Traveling to Patagonia is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most of us. It is difficult to access, can be pricey, and you need to do a lot of preparation to plan the best trip. Therefore, you do not want to make avoidable mistakes on your sojourn to Patagonia. To help you sidestep them, here are 16 mistakes to avoid on your Patagonia trip.
Mistakes to avoid on your Patagonia trip
The following are 16 mistakes to avoid during your Patagonia visit.
Mistake 1: Not having a dedicated itinerary
Patagonia is a big region to cover. Plus, there is tons to see and do there. Take plenty of time before your trip to plan out an itinerary. Depending on the type of travel you like to do, and the things you want to see, there is an almost infinite number of ways to build a personalized itinerary.
For example, if you don’t want to rent a car, you could build your itinerary around Patagonia’s big towns and cities. If you have only a week to spend there, stick to either Chile or Argentina and explore that region.
Mistake 2: Trying to do too much
Speaking of limited time, I felt that no matter how long you want to spend in Patagonia, it will feel like it was not enough time. You need to be realistic with what you can see and do during your limited time there. That is unless you plan to spend more than a month there. In that case, lucky you!
Don’t cram every day of your travel with intense hikes. It will be exhausting and you will have less fun on your vacation. Leave some downtime for an afternoon or two. Mix up the treks with something more laidback, say, a boat tour of Lago Grey to see Glacier Grey up close in Chilean Patagonia. Or even, take a chill walk in the walkways to see Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentinian Patagonia.
Mistake 3: Not preparing and training in advance
The trails of Patagonia are legendary. Pretty much all of them involve a lot of climbing and elevation gain. Be sure to prepare in advance. In fact, to see the most epic views, expect to walk over 15 miles in a day.
If you don’t go on long hikes regularly, train in advance. Take a few months to get in shape to be able to physically exert yourself to this level. Another thing to note is that some people underestimate how well they can hike. This leads to them tiring out on their way to the viewpoints. So, on the way down, if you don’t pay attention to your footholds, you may get injured. Hence, my advice is to take the preparation seriously and take care of yourself.
I was a beginner hiker when I first started planning for our trip. This post covers how I trained for my Patagonia trip which you can use too.
Mistake 4: Not understanding how high wind speeds can affect you
I had to physically experience the 80-100 kmph (60 mph) to realize how intense wind speeds can be. Despite being warned about this, it is difficult to fathom how you would react to such weather conditions. The wind can push you around while you are walking on the trails, so that if you are not careful, you may stumble onto a rock or slip on pebbles.
When (not if) you face such high wind gusts on the Patagonian trails, squat down slightly so your center of gravity gets closer to the ground. Walk clear of loose rocks as much as possible. Heck, even hunch down if that helps. And wear wind-resistant clothing.
Mistake 5: Not taking the right gear
The weather in Patagonia is very unpredictable. As a matter of fact, you may get to experience all four seasons in a single day! So, if you don’t carry the right gear, it would be an amateur mistake.
At a minimum, carry or wear a layer for warmth (eg. fleece), a layer for wind and rain protection, and optionally, some rain paints. Be sure to also have protection for your head, be it a sunhat with rain protection and/or a wool hat for warmth.
Mistake 6: Attempting to do Torres del Paine National Park in a day
This might be obvious, but don’t attempt to do Torres del Paine National Park in one day. You will not be doing it, or yourself, any favor by leaving out so many sights and views if you make a beeline to the Three Towers (Tres Torres) and head back. One of the best views is debatably the Frenchman Valley.
So, hear me out. Even if you have very little time to spend in Patagonia, cut out other places to spend a few more days in the Torres del Paine National Park. Perhaps you plan to cover both Chile and Argentina in a few days. Instead, opt for one country and do that well.
Mistake 7: Staying too far from the park overnight
The farther you stay, the longer you will need to get to the trailhead. This will take away valuable time from your daily hikes. Trust me, you will need all the time you can get. For instance, avoid staying in Puerto Natales (even though it is an awesome town) and traveling to Torres del Paine every day. Doing so means you will end up spending 2-3 hours driving each day before and after a long hike.
Instead, you can stay at a campsite or a glamping site near Rio Serrano. You may even find short-term rentals there. This spot is only about 20 minutes of driving time away from the park entrances.
Another alternate option is to stay within the park. This makes the most sense if you plan on doing the full W trek. However, we did the W trek only partially and it was the best option for us. If you are curious about why we chose to not do the full W trek, read this post. It might just convince you too! 😉
Mistake 8: Not carrying enough snacks/food
For obvious reasons, hiking for long hours makes you feel very hungry. As you prepare and train for the Patagonia hikes, you will learn how much food and snacks you need to carry on a long hike. However, even if you don’t snack much on your practice hikes, take plenty of food for your Patagonia trails.
There are several reasons for this. You want to have enough food for a couple of extra hours, in case the hike takes longer than anticipated. You also need sugar or carb-heavy snacks to give you a boost of energy to scale those mountains.
Mistake 9: Neglecting to carry two separate bags
If you are backpacking in Patagonia, you will obviously carry a big 55-60 lb backpack as your main bag. This will be your main trekking backpack where you carry all your hiking and sleeping gear.
