Self-guided tour of Argentina and Patagonia How to travel Patagonia

March 2017. Six months have passed since returning from in Nepal. It's time to go on a new long journey! The mouse cursor, rotating a three-dimensional map of the Earth in search of potential places for a trip, froze over the southern part of South America: rugged shores (I remember Norway), mountains, lakes, nature - all this looked promising ...

But it was in these parts, called Patagonia, that the heroes of Jules Verne's novel "Children of Captain Grant" went and found a lot of exciting adventures! I wonder if it is possible, 150 years after the travel of Paganel and his friends, to visit Patagonia on their own and for a reasonable amount of money?

A short search in the English-speaking Internet (there is not much detailed information in Russian) - and all the necessary information was collected. As it turned out, Patagonia in our time is very popular among fans of hiking. The most picturesque places in Patagonia include the El Chalten National Park, located in Argentina, and the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile.

Lovers of comfort are recommended El Chalten - there you can stay in the town of the same name El Chalten, live in a hotel, take light day walks around the neighborhood, and dine in restaurants in the evenings. The history of the founding of the town of El Chalten is interesting: it so happened that between Argentina and Chile there is no treaty on the state border in that place, so the Argentines rushed in advance and built a settlement to stake out the territory for themselves. Over time, the town has become a well-known tourist center. The main attraction of the El Chalten National Park is Mount Fitzroy (3405 m).

In another national park - - there is practically no civilization, there are no towns like El Chalten there. But nature and fauna are more diverse. They write that tourists can even meet a cougar if they are lucky (who is lucky, tourists or a cougar - it is not specified, however, South American cougars seem to be considered less dangerous than their northern relatives). The central part of the Torres del Paine Park is occupied by the Peine mountain range, whose peaks are almost 3000 meters high. Along the southern slopes of the massif there is a trail of the tourist route "W-track", so named because the path repeats the shape of the Latin letter W. The route is about 70 km long, its passage takes 5 days. There is a longer 8-day route, the so-called "O-track", which circumambulates the entire Peine massif. In the warm season, there are several camps in the national park, where tourists can stay overnight in houses with shared rooms for 8-10 people or in their own tents (it is prohibited to set up tents outside the camps). In terms of beauty, Torres del Paine is not inferior to El Chalten.

In the mountains of Patagonia there is the third largest (after Antarctica and Greenland) ice massif of the Earth, forming 47 large glaciers. You can get very close to some of the glaciers, in some places they even arrange excursions with a walk on the surface of the glacier.

Perito Moreno Glacier in the Argentinean part of Patagonia. The height of the ice layer above the water surface is about 60 meters

Traveling to the other end of the world with mountains, lakes, glaciers and pumas - who can resist such a combination? So, we decided to go to Patagonia 🙂 April should have been a suitable month for a trip: it's autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, there are not so many tourists, but the cold has not yet come. We had enough free time and finances to visit only one of the national parks, and after some thought we opted for Torres del Paine - away from civilization and closer to nature. Now let's talk about how to get there - maybe readers who want to visit Patagonia on their own will find this information useful.

As of 2017, there are no direct flights from Russia to Argentina or Chile (and indeed to South America), so you will have to fly with a transfer at one of the airports in Western Europe or in Istanbul. Prices bite - options were offered costing from 50 to 70 thousand rubles for a round-trip ticket in economy class with a flight from St. Petersburg or Moscow. Probably, in the high summer season from December to February, the flight is even more expensive. We bought tickets from the Dutch airline KLM: we flew to South America before connecting in Amsterdam, and back from connecting in Paris (return flights on behalf of KLM were operated by Air France). One way travel time is approximately 3.5 + 13 hours.

Argentina, Chile and many other South American countries allow Russians visa-free travel for up to 90 days, which greatly simplifies travel preparation.

From Buenos Aires to Patagonia you can get a domestic flight to the small town (El Calafate), the flight time is about 3.5 hours. This route is operated by the Argentine airline Aerolineas Argentinas and the Chilean-Argentinean-Brazilian Latam. The main attraction of El Calafate is the Perito Moreno glacier, pictured above. Tourist buses run from the city to the glacier.

Intercity bus service is well developed in Patagonia, and it will not be difficult to get from El Calafate to the desired national park. El Chalten is located 3 hours from El Calafate, Torres del Paine is a little further: first you need to make a 5-hour drive to the Chilean town (Puerto Natales), crossing the Argentine-Chilean border on the way, and then take the bus route Puerto Natales - Torres del Paine specially designed to transport tourists to the national park. At least two bus companies in Patagonia can book tickets in advance via the Internet: Bus-Sur has a booking page on its website, and Turismo Zaahj accepts inquiries by email.

Patagonia can also be reached via Santiago, the capital of Chile. From Santiago to Punta Arenas, located in the very south of Patagonia, Latam and the low-cost airline Sky Airline, offering tickets at an attractive price of $ 50, fly. From Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales can be reached in 3 hours by intercity bus. In 2017, it is planned to open an airport in Puerto Natales itself, after which it will become even easier to get to this town.

Tourists with a lot of free time can arrive in Puerto Natales by ferry. From the city of Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales, there are ferries of the shipping company Navimag. The ferry cruise takes 4 days, and based on the photos available on the Internet, the views are spectacular.

To hike in the Torres del Paine National Park, you need to reserve online campsites on your itinerary prior to your trip. Since 2017, this pre-reservation has become mandatory, as the administration of the national park, worried about the increasing number of tourists, decided to limit the flow of visitors to a fixed number of places in the camps. Now tourists who have not shown a reservation for each night of their stay in Torres del Paine may not be allowed into the park.

