I\'lll be starting my trip to South America in Argentina, travelling on my own.The in Chile i\'ll join organized trip to Bolivia and Peru.Because my i can only take 6 weeks off work alltogether ,i\'ll only have 8/9 days for Patagonia.Is it doable?I\'m thinking about highlights , don\'t really want to skip Argentina but I\'m still not sure it is be possible to cover all this distance?
Reply to this It's not much time really especially as the sights are well spread out in patagonia. If coming from Santiago I'd fly to Punta Arenas, visit Isla Magdalena to see the penguins, then go to Torres del Paine to hike the W (5 days), take a bus to El Calafate to see the glacier, and fly on from there.
El Chalten in Argentina is equally as good as Torres del Paine, but with 9 days you probably won't have time for both.
Reply to this Thanks Barry,
Do you think mid April will be too late for that? I dont' expect sunny holidays but don't want to freeze completly either.
I heard many places shut down at that time already,there are less busses etc.
Reply to this It might well be too late, but I don't know for sure, I was there only once in December. I think Torres del Paine is open year round, as is the glacier at El Calafate, however, I imagine trekking would be difficult at that time of year.
You might consider areas further north in Patagonia such as Bariloche or San Martin de los Andes. Again, April is not the perfect season here.
One area that gets good weather year round and where there's lots to see is the north west of Argentina. Salta is a great city, and there's many beautiful places like the wine region of Cafayate (makes the best wines in Argentina in my opinion), the Quebrada de Humahuaca (where there are fantastic landscapes and where most of the few remaining indigenous peopel live in Arg), and the high altitude region around Cachi. It's not so well known an area a Patagonia but might be a nice alternative in April. More info in my blogs from last year if you're interested.
Reply to this Personally, I would not hit Patagonia for such a little amount of time. I would stay in the north...hit Buenos Aires and Salta, maybe Mendoza, maybe Bariloche, tc. I spent 34 days going around Patagonia and honestly...I was bookin' it for the most part. And...I flew back from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires....a bus would have been 48 hours direct. The 'highlights' are so far from each other that I wouldn't do it such a small amount of time because for one, you would miss a lot, and secondly, you will detest buses very quickly. If it were me....I would save Patagonia for another time.
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