Patagonia — 3-Day Itinerary
Patagonia is raw, wind-blasted, and magnificent. Shared between Argentina and Chile, this vast wilderness at the bottom of South America delivers glaciers, granite spires, guanaco herds, and some of the most dramatic trekking landscapes on earth. Three days based in El Calafate covers the Perito Moreno Glacier and surrounding steppe.
Perito Moreno Glacier
Morning: Drive 80 km from El Calafate to Los Glaciares National Park (ARS $10,000 entry). The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of only three Patagonian glaciers not retreating. The ice wall rises 74 meters above Lago Argentino and stretches 5 km across. Walk the extensive boardwalk system (free with park entry) with multiple viewpoints at different heights and angles. The glacier creaks, groans, and periodically calves massive chunks of ice that crash into the lake with explosive booms audible from the walkways. You will witness at least one calving event during a 2-3 hour visit.
Afternoon: The Big Ice trek (ARS $80,000-100,000 for full day including crampons and guide) walks directly on the glacier surface for 3-4 hours, navigating between crevasses, blue ice formations, and meltwater pools. Minimum age 18, reasonable fitness required. The Mini Trekking option (ARS $50,000-70,000 for half day) offers a shorter 1.5-hour glacier walk. Both include a whiskey with glacier ice at the end. Standing on ice that has been compressing for 30,000 years, surrounded by spires of blue ice stretching to the horizon, is genuinely humbling.
Evening: Return to El Calafate for dinner on Avenida del Libertador, the main strip. La Tablita (ARS $6,000-12,000) serves the best Patagonian lamb asado in town, slow-roasted on a cross (asador) beside an open fire for hours. The lamb literally falls off the bone. Pair with Malbec from Mendoza. Casimiro Biguá (ARS $8,000-15,000) offers more refined Patagonian cuisine with lake views. Mi Rancho (ARS $4,000-8,000) serves generous portions of local specialties at more moderate prices. El Calafate is a small town and everything is walkable.
Estancia Day & Lago Argentino
Morning: Visit an estancia (ranch) for a full-day Patagonian ranch experience (ARS $30,000-50,000 including transport, activities, and asado lunch). Estancia Cristina (accessible by boat across Lago Argentino) combines a historic sheep ranch with views of the Upsala Glacier. Estancia Nibepo Aike offers horseback riding, sheep shearing demonstrations, and the legendary Patagonian asado lunch where lamb and beef roast on crosses over wood fires. The vast steppe landscape, the wind, and the gaucho culture create a day that captures the essence of Patagonia.
Afternoon: The boat ride to Estancia Cristina crosses the brazo norte (north arm) of Lago Argentino past floating icebergs calved from the Upsala Glacier. The icebergs range from small chunks to car-sized blocks of blue ice. Some tours include a 4WD excursion to a viewpoint overlooking the Upsala Glacier, which is significantly larger than Perito Moreno (60 km long, 10 km wide) but less accessible. The combination of estancia culture and glacial landscape in a single day is unique to this part of the world.
Evening: Evening in El Calafate. The Glaciarium (ARS $5,000) is an excellent museum dedicated to Patagonian ice with interactive exhibits on glaciology, climate change, and the ice age history of the region. An ice bar inside (ARS $8,000 including a drink) serves cocktails in glasses made of glacier ice at minus 10 degrees. Dinner at Pura Vida (ARS $5,000-10,000) for wood-fired pizzas and craft beer, or Isabel Cocina al Disco (ARS $5,000-10,000) for dishes cooked on a disco de arado (plow disc), a traditional gaucho cooking technique.
El Chalten & Fitz Roy Views
Morning: Drive 3 hours north to El Chalten, the trekking capital of Argentina, at the foot of Mount Fitz Roy. The Sendero al Mirador de los Tres (20 km round trip, 8-10 hours, strenuous) is the marquee hike, ending at Laguna de los Tres with the iconic view of Fitz Roy granite spires rising 3,405 meters above a glacial lake. The final 400-meter climb through scree is steep but the summit view is one of the most photographed in Patagonia. Start by 7 AM and pack lunch, water, and layers for changing weather.