Scheme of the "W-track" route in the Torres del Paine National Park. Buses from Puerto Natales stop at Amarga Lagoon and Pudeto. The track can be reached: from the Amarga Lagoon - by minibus or on foot, from Pudeto - by boat to the Payne Grande camp

Tourist camps in Torres del Paine are split between Vertice Patagonia, Fantastico Sur and the non-profit organization CONAF, which manages nature reserves and national parks in Chile. Vertice Patagonia and Fantastico Sur offer guests accommodation in a dormitory house or in a tent, hot showers and meals, which are paid separately and costs like lunch in a not the cheapest restaurant. CONAF camps are free of charge, but they only have a place for a tent and a toilet. To reserve a place at any camp, visit the respective company website.

We had no problems with reserving places in the camps - another plus of trips outside the high season. The prospect of spending the night in dorm rooms did not arouse enthusiasm, so we decided to go with a tent - it’s more interesting and romantic. As for food, a backpack won a convincing victory in the battle of a wallet with a backpack, and in order not to carry additional weight in the form of food during the hike, we booked breakfasts, lunches and dinners in tourist camps - since such an opportunity was provided, it made sense take advantage of it.

When looking at information about Chile, we were very interested in the city (Valparaiso): unique architecture included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, narrow streets on steep hills, historic funiculars - and all this on the shores of the Pacific Ocean bay. I definitely wanted to visit Valparaiso, so a stop in this city was added to the trip plan. Valparaiso is a two-hour bus ride from Santiago. Buses leave two or three times an hour, we booked tickets with the Turbus company (the site is in Spanish, but everything was clear).

The final plan of our trip included the following points:

1. Flight to Buenos Aires, sightseeing.
2. Flight to El Calafate, a trip to the Perito Moreno glacier.
3. Moving to Puerto Natales.
4. A 5-day W-trek in Torres del Paine National Park.
5. Return to Puerto Natales.
6. Transfer to Punta Arenas.
7. Flight to Santiago, trip to Valparaiso for 2 days.
8. Return to Santiago, sightseeing, flight home.

Everything you need for such a trip: flights, transfers, hotels - can be booked via the Internet, without even getting up from the couch. We had only the following small difficulties:

• Vertice Patagonia camps were not paid online. A day later, everything was fixed by itself - apparently there were some temporary problems with the site.
• For some reason, the online booking form at the Bus-Sur bus company did not work. We complained to them via e-mail (in English, because we do not speak Spanish) - they answered promptly, prepared a booking with payment via PayPal, after payment they sent a voucher, upon presentation of which a ticket is issued at the ticket office of the bus station.
• The airline Aerolineas Argentinas, as we found out experimentally, needs to book tickets from the American website. On the European website of the airline (it looked more modern) there was no Russia in the list of countries, and when choosing any other country, payment with Russian bank cards was not accepted. In the American version, there were no problems with payment.

So - we have booked tickets, hotels and places in tourist camps. In addition to the equipment already available, we bought: a light tent, sleeping bags with a funny name Cat's Meow and a comfort temperature of about 0 ° C, compact inflatable rugs weighing 450 grams, allowing you to sleep on the ground even in sub-zero temperatures. Now all that remained was to wait impatiently for the day of departure.

“Bienvenido a la Patagonia” (“Welcome to Patagonia”) reads the sign at Balmaceda Airport in Chile. There is something thrilling about this invitation not to a country or a city, but to a landscape that is stunning, a place of memoirs filled with myths and legendary exploration. An invitation to the region where Charles Darwin and Robert Fitzroy, William Henry Hudson and the Welsh colonialists, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Bruce Chatwin - where they all embarked on a journey that changed their lives.

There is still no agreement where the fertile steppes of the Pampas end and the barren Patagonia begins, but for most people, the northern border of Patagonia is the Colorado River. This is from Argentina. In Chile, the border runs much further south, roughly around the island of Chiloé, where the edge of the lake dries up and the rugged coast of Palena begins.

Patagonia is a huge triangle in the south of South America - about 400,000 square miles ( approximately 1,035,996 square kilometers - approx. translator) - three quarters of which are in Argentina. The southernmost point is the Tierra del Fuego (Tierra del Fuego) archipelago. The name Patagonia comes from the word “patagones”, the name given to the high local inhabitants of Tehuelche by Fernand Magellan at the beginning of the 16th century. It may have meant “big feet,” but more likely it was an allusion to the “dog-headed monster” from the Spanish knightly novel Primaleón. Be that as it may, a mysterious-sounding name was chosen for the distant land.

And that's a fitting name. Patagonia boils down to a flight of fantasy. Oddly enough, it is home to what is arguably the seventh largest desert in the world. There is also a predominantly flat strip of steppes and plateaus that occupies the largest part of Argentine Patagonia and affects the Chilean provinces of Aisén and Magallanes. The province of Magallanes is home to two impressive glaciers, traces of the last Ice Age that crossed the Andes. Eastern Patagonia has the strongest winds in all of South America, while the west is home to some of the most beautiful rainforests on the planet.

Patagonia is one of the wonders of the world. Its main features - the Torres del Paine National Park, southern right whales that can be seen from the Península Valdés, the Perito Moreno glacier - make a deep impression, but can detract from the grandiose and the varied terrain of this region as a whole. For some travelers, the most memorable moments will not be the photogenic places, recognized as the best, but the road between them: a huge dome of the sky, tufts of grass making their way in the desert, a lone guanaco ( type of llama - approx. translator) watching from the top of the hill.

