Recos Corner: Patagonia
Patagonia - it is always the place I have in mind when asked about my favourite place to travel to. I only been to Torres del Paine, therefore this recommendation would primarily focused on it, instead of other parts.
Type: Nature and Adventure
Cost: $$$ - $$$$
Solo-Trip Friendly: 3/5
Female Friendly: 5/5
Night Culture: -1/5
Food Variety: 2/5
What is so special about Patagonia? Well since it mainly just natural scenery and a few national parks (both on the Chile and Argentina side) I will just share with you my experiences on the trip.
Decide on where you want to go. Some of these things are constrained by time, for example for Torres del Paine (Chile) it is better to have 5-7 days dedicated to the park itself. For El Calafate (Argentina), it might be a better option for time constrained people - my friends were able to go there on a day trip.
Decide on your budget, there are two type of treks most popular at Torres del Paine, the W and the O (the treks shape look like the letter W and O, respectively). The W is roughly 4-5 days of trekking, which visit the national park on one side, and hits all the highlights. The O is roughly 6-10 days, depends on how fast you walk. In term of lodging, there are two types: camping or lodging. Camping, requires you to carry your own camping equipment and you can only camp in designated camping grounds. If you want to fancy it up - lodging is a great option. Lodges also comes in two types, I called fancy to super fancy. The fancy would be like a nice hostel feel and the super fancy is like a cozy cabin feel with more upgraded facilities. There is also running water (and very maintained bathrooms with showers) around camping sites, so no need to worry.
Decide on guided or self-guided - The former option costs more than the latter. It is easy enough to navigate the trek by yourself and also plenty of people doing the same trek - however having a guide really help you maintain time and motivate you.
When to visit? I would highly recommend the end of March, which is roughly their end of summer. Around Nov-Dec is beginning of their summer, although nice as well - the weather is a bit less predictable. The week before we went, some trekkers had to trek through a day of thunder storm. They also close the park around April to September/October (during their winter).
What to Pack? It’s all going on your back, so be more cognizant of what you need and what you should bring. (You could hire someone to carry your bag, but they’re not cheap.) I would recommend a few simple list:
Water cleansing tablets (Some water sources are fresh melt off from the glacier)
Walking stick(s) (really helps the knee)
Change in temperature is pretty noticeable - so pack layers (wool socks and sweater for early mornings and late nights)
First aid (because one should also have some while packing)
Nuts and snacks (because they don’t sell those during your daily hike. You can always restock at a lodge, but they’re several kilometers apart and cost much more)
Hiking shoes and everything you would bring on a real hike.
Flashlights
Bring a flag for the photos!
Sunscreen - it might be cold, but you can still get a wicked sun burn
What to expect? Tone legs and back. I did the W trek, and walked about 88 km in 5 days, some days are long and some days are hard. Luckily they placed the lodges pretty strategically, for you to plan your days. Each of the lodges were at the “points” of the W and points of interest are at the top open area of the W (see diagram below). You can drop off your bag at your lodge or resting area before heading up to see the point of interests. I don’t think the trek was hard (in term of terrain or altitude), it was just really long some days. That being said, although I rated -1/5 for night life - you will pass out when your head hit that pillow so save your energy for the trek next day! Finally, for the W, you don’t need to walk back, there will be a boat that get you back to the beginning :).
Picture is not for scale
Other interesting facts:
There is a no open fire rule for the park, because of a devastating fire caused by open flame in the past.
Plenty of trekkers going either direction for the trek
Predominate trekkers are from Europe
