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. From here, you can drive to El Calafate, Argentina via Cerro Castillo.
• 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 >>