Afternoon: If the full Fitz Roy hike is too ambitious, the Laguna Capri trail (12 km round trip, 4-5 hours, moderate) provides excellent Fitz Roy views with less effort. The Chorrillo del Salto waterfall (2 km from town, easy) is a pleasant warm-up walk. El Chalten has excellent gear shops and restaurants despite being a small village. Lunch at Domo Blanco (ARS $3,000-5,000) for empanadas and stew, or La Cerveceria (ARS $3,000-6,000) for local craft beer with Fitz Roy views from the terrace. The trails are free with no permits required.
Evening: Return to El Calafate in the late afternoon through the Patagonian steppe where guanacos (wild relatives of llamas), rheas (South American ostriches), and Patagonian hares dot the vast landscape. The wind on the steppe can reach 100+ km/h; Patagonia is one of the windiest places on earth. Farewell dinner at La Zaina (ARS $6,000-12,000) for a final Patagonian lamb and Malbec. The sunset over Lago Argentino from the lakefront promenade, with the sky turning pink and orange above the steppe, provides a fitting farewell to the end of the world.
Budget Breakdown (Per Person, 3 Days)
| Category | Budget | Mid-Range | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (3 nights) | ARS $30,000 | ARS $80,000 | ARS $250,000 |
| Food & Drinks | ARS $20,000 | ARS $50,000 | ARS $150,000 |
| Transport | ARS $15,000 | ARS $40,000 | ARS $100,000 |
| Activities & Entry Fees | ARS $20,000 | ARS $80,000 | ARS $200,000 |
| Total 3 Days | ARS $85,000 | ARS $250,000 | ARS $700,000 |
Getting Around Patagonia
Patagonia rewards travellers who embrace the reality that distances here are enormous and public transport is infrequent. El Calafate, the main gateway to the glaciers, is served by El Calafate International Airport (FTE) with multiple daily flights from Buenos Aires Aeroparque (2.5 hours, typically ARS $80,000–200,000 one-way booked in advance) and Bariloche. Aerolíneas Argentinas and LADE both serve the route. Booking flights months ahead is essential for January-February, when seats sell out entirely.
Between El Calafate and Perito Moreno Glacier, the most practical option is an organised tour (ARS $15,000–25,000 for return transfer plus guided boardwalk access) or a hire car. Car rental from Budget, Hertz, or local operators at FTE airport runs ARS $35,000–70,000 per day for a basic 4WD with unlimited kilometres — a 4WD is strongly recommended as unpaved sections are common outside the main highway. Fuel stations are sparse: fill up whenever you see one, and carry extra fuel for the El Chalten day. Ruta Nacional 40 (the legendary Ruta 40) connects El Calafate to El Chalten — the drive north takes around 3 hours on mixed sealed and gravel road through open steppe with views of Fitz Roy appearing on the horizon an hour before you arrive.
If you prefer not to hire a car, CalTur and Chaltén Travel operate shared van transfers between El Calafate and El Chalten (ARS $12,000–20,000 each way, 3.5 hours with a nature stop). Departures leave El Calafate at 7:30 AM and return from El Chalten at 6 PM, which gives a full hiking day but requires pre-booking. There is no public bus service to Perito Moreno — you must either join a tour or hire a car.
Within El Calafate, the town centre is compact and entirely walkable. The bus terminal is 15 minutes on foot from the main Avenida del Libertador strip. Taxis and remises (private hire cars) charge ARS $3,000–6,000 for in-town trips. The road connecting El Calafate to Puerto Natales in Chilean Patagonia (gateway to Torres del Paine) takes around 5 hours on mostly gravel roads and crosses the border at Cerro Castillo — a feasible overland extension for those with a hire car and the appropriate border paperwork.
Continue your Argentina journey with our Mendoza 3-Day Itinerary.