Chile is one looong boooy. An overlooked country in south America, often forgotten, despite having Patagonia as a major draw. Here’s my itinerary.

Affiliate disclosure: This article contains GetYourGuide affiliate links. If you book through one of them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Part of a larger journey: this is the Chile and Patagonia section of my longer South America trip. The complete continental itinerary is still being edited, so there is no dead link here: this page is the standalone version for now.

Note, this was done 4 years before writing this article, so I’m not remembering 100% of things. So I’m giving general directions and ideas, and sharing my pictures. Also, This include parts of Argentina, because you have to for Patagonia.

Chile is Looong, so while I started from Bolivia, you can also start from Argentina (south), or Santiago and take a flight or two somewhere. But it’s not super convenient. I’d say that Chile is best as a continuation of another trip. Nonetheless, if it’s not the case, don’t be worried, I have something for more days than I did and ways to get a better progression with only one backtracking (Santiago is in the middle so you will have to!)

Itinerary done quick

Chile and Patagonia

Day 1: San Pedro de Atacama

The four-day Uyuni tour I took ended at the Bolivian border, where I got into a shared taxi to San Pedro de Atacama.

Fun story, right away: I fell in the water near the border, while waiting for the transfer. The water was warm (hot springs), the air not. My clothes froze, obviously, they were wet and in -10°C temperatures. Then, I got sick almost instantly. And forgot my phone. I had to bribe the driver for him to drive back 5 whole minutes (maybe less, actually). What a mess.

Leave the luggage at the accommodation and walk around the adobe centre, San Pedro Church and the archaeological museum.

The transfer is quite long, so it won’t leave time for more.

I booked an excursion for Valle de la Luna for D+2, right near my accommodation.

My accommodation was Casa Voyage Hostel, it still exists and my review on Google Maps can still be found!

Fun fact, I met a girl for the third time there, I met her the first time in Peru, possibly Arequipa, then met her a second time in Cusco, Peru. So the rule applied. We decided to go biking the next day.

Day 2: Atacama Desert

So, why not a biking day? You can hire bikes in San Pedro and ride straight from town; the tracks towards Valle de la Muerte and Garganta del Diablo are close enough that this works as a self-powered day rather than another agency transfer.

With some bretons and the gal (I forgot her name T_T), we biked to Iglesia de San Isidro, through the Valle de la muerte, el Pukará de Quitor and El Garganta Del Diablo.

it’s a fun trip and will absolutely take the day if you take the time to go further and beyond.

Also, the church is just the viewpoint, or a stopping point.

As you see, we had some issues on the way! And nights are very cold, so it’s best to get back in town not too late!

Day 3: Valle de la Luna

I booked a day tour to Valle de la Luna from an agency near the accommodation in San Pedro, with minibus transport included. It went to stop on the Magic Bus, toured the valley, stopped in the dunes, included a bit of hiking…

Overall it was quite nice, and not expensive and easy, perfect for a day of rest.

Day 4: Santiago layover

From San Pedro, go to Calama Airport, Shuttles are common and easy to find, not that expensive too.

Sadly there aren’t flights to patagonia, or at least none in August 2022. Then… fly to Santiago.

If by bus, go to Antofagasta, then a night bus to Santiago. Good luck!

I transferred right away to Patagonia. So the itinerary will do that.

This will take most of a day, so this isn’t easy by any mean.

If you have time in Chile, you may not go to Patagonia straight away. You can stop in Santiago (See day XX), Viña del Mar, perhaps south to Puerto Montt. But for patagonia, you need to fly.

Day 5: Punta Arenas

I flew from Santiago to Punta Arenas, around 3 hours 30 minutes in the air. I transferred right away (I don’t remember how, dropped my stuff) and spent the rest day walking.

Punta Arenas feels like the end of the world. It’s windy, colourful, isolated and stretched along the Strait of Magellan.

I walked all over the city: Plaza Muñoz Gamero, the port, the waterfront sculptures and Cerro de la Cruz for the view over the rooftops and the strait.

The city isn’t packed with must-sees, but the atmosphere does most of the work. It’s really otherworldly in such an eerie way… My favourite part was the signpost place, where you had signs to all major destinations and distance, that’s when you understand that you’re in bumfuckistan.

The airport is outside the city. I used the transfer into the centre, dropped my stuff and spent the rest of the day walking.

Day 6: Puerto Natales

^Found this guy near the center, felt like a new Street Fighter Character.

In winter 2022, there was one bus a day from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales. It left from the bus terminal in Punta Arenas and arrived at the Rodoviario Puerto Natales around 3 to 4 hours later.

The road was really beautiful: empty land, distant mountains and that very Patagonian feeling that everything is much farther away than it looks.

My first stop was the Museo Histórico Municipal. It’s small, but it gave me something to do before walking along the waterfront and planning the next days.

From the museum, this was my south-to-north order along the waterfront:

1. Monumento al Viento, with the two figures suspended above the coast.
2. The newer waterfront and Muelle Fiscal area.
3. Muelle Histórico, the remains of the old wooden pier pointing towards the mountains.
4. The ugly bronze Milodón sculpture near the northern entrance to town.

Afterwards, I booked the next two days with a local agency: one photography tour by car and one full-day hike to Base Torres. I got a good price because I booked both at once.

Day 7: Torres del Paine

Not a bad place for photography.

This was called a photography tour, but it was essentially a full-day road trip through Torres del Paine National Park in a small group.

I booked locally with an agency near the city center, don’t remember the name, but it was minutes away from the museum. GetYourGuide also lists Torres del Paine photography tours, including a comparable full-day photo safari (affiliate link).

Alright, so it was so freaking cold that it was nice to quickly go back to the car given the freezing conditions, winter is no joke. Most of the tour is spent inside a car, stopping for viewpoints along the way with eventual small walks, never lasting more than fifteen minutes.

