A Hiker’s Guide to Patagonia

Patagonia is an almost mythic place at the end of the world – huge in size, with endless activities, it can be an overwhelming place to plan a trip to. Alex spent three weeks hiking the better-known trails in Argentina and Chile and can’t stop thinking about it.

Quick Overview

Patagonia is a sparsely populated region spanning Argentina and Chile, covering roughly one million square kilometres. The boundaries are subject to some debate, but it roughly starts at the southern Andes, and extends to the end of the continent.

About Patagonia

Patagonia is something of an enigma. Ask people what comes to mind when they think of it, you’ll get everything from wild and windy plains and high frosted mountains to comfortable and durable hiking pants.

Patagonia is a place of surprising landscapes

It’s an environment, a brand, and even a state of mind. Patagonia, the region, is a huge and varied landscape at the bottom of the Earth that Explorers flock to, to hike, ski, climb, and marvel at. It’s on many a bucket list, countless best-walks-ever lists, and has inspired poets, authors, artists, entrepreneurs, and criminals – who knew the Sundance kid was a real person?!

So what’s it like, outside of your head? I went to Patagonia for the first time in October 2023 and nearly gave myself an asthma attack with all the gasping I was doing, but it wasn’t just the landscapes that took my breath away.

Patagonia, the wild, scary, faraway land of survivors, is surprisingly accessible – seamless transfers, pisco sours in the depths of a glacier, and hordes of hikers getting by just fine with no map.

Get ready to add lots to your hiking itinerary!

Patagonia History

As with any large expanse of colonised land, there’s a history of displacement and lost culture. Patagonia was; and still is, home to many Indigenous tribes that cannot neatly be divided along the Chilean and Argentinian border. The Selknam, Kawésqar, Yagan, and Aonikenk (Tehuelche) peoples are recognised to be native to what is known today as Patagonia.

How to Get to Patagonia

From Australia, the only direct flight to the continent is from Melbourne or Sydney direct to Santiago, the capital of Chile. Once there you can rent a car or catch a flight south. Depending on your plan, the best towns to fly into are:

From Chile, from northernmost to southernmost

• Puerto Natales – Closest airport to Torres del Paine National Park, known for the W and O hikes
• Punta Arenas – The self-proclaimed ‘Fin del Mundo’ or ‘End of the world’!

From Argentina

• Bariloche – Lakes district, think Swiss vibes, chocolate shops, picturesque lakes, and hiking through pine forests close to civilisation
• El Calafate – Home to Glacier Perito Moreno, only a three-hour drive from here to:
• El Chalten – The capital of hiking in Argentina!
• Puerto Natales
• Ushuaia – Launchpad to Antarctica

There are no direct buses from Santiago to Patagonia. You could make it work, but it would take a minimum of two days. Recorrido consolidates all the bus companies.

The long commute is work it to get to views like this in Chile

Essential Gear for Patagonia Hikes

• Patagonia fleece/hat/or beanie is basically mandatory
• Waterproof hiking boots or trail runners
• Plenty of socks
• Gloves
• Thermals
• Lightweight water bottle – doesn’t need to be that big, filling up from ice-melt streams is encouraged, even by the rangers
• Fixomull or equivalent for blister-prone feet (more on blister prevention here)

Read more: Remember to leave no trace

Best Hikes in Patagonia

There really are endless hikes in this part of the world, I’ve cobbled together a few of the most popular from both Chile and Argentina.

I did most of these hikes solo, with nothing but a free map from the tourist centre which I barely looked at. Altitude isn’t a concern, but tracks can have a mid-level of technical skill needed, with a bit of snow, water crossings, and loose rocks about. But many are adaptable to suit your level.

Read more: The Ultimate Hiking Safety Guide

Chile, North to South

Now this list could be a little controversial, as the northernmost border of Patagonia in Chile is not clearly defined. In Argentina, Bariloche is the final frontier, plain and simple. In Chile, some say Temuco, some say Hornopirén, some say anything south of the Río Negro. For the purpose of this guide, I’m going to agree with the northerly border of Temuco, because I have to tell you about Pucón!

