Treks en Patagonia: discovering national parks

Patagonia impresses and subjugates. It departs from conventional travel and offers the ultimate thrill... From Chile to Argentina, discover its emblematic treks!

On the map of the regions that evoke nature in the crude state, Patagonia shines. On horseback between fire and ice, between Chilean and Argentine lands, it is the territory of all extremes. As magnetic and intimidating, it is the ideal destination for a bowl of fresh air (see glacial) and a flirt with its limits. From the first moments of this unusual route, you are won by a rare feeling: that of being alive as never and... so tiny at once.

At Wanderlix, we were literally sucked by virgin immensity and conquered by the treks in Patagonia. Today, you are embarked on this journey where the only bonds are a good pair of shoes and endurance. Because, yes, nothing better than walking through Patagonia, in direct contact with its national parks. Here is the story of our hikes in Patagonia.

Treks in Patagonia: small practical advice

Argentina and Chile share this land of contrasts and natural phenomena as unpredictable and breathtaking. Before leaving, it is essential to be well prepared.

Provide accommodation in the most known parks (including Torres del Paine ) is a pledge of serenity. In high season, book a maximum of nights, even to camp with your own equipment. We also advise you to book several months in advance the most touristic excursions.

• ♪ shelters are the most comfortable option. However, prices are rather exorbitant: near $80 at night for a bed. Places in these wooden shelters are reserved to Vertice Patagonia and Fantastico Sur organisms;
• ♪ paid campsites are by far the most economical solution. They reserve the same way as the shelters. The campers have access to the showers (rooms with a bit of luck) and a small communal "kitchen". Count about $10 at night with your own equipment and about $30 for a tent equipped with mattress and sleeping bag;
• ♪ free campsites are rare and offer no equipment or facilities. If not allowed, do not try the wild campsite.

Well equip yourself before leaving in a trek in Patagonia is indispensable. For the retardants, no worries, a kyrielle of trekking shops border the streets of the main cities. The widest offer is at Puerto Natales (Chile) and El Chaltén (Argentina) . The following list is neither complete nor exhaustive, but counts the essentials for a trekking:

• Slot (less than 5 kilos);
• Inflatable light mattresses;
• Sleeping bag;
• Reef and light gas;
• Reusable;
• Waterproof trek shoes and a pair of tongs for the evening;
• Veste coupe-vent (a real!) ;
• Protections against sun and cold (creams and accessories type sunglasses, hats, gloves, etc.);
• Complete hikes (1 to 2 trousers, 2 polar, 2 thermal sub-pulls, 3 to 4 t-shirts for example);
• Pharmacy and first aid kit;
• Frontal lamp;
• Hiking buildings;
• Hiking bag with good frames and several storages.

In any case, before you jump, always get to the storage desk. European summer months do not offer the best conditions due to violent winds. Prefer months December to April . However, our preference is March and April which enjoy a decline in tourist attendance while maintaining a pleasant climate and a beautiful razing light.

At that time, ñires (local beech) coated with their red coat and codored foliage. Sublime! We also advise October for its equally striking colours. It’s not about autumn as we do, but about the spring of austral. ♪ steppes are then covered with flowers.

Treks in Chilean Patagonia

The peoples of Patagonia, whose simple evocation awakens the imagination, were the Amerindians. Long before the landing of the Europeans, they populated this vast territory, the most inviolate of South America. La Patagonia has almost lost nothing of its isolated country charm. This is evidenced by abundant forests, loss of sight steppes, water in all its forms.

Today, anyone who crowds these spectacular spaces is immediately rewarded. Most travellers follow the endless Carretera Austral . Its 1,200 kilometers, between Puerto Montt and Villa O’Higgins, are a challenge. This extreme road winds through glaciers, turquoise rivers and the powerful waves of the Pacific. The tires slide on the gravel, the refuelling shops are rare, the stones that fall in the encaged valleys, the streams of water quickly overflow: the journey excites and worries at once. At the edge of the road, see the alerce ? This sacred cypress is one of the oldest and largest in the world.

Let’s now discover five national parks on which we have been stunned, but know that there are many more in Chile.

