Chile · Argentina · Private journey
Chile and Argentina Tours: Patagonia in 8, 10 or 13 Days
Photo by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
From $3,065 per personfor the 8-day versionFrom $3,835 per personfor the 10-day versionFrom $4,985 per personfor the 13-day versionland only · 4 or more sharing
See dates & prices- Santiago to Buenos AiresSantiago to Buenos AiresSantiago to Buenos Aires
- 8, 10 or 13 days
- 2 countries
- 4 bases4 bases5 bases
- easy pace
- Private
Chile and Argentina tours through both Patagonias: Torres del Paine, the border crossed by road and the Perito Moreno glacier, in 8, 10 or 13 days, October to April.
Most Chile and Argentina tours that cross Patagonia hide the one day that holds them together. There is no flight between the two sides. This trip is built around the road that joins them, and it says so on day five.
Two Patagonias, and no flight between them
Torres del Paine is in Chile. The Perito Moreno glacier and Fitz Roy are in Argentina. On a map they are neighbours; in the air they are not. There is no scheduled flight between Puerto Natales or Punta Arenas and El Calafate. Aerovias DAP, the regional airline that has flown the route in past seasons, did not list it among its current scheduled routes when we checked on 1 October 2026. Going by air would mean flying back to Santiago, then to Buenos Aires, then south again: two days lost to airports.
So the trip crosses by road. You leave Chile at the Cerro Castillo post and enter Argentina at Cancha Carrera. A specialist operator who runs the crossing, Swoop, puts the whole journey at five to seven hours between Puerto Natales and El Calafate, depending on the time spent at the border; the scheduled Bus-Sur service quotes about five hours and warns that border queues change that. We do it in a private vehicle, in the morning, with nothing else planned for the day.
If that crossing is closed, there is a second one further south. The Dorotea pass near Puerto Natales opens 08:00 to 17:00, according to Argentina’s migration service.
How you reach Torres del Paine
Puerto Natales is the closest airport to the park, about two hours by road from the Laguna Amarga entrance. Flights from Santiago to Puerto Natales have traditionally been a summer route: LATAM ran it from October to April only until it added three winter flights a week in 2024, with a stop in Puerto Montt. Frequencies change by season, so the schedule for your dates decides the route.
Punta Arenas has flights all year and is the fallback. From there it is about three hours by road to Puerto Natales, which turns day two into a night in Natales and a later start in the park. We tell you which of the two applies before you book.
The face of the Perito Moreno glacier from the walkways, where you spend day six. Photo by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Why we only sell it from October to April
Both parks stay open in winter. What closes is the trip. From May to August, three things change at once, and each would cost you a day of this itinerary:
- The Grey Glacier boat sails on Wednesdays and Saturdays only between 1 May and 31 August, according to the operator’s own schedule. A trip built around one fixed day cannot promise it.
- A guide becomes compulsory on the Base Torres and W trails. In 2026 CONAF brought the winter rule forward to 27 April, with winter equipment, and kept it until 15 September because of snow and ice on the high sections.
- El Chalten largely shuts. From June to August many of its facilities close and some trails become inaccessible under snow, as Journey Latin America notes.
And on the Argentine side the glacier day shrinks. Argentina’s parks service publishes the Perito Moreno corridor’s visiting hours: 08:00 to 18:00 from 1 September to 30 April, and 09:00 to 16:00 from 1 May. The month by month detail for Argentina, including why November is not the calm month it is sold as, is in our guide to the best time to visit Argentina.
Eight, ten or thirteen days
Eight days is the gentle version. Hotels and lodges only, two nights in the park, no walk longer than a made path to a viewpoint, and the same road across the border. It is the length we suggest to travellers who want the landscapes and not the hiking.
Ten days is the one we recommend: three nights on each side, which leaves room for a day of wind in the park or on the lake without losing the glacier.
Thirteen days adds three nights in El Chalten for the day walks below Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre. Three, not two, because the mountain is in cloud more often than not and one clear day is the whole point of going.
The last stretch of road into El Chalten, with Cerro Torre on the left and Fitz Roy on the right: day eight of the thirteen-day version. Photo by Liam Quinn, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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How this differs from our other Patagonia trips
We sell Patagonia three ways, and they are not the same trip.
- Atacama and Patagonia stays in Chile. It pairs Torres del Paine with the Atacama Desert, at the other end of the country, and has to pass back through Santiago to do it.
- Glaciers and Iguazu stays in Argentina. El Calafate and the Perito Moreno, then the Iguazu falls in the subtropical north.
- This one is the far south on both sides of the border, and nothing else: no desert, no waterfalls, and no flight between the two halves because there is none to take.