However, carry an additional smaller backpack. You can use it for day trips such as puma tracking, trekking on a glacier, going to see penguins, etc. During those shorter trips, you do not want to carry a giant backpack that is both bulky and unnecessary. Oh, and one more thing, be sure to pack ancillary items such as binoculars in this smaller daypack.
Mistake 10: Not engaging with locals and travel mates
This is a mistake in nearly any country, but especially so in Patagonia. Hear me out. Most locals you interact with are wonderful and hospitable. They know how beautiful their backyard is, and are willing to go the extra mile for you to fall in love with it too.
Additionally, your fellow travelers will be experiencing the same things as you, marveling at the same sights as you. There is something to be said about a conversation that you strike up with a random stranger on the trails as you both stop to catch your breath or take a break from the brisk hike to eat a snack.
On top of these shared experiences, they will also help take a photo (or dozens) for you at the top of the mountain!
Mistake 11: Not sampling local cuisine
Again, this is a rookie move as a traveler. When visiting a new place, make it a point to try a few of the local dishes, even if you don’t end up being a fan of them. After all, we travel to expand our horizons and try new things, right?
Rest assured, the food in Patagonia is unbelievably good. In fact, I was taken aback by how advanced the gastronomy scene there is. Even though you may be tempted to cook on your own or grab an easy, cheap pizza, have a nice dinner at least every other day. If you try to save money by skimping on the food, you will miss out majorly.
Mistake 12: Not knowing any Spanish
Knowing Spanish is not a requirement, per se, for traveling to Patagonia. If you don’t speak the language, you should be able to get by. However, knowing basic Spanish will help you to interact with the locals, and if you need help with something.
I spent half a year learning Spanish after becoming interested in the language during my trip to Guatemala. While my Spanish skills were super basic, they did help us out in a few situations where I could converse with park officials, and ask for directions.
Spend a couple of months learning some Spanish for free on Duolingo. I use it and love it.
Mistake 13: Spending too much on a guided tour (if your budget is tight)
We opted for a guided tour in Torres del Paine National Park and explored the rest of Patagonia on our own. Based on my experience, a guided tour is not needed. It is a nice-to-have. We wanted to have that experience of a guided tour with a glamping site. That is why we opted for one in Chile.
However, in Argentina, we did not feel the need for a full guided tour. The only exception was a day hike with a guide in Argentina to see the Amphitheater of the Glaciers: a location from where you can see 3 different glaciers from one spot. The location was only accessible as a part of a tour group.
Now, if your budget does not allow it, skip the tour. You can easily trek the main hikes by yourself. Patagonia is also getting quite popular with visitors. So, more likely than not, you will have fellow travelers on the trails. You can do everything by yourself as long as you are a moderate to experienced hiker.
Mistake 14: Not renting a car (if you are strapped on time)
Having a car is expensive, but will save you a bunch of time in Patagonia. Plus, you get to make your own schedule and stops, which you cannot do with a bus. If you want to make the most of your Patagonia vacation and have less time, opt for a rental car.
Are you wondering if you need a rental car on your Patagonia trip? Read this comprehensive post I put together to help you make that decision!
Just make sure to notify your rental company that you intend to cross the border between Chile and Argentina. They are quite strict about the paperwork for border crossing. So, ensure you have the appropriate paperwork to travel across the borders
Mistake 15: Not starting your hikes early in the morning
This is very important. Always start your hike as early as possible. As soon as the sun rises, you should be at the trailhead. That means, waking up before sunrise in the dark, getting ready in the dark, driving/walking to the trail in semi-dark, and reaching by dawn. Note that dawn is around 6 am in the summer.
Why? Because, by 9 am, the majority of visitors arrive by bus to hike the trails. People who take the bus from Puerto Natales to TDP or day-trippers from another neighboring town flock to the trailhead around this time. This causes traffic jams on the trails where some sections are tight enough to allow only one person to pass at a time. The more people, the higher the chances of falling and injury as well.
The best way to hit the trails is to start as early as possible and reach the top of the view (mid-way of the total distance) by noon or earlier. Then, by 12 – 12:30 pm, start your trek down the mountain. At that time, there will be a lot of people heading up and you will be thankful that you are not climbing up.
Note: You may have tried afternoon/evening hikes in other parts of the world. While that may be a totally delightful experience elsewhere, skip that idea in Patagonia, especially if you are a slow/inexperienced hiker. You do not want to be hiking down the trail when it is dark risking injury.
Mistake 16: Skipping breakfast
Most hotels and B&Bs in Patagonia have breakfast included in the room price. Breakfast usually starts around 6:30 or 7 am. However, if you plan to start your day earlier (as mentioned in the point above), let your front desk know about it. Normally, they will provide you with a packed breakfast bag ready by the time you start.
Obviously, don’t expect anything hot, and it will not be as good as the regular breakfast. But, we chose to do this on our longer trek days and regretted nothing. It was wonderfully freeing to be able to start as soon as we wanted without compromising the small snacks the hotel folks packed.
These are the mistakes to avoid on your Patagonia trip. Do you think this list is useful for your travels? Did I miss anything that you consider a mistake while preparing for your Patagonia travels? Be sure to drop a comment below and let us know!