Some of these places deserve to be included in the list of unspoiled places in South America. From a practical point of view, tourism in this region is varied: off-road travel, golf, salmon fishing, cruises, horse riding, quad biking or skiing. If you're looking for a break, remote (but increasingly luxurious) livestock farms are the perfect opportunity to read, drink good (Patagonian) wine and dine on delicious roast lamb. But keep in mind that Patagonia is a unique place on Earth where calmness and the desire to move slowly are needed. Here geological time slows down and hurried travelers will miss out on everything that matters.

When is the best time to go?

In the south of the fortieth parallel, South America has a temperate climate and a truly harsh winter. Best months to travel: November to March (summer in the southern hemisphere). At this time, the average daily temperature hovers around 20 degrees in the Bariloche region and 13-15 degrees in Ushuaia and Punta Arenas. On the Argentina side, expect strong winds in the steppe regions, on the Chile side: the closer you are to the Pacific Ocean, the more likely it will rain. Note that there are holidays and vacations in South America in January and February, so November, December and March are ideal travel destinations.

How to book?

Most people go on tours of Patagonia - in small groups or with a personal guide - with tour operators doing all the boring work, like booking a night break in Santiago or Buenos Aires after a long flight. They also handle domestic flights, ground transfers and route planning. A list of more than 40 specialist firms, from mid-budget operators to high-end companies with the best reputation, can be found on the Latin American Tourism Association website. For those who want to travel on their own, we recommend starting from the wonderful sites http://www.turismo.gov.ar/ and http://chile.travel/,and learn about accommodation options and local service providers. Much can be booked by phone or email using credit cards. Always leave more time between flights and points on your route than you think you will need.

Which part of Patagonia should you choose?

Argentine Patagonia is a vast, open and rather empty area. Most of it is covered with dry scrub fields and steppes, and along the coast and at the foot of the Andes are small towns (many of which have airports for small aircraft). Tourism has been developing here since the 70s, when Patagonia attracted the attention of hippies and climbers. Over the past 20 years, many farms have opened their doors to travelers and hotel chains have built new farm-like properties. Certain regions - especially the provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén in northern Patagonia - are especially popular with tourists from Argentina.

Some of the more remote towns look more like existential movie sets than tourist centers, but in the southernmost city, Ushuaia, and the official capital of Argentine mountain tourism, El Chaltén, you can find cute bars too. and restaurants and fashionable hotels. Puerto Madryn, Bariloche, San Martín de los Andes and El Calafate are well developed and in season lively centers. The best way to visit Argentina is to choose an airport, region and / or national park and stick to those goals. Truly adventurous travelers may want to rent a car and explore the parts off the beaten track. For example, the Perito Moreno National Park (not to be confused with the glacier of the same name) or the atmospheric coastal towns of San Julián and Puerto Deseado.

Chilean Patagonia, like Chile, is not very diverse: wherever you go, you are equally close to the ocean and the Andes. It is quite possible to see the whole country in three weeks.

The Lake District and Chiloé Island are highly touristy regions with excellent camping sites, paved roads, national parks and hot spring resorts. Puerto Montt is the starting point for a wide variety of Chilean fjord cruises and local ferries to Chaitén and the beautiful Pumalín Nature Reserve.

A long overlooked province of Aisén in central Patagonia is now open to group tours and independent travelers and is home to the second largest lake in South America, Lago General Carrera. ... Punta Arenas is a city in Patagonia with a rich history, it was colonized when the entire region was a desert area and remained the main port until the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. The airport of this city also offers the opportunity to visit the Torres del Paine National Park and take cruises around Tierra del Fuego with the help of the excellent Chilean company Cruceros Australis.

Before you hit the road

There is no compulsory vaccination for this region, but check your insurance. Books to read ahead of time, on the road or when staying at a cute farm: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry "Stars, Sand and Wind" about a pilot in Patagonia, delivering mail at risk of his life, and Huli Henry Hudson "Holidays in Patagonia" ... Also, before the trip, you should visit a well-made website. http://www.interpatagonia.com/ .

What to take with you?

Take good binoculars - everything is very far away, and there are also many birds. Comfortable hiking boots and sunscreen are absolutely essential, and sunglasses provide protection not only from the rays but also from the wind. A panoramic camera or a camera with a panorama option can help you take better landscape photos.

Translated by Victoria Shipunova

Traveling in Patagonia started in Buenos Aires - the capital of Argentina. I arrived here a day earlier than the group, checked into the hotel and went to wander the streets in search of food, exchangers and SIM cards with the Internet. Everything turned out to be more complicated than I expected - almost no one speaks English in Argentina, the basic language is Spanish, in which I know only one and a half words. I never bought Simka, but I managed to eat and change money. It should be noted that there are two courses in Argentina: black and white. Several years ago, the difference between them was really big, but now it is practically invisible. If on the official dollar they give 15.7 pessos, then on black they can give 16.5. I've always traded on the black market. Finding money changers is not difficult - walk along Florida streets and don't miss.

Buenos Aires is an interesting city, a few days worth spending here. View the tourist area of \u200b\u200bLa Boca and the Recoleta Cemetery. In the evening, go to a milonga and learn tango, it was in this city that this beautiful dance was born. Those who don't want to learn can just watch while enjoying great live music and Argentinean wine. We did just that)

Traveling in Patagonia - Tierra del Fuego

From Buenos Airos we fly to the ends of the earth, to the southernmost city of the planet - Ushuaia. Passing the security at the local airport, I was very worried that they would not take out the fat. Where can we go on a hike without Ukrainian bacon? The meticulous inspector seemed to have searched the whole backpack, but he could not find any bacon or sausage. Lucky. Happy I go out into the street, immediately catch a taxi and go to the hostel. Ushuaia, although it is the southernmost city in the world, reminded me very much or. Same architecture, same climate, long day. There is absolutely no feeling that you are at the end of the earth, everything seems familiar and familiar.

