Planning Your Trip to Chile & Patagonia

Here is what you need to know to plan your trip to Chile and Patagonia!

The best time to travel to Chile is November-March. October and April are shoulder season. You can also travel May-September, but this is winter.

Most people do this general itinerary:

1. Fly into Santiago and spend a few days
2. Fly to Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales
3. Torres del Paine (Patagonia)
4. Other Tours in Chile (Mendoza, Atacama, Easter Island)
5. Extend the trip to Argentina

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1) Fly into SANTIAGO and spend a few days.  Things to do:

• City tour of Santiago
• Wine tasting – Day trip (Casablanca or Maipo areas)
• Coast (Valparaiso & Vina del Mar) – Day trip
• Tours in Santiago >>

2) Fly to PUNTA ARENAS or PUERTO NATALES, transfer to Torres del Paine

• Puerto Natales is the closest airport to Torres del Paine. It is a 2 hour drive to the park.
• There are more flights into Punta Arenas, but it is an extra 3 drive to Puerto Natales.
• It is worth spending a night in Punta Arenas to do a day trip to see the Magellanic Penguins, also a cute town.

3) TORRES DEL PAINE (Patagonia)

• Most people do 5-7 days in the Torres del Paine area. You can do the famous W Trek, or do hikes and other excursions from your lodge. Some lodges are inside the park and some are in Puerto Natales.
• All Tours/Treks in Patagonia >>
• Patagonia Lodging Options >>

4) The top ADD-ONS in Chile (all accessed from Santiago):

1. Mendoza, Argentina – 4 days for wine tasting and beautiful mountains
2. Atacama Desert – 4-5 days, world’s highest desert, amazing scenery
3. Easter Island – 4-5 days.  Flights can be expensive.
4. Lakes District – 4 days, Puerto Varas, Bariloche

Here is a map to give you a visual on where things are (Easter Island is way off to the left in the middle of the ocean):

• https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1isbk1FPbcAAfWpEfbKcXTDZ_KUGBpG1M&usp=sharing

5) Extend the Trip to ARGENTINA

If you want to do Chile + Argentina, typical you would

• Drive from Torres del Paine to El Calafate/El Chalten (5.5 hours) for a 2-5 nights (Argentina Patagonia)
• Fly up to Buenos Aires for a few days
• Fly home from Buenos Aires or extend your trip in Argentina (Iguazu Falls is most popular)
• Planning Your Trip to Argentina >>

All Argentina Trips >>