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PATAGONIA

A Journey Through The Wilderness

TRAVELLING IN PATAGONIA

Patagonia is the name given to the region consisting of the southern halves of both countries Argentina and Chile. Here, the inhospitable landscape is ruled by penguins, guanacos or pumas on the ground and Condors overhead!

High on our agenda during our year in South America, Patagonia still remains one of our personal highlights. For two months we travelled through the area by any means necessary: bus, car, jeep, ferry… you name it. It led us into 24 hours bus ride through empty pampas and invited us to gorgeous week-long trek through snowy mountains. We saw monster glaciers, felt the Patagonian wind and sailed the beautiful Chilean fjords…

Visiting Patagonia is a must. It will challenge you and will for sure change your way of seeing the world.

Chile - Torres del Paine

Local transportation

Travelling all of Patagonia requires multiple border crossings between Argentina and Chile and a lot of patience as the transportation system is often limited to one bus a day, if not nonexistent in winter.

For those travelling by car, bike or hitch-hiking, the journey will probably be defined by the only 3 main routes crossing the area north to south. In Argentina, the Route 3 links Buenos Aires to Rio Gallegos along the Atlantic Ocean and the Route 40 from Bariloche to El Calafate on the right side of the Andean range.

While in Chile, the Carretera Austral is the only way, other than boat and plane to connect the south with the northern part of the country.

Budget Backpacking

Let’s put it this way, it is impossible to stick to a strict backpacker budget in Patagonia. Everything is expensive compared to the rest of the country and highly disproportioned from the other parts of South America. Being so remote means that everything costs more even for lower quality. In Patagonia, it is not surprising to hop on a 12 hours night bus for the price of 90€ or sleeping in a freezing room with no blanket for €18 a night… But in Patagonia choices are very limited, so it is often a matter of taking it or leaving it.

However, with a bit of planning and time, Patagonia can become affordable. Our best tips would be to travel during the shoulder seasons and if possible backpack with camping gears.

Accommodation

Choices in term of accommodation are quite limited in Patagonia. Apart from the bigger cities, finding a place to stay means knocking to hospedajes (local b&b) hoping they have space and a room near the house’s main fire-heater. In some places, there are hostels offering shared rooms but those usually don’t have a kitchen and close on 1st of April to only reopen mid-October, depending on the weather.

If you come to Patagonia during summer and plan on travelling all around the area, your best bet is to bring camping gears with you. With a tent and a cooking set, you are sure to always find a place to stay, even in the most remote parts of the region. It is also the perfect way to keep your budget under control. Just remember to bring a 0° comfort sleeping bag as the nights can be very cold, even at the height of summer.

ESSENTIAL READING | PLANNING A TRIP TO PATAGONIA

Whether you are cycling, hiking, hitchhiking, or using public transport, here are our tips for a safe and cheap journey.

HIKING IN PATAGONIA

Chilean side of Patagonia

Argentinian side of Patagonia