Best of Patagonia Argentina

To know where to go and what to see depends on your interests and to what degree you are willing to search deep for something out of the ordinary that you may find intriguing. If you have only a short time each year to take a vacation, love to trek and crave to get away to a destination which will capture the essence of the region at large you should consult the insight of a local and the feedback of one that has done the journey you contemplate.

Patagonia is one of those destinations that is a vast territory spanning the Pampa and the Andes mountains of two countries, Argentina and Chile. To get to know it well requires repeat visits and abundant time few may have. So if you wish to sample Patagonia Argentina , where should you go?

All guidebooks to Patagonia note two national parks not to miss, Torres del Paine and Fitz Roy. While one can hike in the southernmost reaches of Tierra del Fuego as well, the central Patagonia lures most of the visitors and these two parks should definitely be at the top of anyone’s list.

Most of us shop for airfares and settle for the lowest in price, but the ultimate logistics of your Patagonia travel should be determined by where you plan to visit though at first look political boundaries may suggest otherwise.

While certain parts of Patagonia are easily accessed via either capital city, Buenos Aires or Santiago de Chile, other parts of Patagonia may be more cumbersome to reach if coming from the wrong direction.

Torres del Paine constitutes one of those magnificent destinations which although politically in Chile is easier to visit from Argentina via El Calafate north of the national park and thus should be included in your trip to Patagonia Argentina. If plan to visit Torres del Paine via Santiago the main access point for the park is Puerto Natales south of the park and an easy drive from Punta Arenas, Chile’s major airport in Patagonia.

Undeniably rivaling Torres del Paine, the most popular destination in Patagonia Argentina is the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares dominated by the Fitz Roy massif. The park’s gateway is the town of El Chalten, easy bus ride some four hours away from El Calafate. To make the best of your trip to this part of South America you should include both parks in your itinerary.

In sheer count the most visited and certainly one of the stunning parts of the Argentine Andes is its Lakes District which spans both sides of the border. San Carlos de Bariloche is the main alpine resort of Argentina and a fashionable and sophisticated town in all respects it is.

If you come to Patagonia to trek and plan to visit Bariloche you should not miss a trek in the Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, the oldest of Argentina’s national parks. A trek to do here is a one through a magnificent region of granite spires and alpine lakes, the Nahuel Huapi Traverse. The trailhead for the trek is the Villa Catedral ski village and the terminus five days later is Puente Lopez.

Anywhere in the Lakes District crossing from Argentina to Chile and vice versa is tempting as well as rewarding. Though the bus journey between the two countries is sunning in its own right, a grand Andean traverse to do is a wonderful trek starting in Argentina that follows the spine of the Andes over Paseo de las Nubes with fantastic panorama of Monte Tronador to the west, then crosses the frontier over Paseo de Perez Rosales and finally descends to Peulla in Chile.

There are certainly more than enough options for trips and hikes elsewhere in Patagonia Argentina, and plenty to consider in the same region in Chile, but focusing on Fitz Roy and the Lakes District out of Bariloche is a great place to start.

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