OnwardHo

Hi,
We have 23 days in Argentina/Chile/Patagonia beginning end of November and departing before Christmas. Below is what we're thinking. I'd so appreciate any thoughts in terms of shaving/adding. Valparaiso is a maybe. We live on a beach now but thought it would be interesting to visit the Chilean coast. Mendoza is about food, rafting and horseback riding. Torres Paine too.

Buenos Aires - 3 nights
onto Iguazu Falls Argentina side with day trip to Ciudad del Este before returning to BA - 3 nights
Mendoza - 2-3 nights
Santiago - 2 -3 nights with side trip to
Valparaiso - 1-2 nights
Puerto Arenas - 1 night
Punto Natales to Torres Paine - 3 nights
El Calafate/Glacier - 4 nights - day trip to Estancia Cristina
return to BA and depart - 1 night

Many thanks for your thoughts.

odie1

(Note the capitalized words for correct names)

What are your desires for the rest of this trip? Outdoors? City? Museums? etc.

Are you driving straight from PUNTA Arenas to Torres DEL Paine? You are showing three nights for PUERTO Natales to TdP but showing no nights in PN. You are basically giving yourself only two days in TdP, which is very limiting.
Four nights in El Calafate is too much. If you are not planning on visiting El Chalten (which is a big mistake as far as I am concerned), then you should take one night from El Calafate and add it to TdP.

Have you checked travel times between places? You can not get to Punta Arenas without returning to Santiago first. Punta Arenas to TdP is a five hour drive and how are you getting there? If you rent a car in PA you will need to return it to Chile, which requires a trip back to PN from TdP then a bus on to El Calafate.

OnwardHo

Thank you for your response and correcting my reversal of punta and puerto in proper names.

In terms of interests, we love cities, museums, out of doors, good food and wow! scenery. This is a shorter trip than we usually take but it's a window I don't want to lose.
I am a hiker; my partner less so. He's more a walker due to a bad car accident years ago. He rides horses; I've been on them. We white water rafted in Wyoming this past summer and we both kayak although paddle boarding is my preference.

- re:Are you driving straight from PUNTA Arenas to Torres DEL Paine?
We will fly from Santiago to PA. And bus it from there until Calafate. ??? Mostly because we haven't totally researched car rentals between countries, Chile and Argentina, and drop off charges. We have rented and driven cars in various countries north and south of the equator but in our first itinerary pass we were looking at buses once we get to Mendoza. Driving to PA from Santiago is not an option. And it doesn't seem like we can get a car in PA and drop it in Calafate. 2 countries and different drop-off. although I will check it

- We will definitely stay 1 night in Punta Arenas, then 2 nights in TdP. Thoughts?

- We want to take the boat to Estancia Cristina. Should I allocate 2 nights Calagate and 2 nights El Chalten? (on that note, I drove along the Glacier Parkway in Canada this summer, a wow! view, climbed around some. I'm sure the Glaciers in Calafate are a greater wow! but not sure truly how much time to allocate there.

-Thoughts on Valparaiso or where to shave some more time besides the initial 3-4 Califate

I'm open to any suggestions on tours, specifically in TdP, Calafate day boat trip to Estancia Cristina and in and around El Chalten.

Bottomline, I want to thank you and those who share their experience in these posts. There's nothing comparable. It's invaluable and greatly appreciated.

Kathleen

odie1

Unless there is something specific you want to see in Punta Arenas (though we enjoyed our two nights there-but we had more time on this trip than you), I would head straight to TdP, or at least PN.

I did not go to Estancia Cristina but we have been to Perito Moreno on two different trips, once doing the hike on it and once just at the walkways-both were spectacular but we had not seen glaciers like that anywhere else before.

"We will definitely stay 1 night in Punta Arenas, then 2 nights in TdP. Thoughts?"

Two nights in TdP only gives you one full day-not very much time at all. Are you doing a tour there? I think if that was it for the amount of time you can allocate there, I would take a bus to PN from PA and rent a car so you can spend the entire one day driving around the park and doing a few small walks. Drop the car back off in PN and then bus to Calafate.

Chalten is beautiful (our favorite place ever) but it is really about the hiking. If you are lucky and can actually see the famed Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre then that adds to the trip. Again, I would rent a car in Calafate and use that for Chalten as well. Personally, I would make a whole day out of Perito Moreno (walking the glacier and do the viewing walkways) and that's it, not too sure what more the Estancia trip would really add. If you don't want to/can't walk on the glacier then you could combine the walkways with a boat ride to the glacier.

thursdaysd

I would give more time to Valparaiso than Santiago.

Agree that if you have good weather El Chalten has great views. I took the bus both ways, you don't need a car.

odie1

I suggested the car because the OP said that they are not into hiking and really if you take a bus to Chalten, there are few options other than to hike. My suggesting for the car would enable them to take the scenic drive out to Lago Desierto and to Hosteleria Pilar for a shorter hike up to the viewpoint, if weather permits of course.

You can find my trip report for all the areas you are talking about visiting (except for Valpo) here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/sout...reath-away.cfm

OnwardHo

Thank you so very much!
A lightbulb just went on reading your post. Brilliant. We will high tail it to PN and rent a car. Do you recommend a tour too or shall we drive around. Usually we do drive around. We may do the same in Santiago i.e. rent a car and drive to Valparaiso and shave a day off there for more time in Patagonia.
And we'll follow your suggestion too in terms of a car rental in El Calafate. We may drive to the end of Route 11, park, and hike down to the observation point for pert Moreno as well take the boat tour to the glacier for a different vantage.
And now definitely will add Chalten with hopes of a Fitz Roy sighting.

Curious if you've spent time in Mendoza and if so your thoughts. But in the meantime thanks for your insights. Simply terrific!
Kathleen

OnwardHo

Again, my thanks.
I have read/studied your blog Odie. It is so comprehensive. Nevertheless, I still have questions:
We have adjusted our itinerary so that once we land in PA we will have 10 days to explore PA, PdT, Perito Moreno, Glacier Upsala and Chalten before returning for BA and departing.
Thank you for underscoring Chalten. Amazing how it gets short shrift in books.Here are my questions:
- will we forever regret not seeing penguins? I think not and it will probably save us a day or half but it could be good and manageable I guess if we got a driver to take us from PA to PdT late Sunday afternoon rather than a bus. We could stay one night then in PN and head out early next day for 2 night stay in PdT but otherwise by skipping Penguins we could head directly via PN to PdT and have 3 days there?? thoughts.
- We'll be saying in PdT but still wondering should we pick up car in PN. I hope to do some aggressive hikes but NOT W as too long and my partner as said earlier cannot do challenging treks.Hoping to find some easier hikes and/or he kayaks or horseback rides for a day and I will hike. But getting a car is the primary question if we are staying in TdP at el serrnao.
-Best boat ride to glacier - and that means to Perito Moreno or to Glacier Upsala if you have any thoughts on that.
We 're thinking of staying outside El Calafate at an estancia after we arrive, seeing the glaciers - will one day be enough - and then heading to Chalten which will give us 3 nights 21/2 days there.
Thank you, safe travels and all things good to you.
Kathleen