If you are still deciding between one side and both, or how many days to give each, our Patagonia itinerary guide sets out the choice. If you have three weeks and want Patagonia as part of a bigger trip, our South America itinerary shows how it fits with the rest of the continent. Within Argentina alone, the Argentina itinerary guide lays out what one, two and three weeks hold. Every other route on each side is on our Chile tours and Argentina tours pages.
What the price covers
All three lengths are priced land only. The two internal flights, Santiago to Puerto Natales and El Calafate to Buenos Aires, are quoted separately, so you can compare our price with a package that hides them and see the difference. For what the whole trip costs once the flights are in, the seven numbers that move it are a better guide than any headline price.
The shape of it
Where this trip actually goes
Day by day
Three lengths, one trip
Two nights in the park instead of three and one in Buenos Aires. No day of more than a short walk, no early starts, and the same road across the border. Built for travellers who want the landscapes without the hiking.
Day 1
Land in Santiago
Overnight: Boutique hotel, SantiagoA private transfer from the airport and an afternoon with nothing in it, before the flight south.
Day 2
South to Puerto Natales and into the park
Overnight: Lodge in or beside the parkThe morning flight to Puerto Natales and about two hours by road to the park. Through Punta Arenas instead if your dates require it, with tonight in Puerto Natales.
Day 3
Grey Glacier and the Cuernos, from the vehicle and the boat
Overnight: Lodge in or beside the parkThe navigation to the face of Grey Glacier, then the Cuernos from the viewpoints along the park road. Every walk today is short.
Day 4
Across the border by road to El Calafate
Overnight: Hotel, El CalafateOut through Laguna Amarga for a last look at the towers, then Cerro Castillo, Cancha Carrera and El Calafate: five to seven hours with stops.
Day 5
A slow morning in El Calafate
Overnight: Hotel, El CalafateA free day after the long road: the shore of Lago Argentino, the town, and nothing that needs an alarm clock.
Day 6
The Perito Moreno glacier
Overnight: Hotel, El CalafateThe walkways at your own pace with a private guide, as many or as few levels as you like, and the boat below the north wall.
Day 7
North to Buenos Aires
Overnight: City hotel, Buenos AiresThe nonstop flight to Buenos Aires and an evening in Recoleta, a short walk from the hotel.
Day 8
Fly home from Buenos Aires
Departure dayA morning in the city if your flight allows it, then a private transfer to Ezeiza.
The version we recommend. Three nights in Torres del Paine, the road across the border, three nights at El Calafate for the glacier and the lake, and two in Buenos Aires before you fly home.
Day 1
Land in Santiago
Overnight: Boutique hotel, SantiagoOvernight flights from North America and Europe arrive in the morning. A private transfer to the hotel and nothing else on the schedule: tomorrow is the long flight south, and it goes better after a night in a bed.
Day 2
South to Puerto Natales and into the park
Overnight: Lodge in or beside the parkThe morning flight to Puerto Natales, then about two hours by road to Torres del Paine. If the flight schedule for your dates sends you through Punta Arenas instead, add three hours of road and tonight is in Puerto Natales; we tell you which when we quote.
Day 3
The massif from the east
Overnight: Lodge in or beside the parkIn through the Laguna Amarga gate with a private guide: Lago Sarmiento, the Cuernos across Lago Nordenskjold, the Salto Grande waterfall and guanaco country. Short walks, long stops, and the light that the park is famous for.
Day 4
Grey Glacier from the water
Overnight: Lodge in or beside the parkA walk along Grey beach to the jetty and the navigation across Lago Grey to the glacier face, among icebergs that broke off the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. The afternoon is for a section of trail with your guide, or for nothing at all.
Day 5
Across the border by road to El Calafate
Overnight: Hotel, El CalafateThe day that joins the two Patagonias. A private vehicle to the Chilean post at Cerro Castillo, the Argentine post at Cancha Carrera, and on to El Calafate on Lago Argentino. Five to seven hours door to door, depending on the queue at the border.
Day 6
The Perito Moreno glacier, the whole day
Overnight: Hotel, El CalafateEighty kilometres out to the walkways with a private guide, all the balcony levels, and a boat below the north wall to see the face from the water. On summer hours the corridor is open from eight in the morning to six in the evening, so there is no need to rush it.
Day 7
Lago Argentino by boat
Overnight: Hotel, El CalafateA full-day navigation on the lake to the fronts of the glaciers that the road does not reach. If the boat is cancelled for weather, the day becomes an estancia day on the steppe instead, and we decide that on the morning.