We arrived early, all day ahead. We go to eat, and then we sail on a catamaran along the Beagle Channel.
After 15 minutes, we see the islands completely covered by penguins. But for some reason they take off. This is alarming. We are coming closer - these are not penguins, but cormorants! Well, nothing, I went on this excursion for the sake of sea lions and they did not keep themselves waiting long.

Small stone islands are slightly less than completely covered by bodies clumsy on land. It looks very picturesque against the background of the lighthouse.

We circle them for half an hour and return. Satisfied. For me, travel is valuable precisely for new experiences, new places and new acquaintances. The weather and difficulties are not important, if you see something new, then it is worth it. Traveling around Patagonia gave me a lot of new things and the sea lion deposits were just the beginning.

On December 31, we are as active as possible - a long walk through the Tierra del Fuego (Tierra del Fuego) park is planned with an ascent to one of the peaks. But first, the obligatory item is the southernmost post office in the world. Sending a couple of postcards, stamping my passport. The post office is very impressive, probably has been working here all his life. Together with the stamp, he glues his photo to the passport)) Then we go for a walk in the forests, mountains, lakes.

We return to the hostel by 21:00 - it's light outside. It gets dark here around 23-24: 00. I love it when it gets dark late.

We celebrate New Year's Eve in the hostel, the hosts set a delicious table with grilled lamb. In parallel, we are getting acquainted. The whole group is very interesting and visited many places. Most are around 30-40 years old. Under Argentine wine and tender meat, all the stories go with a bang. Closer to 4 am we go to bed.

For tomorrow we are planning an excursion to the penguin island, which, unfortunately, I am not going to - there are no vacant seats and local organizers are not going to persuade me to take another one. It was necessary to book in advance.

I was not sad for long, but decided to run. This is very significant - a jog on the first of January in the southernmost city in the world. I borrowed Anton's sneakers, somehow got up in the morning (wine in Argentina goes very easily and a lot), did a sluggish exercise and ran. The climate here is ideal for jogging - temperature 10-15, clean sea air. Somewhere after the 5th km I got into a rhythm and didn’t want to stop, but I shouldn’t take myself away either - tomorrow we will move to Chile and start the walking part of the route. Total standard ten.
I spend the rest of the day walking around the city. Beautiful architecture, but I don't photograph. For some reason, I almost completely stopped photographing cities. Traveling around Patagonia was no exception.
From the penguins, the group returns happy. The island is mainly inhabited by Magellanic ones - they are small, knee-deep, but there are also a couple of royal ones.
Well, nothing, I'll go to Antarctica or somewhere else for penguins.

Chilean Patagonia - Torres del Paine

From Ushuaia, our path lies in Chile. Many hours on the bus, most of which I slept. I think one should always sleep when there is such an opportunity)) The rest of the people admire the beauty of the plain Patagonia. It is the plains (and not the mountains) that are the main relief of the area. Outside the window every now and then come across funny animals - guanacas, ostriches, sheep.

The important crossing point is the Strait of Magellan, which we crossed by ferry.

Time flies by, we cross the border and soon arrive in the town of Puerto Natales. A pleasant town on the banks of the fjord with a very romantic name "Last Hope". We buy groceries, enjoy the last Wi-Fi - there are mountains and a hike ahead.

An hour and a half by bus and we are at the entrance to the Torres del Paine National Park. We buy permits, listen to instructions, sign the rules. Everything here is very strict, not so long ago, an unpretentious tourist set up a terrible fire, which destroyed almost a third of the entire park. The wind is strong - the fire spreads instantly.

Closer to 5 pm we finally go out onto the trail. There is still about 18 km ahead .. how good it is that it gets dark late, we can reach the parking lot before dark.
The first thing that strikes Patagonia is the abundance of daisies. There are millions of them. Otherwise, the landscapes of the first two days do not surprise me much. Nice, beautiful and familiar north.
Snow falls in the morning. Such is the height of summer in the southern south. But it is very beautiful - below the fields are covered with a white chamomile blanket, then an interlayer of green trees and snow-white mountains. Well, where else can you see that?

A surprise awaits us in this park - a new rule has been introduced and now campgrounds must be booked in advance. Nobody knew about this and we are trying to get through without armor. But all the places have already been bought by the nimble Germans, the rangers are incorruptible. We have to change the route. We look at all key points, but we do not go through the entire O-trek. I am not at all upset by this fact. We return to the Sharon camping site for the night.

Another transition, which was not particularly memorable, but we got closer to one of the iconic points - the "Blue Towers" Torres del Paine. This is one of the views for which I went to Patagonia. The towers are impressive. With a height of only up to 2500m, from a distance they look like real stone giants. At the foot we spend an hour and a half, here you can even hide from the omnipresent wind. I shoot a couple of time lapses, while the guys from the group even plunge into the lake. I didn't want to.

The next key point is the Gray Glacier. Here, too, there were some adventures. There are no camping places in the planned overnight stay, you need to rent rooms in a hostel, which also lacks enough for a large group. What to do, what to do .. The Chief Ranger calls the Camping Gray, which is located under the glacier and finds 6 free places there - just what we need. As a result, we divide the group: Roma stays with the main part, I take 5 more guys and girls and go 11 km to Gray. We left at 7 pm and by 21.30 were already there. The road is beautiful, we actually ran it under constant jokes, stopping only for a photo and refreshing ourselves with berries. They wanted to be in time for the closing of the store and buy a bottle of wine or something stronger for the evening - as a reward for such a long day. Did not make it. As a result, we clink glasses with water mugs, eat pasta. The mood is excellent.