Pucón

Within the lakes district of Patagonia, Pucón is lush and green, and feels like breathing out. It’s north enough that the sun still has a little heat in the middle of the day, but the evenings are crisp and cool, even in summer.

Púcon at dusk

• Huerquehue National Park – Filled with mirror-still lakes, monkey puzzle trees, and woodpeckers. Views of the Villarrica volcano are a dime a dozen, each as stunning as the last
• Villarrica Volcano Hike – Villarrica is a (very!) active volcano, visible from all angles in Pucón. This hike is the reason a lot of people come to Pucón, and it’s mandatory to go with a guide. It’s a bit of a novelty, hiking up the perfect A-line of the volcano that towers over Pucón. Then, once at the top – you sled down! Sometimes, they’ll even let you peek in the crater. It’d been particularly active while I was there, so we had to stop 500m from the top – not sure if that’d really give you enough time to escape a river of lava, but hey I’m no expert
• Waterfall hiking – Pucón is dripping with water – morning dew, evening frost, lakes, rivers, hot springs. It’s what makes it so calming and green. Combine this with the volcanic topography and you get waterfalls a-plenty. Some waterfalls within hiking distance of Pucón include Ojos de Carburgua and Salto del Claro, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Salto del Claro waterfall

Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine

Puerto Natales is within the southern channels and fjords region of Patagonia, veined with rivers and estuaries that create passages for howling winds that’ll knock you off your feet. If you’re organised, you can travel by boat through them from town to town – certainly the most scenic way to get around, if not the fastest. Puerto Natales is the closest town to Torres del Paine National Park.

The town of Puerto Natales blew me away

Torres del Paine itself is diverse. Expect towering snow-capped mountains, expansive glaciers, native flora that wouldn’t look out of place in Australia, scrubby bushland, pine forests, and rivers and lakes in every shade of blue.

The W Trek

Distance: 15-30km per day
Duration: 3-5 days

The holy grail of Patagonian hiking in the Torres del Paine National Park. It’s one half of the famous nine-day O-trek, and if you have a Microsoft computer, you’ve probably been teased with a picture of the famous towers at Mirador las Torres.

Distances on this hike are rough – you hike from refugio to refugio, so the distance you do each day depends on which refugio you booked.

Book ahead through Booking Patagonia Travel. Organising these treks can be a bit of a logistical headache, as the campgrounds are owned by different companies. This website consolidates their booking systems to make it a bit easier. Get in early if you want to camp!

If that all sounds like too much, day hikes in Torres del Paine are another option. The hike to the famous Mirador las Torres, and Glacier Grey can both be done in a day.

Now that you’re near the bottom of the Earth, hop over the border to Argentina, and make your way back up north.

Argentina, South to North

El Calafate

Calafate is a type of berry, and you can try it in many local dishes – sandwiched between shortbread as an alfajor or blitzed with lemon and pisco in a calafate sour! El Calafate is in the Glacier and Fitzroy region of Patagonia, home to the famous Perito Moreno glacier.

The awe-inspiring scenes of Perito Moreno Glacier

• Perito Moreno Glacier – Maybe ‘hiking’ is a stretch, but Perito Moreno is the thing to do in El Calafate, and for good reason – this glacier is literally on the move. On any given day you can sit and watch as slabs of ice break off and plunge into the cloudy water below.
• Walk the boardwalk – the cheapest option is to drive or book a transfer to the glacier, and spend a few hours walking the boardwalk that faces the glacier. It’s easy walking, but there are a lot of stairs
• Ice-walking tours are available to take you hiking on the glacier and serve you a whiskey over glacial ice
• Cruise right up to the glacier wall, or at least as close as you can get while still being a safe distance from falling shelves of ice

El Chaltén

El Chaltén is a young town by South American standards, established in 1985 in a bid to protect border creep by neighbouring Chile, it became a haven for hikers due to its location – smack bang in the middle of Los Glaciares National Park. Home to Mount Fitzroy, the mountain made famous by the brand Patagonia’s iconic emblem.

