A One-Week Patagonia Travel Itinerary

Discover the depths of Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia, from spotting penguins to scaling mountains and trekking through some of the most incredible surroundings. We’ve rounded up all the adventures you absolutely shouldn’t miss.

Day 1: Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales

Start your week in the serene location of Punta Arenas, one of the closest Chilean towns to Antarctica. From there, take a ferry to Isla Magdalena, a very popular penguin spotting location in South America where penguins rule the island and approximately 60,000 breeding pairs come every year. You can then visit Bahia Inutil where the only colony of king penguins outside of Antarctica resides. After a day of watching these adorable penguins in their natural habitat, it’s time to press on to Puerto Natales.

Day 2: Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine

Day 3: Hiking in Torres del Paine

If you’re a keen hiker and want to hike the more advanced W or O trails, you will need to allow for a longer stay in the Torres del Paine National Park as they take between four to ten days (the W trail being the shorter of the two). If you’re on a tight schedule then today is the day to do the Torres hike! Some hikers tend to start before sunrise to catch views of the three towers as the sun comes up. Once you’ve reached the creamy green lake and the humongous towering peaks, you can relax and take in your well-earned view. Why not treat yourself to a meal in one of the refugios or hotels after your hard trek?

Day 4: Pehoe Lake and Grey Glacier

Stroll around the stunning turquoise Pehoe Lake and if your legs are tired from hiking, you can take a boat across the lake to enjoy the surrounding waterfalls and magnificent vistas. Your last afternoon in Chile should be spent at Grey Lake where the huge Grey Glacier sits. It’s accessible via a boat trip or by hiking across the ice on a Bigfoot Patagonia excursion where all the necessary equipment will be provided. Enjoy your last evening in Chilean Patagonia before heading to Argentinian Patagonia!

Day 5: Torres del Paine to El Calafate

It will be best to get the earliest possible bus out of Torres del Paine and across the Chile-Argentina border as the queues can take a longer time later in the day. Once you have arrived at El Calafate, Argentina’s glacier capital, you can peruse the shops on the main street, go horseback riding and settle into your accommodation. Enjoy an evening meal at any of El Calafate’s various restaurants to fuel up for the next day’s adventures.

Day 6: El Calafate to El Chalten

El Calafate’s most impressive attraction is the Perito Moreno Glacier in the Los Glaciares National Park. Spend the day seeing the huge glacier from a number of angles and listening to the loud thuds of glaciers melting and hitting the water. You can also walk around the park’s paths, take a boat trip to the glacier or even go on an ice-trekking trip across it. Once you have experienced the grandeur of Perito Moreno, make your way to the sleepy rustic town of El Chalten, where you can stay in hostels, refugios or eco domes.

Day 7: Cerro Fitz Roy

Your final day should be spent hiking one of the most impressive trails at the Cerro Fitz Roy. While the first half of the hike is a pleasant walk through the forests to the glaciers, the last part of the trek is hard work. Once you complete the hike, you will be greeted with extremely beautiful vistas. If you can’t bear to tear yourself away, there are plenty more hikes as well as glaciers you can visit either by boat or by kayak around El Chalten.

landscape with balloons floating in the air

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