This stop was probably one of the more anticipated onces that I was reading the most about before our trip, so expectations were running very high. We were first debating whether we wanted to start from Ushuaia, go up to Punta Arenas and then to Torres del Paine or see the Argentinian side first and then make our way over to Chile. We decided for the second plan and flew in to El Calafate, Argentina. To be honest, I was more looking forward to Chile, because I heard so many amazing things about it, but the tours we did from el Calafate were amazing and i am so happy that we made it there.

Argentinian side

We stayed in America del Sure Hostel, which offers a beautiful view over the mountains and the lake, and really helped us with figuring out which tours we should or could do. Also, they have amazing BBQ every night and the steak is so good. Actually, we ended up extending our stay there right on the first night because there is just so much to do. From horse riding to kayaking over walking on glaciers – el Calafate offers it all. 
For our first activity, we decided to ease in with our three hour Gaucho horse back riding tour along the lake of el Calafate, so the perfect way for us to explore the surroundings of the city. El Calafate itself is a tiny city designed for tourists to start their variety of tours there, so there are lots of restaurants, a supermarket, souvenir shops and, so I heard, a really good ice cream place.

We got picked up from the hostel and the guide brought us to the horse farm, where they were already expecting us. The tour was pretty chill, nothing in comparison to our trip in Bolivia last year, where our horses were sprinting half of the way and we thought we would seriously hurt ourselves (way to be a drama queen haha). This time, Henni’s horse was almost falling asleep while trotting behind us, so it was not the biggest adventure, but still a nice activity if you want to kill some time. Plus, they get you some treats in the end, so that was nice. 
For our second tour, we were lucky to get two last spots to go on the Discovery tour to Estancia Cristina, where you are able to see Upsala Glacier and learn all about the first settlers that opened their sheep farm there back in the day. What’s especially special about this tour is, that you are taking a 3 hour boats tour in Lago Argentino, sailing along ice bergs, surreal watercolors and the mountains in the background. I know there are so many more mountains to climb and so many more beautiful landscapes to explore in Patagonia, but for now, this was for sure one of my highlights for me, als because th weather was beautiful.

Our last tour was another glacier tour and one that I was personally really looking forward to, another highlight so to speak – Mini trekking on Perito Moreno Glacier. Trekking, are you thinking? Yes, indeed. The mini trekking tour gives you the unique opportunity to walk on a small part of the glacier and get a closer look on the ice formations, skiing holes, etc. It’s truely impressive and we didn’t even care that it was raining like crazy. If you can’t get enough and want to explore even more of the glacier, there is the Big Ice tour, which gives you more time and even more flexibility to explore explore. The main difference here is money, obviously, and time but we spoke to people that did it and absolutely loved it. 

Generally speaking, i would definitely recommend El Calafate, because there is just so much to do and everybody can find something that suits their personal taste. Also, the glaciers are declining every year, so better head over there now than to be sorry to miss such a beautiful scenery. 

Chilean side

The bus ride from el Calafate to Puerto Natales is super easy, it takes 4 hours and we didn’t spend too much time to cross the boarder either, as we already left at 5:30am. We stayed at Lili Patagonicos, which is an alright hostel, however tour wise they did not really give us the best advice, so it really depends on what you are looking for, when being there. 

As I said, I expected and hoped for so much, before coming to the Chilean side of Patagonia, and was especially looking forward to Torres del Paine, but weather, bad advice and our own bad choices can sometimes be a bitch, so we did some tiny mistakes that led to us not being able to do the trekking tour in Torres del Paine, as the treks were closed on the day we wanted to go after already switching dates around, which seriously still makes me so sad. BUT, you cannot always predict things like that and it’s only a good reason to return to this part of Chile and do the 4-day W trek. That’s what I keep telling myself. 

We did, however, not waste all of our time and got to see a little bit of the park after all. Even though, I wouldn’t recommend this tour, because you should rather do the hike and trekking, we did the full day Torres tour. Meaning, we hopped on a van in the morning and they drove our group around the park, stopping on different view points, lagoons, waterfalls, saw llamas (apparently you can sometimes even see pumas) and trek along the water to see glaciers. It’s an alright tour, but I am not a huge fan of sitting in a car the entire day and not be active, so for me, this wasn’t the real deal. However, we were at east able to see Tres Torres from afar, which was a tiny victory at least. Oh, think about that you have to take money to pay the park fee in cash. Our hostel said it was included in the tour and let’s just say, it was embarrassing haha. 

Puerto Natales itself is similar as a city as el Calafate – tourists go their to start their tours and then leave again. However, you can go for a nice walk along the harbor and explore the tiny streets a little more. Also, if you are in need of a good burger, Chilean beer and wifi – check out the Wild hostel and bar/restaurant. This is where we would always go during rainy days, it has  pretty cool interior and young people. 

As I said, there are so many other amazing places in Patagonia, but it of course takes money (Patagonia is pretty expensive) and time to travel around and we still have to see the rest of Chile. One thing I know, I will definitely return to trek around Torres and I would love to see the rest of beautiful, beautiful Patagonia. Until then….