Hi all,
I could really need some help with my 12 day trip to Patagonia, Argentina. A completely spontaneous decision - meaning that I have not done a lot of planning....
I'm currently working in Tandil, a city in BA province and I plan to leave Tandil tomorrow. The plan is to go by BUS south and from Ushuaia with plane back to BA.
This is what I know:
1. I'm able to *leave Tandil tomorrow* (monday) evening.
2. I have to be back in *BA on the 6th of November* in the morning to meet a friend.
3. I have to go to Chile for a day or two *before the 30th of October* - in order to get 90 more days in Argentina.
4. I would like to see Monte Fitz Roy, Torres del Paine, El Calafate and el Chaltén but not sure how to divide the days (as you can see with the many ??? in my planning)... I'm not an advanced hiker but with a tour/daytrip it should be fine.
October 24: Travel to BA
October 25: BA-Puerto Madryn
October 26: Puerto Madryn - daytrip to watch whales, travel at night to El Calafate
October 27: Arriving at El Calafate
October 28. El Calafate - Perito Moreno daytrip --> possibly stay longer for horse riding and flamingos??
October 29: ?? Torres del Paine - daytrip?
October 30: ?? El Chaltén? Fitz Roy?
October 31: ??
November 1
??
November 2: Travel to Ushuaia
November 3: Ushuaia - Beagle Channel day trip
November 4: Ushuaia - Tierra del Fuego day trip
November 5: Half a day in Ushuaia, talk a walk to see Glaciar Martial + Flight back to BA.
November 6: I have to be in Buenos Aires around 8 am this morning.
I have a couple of questions.
1. Do I have to go Tandil-BA-Puerto Madryn with bus or is there a better route with bus to save time?
2. Is it enough time? I know that you could easily spend months in Patagonia but... is this a stressful itinerary?
3. General comments on my itinerary, advice on hostels, activities etc.
4. Is there a bus Puerto Madryn-El Calafate or Puerto Madryn-El Chaltén?
I appreciate any help.... I feel completely lost at the moment. Has anyone done a similar trip by bus? Is it stupid?
Thanks in advance.
URGENT: itinerary help for Patagonia - leaving tomorrow! (panic)
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You can do an expensive day trip from El Calafate to Torres del Paine with a private company. They go straight to the park and not through Puerto Natales. It is a long day and imo not worth the money for the short time there. If going by bus through Puerto Natales you can't do it in one day.
If you need to leave Argentina to get a new tourist visa by the 30th, you are cutting it very fine. Remember last year's strikes. In general your itinerary looks very tight in an area where the unexpected is the norm. Personally I would eliminate Ushuaia and spend the days in El Calafate, El Chaltén and TdP. For the latter you would probably have to use the camping facilities in the park as space in the refugios has to be booked far in advance. You can rent the tent and gear there.