these towns likely, the big ice tour and Lagunas de los tres were some serious hikes where we saw a lot of people struggle. You need to be in decent shape at the very least to enjoy these two towns.
Overall, one of the most diverse landscapes in the world. Loved it. Don’t miss it if you enjoy the outdoors in any sense.