Day 8
North to Buenos Aires
Overnight: City hotel, Buenos AiresThe nonstop flight from El Calafate to Buenos Aires and a transfer to Palermo or Recoleta. The evening is free, which in Buenos Aires means dinner at ten.
Day 9
Buenos Aires with a guide
Overnight: City hotel, Buenos AiresRecoleta, Plaza de Mayo, San Telmo and La Boca on a private day, with the old cafes in between, and a tango show with dinner to close the trip.
Day 10
Fly home from Buenos Aires
Departure dayA private transfer to Ezeiza for your international flight. You fly in to Santiago and home from Buenos Aires, so book the two long-haul flights as one open-jaw ticket.
The ten-day route plus three nights in El Chalten, three hours north of El Calafate by road, for the day walks below Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre. Three nights so that one clear day is likely: the mountain decides which.
Day 1
Land in Santiago
Overnight: Boutique hotel, SantiagoPrivate transfer, early check-in and a free afternoon before the flight south.
Day 2
South to Puerto Natales and into the park
Overnight: Lodge in or beside the parkThe morning flight to Puerto Natales and about two hours by road into Torres del Paine, or Punta Arenas and a night in Puerto Natales if the schedule requires it.
Day 3
The massif from the east
Overnight: Lodge in or beside the parkLaguna Amarga, Lago Sarmiento, the Cuernos across Lago Nordenskjold and the Salto Grande, with a private guide.
Day 4
Grey Glacier from the water
Overnight: Lodge in or beside the parkThe walk along Grey beach and the navigation to the glacier face across Lago Grey.
Day 5
Across the border by road to El Calafate
Overnight: Hotel, El CalafateCerro Castillo, Cancha Carrera and the steppe to Lago Argentino, five to seven hours with the border.
Day 6
The Perito Moreno glacier
Overnight: Hotel, El CalafateThe walkways with a private guide and the boat below the north wall.
Day 7
Lago Argentino by boat
Overnight: Hotel, El CalafateA full-day navigation to the glacier fronts the road does not reach, or an estancia day if the boat is cancelled for weather.
Day 8
North to El Chalten
Overnight: Lodge, El ChaltenAbout three hours up the road with Fitz Roy ahead of you for the last stretch, and a short walk above the village in the afternoon.
Day 9
A Fitz Roy day
Overnight: Lodge, El ChaltenThe long walk to Laguna de los Tres below Fitz Roy, or the gentler valley walk to Laguna Torre, with a guide. A day walk, back to the lodge for dinner, and sold as nothing more.
Day 10
The spare day the weather asks for
Overnight: Lodge, El ChaltenWhichever walk the weather did not allow yesterday, or a shorter one to the viewpoints above the village if your legs prefer it.
Day 11
Back south and north to Buenos Aires
Overnight: City hotel, Buenos AiresThe road back to El Calafate airport and the nonstop flight to Buenos Aires.
Day 12
Buenos Aires with a guide
Overnight: City hotel, Buenos AiresRecoleta, Plaza de Mayo, San Telmo and La Boca, and tango with dinner.
Day 13
Fly home from Buenos Aires
Departure dayA private transfer to Ezeiza for your international flight.
What is included
- Every hotel night for the length you choose, with breakfast: a boutique hotel in Santiago, a lodge in or beside Torres del Paine, a hotel in El Calafate, a lodge in El Chalten on the thirteen-day version, and a city hotel in Buenos Aires.
- The road from Torres del Paine to El Calafate in a private vehicle with a driver, and help at both border posts.
- A private English-speaking guide on every touring day, in Torres del Paine, at the Perito Moreno glacier, in El Chalten and in Buenos Aires.
- Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares park entry fees, the Lago Grey navigation, the boat below the Perito Moreno, and the full-day navigation on Lago Argentino.
- Every airport transfer, including the drive between Puerto Natales and the park.
- The meals marked day by day. The rest are left free on purpose: Puerto Natales, El Calafate and Buenos Aires all eat better outside the hotel.
What is not
- International flights. You fly in to Santiago and home from Buenos Aires, which is usually one open-jaw ticket. We are happy to book it with you or leave it to you.
- Internal flights: Santiago to Puerto Natales (or Punta Arenas) and El Calafate to Buenos Aires. We book them with you and add them to the quote separately, so our price can be compared with one that hides them.
- Multi-day treks. The W and the O circuits in Torres del Paine are a different product with their own guiding rules, and we do not sell them.
- Travel insurance, which we ask you to arrange before departure.
- Drinks, tips and personal spending.
Make it yours
This is a starting point, not a package
Every one of these days can move, and so does the length. Tell us what you have and we rebuild it around you, usually within a working day.