Parque Nacional Vicente Pérez Rosales

The park Vicente Pérez Rosales is the driving force of the National Parks of the Lakes Region: this northern part of Patagonia, stretched between Chile and Argentina, is cried with lacustrine decors. His natural treasures rival beauty. Emerald lakes, three volcanoes, tumultuous waterfalls, cyclopean-dimensional canyons, in short, it is not the second most visited park in Patagonia for nothing! We're going through Vicente Pérez Rosales , on the Chilean slope, by the Laguna Verde . Although popular activities are mostly cruises across the lake Todos los Santos , you prefer to rub yourself to some hiking trails. Open the eye, you may encounter one Monito del Monte : a marsupial living in Chilean temperate forests.

• Petrohué Saltos or : the first is an easy walk that fills the river Río Petrohué and offers the best view of the Petrohué waterfalls and the Osorno volcano as a backdrop. The second, also accessible to most individuals, takes place on a day. The ascent of the volcano is the best way to discover this amazing stratovolcano loved in the clouds and full of local myths;
• Paso Desolación : a one-day hike, more muscular, during which nature continues to give itself in show. Wherever we look, volcanic cones, more or less snowy, stand in a wall. These imposing volcanoes gave birth to the thermal baths (beautiful reward after walking).

Parque Nacional Pumalin

Pumalin National Park, north of Patagonia, is a rug of greenery hauled by crystalline rivers. To the wet forests are added the marine landscapes and countless paths that make walkers happy. The most masterly trek in the park leads to the fumant crater of the Volcan Chaitén. But many are worth the detour.

• Sendero los Alerces : this path that pays tribute to the famous endemic cypresses pierced in the middle of the millenary trees. A unique sacred atmosphere in the world;
• Trail of the Volcano Michinmahuida : a course **from 8 to 10 a.m.**24 kilometres long, where rivers, streams and waterfalls are crossed;
• Trail of the Cashed Cascades : easy and confidential, this hike runs along the rivers and stretches on several kilometers of walkways and wooden stairs. At the end of the race, three pretty waterfalls.

Parque Nacional Cerro Castillo

The Cerro Castillo and its baltic towers flanked by glaciers contain, according to some murmurs, Patagonia's most beautiful trek. It even seems that this route opened just since 2017 will deconstruct Torres del Paine . The latter stretches between Villa Cerro Castillo and Las Horquetas Grandes (the starting point). No less. 4 days to go through it. Each turn offers breathtaking perspectives. The rays, which blondened the golden herbs and shoved the calves on the first day, gradually fell on sumptuous empty grounds.

Camp areas in moss forests leave room for camps near glacier lakes with the tearing peaks in the background. Between snowy peaks and red earth, you can see turquoise lagoons, such as mountain oasis. The more we sink, the more vegetation is rare. ♪ huemuls (Cirfs of the Andes), guanacos (savage camélidés relatives aux lamas), pumas et condors des Andes watch over the bitter hikers.

Parque Nacional de Patagonia

Lagunes and steppes cried with lakes, this is what best qualifies Patagonia National Park. This is one of the most recent places to practice a trek in Patagonia. What a surprise was ours when we were told that this park was still, little ago, a estancia (vast farm) in decline. Today, it is a true refuge where wildlife live in peace. Among them, guanacos, huemuls and even pumas!

• Laguna Atlas : a climbing loop of 23 kilometers that offers an idyllic view of the Chacabuco Valley, the ice fields and the mountains without name;
• Valle Avilés : lovers of large spaces, this hike in the middle of an unmatched vastitude is made for you! The best course is done 5 days and connects Jeinimeni to Chacabuco, passing through the valley of Avilés. There you will find utilizing lakes, glaciers, rivers and vegetation along soft slopes and unexposed trails. Attention However, at the river crossing which, depending on the flow and temperature, can become dangerous.

Parque Nacional Torres del Paine

Welcome south of the Chilean Patagonia. Tricks of peaks catering clouds, landscapes of Torres del Paine are the most emblematic of Chile and even Patagonia. The trails that pierce the granite needles are beautiful playgrounds for trek lovers. The entrance gate of the park is Puerto Natales , an old fishing town that is now entirely dedicated to hiking. Even if you are here to walk, take the time to walk between the glued sheet houses, sometimes separated by a beautiful old house, and along the picturesque port.

