06 May 2025
This is the perfect option for people that just want to hit the highlights of Patagonia and don’t want to be involved in all the extra planning it takes. The hotels were good and the buffet had a lot of options but overall felt like some of the extra stuff we paid for was way too expensive. We paid for the most expensive option for the booking because we wanted to splurge but realistically that only got us a king bed at every hotel, nothing more. No bigger room etc.
El Calafate was great and amazing - we ended up doing the mini trekking and definitely recommend it. One of those types of bucket list items you can’t find anywhere else and everything was professional, secure, beautiful and well organized. I know a few other websites had this tour cheaper FYI. Would also recommend taking a boat tour to see the other glaciers - very high quality and worth it especially if you have never seen glaciers.
We wished we had a bit more time in El Chalten because there are so many hikes to do and don’t forget your trip is very dependent on the weather! We couldn’t do the Tres Laguna hike during our time because it was raining and completely cloudy. I would recommend you pick your trails ahead of time. Please note the pictures in this posting are not views you will see unless you do the hikes yourselves!! It is a bit misleading in my opinion.
Puerto Natales was very different - it is a city and there are tons of places to eat, things to do etc. The tour you do here is great but you are in a car all day and they take you to different points (no real hiking involved). Tour guide was great and everyone was very friendly in Chile.
Hotel comments:
Hotel Alto Calafate - nice hotel, a little far from downtown but they (as well as many other hotels) have a free transfer service to downtown once an hour in the afternoon-nighttime. The staff is SUPER friendly but one thing I did notice was that the hotel felt humid throughout (from the pool on the ground floor) and a little bit run down in certain places. I did expect a little bit more from this place but it was good overall.
The Chalten Suites was next and was very well located and is the biggest hotel in the town. They helped us plan some activities while we were there and had a better brunch than Alto Calafate.
Hotel Costaustralis was last and was absolutely gorgeous and our favorite. Located near the water it was beautiful and the hotel was really nice. Best breakfast here and very friendly.