Patagonia Unveiled: A 12-Day Journey Across Chile & Argentina

Arrive in Santiago, Chile’s capital, founded in 1541 on the banks of the Mapocho River and today one of Latin America’s leading cities, ringed by the wine valleys that supply some of the world’s finest vintages. A private transfer brings you from the airport to your hotel.

In the afternoon, a guided city tour introduces you to Santiago’s historic core: Plaza de la Constitución and La Moneda (the Government Palace), Plaza de Armas (Chile’s kilometer zero), the Santiago Cathedral, and the Central Market. The tour continues through the Lastarria neighborhood and past Santa Lucia Hill before moving into the city’s modern quarter, with your guide weaving in the history behind each stop.

A private transfer takes you back to the airport for a flight south to Puerto Natales — the gateway to Torres del Paine and, further afield, to Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier and El Calafate. Originally home to the Kawésqar and Aoniken peoples, Puerto Natales later drew European immigrants and, eventually, Chilean settlers from the island of Chiloé, largely for its sheep-breeding potential.

From Puerto Natales, a private transfer (roughly 1.5 hours) carries you into Torres del Paine National Park itself — 181,414 hectares of glaciers, granite peaks, and pristine lakes, home to guanacos, condors, and pumas, and widely regarded as the 8th Natural Wonder of the World. With up to 17 hours of summer daylight and purple-hued sunsets, it’s a paradise for hikers and photographers alike. The rest of the day is at leisure.

A full day exploring Torres del Paine National Park, departing with the Paine mountain range as your backdrop. The route leads toward the Grey Lake area, with viewpoints over Grey Glacier and the Paine Massif, and time for a shoreline walk along Grey Lake (weather permitting) before a break for lunch.

The second half of the day heads toward Salto Grande, hiking to the Cuernos Viewpoint before continuing along Lake Nordenskjold to the Amarga Lagoon area, with further views of the Paine Massif.

Later, a three-hour boat excursion carries you up the lake toward Grey Glacier — 30 meters high and 6 kilometers wide — where fragments regularly break from the glacier’s face and drift away as blue icebergs. Note: reaching the catamaran involves a roughly 30-minute walk each way across a flat sandy/gravel beach.

A full day at leisure to explore Torres del Paine National Park at your own pace — hike a shorter trail, relax at your hotel, or simply take in the scenery. Optional add-on excursions can be arranged for this day upon request.

A private transfer crosses the border from Chile into Argentina, from Torres del Paine to El Calafate (roughly 4 hours, 275 km). El Calafate sits on the southern shore of Lake Argentino and takes its name from a local bush; legend holds that anyone who tastes its fruit is destined to return.

El Calafate is best known as the gateway to Los Glaciares National Park and the Perito Moreno Glacier, and the remainder of the day is at leisure. Optional add-on excursions are available here, including a guided walk through the Laguna Nimez Reserve (a wetland sanctuary home to over 100 bird species) or the Nativo Experience, a 4×4 tour along Lake Argentino tracing the region’s pioneer history and native rock art, closing with dinner at an archaeological cave site.

A full day dedicated to the Perito Moreno Glacier, one of South Patagonia’s defining sights, roughly 80 km from El Calafate. En route, the landscape shifts dramatically from open steppe to the colorful forests of the Patagonian Andes.

Inside the park, a 5-km circuit of walkways and viewpoints delivers sweeping panoramas of the glacier, with ample time to walk the full circuit. Optional add-ons are available for the more adventurous: a one-hour Nautical Safari for close-up views of the glacier’s ice walls and thunderous collapses over Lago Rico, or Minitrekking — a guided walk directly on the glacier’s ice (crampons provided), rated moderate difficulty and suited to ages 8–65 (not recommended for pregnant travelers).

A day at leisure in El Calafate. For those wanting more, two full-day optional excursions are available: an All Glaciers Boat Tour (approximately 7 hours) sailing Lake Argentino’s north branch past Seco, Spegazzini, Heim Sur, and Peineta Glaciers, with a short walkway walk at Spegazzini Base; or the Estancia Cristina & Upsala Glacier excursion (approximately 12 hours), combining a boat crossing, a 4WD ride, a glacial-terrain walk to the Upsala Glacier lookout, lunch, and a visit to the historic Estancia Cristina museum and grounds.

A private transfer carries you from El Calafate to El Chaltén (roughly 2.5 hours, 213 km), a small town ringed by Los Glaciares National Park and the ever-present peaks of Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre. Known as Argentina’s Trekking Capital, El Chaltén is your base for the next three nights, with the rest of the day at leisure to settle in.

The signature trek of the region: Laguna de los Tres, the trail to do if you have only one day in El Chaltén. This is harder than the trip’s overall medium rating — an 8–9 hour trek covering varied terrain and forest before arriving at the foot of the mystical Mount Fitz Roy, past lagoons in shifting shades of blue, glaciers, and campgrounds used by climbers from around the world. A good level of fitness is recommended; no prior trekking experience is required.

One of El Chaltén’s other classic walks, to Laguna Torre — easier than the trip’s overall medium rating, at 7–8 hours through glacially formed valleys and dense forest, with panoramic stops and views of the Torre massif, the Adela range, and Mount Solo along the way, passing base camps used by well-known climbers.

A transfer returns you to El Calafate airport (roughly 2.5 hours, 213 km) for a flight north to Buenos Aires. On arrival, a private transfer takes you into the city — Argentina’s capital and one of Latin America’s great metropolises, celebrated worldwide for tango, football, and a rich architectural and café culture.

A guided city tour introduces you to Buenos Aires, often called the “Paris of South America” for its architecture. Beginning at Plaza de Mayo — home to the Casa Rosada (Government House), the Cathedral, and the old Town Hall — the tour continues to San Telmo, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, and on to La Boca, famous for the colorful houses of Caminito Street. The tour closes in Recoleta, the city’s most elegant district, known for its wide avenues, parks, and grand residences.

A private transfer brings you to Ezeiza International Airport for your onward journey, closing out an unforgettable crossing of Chilean and Argentine Patagonia.