The best thing about hiking in El Chaltén is you can literally roll out of bed and onto the trails. Dozens leave directly from the town, no permits are required, and they’re clearly marked. It’s cheap, accessible, and there’s a hike for every skill level.

Laguna de los Tres

Distance: 22km, out and back
Elevation gain: 1068m

The hike to Mt Fitzroy! Save this for your sunniest day to see Fitzroy and co in all their glory. The last 1km is where all the elevation is – you can sit this out if you’re not up for it, the views the whole way are impeccable so you’ll still see plenty!

A bluebird day at Mt Fitzroy

Laguna Torre

Distance: 17km, out and back
Elevation gain: 500m

Wide open spaces, surrounded by mountains in every direction. Fairly flat after the first few kilometres to get you out of town, most of this hike is through a dried up river bed. Also a good option for trail running, if you go early enough to beat the crowds.

Las Aguilas & Condors Lookout

Distance: 5.3km loop
Elevation gain: 215m

This is the most accessible lookout with a great view of the town. A lot of people will just go to the first lookout (Los Condors), but the loop that takes you to the Las Aguilas lookout has incredible views and is less popular, but worth the journey.

Don’t skip the Las Aguilas lookout!

Glacier Huemules

Distance: 3.2km, out and back
Elevation gain: 200m

An easy 3.2km, through mossy fairytale forest. You’ll need a car or a transfer for this hike, but it’s worth the effort for something a little different. I recommended this for a ‘rest day’ hike, or if you have a more overcast day.

The perfect walk to stretch the legs while travelling between bigger hikes

Bariloche

Bariloche is probably the most bougie of the towns I visited in Patagonia. It’s like something out of a European Christmas card scene. Clock towers and cobbled streets, azure lakes, and chocolate shops. You can hike in the morning and wine’n’dine in the evening.

Bougie Bariloche

I arrived in Bariloche during a freak snowstorm, so unfortunately a lot of the hikes and roads were closed. I spent the days planning for a good weather window though, so these are what I’ll be coming back for.

• Llau Llau National Park has a handful of beautiful hikes and dramatic miradors, and is close to the centre of Bariloche
• Refugio Frey takes you high up into skiing backcountry, through wild and windy mountain trails
• San Martin de los Andes – known as Bariloche’s little brother. This little town is at the end of the famous scenic drive, Ruta de los siete lagos, or Seven Lakes Road. It’s known for being smaller, less populated, and closer to nature. Top of my list to hike here are the Cerro Faulkner volcano hike, and any number of the many hikes in Lanín National Park

Tips for Visiting Patagonia

Parks

Always check the national parks website before you go hiking. Some parks require you to pre-book a permit, others are free, but you might still need to register. Bad weather is unavoidable so plan for a few snow days, and labour strikes – an authentically South American reason to close a national park.

Inflation

In Argentina inflation is decimating the local currency. Any advice I have about exchange rates will be out of date in a couple of weeks, so I’ll just say two things:

• Cash is king
• Know your rates: blue rate = good, official rate = bad

FAQs for Patagonia Hikes

When is the best time to go hiking in Patagonia?

Generally, the most popular time to go hiking in Patagonia is between late spring (November) to early autumn (March) when the weather is warmer and most trails are open.

What safety precautions should I take while hiking in Patagonia?

The weather is changeable in Patagonia, so it’s important that you check the forecast before you go, stay on trail while you’re there, and let someone know about your plans. It could be worth learning how to read the weather. Also, head up to the Essential Gear section of this article to know what to pack while hiking in Patagonia.

What wildlife might I encounter while hiking in Patagonia?

It’s not guaranteed that you’ll come face-to-face with animals while on the trail, but it’s always essential to be aware of your surroundings. Patagonia is home to wildlife such as foxes, snakes, and pumas – so be sure to follow park regulations.