• : this mythical hike offers piercing blue lakes and lush forests, passing through the rivers where the colored algae are wavy. This is Patagonia’s trek. Most hikers cross the southwest road to the northwest to enjoy the most spectacular views. In this sense, the crossing between Lago Pehoé and Valle del Francés, in the middle of black sediments, is amazing. This route requires 5 days walking more or less committed. The program? Some muscular climbs, suspended bridges, shelters swept by violent winds, steep mountain slopes and an infinite sense of freedom;
• Circuito Paine If the W is not enough to shave your thirst for loneliness and grandiose landscapes, you can complete the W by a walk at the back of the peaks set between the refuges Grey and Las Torres. Circuito Paine form an O. The sorry landscape is breathtaking. But park in the season, in the snow and in mud castings, which in any case warrant a winter closure. The crossing is done 7 to 9 days. We recommend that you perform this “O” in the opposite direction of the needles of a watch, of the Laguna Amarga to the_Valle del Francés_.

Treks in Argentinean Patagonia

On the Argentine side, on the edge of South America, the land is spread in the same wild, almost solemn immensity. Never the emptiness seemed so full to us, never nothing enriched us so much. We make a new dive in the heart of granite lace, glacial rivers and dusty expanses. Our bottles of water glove in the sacks, our legs get impatient, the hiking sticks hit the soils sometimes tender sometimes rocky: it’s gone for memorable treks in Patagonia! We focused on two major national parks, although the Argentine Patagonia has more.

Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi

Close to the city of Bariloche, this Argentine national park is home to an impressive peak, the Tronador , which marks the border with Chile. It is one of the most famous reliefs in the north of Patagonia, the Lakes Region mentioned above. At the height of its Chilean neighbour (the park Vicente Pérez Rosales ), Nahuel Huapi offers a condensed of wonders: sharp peaks, striking winds, tormented volcanic landscapes, rugged glaciers and rare animals in the forests. And of course, a pretty hiking patchwork.

The large crossing of Nahuel Huapi National Park requires 10 days . More than 100 kilometers and 14,000 meters of denial (positive and negative) later, you have had the chance to contemplate the air passages among the most beautiful in Patagonia. However, this tower is very difficult. There are other less engaged trekking trails:

• Pampa Linda – Refugio Otto Meiling : a unique and unmissable one-day getaway leading you to the foot of the race_Tronador_. The views are irresistible, we no longer know where to give head between the immaculate mountains, the endemic forests in the shadow of glaciers and the cascades falling into the volcanic land;
• Boucle des refuges : an epic loop of 50 kilometers that connects the four most beautiful refuges of the park Nahuel Huapi : Frey, Jakob, López and Laguna Negra. This route to everything for him: mysterious woods, water in the form of lakes and rivers, valleys, with in the backdrop, torn tops.

Parque Nacional Los Glaciares

Glaciers, wonders of nature, stand here as nowhere else. We reach the organ point of the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares on our arrival at the foot of the Perito Moreno Glacier (to the south of the park). This ice field is the most mobile and accessible of the planet, visible from an observation platform. If you are lucky, you can even contemplate an impressive fall of ice, caused by the movement of high iceberg walls like buildings.

• Walk on the : the star of the Patagonia glaciers is the only glacier on which you can hike, at all levels. The departure takes place from the city ofEl Calafate and the trip lasts between 1 and 6 a.m. depending on the chosen option. Accessible and unforgettable, to say that places are expensive. However, you are not ready to forget this experience at the heart of the most moving geological phenomena of the planet;
• Good to know. : if your main objective is to approach the glaciers during your trip to Patagonia, we also recommend _Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael_Chile. Cruises bring you to the discovery of sparkling fjords and ice fields that contrast with the green of primary forests. You finally land at the foot of the great glacier San Rafael and, if time allows, you will approach this blue mastodon very closely.