In the morning we go to the radial to the Gray Glacier. He is good. The ice fields extend further than the eye can see.

On the trail we meet the Magellanic woodpecker - this bird is undoubtedly cooler than ours.

We collect the camp and go to Lake Pehoe, here a boat is waiting for us. More precisely, he must wait. But the boat breaks down on the way and we spend a couple of extra hours waiting. The queue is gathering. We get into the second run. We go out to the upper deck, take pictures with the navigator and jokingly offer Katya to steer. Jokes and jokes, but Katya is not lost and comes up with a daring request to the captain's cabin. And what do you think? It is clearly easier for blondes to live and they give way to her at the helm. For the next half hour, the boat, wagging more than usual, sails under Katya's not very attentive control. Closer to the pier, Katya is replaced.

Due to the late arrival of the boat, the last bus to the campsite leaves before our arrival. We will evacuate in four-person vehicles. Locals let them warm up in the cafeteria and hide from the wind that pierces to the bones. Somewhere there is a guitar, the second Roma starts the concert. Actually, in our group there are actually two names of all names. And there are even those who were born on the same day.
Somewhere behind the guitar there is a rocking mate, I buy two bottles of wine. Roma gets tired of playing, the guitar goes to the local. It was a great evening! Nobody wants to go camping and in tents anymore.
But here I am leaving in the last car, thanking the guys for the warm welcome.
Moving to Argentina tomorrow.

ABOUT! I almost forgot about the clouds! But they were divine! The whole day after the Torres towers we walked along the Nordenskjoid lake (it is about 20 km long) admiring the lenticular clouds. Such a sky can be photographed endlessly. Well, how ?, tell me how to choose only a couple of photos?

Argentine Patagonia - Perito Morene and Fitz Roy

Another 4-hour bus journey and we are in the charming Argentine tourist town of El Calafate. Near the city is one of the most famous and beautiful glaciers in the world - Perito Morene. We are going to him.

As in the city itself, tourist infrastructure flourishes near the glacier: there are restaurants, boat trips are offered, and crowds of people walk along the metal paths.
Despite all this, Perito Morene is impressive. The wall up to 70 m high and 5 km wide extends tens of kilometers into the distance, merging with the Patagonian ice sheet. “Winter is coming” - Game of Thrones is immediately remembered. In the meantime, we walk along the paths, of which, by the way, there are quite a few here, and we rise higher and closer to the ice. With every step the glacier opens up more and more beautiful. At first it was just an ice wall, but now an endless ice plateau is visible.

Every 5 minutes, with a deafening roar, large and small ice floes break off the wall and collapse into the water. A crowd of onlookers with cameras stands around - everyone dreams of catching the moment of the fall.

After walking on land, we went to the glacier by water - by boat. The boat does not approach the wall at all, but such a walk opens up new views and perspectives. Everyone liked it.

This glacier will remain in everyone's memory for life.

But enough civilization and metal paths, we have to go to the mountains again! After all, the basis of our trip to Patagonia is precisely trekking and living in tents. We move to Los Glaciares National Park, closer to the famous Fitz Roy Mountain.

They say that it is often so cloudy that the stone giant cannot be seen for a week. We are lucky - all three days of trekking we admire the majestic peak.
The park practices the approach of minimal human intervention in nature, which is why the campsites are very modest. It's just a tent site and one toilet. With this, of course, a slip. One is clearly not enough for hundreds of tourists, you have to stand in a long queue. This is a minor inconvenience that you shouldn't pay attention to. Around virgin nature, beautiful mountains and glaciers, and on the trails in the daytime with fire no paper is found! Here we have such purity!

We went to Fitz Roy radially, they say it's not a canon view, but I like it. We met a fox and a bird. Animals here are not afraid of people and are allowed very close. I will not describe the mountain that has become a Mecca for photographers around the world. I'd love to get here at sunset and at night.

On this, the iconic places of the main part of the program are viewed, another day in the Los Glaciares park, walks to the glaciers and return to Buenos Aires.

Travel in Patagonia - Iguazu Falls

In the days of my youth, in the first courses of the KPI, when Vkontakte was still gaining popularity, and I visualized goals, an album was created with the title "My goals, my dreams." Now it seems to me very naive and mostly with stereotyped "goals / dreams" imposed by society and the environment. But one of the goals was formulated something like this: "To visit the greatest waterfalls in the world." Well, it started.

17 hours in a very comfortable bus passed quickly. Jokes with a division into favelas (cama) and gentlemen (supercama), the opportunity to sort out photos, food and free wine - and here we are in the town of Puerto Iguazu. Without wasting time, we change the bus and go to the waterfalls from the Argentinean side. We are in a hurry, because the entrance to the "Devil's Throat" closes at 4 pm. Walking through the park 700 m, 20 minutes by local train and a little more than 1 km along the platforms above the water, and here we are.

I have seen many beautiful waterfalls, but this is the first time I have seen so much falling water, picturesquely decorated with tropical flora. The scale cannot be conveyed by words or photos. Iguazu consists of 275 waterfalls, each of which can claim to be the largest and most beautiful one I have seen before. The total width of the complex is 3 km, and the Devil's Throat is the most interesting (but not the most picturesque) place. The path actually leads to the place where the water falls, and the spray from the waterfall is watered better than any shower. You are completely wet in a minute. It is very difficult to shoot so as not to flood the lens with drops, but we try.

Of the interesting things in the park, besides the waterfall, there are many noses that I saw for the first time. There were also crocodiles, monitor lizards, monkeys, beautiful birds and butterflies, a turtle.

For dinner we go to the buffet - these are ingenious establishments. You pay about $ 20 and eat without restrictions, from juicy meat to desserts.