Once out of the park, we went to the Cueva Del Milodon, a large cave where they found the Milodon.

Cueva del Milodón is around 25 kilometres north of Puerto Natales. The cave is slightly interesting and often included with tours.

The visit lasts around an hour, where you do a walk up to the cave, then through the cave, to observe the stalagmites and stalactites and read the signs.

Day 8: Base Torres

Base Torres in winter.

The second tour was a full-day hike to Base Torres, booked with the same agency. The agency transfer left Puerto Natales early and brought the group back after the hike.

We left Puerto Natales early and started near Hotel Las Torres. The return hike is roughly 20 kilometres and took most of the day. The group was very small, given the weather and season, I’d wager that there were, at most, 30 people at the national Park, even at the top. 2 or 3 small(ish) tour groups. It felt really ideal.

The trail was covered in snow and it was really cold, especially whenever we stopped. The final climb was the slowest part, but the frozen lake and the towers above it were fucking beautiful.

Apparently, for winter 2026, the park requires an accredited guide, microspikes, trekking poles, a headlamp and proper winter clothing for Base Torres. he rules change with trail conditions, so the official Torres del Paine website is the place to check.

This guided Base Torres day hike from Puerto Natales is the GetYourGuide alternative (affiliate link). I didn’t use that operator. Winter dates and included equipment vary.

Day 9: El Calafate

I took the morning international bus from Rodoviario Puerto Natales to the Terminal de Ómnibus de El Calafate, crossing into Argentina at Cerro Castillo/Cancha Carrera.

The bus is scheduled for around five hours. With immigration and winter conditions, five to seven hours is more realistic. Mine ran once a day, lasted 7 hours. There you go.

After arriving, I walked around central El Calafate, mainly along Avenida del Libertador and towards Laguna Nimez.

It’s a tourist base more than an exciting city, (So… barely anything to do but chill) The best thing I did was walk in the historic center then along the Laguna Nimez.

Actually, Lago Argentino was quite nice. Despite the freaking cold weather.

Then I got invited by some youth for tea with honey. They smoked pot, prepared tea, had honey and some bread to share. Maybe you will observe this phenomenon too?

Day 10: El Chalten

^ See my picture of El Chalten, I had a shitty weather indeed.

I booked a full-day trip from El Calafate to El Chaltén, with road transport included.

El Chaltén is around 220 kilometres from El Calafate, close to three hours each way. A good chunk of the day was spent driving, although the road was beautiful and we still had time to walk around town and hike nearby. (Departure is very early to offset that, and the return was quite late)

It was cold, rainy and the mountains spent a lot of time hiding behind clouds. The weather kinda ruined the trip, but I have no regrets. El Chaltén was still beautiful.

This El Chaltén and Mount Fitz Roy day trip from El Calafate is a similar GetYourGuide option (affiliate link). It isn’t the operator I used. Winter availability and walking time depend on the departure. It’s always harder in the cold season (June to August, btw)

With more time, I would stay in El Chaltén for more days (At least one more). Six hours in a car for a few hours of hiking wasn’t the best ratio…

Day 11: Perito Moreno

Perito Moreno, plus a bird that understood framing

Perito Moreno was much easier. Transport leaves from El Calafate, follows Ruta Provincial 11 and reaches the glacier in around 1 hour 30 minutes. It’s roughly 80 kilometres from town.

Once there, I spent the day walking between the viewpoints facing the ice. The paths are easy and there are enough angles to keep stopping every so often for pictures.

The official Los Glaciares National Park page lists different winter and summer access hours.

This Perito Moreno trip from El Calafate includes the walkways and an optional boat ride (affiliate link)

I used local transportation, not that operator. The national-park entrance may be separate.

Perito Moreno was one of the highlights of Patagonia. In winter it was quiet, bright blue and surrounded by snow. (Also pay attention to how noisy is the Glacier!!)

Bonus: Lot of wildlife to be seen! I saw many birds and foxes.

Day 12: Back to Punta Arenas

This is a complete transport day, just two buses back to back:

1. El Calafate to Puerto Natales in the morning, around five to seven hours including the border.
2. Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas in the afternoon, around three to four hours.

Both used the main bus terminals. I had enough time between them in Puerto Natales, but the border can make the first bus late. I flew out of Punta Arenas early the following morning, so… No other choice. If you don’t like going back, I would rather recommend going further in Argentina, but the flight prices to Europe were batshit crazy, so I saved money by going back to Santiago. (I had a few things to take care of there too)

It took me 12 hours including change between bus. I came back in the evening with barely time to do any activity.

Day 13: Santiago

I actually didn’t get time to visit much, I walked the center, walked up a hill with a garden and that’s it

Start at La Moneda and walk through the civic centre to the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art. Continue through Plaza de Armas and the Central Market, then cross the Mapocho towards Bellavista.

Take the funicular or walk up Cerro San Cristóbal for the view across Santiago. Return through Bellavista and Lastarria, with Cerro Santa Lucía as the final central stop if it is still open. The metro handles the long jump between the accommodation, centre and airport connection; the historical core itself is better covered on foot.

Day 14: Viña del mar

I didn’t visit, so there is nothing from me here but I heard it was a must!

Since I had other plans, I skipped this and pretty much Santiago. But it was in my original plan. From Santiago, take a bus from Terminal Alameda/Pajaritos or the train-bus combination towards Valparaiso and Viña del Mar, then return the same evening if you do not want to sleep on the coast.

Day 15: Santiago/Departure

Santiago will probably be your last stop. Use the airport bus from Pajaritos or Los Héroes for the flight out, or the metro first if you sleep away from those stops. If you have more time, some museums can fill the day. If not, hopefully you can go onwards to Easter Island or go back home safely!