However, the capital of the trek in Argentinian Patagonia, El Chaltén, lies north of the park Los Glaciares . Lost in the Cordillera of the Andes, this small village winds around the colossal mountain Fitz Roy : ruthless, denteled and breathtaking. Next, our gaze is immediately hung by its fascinating confusing: vertiginous Cerro Torres . Several hikes compete in the first place in the heart of adventurers.

• 10 kilometers, 4 hours walk to goa rather coriace hike to one of the most beautiful lakes of Patagonia. This site is one of the most photogenic of the trip. At the beginning of the hike, after a short walking hour only, is a nice bivouac spot. Then the trail sinks into a forest inhabited by noisy winds. Then he progresses towards small lakes. Past these blue and sparkling beads, the mysterious forests picked with southern beech, and the trails in steep laces resurface. When you arrive at the Laguna de los Tres, the wind blows with force but we are entitled to an upsetting view of the majestic Fitz Roy ;
• Laguna Torre : this loop of almost 20 kilometers is worth the blow in clear weather for its unforgettable view of the tooth of the Cerro Torre. There are two possible trails: a departure northwest of El Chaltén and a departure to the south end of El Chaltén. In any case, the table leaves the mouth bake: fantasmagoric rocks, endemic plants and trees, crystalline rivers, brushy plains. At the end of the race, the famous Mirador Laguna Torre diving on the peak of the Cerro Torre. On the return, some hikers planted the sardines to spend the night and leave, the next day, on the assault of the summit of this monstrous rock;
• Trek Huemul : it is considered one of the most beautiful treks in Patagonia. The loop begins at the edges of El Chaltén and is done in 4 days. The route allows you to reach the Cerro Huemul. In all, it is necessary to swallow 3,000 meters of positive elevation and 75 kilometers through the ice fields. This trek requires a sunny weather and a good experience hiking. Unadvised vertigo also because of the passage of two zip lines above the rivers. The bravest will start with a detour to the Laguna Torre before returning to the first section of the Huemul trek, passing through Las Agachonas. The two mastodonts Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy are then well visible.

Earth of Fire in Chile and Argentina

Patagonia is definitely the Mecca of hikers and adrenaline bites. Our quest finally leads us to the end of the world, on the Earth of Fire. This gem archipelago is nestled at the southern end of the South American continent. The interest of this region exceeds that of a simple trek in Patagonia. The place is full of history and legends inherited from the shipwrecks, and a nature that reigns as absolute master. The lamentations of the plains whipped by the wind, peatlands and forests put us a real slap. The Earth of Fire is also populated with endemic animals, sometimes common, sometimes rare for our European eyes.

The Chilean and Argentine authorities share the islets of the Earth of Fire. To hike, see the manchots and visit estancias the best season is similar to the rest of the Patagonia, that is, November to March/April .

The main hikes take place in the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego and in the mountain ranges overlooking Ushuaia (Argentina). This lively base, cut into sloping and steep streets, cultivates (a little too much for some) its reputation as a city from the end of the world. On the Chilean side, the dwellings are rather schematic, lost in the middle of the slate-colored water areas, marshes and wind-fighting bosquets. Please systematically report to the tourist office before and after your walk: the trails are not marked, you quickly lose your way.

• Trail of the Cerro Guanaco : rewarding and intense, this epic trek crosses the peatlands and has very steep sections. It leads to incomparable views of the Canal Beagle (which separates the main island and the islands) Host and Navarino) and the mountain aurius that served the Earth of Fire;
• Trek de Cabo Froward : or the trek of the end of the world, unique signature of Patagonia. This route 4 days and 45 kilometers along the legendary Strait of Magellan and crosses through uninhabited areas of the Chilean peninsula. In the distance, the island Dawson, the colonies of penguins and dolphins that swim in all privacy near the coast ;
• Los Dientes de Navarino : we finish this tour of the treks in Patagonia with this itinerary adjacent to the mythical Cap Horn. The starting point is Puerto Williamsone of the southernmost villages of the planisphere and swept by one of the harshest climates on the planet. This intense and isolated mountain and oceanic journey is reserved for initiates.

And for the travellers attracted to the most extreme of the journeys of the extreme: do you know that Ushuaia is an ideal base for a trip to Antarctica? Recitated to follow...