We get up early in the morning, without even having breakfast. Today we are going to Brazil - to look at Iguazu from the other side. The first thing the half-group decided to do was fly a helicopter, including myself. It's not cheap - 10 minutes for $ 130. But none of us have ever flown a turntable before, and the flight promises new views of the complex of waterfalls. Let's fly.
Of course, time is not enough, but I liked it. And the pilot's turns over the waterfall and the wide view leave only the best impressions. The whole complex can be seen from the air, which is practically impossible from the ground.

The queue to the Iguazu Park from the Brazilian side is visible from afar - several thousand people are twisted by a large snake at the entrance. We got it .. But it's not that bad, the queue moves very quickly - the Brazilians have learned to cope with such a flow. In 20-30 minutes we take the bus and drive through the park. We leave at the stop where the main walking route begins. There are just a lot of tourists here, you have to somehow wade between, wait for a place at the railing for a photo. But there are excellent panoramic views of the waterfall, which were not on the Argentine side. There is also an opportunity to approach the "Devil's Throat" in Brazil. There is even more watering here, and because of the mist you can't see much, so I decided not to go.

The Iguazu program is practically completely completed, they did not only have time to go boating. The waterfall left one of the greatest impressions in life. This is a truly extraordinary place worth visiting for everyone.

By the way, the complex of Iguazu Falls is one of the seven new wonders of the world.

The trip to Patagonia turned out to be very interesting and memorable. I am sure I will come back here. And ahead of Mendoza and.

In this article, we will tell you how to prepare and what to take with you when planning a trip to Patagonia, as well as how to see the most interesting places in the region in one trip: forests, fjords and famous glaciers.

South Patagonia, stretching across the territories of Chile and Argentina, has attracted travelers for many centuries with its remoteness from the rest of the world, huge centuries-old glaciers and mesmerizing wild landscapes. Here, in various national parks, you can see snow-covered mountains, fjords and virgin forests. At the southernmost tip of South America, huge icebergs crash away from a huge glacier that has hidden the land for centuries and float into the ocean.

The most popular national parks, Torres del Paine in Chile and Los Glaciares in Argentina, are visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. For the most complete tour of Patagonia, it is best to visit both of these regions in one trip. Of course, such a trip will not become a budget trip, especially in the midst of the tourist season. So, we offer an action plan for organizing your trip to this remote corner of our planet.

How to travel around Patagonia

When to go

Most hotels in El Calafate and Torres del Paine are open to tourists only from spring to autumn (taking into account the difference in seasons from the southern hemisphere of the planet, this is mid-September and early May), and only a few of them are open all year round.

To avoid the crowds of tourists and at the same time to catch the good weather, it is better to plan your trip in the spring, when the first flowers appear, or in the fall, when the leaves of the trees are painted in red, orange and yellow. During the summer months (December-February) the weather is most comfortable, but keep in mind that temperatures rarely rise above 20 ° C, but strong winds often blow.

Travelers should be aware that the weather in Patagonia is quite unpredictable, especially in spring and early summer. The temperature can change dramatically, and a strong storm can come from the Pacific Ocean. When planning your trip, it is best to allow for a few extra days in case of inclement weather.

How to get there

Since the territories of the countries of Chile and Argentina are quite large, you need to fly to Patagonia by plane (of course, if you do not have a few weeks left to travel by car or train).

During the peak tourist season (December-February), tickets for flights are quickly sold out, so it is worth booking them as early as possible: ideally six months before the trip. In other months of the tourist season (October, early May), tickets can be booked up to three months in advance to avoid overpricing and limited choice of options.

In Chile LATAM Airlines flies south to Chilean Patagonia all year round, offering daily flights between Santiago and Punta Arenas. The flight time is just over 3 hours, the cost is with a preliminary booking of a ticket from $ 130 round trip.

In addition, the same airline has an additional flight twice a week between Santiago and Puerto Natales in December (lasting 3 hours 10 minutes), on the way back the plane lands in Punta Arenas. In January and February, the number of flights on this route increases to four per week, ticket prices start at $ 130.

Chilean low-cost airline Sky Airlines also offers direct flights from Santiago to Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas, but at lower prices. The cheapest tickets can be bought by booking them in August. From December to March, Sky Airlines offers three flights a week from Santiago to Puerto Natales (from $ 70 when booking online). Two flights to Punta Arenas are operated all year round, one direct and one landing in Puerto Montt. During the tourist season, a third flight is added, its cost - from $ 50 when booking online.

Between Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas, the distance is three hours by car, between Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine National Park - two hours, and five hours between Punta Arenas and the park.

In the same time in Argentina the main gates to Patagonia are the cities of El Calafate and Ushuaia. These destinations are operated by LATAM Airlines and Aerolineas Argentinas.

During the tourist season, LATAM Airlines offers daily flights from Buenos Aires to El Calafate (flight time 3 hours, 25 minutes). Tickets cost from $ 340. There are also flights from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia for $ 515, lasting four hours.

The cost of a flight from Buenos Aires to El Calafate and Ushuaia, as well as between El Calafate and Ushuaia on Aerolineas Argentinas aircraft, starts from $ 80. Los Glaciares National Park, home to the famous Perito Moreno Glacier, is an hour's drive from El Calafate Airport. Another popular destination is El Chalten, a three-hour drive from El Calafate.

How to navigate the region

Most of the best South Patagonia hotels include airport transfers and transportation for daily excursions.

Moving from Chile to Argentina and vice versa is possible both by land and by sea. Unfortunately, there are no direct flights between Puerto Natales or Punta Arenas and El Calafate or Ushuaia.

