Planning your trip to Patagonia is now ten times easier with our article: how many days in Patagonia. Probably you have already some ideas where to go but, finding the right balance of days to stay in Puerto Madryn, Ushuaia, Punta Arenas, … Let’s start planning!
Read also: How many days should you stay in Buenos Aires?
How many days in Patagonia?
Everybody plans their trip to Patagonia differently because of many reasons. Maybe the flight tickets are just cheaper if you go another way. We give you building blocks – see it as some LEGO blocks – and you put then easily together to make a beautiful trip construction.
If we mention 1 day is ok, we mean a full day at the place. Starting from 8 a.m. till the late evening. We don’t count days if you arrive at midday at the place in Patagonia.
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Argentina’s Patagonia
How many days in Patagonia? Here we go.
Puerto Madryn: we suggest 2 days. One day to visit Peninsula Valdés with optional whale watching and the second day for Punta Tombo.
Ushuaia: 2 days minimum. In one day you can easily do a boat trip on the Beagle Channel (approx. 4h) and later that day, you can visit Glaciar Martial. A beautiful hike that departs on the edge of the city. The next day we suggest visiting the National Park “Tierra del Fuego”. Good for a day of hiking and exploring the fire landscape at the end of the world.
El Calafate: it will maybe surprise you but you’re good to stay one day in El Calafate. The Perito Moreno Glacier is the main attraction and just perfect to visit it in one day. (Sure do the boat trip 🙂 ) On the other hand, you have some beautiful estancias to stay a night there or have a day at the estancia. On that day you can enjoy a typical Argentinian barbecue (Asado) and horseback riding through the amazing Patagonian landscape.
El Chaltén: a frequently asked question. How many days should I spend in El Chaltén? Our experience says 2 days. Probably you depart from El Calafate in the (late) morning. This gives you a half-day to spend in and around El Chaltén and the next day you can start with your 2 full days in El Chaltén. The most famous hiking is “Laguna de los Tres” especially when starting from Hosteria El Pilar.
Continue how many days in Patagonia
We continue with the list “how many days you should spend in Patagonia?”. Next on the list …
Bariloche: in our opinion one of the busiest cities in Patagonia. Besides hiking, also a perfect stop for a gastronomical event. We suggest staying for 2 days in Bariloche. Most likely Bariloche will be a stop during your road trip. Coming from San Martin de Los Andes or Villa La Angostura, famous for its seven lakes route. We didn’t count that route in counting for Bariloche. On day one you can do “the little circuit” and if you can make a stop at the beer bar “Patagonia”. It has one of the most beautiful views and you can enter it for free. On the second day, you can go for another hike to “Refugio Frey” near the Catedral mountain.
Esquel: a hidden beauty in the midst of Patagonia. Just fine for one day or making a quick stop during your Patagonia road trip. One of the main attractions is the Old Patagonian Express train.
There are many other cities in Argentina’s Patagonia that we didn’t mention. Such as Comodoro Rivadavia, Rio Gallegos, Rio Grande, … They are perfect for a stop or a night to stay.
Chile’s Patagonia
The number one destination of Chileanian Patagonia is by far, Torres del Paine. The UNESCO national park is located a little bit above Puerto Natales. Thereby, Puerto Natales is the point where the Torres del Paine adventure often starts. But, how many days should you spend in Torres del Paine?
Torres del Paine: it all depends on what you will do in Torres del Paine. It is known for its trekking W, O, and Q. Planning to do the W-trekking? A minimum stay of 4 days. In for a bit more with the O-trekking? Then count for 9 days. And the Q trekking, count for 10 days.
Puerto Natales: the city is near the Argentinian border and therefore an ideal stopover place before you continue your Patagonia trip in Chile. You don’t need to plan a complete day to stay there.
Punta Arenas: also this city is interesting as a stop before heading to Torres del Paine or taking a cruise to Ushuaia. Do you want to visit Magdalena Island to see the penguin colony? Count for 1 day in Punta Arenas. Otherwise just a perfect city for a layover.
Puerto Montt: our conclusion for the Chilean Patagonia part is that it has more layover cities during your road trip on the Austral Highway. Puerto Montt is also a perfect example of that.
