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Auckland to Patagonia: Puerto Natales, Torres del Paine and El Calafate

Auckland → Puerto Natales → Torres del Paine → El Calafate

Puerto Natales
"IMG_1884Puerto_Natales.jpg" by ravas51, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
El Calafate (25825005237) (El Calafate)
Photo: Deensel, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Patagonia trekking Best season (general guide): Nov–Mar

Patagonia's southern tip has two of the most spectacular national parks in South America, on either side of the border between Chile and Argentina. This route starts in Puerto Natales, treks in Torres del Paine and crosses by road to El Calafate. From Auckland you'll fly to Santiago, then take a domestic flight to Puerto Natales.

How to pace it: Spend days one and two in Puerto Natales: day one, fly to Puerto Natales; day two, prepare for the park, then bus to the park. Then spend days three to six in Torres del Paine: day three, hike to the Base of the Towers; day four, French Valley; day five, Grey Glacier; day six, Lake Pehoé. Then spend days seven to nine in El Calafate: day seven, bus across the border; day eight, Perito Moreno walkways; day nine, glacier boat trip.

Puerto Natales is where you stock up and pick up a bus to the park. In Torres del Paine, the W trek links the Base of the Towers, the French Valley and Grey Glacier, with nights in refuges or tents. Shorter visits can combine day hikes with boat trips across Lake Pehoé. CONAF requires confirmed bookings for overnight stays on the W and O circuits. Buses then cross the border to El Calafate, on the shore of Lake Argentino. The Perito Moreno Glacier's walkways allow you to watch blocks of ice crash into the water, and boat trips go closer to the ice. Los Glaciares National Park is listed by UNESCO.

The trekking season runs roughly from October to April, with November to March the most popular. Wind is strong all year, and the weather can change several times a day.

Book refuges or campsites as soon as they open, and buy park entry tickets online. Allow a buffer day in case of delayed buses or bad weather.

Suggested outline

  1. Auckland

    Start

  2. Puerto Natales

    By air · 2 nights suggested

    A small town on a fjord, the main base for Torres del Paine. Flights from Santiago land here in season; otherwise use Punta Arenas.

  3. Torres del Paine

    Overland · 4 nights suggested

    A national park of granite towers, glaciers and lakes. The W trek takes about four or five days, with refuges and campsites that must be booked in advance.

    Torres del Paine National Park
    "Cuernos del Paine in Torres del Paine National Park.jpg" by Pedro Szekely from Los Angeles, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

  4. El Calafate

    Overland · 3 nights suggested

    Across the border in Argentina, a town on Lake Argentino. Boardwalks face the Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park.

    Perito Moreno Glacier
    "Perito_Moreno_Glacier_2023.jpg" by Fernando, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Puerto Natales — Fly to Puerto Natales· Auckland → Puerto Natales (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day
  2. Day 2 · Puerto Natales — Prepare; bus to the park
  3. Day 3 · Torres del Paine — Base of the Towers· Puerto Natales → Torres del Paine (overland)
  4. Day 4 · Torres del Paine — French Valley
  5. Day 5 · Torres del Paine — Grey Glacier
  6. Day 6 · Torres del Paine — Lake Pehoé
  7. Day 7 · El Calafate — Bus across the border· Torres del Paine → El Calafate (overland)
  8. Day 8 · El Calafate — Perito Moreno walkways
  9. Day 9 · El Calafate — Glacier boat trip
  10. Day 10 · El Calafate — Travel home from El Calafate· El Calafate → Auckland (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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Puerto Natales

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Torres del Paine

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El Calafate

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