To travel overland, you will have to rent a car, find a guide with a car, or buy a bus ticket. To cross the border between Argentina and Chile, you need to drive five hours across the Patagonian steppe from Cancha Carrera to Cerro Castillo. The way back is the same.

There are several good bus companies offering tickets for buses from Puerto Natales to El Calafate: Buses Fernandez, Buses Sur, Buses Pacheco, Turismo Zaahj and Cootra. Buses leave every day at 7-9 am. The journey takes 5-7 hours, depending on the time spent going through customs control. Tickets cost from $ 80 to $ 130 per person and can be bought both at the bus station and over the Internet. It is better to book tickets in advance, preferably a month before the trip, especially during the tourist season.

By the way, there is a sea cruise route - Australis cruises. The journey from Punta Arenas (Chile) to Ushuaia (Argentina) starts at the end of September and lasts until the beginning of April. On this expedition, the ship goes through the fjords, the most famous glaciers, crosses the Strait of Magellan and Cape Horn. The cost for three nights during the tourist season starts from $ 1895 per person.

What to take with you

Since the temperature in Patagonia during the day can drop from +20 degrees to -15 degrees, it is important to take appropriate clothing with you on your trip. Take on the road not only a waterproof jacket and comfortable boots, but also sunscreen and glasses - the sun shines very brightly here.

If you plan to stay in hotels for the night, a suitcase is quite suitable for things, if you plan to hike - a backpack. On excursions and walks, it is better to take a small, comfortable backpack with you.

Take:

• Absorbent thermal underwear
• Water-repellent hiking pants
• Light pullover or sweatshirt
• Fleece jacket or light down jacket
• Water-repellent warm jacket
• Sun cap
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Gloves
• Waterproof hiking boots
• Long warm socks
• Insect spray
• Lantern
• Backpack for walks and excursions

Traveling in Patagonia: Things to Do in Chile

Tourists come to South Patagonia to see the majestic beauty of nature in the Torres del Paine National Park (entrance fee - $ 38) and five of the most interesting representatives of the wildlife of Patagonia: cougars, Guanaco llamas, South Andean deer, Andean condors and rhea ostriches. Of course, the region is also home to other animals such as flamingos, foxes, penguins and over 100 bird species. For example, there are safari tours in which tourists travel for several days in the national park and hunt down pumas.

Also, visitors to the park can explore untouched forests, see the unusual South American nature (lenga, koiue, nyire), meet the royal woodpecker and emerald parrot.

Walking the popular “W” route (named for its shape) offers the opportunity to visit one of a kind freshwater lakes that can disappear literally overnight, turquoise lagoons, icebergs floating in the ocean and glaciers shimmering in the sun. The full length of the route "W" is 70 kilometers, you can walk this distance in 4-5 days, visiting the main attractions of the park and staying overnight in campings or refugios (lodges for travelers).

Explore the colorful fishing town of Puerto Natales, explore a maze of picturesque fjords with huge blocks of ice and mysterious marine life that can be admired from a pleasure boat.

Near Punta Arenas, you can visit the penguin colony on Seno Otway Island or Magdalena Island, see sea lions and whales peeping out of the water. You can also kayak across the Strait of Magellan and even charter a boat to Clarence Island to ski in complete isolation from the world.

Where to stay in Chilean Patagonia

The best hotels in Torres del Paine offer a full package that includes airport transfers, a variety of excursions, and three meals a day with good wines and cocktails.

Various hotels are located both in the park itself and in the surrounding towns. The options are plentiful, from spa suites to eco-camping in the mountains.

Many good hotels are located around the fishing town of Puerto Natales. You can even stay at a hotel near Cape Horn.

Local kitchen

Most hotels and private guesthouses offer excellent cuisine based on local produce such as white strawberries, rhubarb, seaweed, Patagonian honey, guanacos, Patagonian hare. There are many seafood delicacies here: South American king crab, hake ceviche, conger eel, snook, stewed mussels and oysters. Order a Pisco Sour cocktail or a bottle of collection Chilean wine for dinner.

Day Trips in Chile

Hotels can usually find information on the many excursion options on offer for all fitness levels, including hiking, horse riding, biking, kayaking, fjord boat trips, glacier cruises and many more.

The most popular and highly recommended activity is the hike to the Torres del Paine viewpoint. It's a challenging 8-hour round trip, but the beautiful views of mountain peaks and extraordinarily picturesque natural landscapes will be a reward for your efforts.

Also one of the most popular routes is the hike to Mirados Las Torres. Tourists pass the beautiful Pekhoe Lake, and then go to the site with picturesque mountain landscapes.

You can book an excursion on Lake Gray and swim to the Glaciar Gray glacier, or from the pier in Puerto Natales, go to the Balmacedi and Serrano glaciers.

Spend the day with Chilean cowboys at the Estancia Mercedes family ranch. Here you can go horseback riding among the fjords all day long.

Tips for tourists traveling in Patagonia in Chile

When visiting Chile during the summer months, protect yourself from gnat bites. Apply insect spray regularly and wear light-colored clothes with long sleeves (local midges are for some reason very attracted to dark fabrics).

If you are an avid traveler, you can avoid the crowds of tourists in Torres del Paine by visiting these places in November or April.

Take trekking poles with you on your hike - they will help you on steep descents.

Traveling in Patagonia: Things to Do in Argentina

Every year, more than 100 thousand people visit the Perito Moreno Glacier, which occupies an area of \u200b\u200b250 km² in Los Glaciares National Park (entrance fee is $ 260) and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Located near the city of El Calafate, this glacier is one of three Patagonia glaciers that continue to grow and expand in size.

