Argentina and Chile Super Detailed Travel Guide

Natalese Port Arriving at the Port of Natalaes, undoubtedly one is heading towards the Banff National Park. Attractions: Torres del Paine National Park: the most famous attraction in Chile and also in Patagonia. There are many ways to enjoy the park, from a one-day check-in tour to an 8-day "O" line trek, everything is available. Among them, the most popular and classic is the "W" line trek, which can be walked forward or backward, taking about five days with moderate intensity. There are too many trekking strategies online, so I won't go into details. The main reminder is that if you want to trek, you must book the campsite 2-3 months in advance, otherwise the entire plan will fall through. For a day trip, it's quite simple. Take a bus from the station to the park entrance in the morning. The round-trip ticket costs 13,000 pesos and takes about 2 hours one way. The park entrance fee is 21,000 pesos and is valid for three days. After buying the ticket, take the black tourist bus at the entrance to the starting point for hiking. The bus ride to the starting point is free, but the return trip costs 3,000 pesos. Once you reach the starting point, you can begin hiking. The one-day hike is very challenging. I divided this hike into three parts. The first part is a flat road with uphill and downhill sections, which leads to Camping Chileno where you can take a break. This section is about 6 kilometers long and the uphill section is quite steep. The second part ends at Torres Campsite. The difficulty of this section is not high, with ups and downs along the way, and it takes a little over an hour to complete. The third part is the climb to the top of the three towers. This section is very short, but the almost vertical climb is extremely exhausting. The official estimate is 45 minutes, but it took me about an hour and a half. The entire hike took 3 and a half hours. Going downhill is not tiring, but it can be very hard on the knees. It is recommended to wear knee pads before setting off, otherwise knee injuries can be troublesome. The normal downhill time is about 2 and a half hours. Special reminder: If you have poor physical strength, are older, or are accompanied by children, do not attempt this one-day trip. The intensity is very high and it is easy to collapse. I saw many people turn back halfway. I burned over 5000 calories all day, so the intensity can be imagined. In addition to the Three Pagodas day trip, there are various one-day tour activities such as the Gray Glacier day trip and the Lake District day trip. If you have more time, you can choose to stay in a hotel inside the park for a few nights, rent a car and enjoy the magnificent scenery of Baishiwan Park. Dining: In Natales Port, I didn't have anything particularly delicious to eat myself. If I had to say, the steak was pretty good, but it was quite expensive, averaging around 20,000 pesos per person. Accommodation: Accommodation-wise, there's nothing particularly recommended to be honest. There are many hostels in Nathalie's Port, and you can choose freely based on price. I recommend a hostel called "Singing Lamb", which has very good reviews and can be booked on Agoda. There are also many hotels in Banff National Park, but they are relatively expensive and more suitable for friends with sufficient budget. Transportation: Natalis Port does not have an airport, the airport is in the neighboring Punta Arenas. Cars: Tickets to Punto Arenas and El Calafate can be purchased at the bus station. The ticket to El Calafate costs 18,000 pesos, departs at 7:30 in the morning and arrives around 3:00 in the afternoon. If you are going to the Punta Arenas airport, you can buy a direct ticket for 8,000 pesos, with a travel time of about 4 hours. Ponta Delgada Ponta Delgada itself doesn't have much to offer in terms of attractions, and is mostly used by tourists as a gateway to Pico Island. Let me give you a brief overview. To go from the city to the airport by bus, it costs 6000 pesos per person. Tickets can be purchased at the Bus-sur station. This station also sells tickets to Natalies Port for 8000 pesos. There are several hostels in the city area with decent environments, and you can book them on Agoda. Arafat The Argentine town is a starting point for visiting Bariloche or Moreno Glacier. Attractions: Perito Moreno Glacier: an active glacier where you can see glacier calving every day. After arriving at El Calafate station, you can directly purchase tickets to visit Perito Moreno Glacier the next day for a round trip of 800 pesos, including hotel pick-up and 4-5 hours of sightseeing. The entrance fee to Perito Moreno Glacier is 700 pesos, and the boat tour costs 700 pesos per person. To be honest, Perito Moreno Glacier is very spectacular. If you haven't been to Antarctica, you will be amazed by the glacier. If you wait on the hiking trail for a while, you can see many large pieces of ice falling into the lake. Glacier hiking is a particularly interesting activity, with moderate intensity and lots of fun. Because I have seen too many glaciers in Antarctica, I did not participate in this activity. The price is around 3000 pesos in my impression. Dining: Because we cooked our own meals in the hostel and don't have any particular restaurant recommendations, but I went to town and the restaurants looked good and the prices were reasonable. Accommodation: America del Sur Hostel: A fantastic hostel with 4-person rooms that have private bathrooms and lockers, priced at $18 per night including breakfast. The hostel is located on a hillside with a first-class view of the distant Argentine lake. At night, the lobby turns into a bar serving various drinks and BBQ dinners. Vegetarians need not worry as there is a salad buffet available for 250 pesos per person. Transportation: Airport: El Calafate has an airport, but due to expensive airfare, few people take off from here. Car: The ticket to Natales Port can be purchased at the station for 950 pesos. There are cars departing at 6:30 am and 7:00 am, and some companies will pick up people at the hotel lobby. After arriving at the Chilean border, you can transfer to a free minibus to Torres del Paine National Park.