In excursions on the ship, there is an amazing opportunity to see huge icebergs sliding from the Perito Moreno glacier to Lake Lago Argentino. Sometimes you can even go out onto the glacier and walk on it, wearing special metal shoe pads that allow you not to slip on the ice.

History lovers can experience the rural life of the Patagonian ranch Estancia Cristina, where life has stood still as it was a hundred years ago. It has beautiful nature, great places for hiking, horse riding and, of course, a picturesque view of the mountain glaciers.

A three-hour drive from El Calafate is the small mountain village of El Chalten. It is notable for the fact that the Fitzroy mountain peak rises next to it. Here you can find picturesque chalets as well as ski slopes for skiers of all skill levels.

A trip to the province of Tierra del Fuego is a trip to the “end of the world”. Its capital, Ushuaia, is the port for ships plying between Argentina and Chile. Book a sailing excursion to see the penguins, sea lions and cormorants that inhabit the Beagle Channel, renowned worldwide for the work of Charles Darwin, who visited the area during his Beagle voyage in 1831.

In Tierra del Fuego National Park, tourists will see a subarctic rain forest with huge beeches, and a panoramic view of Ushuaia and the canal will open from the Martial Glacier. Anglers from all over the world travel to the banks of the Rio Grande in the hope of catching the largest trout - a fish from the salmon family.

Where to stay in Argentine Patagonia

El Calafate's main street, Avenue del Libertador General San Martín, is full of pretty shops and restaurants, but the rest of the city is unfortunately lacking in charm.

We offer an overview of the most attractive places to stay.

El Calafate has two good hotels located on the southern shores of Lake Lago Argentino, Esplendor Calafate and Xelena.

Eolo Lodge is a 30 minute drive from El Calafate, but it occupies a huge area in the pampas and has great lake views. Heavy antique furniture creates a cozy atmosphere for guests. You can also book excursions, mountain bike walks and bird watching. The hotel offers excursions to the Perito Moreno and Glaciar Uppsala glaciers.

Alternatively, travelers can take a guided tour from El Calafate or simply spend a few nights at Estancia Cristina, an early 20th century sheep ranch and boat ride on Lake Argentino. The ranch occupies a vast territory with the natural landscape of Patagonia, here you can hike, ride ATVs, sail on a schooner among icebergs near the Glaciar Uppsala glacier. In the meantime, avid fishermen can ride horses to the glacial lakes near the hotel to fish for rainbow trout.

Nibepo Aike is a real ranch built by a Croatian pioneer at the turn of the 20th century. Cattle and sheep are still bred here, and guests are invited to feel like a real cowboy and leave the lasso, well, and for dinner, try asado, a traditionally cooked lamb dish. In the evening, guests can admire the Gorra, Frias and Dikson glaciers.

Between the village of El Chalten and El Calafate is the Estancia Helsingfors Hotel - a village house on the shores of Lake Viedma with excellent cuisine and excellent views of the mountain scenery.

Estancia El Condor is located five hours from El Calafate, near Lake San Martin. The hotel is named due to the fact that condors nest in these places.

Los Cerros is located on the slopes of the mountains in El Chalten. Aguas Arribas Lodge, an hour's drive from El Chalten, is a secluded lakeside location overlooking Mount Fitzroy.

In Ushuaia, the best places to stay are Los Cauquenes and Arakur Ushuaia Resort & Spa. Great views of the Beagle Channel.

Local kitchen

Most hotels offer full board with three meals a day, but there are some local specialties worth trying.

The city of El Calafate got its name from the berries of the box-leaved barberry, the national symbol of Patagonia and simply called the caliphate berries. There is a local legend that whoever eats the berries of the caliphate will definitely return to Patagonia. Ice cream, liqueur and delicious jams are made from caliphate.

Tasting the real Patagonian asado is a must-do when visiting these places. Watch how to cook lamb asado over an open fire, with a glass of Patagonian Pinot Noir or Mendocinean Mablec in hand ...

The Kaupe restaurant in Ushuaia is considered one of the best in Argentina.

Cerveceria Beagle brews its own beer using melt water from nearby glaciers.

Probably the most famous Argentine drink in the world is mate. Here there is a real ritual of preparing and drinking mate tea (a mixture of dried herbs rich in caffeine): the tea leaves poured into a hollowed-out pumpkin or a wooden cup are poured with boiling water through a metal tube - bombilla. If the drink is too bitter, add a little sugar.

Day Trips in Argentina

A trip to the Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park is one of the most popular excursions in Patagonia.

There are one-day river excursions, during which tourists sail by boat across Lake Lago Argentino and visit the Glaciar Uppsala, Spegazzini and Perito Moreno glaciers.

The excursion to Estancia Cristina includes a boat trip near various glaciers and waterfalls.

Cañadon de los Fosiles is a five-hour trek along the trail with scenic views of the lakes and the Glaciar Uppsala glacier, then descending into the valley where many fossils of ancient animals and plants can be found.

From El Chalten, you can go on various walks in extraordinary scenic spots. The ascent to the top of Cerro Torre takes 6 hours, the more difficult route is to Mount Fitzroy and Lake Laguna de los Tres. At the top of the Glaciar Viedma glacier, you can even ice skate.

In Tierra del Fuego, you can explore the life of the flora and fauna of the Beagle Channel or visit the Tierra del Fuego National Park with its picturesque panoramic landscapes.

Tips for tourists traveling to Patagonia in Argentina

Some glacier hiking trails may have age restrictions ranging from 18 to 50 years.

If you plan to visit Estancia Cristina, please note that the boat departs here from El Calafate early in the morning and returns late in the evening.

If you want to avoid the influx of tourists, visit El Chalten in November or April.

Camping equipment in Argentina is expensive, so it's best to take it with you.